How to Save Money on Your Pet Insurance
Whether they’ve got four legs, two legs or no legs at all, we love our pets. The idea of anything bad ever happening to them is scary. But, should they get sick or have an accident, you need to know you can cover the cost of caring for them.
Whether it’s a gerbil or a Great Dane, vet bills can quickly run into thousands of pounds, which is why you need pet insurance. Paying a monthly premium is a bit of a pain, but there are ways to minimise the cost.
- Read the small print. Pet insurance needs to cover stuff like broken bones and cancer not routine injections, worm treatments, or damage they might cause to your home. This just adds on to the cost.
- If you’ve more than one pet, check out multi-animal policies. You can often make a saving paying for two on one policy rather than having individual cover for each.
- Shop around when it’s renewal time. Don’t just stick with the same provider because it’s less hassle. There are always heavily discounted offers for new customers.
- If you do change provider, make sure they’ll cover your pet for an illness they have already been treated for, just in case it returns.
- Increase your excess. As with any insurance this lowers the premium, but make sure that you can afford it should something happen to your pet.
- Check the terms and conditions. Some insurers charge a share of the claim on top of the excess if your pet is over a certain age.
- Be prepared to haggle. Don’t be embarrassed about asking the insurance company if they’ll knock something off their quote. If you don’t ask, you don’t get and usually they have wriggle-room.
- Consider a cashback site. Look round and see whether buying your insurance through one of these sites could bag a saving. But make sure you won’t be charged an annual fee or a percentage of the cashback.
If you receive means-tested support for your council tax or housing benefits you might be eligible for help with vet bills. The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) pay the bills in some cases.
Check out the website to see if you live in one of their catchment areas. If not, you might still be able to get help by applying through the PDSA treatment support fund. You don’t even need to wait until your pet is ill or has been injured, you can apply for help straight away.
