Insurance Cover

[Zenith (Liz)]

I'm with petplan and they're quite exspensive, they charge me roughly £13.50 per cat and I have three insured with them, two are two years old and one's 7 months

Tomorrow's the first time i'll be claiming off my insurance the kittens op will apparently be covered, and the vets have offered to pay the excess which is appreciated.

[Tiggy's Mum]

Could you clarify?

Yup, per year per condition.

By this if the limit per year per condition is 3k
would this be 3k per conditionA + 3k per conidition B in one year etc
Or is it 3k in total?

In realtion to Axa I think Claire meant 'Yup, per year not per condition'

Axa will pay £7000 for vet bills each and every year, for life.  That 7k is the most you can spend on vet bills in one year so if you had spent 2k on a broken leg and 4k on a different condition then you'd have 1k left to spend in that year.

This is better than per condition as if it was 7k per condition when you have spent that 7k, over lets say 3 years, then the insurance company would simply stop paying for that condition.

[Emma2Cats]

Could you clarify?

Yup, per year per condition.

By this if the limit per year per condition is 3k
would this be 3k per conditionA + 3k per conidition B in one year etc
Or is it 3k in total?

[Desley (booktigger)]

AXA dont put up their excesses on older cats, it is one of the reasons I changed, as i was with Sainsbury's who were £50 and then 15% once your claim hit £350. I  have claimed for both Molly and Zi this year (17 and 20), and only paid the £50 excess, although my new cat is on a £75 excess.

[Rosella moggy]

Do they put the excess up when the cat gets to a certain age do you know?

I have 7 insured with Axa (and a few before the current ones) and no the excess has not increased with age altho the premiums do of course   

Can I just encourage you to consider moving before an existing condition becomes apparent (don't wait until policy due for renewal) and ensure you take out cover to kick in 14 days after old policy stops. 

You need to fully read through Axa terms as regards polciy commencincing and what is excluded 

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

Yes they will pay direct. The option to pay direct really lies with the vet though, some can be challenging as they will want you to pay them upfront and claim back yourself. However, most are fine and will deal directly with the insurance company.

They might put the excess up, however they are one of the few who will insure older cats. The price you're quoted is very reasonable. £50 excess is one of the lower ones, I pay £75 with Axa, though Lexy is older.

[Emma2Cats]

Do they pay direct to the vet aswell?
I just got a quote and looked like £7.80 a month for each cat with a £50 excess which is completely affordable so I may have to switch it in October - their site does make it alot clearer and they are a bigger company.

Do they put the excess up when the cat gets to a certain age do you know?

[clarenmax]

Yup, per year per condition.

I have no idea how much all of Max's treatments cost in the 2 years of his illness, there were no major ops or anything like that, but 3 monthly blood tests and multiple visits, and the cost of his tablets, which I'm sure would have added up to quite a bit, although nowhere near even £3k I doubt!

Its nice to know that you've got that level of cover there should you need it though.

[Emma2Cats]

Thanks Guys!
So with AXA is it lifelong cover not per condition?

Well its up for renewal in a few months so I will change it over then I think - or I guess I could just up the cover on my current policy?

I herad alot of good things about petguard and I pay £15 per month for both of them.

[Desley (booktigger)]

I personally wouldnt go with anything less than 5k, and all mine are insured with AXA who are £7. I have never had bills of more than £1k in a year, but want that extra to be on the safe side

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

See, I'm the opposite. I was with Direct Line and they only paid £6000 for the lifetime of the pet per condition.  With Lexy's issues relating to her bladder and then her legs, well this would never be enough. I changed to Axa and I'm glad I did. Lexy's last surgeries cost nearly £10,000 last year, so I had to pay up the difference (and they gave me a discount so I only paid just under £9000). Axa paid £7000 towards all her treatment for her legs. Now granted, this was as a result of an accident where she dislocated her knee, but since accidents can happen, I couldn't have been more relieved to have the insurance.

I would love to know that only £3000 is enough, but with Lexy I can't risk it. I pay just over £15 a month for her (she's 7, and has a medical history).

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Puuuuuuuuursonally I would not be happy in 2010 for only £3000 a year cover cos it would not cover referral to an animal hospital or an MRI scan.

Just basic investigations and emergency admission for |Franta came to £2000 and nothing much was done, vet costs are getting higher and higher and what they can do is getting better and all this costs.

I would hate to not to be able to have my cats treated properly cos I had gone for the cheape option.

AXA is a huge company and are well in touch with the market and the costs and £7000 sahould be that standard in 2010 I think.

[Rosella moggy]

I've not come across Petguard but agree that £3,000 per annum should be sufficient cover in most circumstances but who knows?  What level of excess do you have?

Suggest you do a comparison quote with Axa and just compare premiums costs. 

http://www.axa.co.uk/insurance/pet

[clarenmax]

Yes as Mark says, impossibly to know if £3k a year is enough, as you never know what's around the corner I guess 

[Mark]

Yes it is £7000. It's impossible to say if £3,000 is enough. I'm sure it is for 99%+ of people. How much do Petguard charge?

[clarenmax]

I'm a definite fan of AXA here, as I think their monetary cover is more per year, per condition.

Sorry I've not got my policy to hand and I'm absolutely shattered, so I won't be able to check it until tomorrow morning, but I have in my head a figure of £7k per year?

[Emma2Cats]

Im currently insured with Petguard for £3000 per cat per year... renews after 12 months... my question from people that may have had problems with cats before is 'is 3k for each cat per year enough?'

This isnt per condition its per year so its life long cover. but nt sure if 3k is enough,

Thanks Guys