Pet insurance can be complicated. There are so many products available, all offering different levels of cover. It can make choosing the right policy difficult when so much choice is available.
It's not surprising that both new and long-time pet owners find pet insurance confusing to understand.
Pet insurance is used to help cover the cost of treating a pet if they suffer from an accident or illness. Vet fees can be expensive so many people like to have cover in place so they know they can afford treatment or so it doesn’t hit their wallet as much.
Hopefully, this page will answer some of the most common questions about pet insurance and help you in choosing a policy that is right for you.
Why not try our help centre to find out more about Bought By Many products.
Do I need pet insurance? Can’t I just self-insure?
Self-insurance is a method people use instead of taking out a policy with an insurance provider. It involves taking on the risk yourself by regularly setting aside money to cover potential costs. There is information about self-insurance in our article on whether you need pet insurance.
The risks are that you pet may need treatment before you've been able to save much or the cost of treatment exceeds what you've saved.
Even common issues like cuts and vomiting can cost hundreds of pounds to treat and more serious conditions can easily cost thousands. This is why many people choose to insure their pets.
We have created a policy that pays money back when you don't need to claim.
To help people compare providers we've written guides to the best pet insurance for dogs and for cats.
What's the minimum age my pet has to be for me to get insurance?
Most policies won't start until your pet is a few weeks old.
Regardless of how young your pet is now, you can get a quote and buy a policy. Bought By Many will simply have to delay the start of your cover slightly, as your pet needs to be at least 4 weeks old when your policy begins.
Other insurers may have other minimum age limits.
Find out more about our pet insurance.
What's the maximum age my pet can be for me to get insurance?
Most of our policies have no upper age limit and will cover older pets of any age.
If you already have a policy, we suggest you carefully check its wording as some insurers do have a maximum age limit and a policy's excess or co-payment can increase when a pet reaches a certain age.
Can I insure more than one pet?
Yes, although not all insurers offer this option. Read our guide to providers that offer multi-pet quotes and discounts.
Our pet insurance offers a 15% multi-pet discount when you insure more than one pet on the same policy - this is the biggest multi-pet discount on the market (our multi-pet discount is not currently available on our Value 2k policy).
Is dental cover included in my pet insurance?
Most pet insurance policies won't pay out for dental treatment unless your pet's teeth are damaged in an accident. However, we’ve created a list of policies that include dental cover.
Our Complete policy also covers dental treatment for illness when it is recommended by a vet for up to £15,000 a year as standard. Get a quote.
What is accident-only insurance?
Insurers will offer different levels of cover but generally accident-only policies provide a fixed amount of money if your pet has an accident but will not pay out for on-going or one-off illnesses.
However, some policies may include an amount towards the cost of emergency treatment of an illness. There is also more information in our guide to dog insurance.
What does lifetime pet insurance mean?
Lifetime (or ‘yearly limit’) insurance covers vet fees up to the stated limit every year. This can be a good option if you worry about your pet developing a long-term or recurring illness. So long as you renew a lifetime policy each year, the level of vet fees will reset to the full stated limits that you started with.
With a lifetime product, it is important to note that your premiums may increase each year at renewal.
Please note that your excess is likely to increase as your pet gets older. With our policies when your pet turns 9, a fixed excess of £99 a year if you claim plus 20% of each claim will apply.
Lifetime policies can be a good option to explore if you are concerned about your pet developing long-term or recurring illness. All of the insurers on our best pet insurance for dogs and cats lists offer lifetime cover.
Most of our policies are lifetime:
- Complete - the most comprehensive pet insurance on the market, comes with £15,000 of vet fee cover and includes dental as standard
- Regular comes with £7,000 for vet fees and has the option of zero excess for pets under 9
- MoneyBack comes with £7,000 of vet fee cover a year and pays 20% of your premium back every year you don't need to claim.
What does time-limited cover mean?
Time-limited policies allow pet owners to claim a set amount for a condition within a set time period, usually 12 months. After that time period or when you reach te vet fee limit (whichever comes first), no further payments will be made for that condition.
When the policy ends you will be able to renew but the condition you previously claimed for is likely to be excluded. The policy could pay for treatment such as behavioural therapy or physiotherapy after an injury. It is often used by owners with older pets that might be susceptible to illness.
What is per condition cover?
These policies impose a vet fee limit per condition. So as long as you renew the policy there is no limit to the length of time you can continue to claim for a condition but once the vet fee limit amount has been reached for that condition it will be excluded from your cover.
So, to take the example of an ongoing illness such as diabetes or dermatitis, once that maximum is reached that condition will then be excluded from further claims and you will need to be prepared to fund the ongoing treatment yourself.
