help with pet insurance

hi, my dog is insured with sainsburys pet insurance,ive had all the books come through the post explaining what the insurance covers etc etc, what i wanted to know is can i take my dog to any vets? because it dosen't explain much on what to do and where to go, also would i have to take proof of insurance to the vets and then the vets just sort the rest out? im thinking i need to take him to the vets as he seems to have a lazy ear and hes also shaking his head more then usual,i did buy some ear drops over the counter from a pet shop but it hasn't made any diffrence.....thanks

should be able to take him to any vets

Its always best to take them to the vets you are registered at. But I think you can go to any vets. How they process the claim though is different at different vets. Some have payment upfront, some have a claim form. Just see what your excess is as if its only drops you need, the last time I had them for Moo it cost £60 but my excess is £90 anyway. x

just be careful when you take him check your policy on most for 21 days from insuring them if the have any conditions they will not be covered we took Millys out on the last day of the month and were only fully covered on the 21st of the next month they do this incase you ring up for insurance once you know there is a issue they will also check vet records to see if you attended with a issue before they insured you hope this makes sence

I'm with Sainsbury's as well!

With Sainsbury's they won't cover anything that occurs within 14 days of the start of the policy, so check the start date before you try & claim.

You can go to any vet (although the one that knows your dog is usually the best one to go to), but you will need to put the name & address of any other vets you have used on the claim form.

Each vet is different as to how they process payments for their services. My own says that you must pay 'up front' and make a claim yourself. HOWEVER, they will make a direct claim as long as you pay the 'excess' plus a £20 admin fee. Check with your vets to see what system they run.

I had a look around net to compare different offers, I read here that lots of you are happy with Sainsbury's so I was pretty surprised reading so many negative comments about it :/ (that was on two or three compare-type websites)
I'm not sure, maybe people moan because they didn't read t&c properly or expected just too much for option they pay?

if you say that you never had problems with Sainsbury's I would be happy to go for it.
But I also looked at ASDA and Argos ones, they seem good and cheaper, but I'd rather to go with something that I know someone claimed already and had no problems with...

Luckily, Mambo still has 2-weeks of his shelter insurance left so I still got some time to sort it out and shop around

spuker1 wrote:I had a look around net to compare different offers, I read here that lots of you are happy with Sainsbury's so I was pretty surprised reading so many negative comments about it :/ (that was on two or three compare-type websites)
I'm not sure, maybe people moan because they didn't read t&c properly or expected just too much for option they pay?

if you say that you never had problems with Sainsbury's I would be happy to go for it.
But I also looked at ASDA and Argos ones, they seem good and cheaper, but I'd rather to go with something that I know someone claimed already and had no problems with...

Luckily, Mambo still has 2-weeks of his shelter insurance left so I still got some time to sort it out and shop around

I used Marks & Spencer & then Sainsburys & in total I've claimed over £5000 between them! Neither had any delays in paying out in full, although M & S quibbled over £10 worth of special dog food! I didn't bother writing to explain that it was a prescription food because the amount didn't seem enough to worry about seeing as they'd just paid out nearly £2000! Sainsbury's last year paid out over £2500 without question, and have just paid out a further £700!

im a bit confused about how it works, once you have claimed off your pet insurance, will the insurance price go up?....kind of like if you have an accident in a car,the insurance might go up????????

They do tend to go up like car insurance problem being if you change they want your pets history and may not cover a existing condition.

richyboy111 wrote:im a bit confused about how it works, once you have claimed off your pet insurance, will the insurance price go up?....kind of like if you have an accident in a car,the insurance might go up????????

If you claim, the cost will probably go up for the next year. Some insurance companies will really hammer you for claiming, M & S did for me - they wanted to double the premium when they sent the quotes through, that's why I changed to Sainsburys.

I've just got my renewal quotes from Sainsburys today. Yes, it's gone up, but only by £4 per month which I think is quite reasonable, considering that they've paid out over £3000 in one year! I was paying just over £13 per month & it's going to be £17 per month for the new year's cover.

Caryll does that cover any existing conditions because I know mine is gonna rocket with Milly

richyboy111 wrote:what i wanted to know is can i take my dog to any vets? because it dosen't explain much on what to do and where to go, also would i have to take proof of insurance to the vets and then the vets just sort the rest out?

When cairo was really ill i took her to a different vets because her one wasnt open.I took all proof of insurence with me.They handed me a claim form and i filled it in.They sorted out the rest took a couple of weeks to sort out if i remember rightly,but there were no problems.

Sorry just read this and can i butt in and ask a question , well i am going to anyways, I have been told to use sainsbury's for Bruno's insurance the only bit that foxs me is the vet fees bit, it has £75,£100 And £125, which is best to go for or does in depend on what you can afford ?

ok cheers, what i would like to know aswell is soon my contract from work is goin to end, so it means me havin to cancel his insurance and sign up with the pdsa and make donations anytime he needs treatment....will i have to pay to cancel the insurance, or can i just phone up and cancel straight away?

richyboy111 wrote:will i have to pay to cancel the insurance, or can i just phone up and cancel straight away?

Im not sure,i guess it depends on the cancellation policy.Have a read through your policy and see what it says.

Bruno311210 wrote:Sorry just read this and can i butt in and ask a question , well i am going to anyways, I have been told to use sainsbury's for Bruno's insurance the only bit that foxs me is the vet fees bit, it has £75,£100 And £125, which is best to go for or does in depend on what you can afford ?

Its sounds like thats the voluntary excess,so its whatever you would like to pay.I always pay the lowest.

Bruno311210 wrote:Sorry just read this and can i butt in and ask a question , well i am going to anyways, I have been told to use sainsbury's for Bruno's insurance the only bit that foxs me is the vet fees bit, it has £75,£100 And £125, which is best to go for or does in depend on what you can afford ?

Do you mean the excess? If so its up to you but the lower the excess ie £75 will push up the overall cost to insure if that makes sense x

Snap Lisa lol! x

ok Thank you Lisa And Janey

Tracie-Milly-Moos Mum wrote:Caryll does that cover any existing conditions because I know mine is gonna rocket with Milly

No insurance will cover pre-existing conditions. Most companies also exclude anything that occurs within 14 days (at least) of the start of the policy. Obviously, if your dog is ill & you make a claim and you afterwards renew your policy with the same insurer then he will be covered.

Bruno311210 wrote:Sorry just read this and can i butt in and ask a question , well i am going to anyways, I have been told to use sainsbury's for Bruno's insurance the only bit that foxs me is the vet fees bit, it has £75,£100 And £125, which is best to go for or does in depend on what you can afford ?

The lower the excess the higher the insurance premium. I've gone for £75 excess (the amount you have to pay before the insurance company will pay out), but if I'd gone for £125 the policy would have cost me less because the insurance company would pay out less if you see what I mean.

richyboy111 wrote:ok cheers, what i would like to know aswell is soon my contract from work is goin to end, so it means me havin to cancel his insurance and sign up with the pdsa and make donations anytime he needs treatment....will i have to pay to cancel the insurance, or can i just phone up and cancel straight away?

If you cancel your insurance before it runs out, most companies will give you a refund of any amount paid if you paid for the whole year 'up front'. If you pay monthly, then you'll probably get nothing & there may be a cancellation penalty - phone the company and ask what their policy is.

does anyone know if sainsburys full pet insurance is lifetime cover?

Just been looking at john lewis insurance thats lifetime and is cheaper than sainsburys and covers up to 7000 a year

youngkaiser wrote:does anyone know if sainsburys full pet insurance is lifetime cover?

Yes, that's the one I use - £7,500 per condition for life.

£7.500 per year? thats maximum benefit as they call it i found this in a news paper article
Maximum benefit policies also allow you to claim year after year, but there’s a pre-set limit to the total amount that will be covered for each condition. For example, if your pet develops allergic skin disease, you can claim back vet fees until that limit has been reached. However, if your pet then develops another problem (e.g. diabetes), you will be covered again until the limit is reached for this new illness. You have good cover for sequential illnesses, but if your pet has one big, long-standing problem, the cover is limited.
Lifetime cover is the most expensive option, but it offers the best benefits. Your pet is covered for its entire lifetime for any illness or injury, up to a maximum amount each year. You’ll generally be able to renew the policy every year for the same amount: if your pet develops a serious problem, the insurance company will continue to pay out year after year, and your annual premium will not be affected by your claims history.

Think i might go with john lewis as its lifetime and a bit cheaper

youngkaiser wrote:£7.500 per year? thats maximum benefit as they call it i found this in a news paper article
Maximum benefit policies also allow you to claim year after year, but there’s a pre-set limit to the total amount that will be covered for each condition. For example, if your pet develops allergic skin disease, you can claim back vet fees until that limit has been reached. However, if your pet then develops another problem (e.g. diabetes), you will be covered again until the limit is reached for this new illness. You have good cover for sequential illnesses, but if your pet has one big, long-standing problem, the cover is limited.
Lifetime cover is the most expensive option, but it offers the best benefits. Your pet is covered for its entire lifetime for any illness or injury, up to a maximum amount each year. You’ll generally be able to renew the policy every year for the same amount: if your pet develops a serious problem, the insurance company will continue to pay out year after year, and your annual premium will not be affected by your claims history.

Think i might go with john lewis as its lifetime and a bit cheaper

But that's what Sainsbury's does - it's £7,500 per condition as long as that condition lasts, and as long as you renew your insurance year after year. No policy will cover an illness for an unlimited amount.

Can I ask how much you guys are paying a month? Sainsburys have quoted me £10.12 a month for basic cover (£3500 for 12 months). Argos came out cheaper at £9.03.

This is providing Kayla is spayed and chipped though which she wont be till October

I would personally get more than basic cover as it doesnt usually always cover alot ive not got insurance yet been saying ill get it the last 2 years lol but just looking into which one is best to get

Skimsa wrote:Can I ask how much you guys are paying a month? Sainsburys have quoted me £10.12 a month for basic cover (£3500 for 12 months). Argos came out cheaper at £9.03.

This is providing Kayla is spayed and chipped though which she wont be till October

the basic is cheaper but your not covered for things like theft or straying, death caused by injury, personally i think it worth paying extra for the extra benefits as you can never tell what is going to happen in the future

Skimsa wrote:Can I ask how much you guys are paying a month? Sainsburys have quoted me £10.12 a month for basic cover (£3500 for 12 months). Argos came out cheaper at £9.03.

This is providing Kayla is spayed and chipped though which she wont be till October

I'm paying £13 (plus a little bit - can't remember how much!) per month for the full cover (£7500 per illness for life) which will be going up to £17 per month on renewal (but that's because I've claimed over £3000!). But that's for an EBT, and I'm not sure how much staffs are.

I have just taken out Sainsbury's Option 2 and it is going to cost us £18.55 a month, which i think isn't bad I really don't care how much it is a month as long as Bruno is covered

It's strange, isn't it, how much more they charge for a stafford than a BT? Just goes to show that if you sling enough mud, some of it will stick!

yeah suppose its all down to yet again bad press, i am busy educating people that i meet, that it isn't the breed that makes staffy bad, it is a bad owner

Bruno311210 wrote:yeah suppose its all down to yet again bad press, i am busy educating people that i meet, that it isn't the breed that makes staffy bad, it is a bad owner

couldnt agree more

I am paying 13 pound a month for Gold cover for Milly.

Mambo came from our local rehoming centre with 4 weeks free insurance from Petplan. Today we received the letter - Petplan want us to stay with their insurance and they offer 'cover for life' option even with their budget plan. Also, as a special offer they give us first month free and 10% of the total premium we would pay each year goes to our local rehoming centre.

I don't have the quote for any of their plans yet (it's now too late to call them, I will find out on Monday) but I presume for budget plan it shouldn't be more than 10-15 quid. Vets fees are 4000 for budget and 6000 for standard (i'm not looking at supreme).they also give complimentary treatment (same for each plan - 750), third party liability 1million, boarding fees 250, advertising and reward 250, quarantine 15000 and emergency repatriation 500.

It all seems good on paper, I'm just thinking how it works in practice. anyone's got any information about them? anyone used them/made any claims?

Bruno311210 wrote:I have just taken out Sainsbury's Option 2 and it is going to cost us £18.55 a month, which i think isn't bad I really don't care how much it is a month as long as Bruno is covered

Ive just done the same but my came up as £14,30. Is your dog neutered , micro chipped etc? they're both staffs so why you should pay 4 quid more?

anyway, we're going for sainsbury's, petplan budget costs £23, it's too expensive....!

when i was getting insurance for billy, i was quoted bout £25 per month, my friend recommended it to me and she only pays £20 for 2 boxers.
I think it depends on your postcode, cause she lives in Royal Tunbridge Wells and we live in North London

spuker1 wrote:I don't have the quote for any of their plans yet (it's now too late to call them, I will find out on Monday) but I presume for budget plan it shouldn't be more than 10-15 quid. Vets fees are 4000 for budget and 6000 for standard (i'm not looking at supreme).they also give complimentary treatment (same for each plan - 750), third party liability 1million, boarding fees 250, advertising and reward 250, quarantine 15000 and emergency repatriation 500.

I find petplan far too expensive. That's why I went for M & S & then Sainsbury's. Take care with the lowest one. Belive it or not, £4000 doesn't go far! Dempsey is only 2 and we've claimed £5000+ so far!

lynne wrote:when i was getting insurance for billy, i was quoted bout £25 per month, my friend recommended it to me and she only pays £20 for 2 boxers.
I think it depends on your postcode, cause she lives in Royal Tunbridge Wells and we live in North London

It does depend where you live - they will have areas that are considered 'hot spots' for vet claims.

we bought Sainsbury's today,£14,30 per month for option 2, I think it's just the same as yours Caryll

Yes, although mine's going up to £17 per month from next month cause I've claimed over £3000 over the year! I can put up with that, though, they paid out really quickly & didn't quibble at all.

£17 is not that bad , considering that you claimed quite a lot.
of course i hope i won't really have to use the insurance too often, but it just gives us a peace of mind in case anything happens.

spuker1 wrote:

Bruno311210 wrote:I have just taken out Sainsbury's Option 2 and it is going to cost us £18.55 a month, which i think isn't bad I really don't care how much it is a month as long as Bruno is covered

Ive just done the same but my came up as £14,30. Is your dog neutered , micro chipped etc? they're both staffs so why you should pay 4 quid more?

anyway, we're going for sainsbury's, petplan budget costs £23, it's too expensive....!

Bruno is microchipped, that was first thing to do on my list after his injections, as i had a cat stolen , it was just a normal off the street cat nothing special but it was to me,One morning i fed it and then never saw it again, till my son was out playing in another street with his friend,they came back to our house, and said mum, i have just seen felix, so we went and had a look and sure enough it was my cat, some elderly lady had locked him in her house, so he got to know her house, she fed etc and we spoke with her, she had taken the cat to the vets and she had his jabs done, wormed,fleaed and even microchipped and we felt that we couldn't just take him back as she had gone to all this trouble with, She didn't even advertise him in the local shop, i spent 5 months wondering what happen to my cat but end of the day, he's got a good home and he is being looked after but over fed, he is really fat and i think sadly eventually he will have a heartattack and died of it, she feeds him 3 meals a day plus treat, he is 7 years old, so no need for 3 meals a day ! my OH brought me a new kitten after that, she is microchipped and that is why i got bruno microchipped partly and because i couldn't bear to lose him and have all the heartache i had with the cat.
No Bruno is not neutered yet............ He's only coming up to 23 weeks

Difference in price might be a area thing ? I don't know if this area is a higher risk or not. So don't why i am paying a bit more for the same policy. Perhaps i opted for something you didn't ?