# Pets at Home Insurance



## Dozymoo (Feb 26, 2009)

Hi there,

Does anyone know if the Pet's at Home Lifetime Cover Plan is any good? I've have a quote for £9.19 per month per cat (considerably cheaper than the £18 I am currently paying to Pet Plan) and I'm considering switching over.

Any reviews?


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## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

Dozymoo said:


> Hi there,
> 
> Does anyone know if the Pet's at Home Lifetime Cover Plan is any good? I've have a quote for £9.19 per month per cat (considerably cheaper than the £18 I am currently paying to Pet Plan) and I'm considering switching over.
> 
> Any reviews?


Don't know about them, but I got Argos and it cost me £18.06 to insure two maine coons with the gold option and it covers all the stuff you need


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## BSH (Jul 28, 2010)

Not sure about [email protected] but the Argos insurance is of a comparable price for their Platinum (Life Cover) insurance. I have fortunately not claimed on it but do know Which Magazine rated it top for pet insurance.

I flinched slightly at getting pet insurance from a catalogue store but they are underwritten by Swedens biggest pet insurer!

Is [email protected] insurance new? Albert Ross may be the best person to ask.


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## MoggyBaby (Mar 8, 2011)

I've just had a look at it and I don't like it! 

If your cat is over 11 and dies from an illness, they will not make a pay out on either the 'death from illness' section or pay towards cremation or burial costs. The first one I can sort of get but I don't like the second one.

My Sluggie was 17 when he died. He was covered by Sainsburys and they paid up the cremation costs - up to £100 - without question. They were also very, very kind and extremely understanding. I was late cancelling the policy, due to being so upset, they REFUNDED the payments made after his death WITHOUT MY ASKING for this!!!!  They also sent me a letter of condolance and I received the cremation payment within a week of sending the bill to them.

I had their top level insurance and I will be going straight back to them when I get my next cat insured.

But that is only my own personal experience and cannot speak for others. 

EDIT: I would also add that Sainsburys top level gives insurance cover up to £7000.


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## Dozymoo (Feb 26, 2009)

My cats are only 3 and 1 at the moment so that wasn't the first thing I noticed to be honest. Thanks for pointing it out, as I would have completely missed it.

I've also looked at the Argos cover and that looks pretty similar to the Pets at Home cover. I'm actually really annoyed now that I have allowed Petplan to fleece me for so long!!

Also, out of interest I have tried a couple of combinations on both sites. My boy is more expensive to insure than my girl. And if I were to get him neutered his premium would be more expensive than if he was entire.... What's that all about?!?


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## AlbertRoss (Feb 16, 2009)

Dozymoo said:


> My cats are only 3 and 1 at the moment so that wasn't the first thing I noticed to be honest. Thanks for pointing it out, as I would have completely missed it.
> 
> I've also looked at the Argos cover and that looks pretty similar to the Pets at Home cover. I'm actually really annoyed now that I have allowed Petplan to fleece me for so long!!
> 
> Also, out of interest I have tried a couple of combinations on both sites. My boy is more expensive to insure than my girl. And if I were to get him neutered his premium would be more expensive than if he was entire.... What's that all about?!?


Pet Plan aren't 'fleecing' you. They offer a larger cover than the others, so it costs more. (John Lewis and VestMediCover come fairly close).

Have a look at this for a list of insurers that have a good reputation. Most of the 'retail name' insurers are organised by the same company, but are underwritten by separate underwriters, so their offerings differ slightly. Beware those pretending to offer lifetime cover when it's actually 'per condition'.

BTW most companies won't pay out on the death of an animal over 8 years. And, at that point, most increase the excess you'll have to pay.


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## BSH (Jul 28, 2010)

Dozymoo said:


> Also, out of interest I have tried a couple of combinations on both sites. My boy is more expensive to insure than my girl. And if I were to get him neutered his premium would be more expensive than if he was entire.... What's that all about?!?


That is odd! I forgot to tell Argos I had had Darwin & Willow neutered until last week and their premiums were both cut. If I had told them several months ago I could have saved quite a few quid  But a neutered boy should definately be a lower premium, so I would question their rationale and then threaten to leave if they do not budge.

But I agree, PetPlan appear to overcharge compared to others but like many market leaders in their field, rest on their laurels and get away with it I suspect?

Argos also give online and multipet discounts.


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## Dozymoo (Feb 26, 2009)

AlbertRoss said:


> Pet Plan aren't 'fleecing' you. They offer a larger cover than the others, so it costs more. (John Lewis and VestMediCover come fairly close).
> 
> Have a look at this for a list of insurers that have a good reputation. Most of the 'retail name' insurers are organised by the same company, but are underwritten by separate underwriters, so their offerings differ slightly. Beware those pretending to offer lifetime cover when it's actually 'per condition'.
> 
> BTW most companies won't pay out on the death of an animal over 8 years. And, at that point, most increase the excess you'll have to pay.


Thanks for that. It looks to me like the Pets at Home and Argos Platinum policies are very similar. My cats are healthy and happy indoor cats, and I just want a good but reasonable cover for piece of mind. I don't think I need all of the cover that is offered by Petplan and at almost £40 per month it just doesn't seem a reasonable investment.

Thanks for the link to the site too. Very helpful.



BSH said:


> That is odd! I forgot to tell Argos I had had Darwin & Willow neutered until last week and their premiums were both cut. If I had told them several months ago I could have saved quite a few quid  But a neutered boy should definately be a lower premium, so I would question their rationale and then threaten to leave if they do not budge.
> 
> But I agree, PetPlan overcharge compared to others and like many market leaders in their field, rest on their laurels and get away with it.
> 
> Argos also give online and multipet discounts.


It is odd, isn't it? But that's what I found with the online quotes for both Argos and Pets at Home. I might phone up later and chat with them about it!

Argos do offer good multipet and online discounts, you're right. But Pets at Home are offering multipet and online discounts AND a £12 shopping voucher!  Decisions Decisions. LOL

I think i'll go with the recommendations for now and wait to see if Pets at Home have any good reviews when I'm up for renewal....


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## MoggyBaby (Mar 8, 2011)

A quick question on Lifelong insurance plans - probably a very stupid one but this is purely for clarification....

Does the monthly payment value increase each year as the animal gets older or does it stay the same for the whole of the animals life?


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## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

MoggyBaby said:


> A quick question on Lifelong insurance plans - probably a very stupid one but this is purely for clarification....
> 
> Does the monthly payment value increase each year as the animal gets older or does it stay the same for the whole of the animals life?


With Animal Friends Insurance I had lifetime cover, he cost me £18.63 I believe a month, but I had an excess of £99 and a 35% shared fee, so for every £100 I had to still pay £35!


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## Viki (Jul 16, 2009)

We have listed most of the insurers that have lifelong cover and their benefits:
Lifelong Pet Insurance - Compare Lifelong Insurance Policies

Hope this will help


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## BSH (Jul 28, 2010)

MoggyBaby said:


> I would also add that Sainsburys top level gives insurance cover up to £7000.


Be warned though that Sainsburys cover is not Lifetime Cover. If your cat developed a chronic condition, such as diabetes, they would not cover it in future years and no other insurer would either once it had been diagnosed whilst being insured by another insurer. £7000 is nothing if your cat requires £7000 of treatment for the next 10 years :yikes:


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## MoggyBaby (Mar 8, 2011)

BSH said:


> Be warned though that Sainsburys cover is not Lifetime Cover. If your cat developed a chronic condition, such as diabetes, they would not cover it in future years and no other insurer would either once it had been diagnosed whilst being insured by another insurer. £7000 is nothing if your cat requires £7000 of treatment for the next 10 years :yikes:


I know.  Hence the later question regarding the monthly payments for Lifelong Insurance.


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## BSH (Jul 28, 2010)

MoggyBaby said:


> I know.  Hence the later question regarding the monthly payments for Lifelong Insurance.


Ah, yes, I see now 

My experience is that premiums do increase slightly every year, taking in to account both inflation and rising risks as the cats age. It is all about risk assessment. But the way i look at it is, the annual rise is outweighed by the potential costs that would be incurred by me if they do develop chronic health problems.

Insurance, for anything, is a gamble at the end of the day. Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose. With health insurance, for me, my family or my pets, I always hope to loose  I look on it as a payment to give me peace of mind. If the insurance company never have to pay out, i am still a winner, as that means we are all healthy (or suddenly dropped dead on the spot :yikes!


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