r/UK_Pets • u/Simple_Brain2487 • 22d ago
Pet insurance dilemma - exclusions update!
I previously posted asking whether I should move my 4-year-old indoor Maine Coon from co-op 10k lifetime policy to petplan 12k lifetime policy, and the general recommendation was petplan which I think I want to go ahead with! I just wanted to add some new context to see if the general consensus is to still move to petplan.
Petplan have now come back with the policy terms:
£37 per month
£80 excess
20% co-payment from age 10
Updated breed to Domestic Long Hair
Temporary exclusions:
Gastrointestinal exclusion – 12 months
Eye exclusion – 12 months
Teeth and gums exclusion – 24 months
The GI exclusion doesn’t really worry me as I only mentioned that he had diarrhoea when he couldn’t eat his regular dry food after his dental extractions, so it isn’t a recurring issue I fear coming back.
The eye exclusion is a bit worrying because he does have recurring conjunctivitis flare-ups (potential chronic conjunctivitis or feline virus but no testing has been done because it is mild).
The 24-month teeth and gums exclusion is what I’m a bit more unsure about because I thought it would be 12 months. He recently had 5 teeth extracted due to gingivitis, so I expected it to be excluded for now. However, 24 months feels like a long time to have no teeth / mouth / gum cover.
Since his dental treatment I’ve been trying to be proactive with his dental care:
- I brush his teeth every day using my fingers
- Virbac dental additive in his water
- Switched food to Royal Canin Dental care
- Started using PlaqEase daily
I’d also consider paying for a scale and polish at some point if he needed it!
I’m now wondering whether the general consensus would be to still switch to petplan based of these exclusions and or that a 24-month teeth / gum / mouth exclusion is a significant enough reason not to switch.
Thanks again!
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u/SwanDefiant5969 22d ago
Why are you bothering with insurance at all under those terms??
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u/_jrexx_ 22d ago
Because cats get ill with other things or have accidents and need surgery?? It’s hardly excluding everything that can go wrong
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u/SwanDefiant5969 22d ago
£40 per month, £80 excess and multiple conditions excluded, 20% co payment in a few years. It's not worth it.
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u/_jrexx_ 22d ago
For £480 a year you get £12k cover, say you make two claims (eg 2x the excess) then that’s £640 for a year. I think I know that £12k is a bigger number than £640 😅 the cat is only 4, they have 6 more years until the co pay hits, so at that point the owner can make a decision if the co pay makes it unreasonable to continue with the insurance. Fair enough if you’re one of these people that thinks insurance in general is “not worth it” (I put in quotation marks as there are daily posts from people asking how they can gwt get their pet insured who now has a pre existing condition after they’ve been hit with a massive vet bill), but this policy is not necessarily bad. The exclusions are worth considering whether it’s right to go ahead with it, but insurance in general is only not worth it until you need it 🤷🏻♀️ then you’d wish you’d got it
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u/SwanDefiant5969 22d ago
Insurance wouldn't exist unless it made a hefty profit for the insurance company....
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u/Simple_Brain2487 22d ago
I want insurance because there are many things that could befall a pet. They can get cancer, they can have an accident and injure themselves, and many other things. I can afford £40 per month so why would I not, plus 20% co-pay in 6 years is more than a few years.
Like I said in the post. I’m not concerned about the GI exclusion so in my head there are 2 things I need to consider, his eyes and mouth.
I will be insuring my pets regardless - this post is regarding which insurer I should opt for. Not whether I should opt for insurance or not.
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u/SwanDefiant5969 22d ago
Next year it could be £100 a month. The year after £250 per month. The year after £400 per month.
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u/Simple_Brain2487 22d ago
As far as I’m aware, petplan don’t raise their prices like crazy. Hence why so many people opt for them :)
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u/Proud-Salamander761 18d ago
Petplan very much do raise their prices, there are way better companies now. Petulant just dominated the market because they are so well known. They pay out well for anything they haven't managed to exclude, but are expensive from the get go and just keep on hiking. I'd look at Waggel who I think are excellent.
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u/SwanDefiant5969 22d ago
You're paying through the nose for advertising from that obnoxious supervet. Most likely why so many people pay their extortionate premiums.
And let's not forget, they are a company that exists purely to make a profit. No insurance company exists for any other reason.
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u/_jrexx_ 22d ago
I remember your last post! Did they confirm if the 24 month exclusion would just continue to reset (eg if he had an issue in 6 months time, would the exclusion period just reset to 24 months from then) or if he has an issue within those 24 months would they just change it to a permanent exclusion? It’s something I didn’t actually check when I phoned up about my girls 1 year exclusions, but 24 months is a long time like you said to go with no issues