Turns out that when it comes to pet insurance there is a little cheat sheet that lists some of the best insurance tips around. And it turns out you’ve just stumbled upon it! Congrats!
When it comes to pet insurance, it is one of those unique industries where you are able to tap into a plethora of benefits! From the get-go, you know that you are accessing some of the best medical assistance around!
That being said, there are a few additional perks that many pet owners have yet to realise. They either get lost amongst the sea of existing benefits or they have yet to ask their insurer. Regardless of what has brought you here, you can now rest assured that you have stumbled onto gold. This blog will give you an insider’s glimpse into pet insurance tips and all the things YOU should know about.
5 Top Pet Insurance Tips
1. More pets, more discounts
Many pet owners do not realise that you are eligible for a discount when you are willing to insure more than one pet! All you have to do is ask. As a general rule of thumb, pet insurers are keen on encouraging pet insurance. This means giving you an incentive to insure all of the pets in your household.
So, don’t only insure your oldest pet given the fact that they’re ageing. Or just choose your favourite one to benefit from insurance. You should have a household where everyone is protected and with multi-pet discounts, that is now possible… for a fraction of the costs!
Related: Where to Get Pet Insurance with a Multiple Pet Discount
2. What’s your breed?
Did you know that certain pet breeds are a little more expensive to insure? This is because they may be prone to hereditary illnesses and conditions that are highly likely to eventually come up. In order to adequately provide coverage for this breed, your insurer will ask you to pay a little more every month.
So, in order to make pet insurance work for you, check out the payment structures around certain breeds. This will give you a better indication of what it will cost to insure a certain breed! This will save you from any costly surprises in the future.
3. Get them insured younger
One of the best pet insurance tips is that you will pay a substantially lower amount for your pet if you insure them at a younger age. As we all know, older animals are more prone to health issues, which is why insuring them will cost you a pretty penny. Work in favour of the system and take out a pet policy the second you have your new pet.
This means that you will get charged a lower premium because your pet is relatively young. Given their age, they are also less likely to have any pre-existing conditions or chronic illnesses at this stage. Treatment for these issues is not covered by many pet insurers! If your pet contracts any of these illnesses once they’re insured, they’ll be covered!
Related: Adopted a new pet? This is why you should insure their health (like, now)
4. The power of deductibles
If you are looking for a way to cut down on pet insurance costs, look at your deductible.
This is the amount of money that you will be expected to pay out of pocket before your insurance company starts paying. Once you have paid your deductible, your insurer will begin reimbursing you.
Now it’s important to note that you have various deductibles:
- Per incident deductible (this is the amount you’ll contribute after any incident)
- Yearly deductible (this is the amount that you will pay no matter how many new incidents have taken place in a year)
The trick here is to understand that the best way to get value for your money is to know that the lower the deductible, the higher the premium—and vice versa.
5. Included benefits
Now, this is an insurance tip that not many pet owners know, but did you know that a number of pet insurers actually include routine and wellness cover? If you are looking at a pet policy that makes you pay an additional fee for these essentials, find another one. You shouldn’t be paying extra for this level of comprehensive coverage, and you don’t have to if you shop around.
You want to know that your pet isn’t just covered for medical emergencies, you want to know that they are holistically covered – which means including their routine and wellness cover costs too. So, while you may be under the impression that these two elements are add-on items… They aren’t! You deserve to have them included in your monthly premium!
Related: Pet healthcare and vet visits – planning for your pet’s routine care
If you follow these pet insurance tips when you are out shopping for insurance, you are sure to get the most out of your policy! If you currently are enrolled in a policy at the moment, use this blog as a guide for future conversations with your insurer and how you can make your policy work for YOU.
You deserve the best and you can absolutely get it with the help of these points!
Want holistic pet insurance cover? Take a look at Oneplan’s Pet Insurance plans.
Yours in Not-So-Average Pet Advice,
The Petinsurance.co.za Team
#NotYourAveragePetAdvice