Pet Insurance Age Limits
As with any type of insurance, age is always going to be a factor. When we insure a car, if it’s old and decrepit then this always makes a difference to the amount we have to pay. Similarly older people will have greater difficulty taking out some kinds of health insurance because they are considered too ‘at risk’ by the policy provider. It is much the same with pets, as our pets get older the likelihood that they will become sick or need some form of medical attention becomes greater.
Most insurers will set minimum and maximum boundaries for the ages of the pets which they will insure. Most will not go below 8 weeks (although new-born pets can often be covered under the existing policy of the parent) and various upper limits are often imposed by the insurer as well. You should look into each policy and make sure that it offers protection to your pet for the longest amount of time possible, as there is no point taking out a lifetime plan on your pet if in 12 months time it will have reached the upper age limit of the policy.
As pets get to a certain age, around 10 years for cats and 8 for dogs, insurers are highly unlikely to want to take out new policies on them as they are simply too much of a risk and the insurers know that they stand a good chance of not being able to make much money. Therefore, if you want to keep your pet insured you should find a policy which has no upper age limit and get your pet on it as soon as possible to ensure that it will still be covered as it grows older.
| Insurer | Policy Name | Policy Type |
Maximum Vet Cover |
Online Discount |
Multi Pet Discount |
Get a Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Premier |
|
£7,000 | 25% | 5% |
|
|
|
Standard |
|
£4,000 | 25% | 5% |
|
|
Essential |
|
£4,000 | 20% | 15% |
|
|
|
Advanced |
|
£6,000 | 20% | 15% |
|
|
Pet Emergency |
|
£1,500 | 20% |
|
|
|
|
Pet Insurance |
|
£3,000 | 20% |
|
|
|
Option 1 |
|
£3,000 | 20% | 5% |
|
|
|
Option 2 |
|
£7,500 | 20% | 5% |
|
|
Value |
|
£1,500 | 10% | 10% |
|
|
|
Standard |
|
£3,500 | 10% | 10% |
|
|
|
Superior |
|
£6,000 | 10% | 10% |
|
|
Lifelong Extra |
|
£6,000 | 10% | 5% |
|
|
|
Lifelong Plus |
|
£4,000 | 10% | 5% |
|
|
Essential |
|
£3,000 | 10% |
|
|
|
|
Classic |
|
£4,000 | 10% |
|
|
|
|
Ultimate |
|
£12,000 | 10% |
|
Some policies will renounce their cover once a pet goes passed a certain age and this is something to look out for. Make sure you read the small print of any documentation which you sign and make sure you consider all the various insurance products before you make a decision on which one to go for.
It might only seem fair that if you’ve been contributing to an insurance policy for the entire life of your pet, that it should pay out once the going gets a little tough. However, fairness rarely gets factored into the equation when insurance is being considered and many policies will simply become void after a pet reaches a certain age. This can often leave you in the lurch having to pay large vets bills which often come as a result of the natural slide into old age. One way around this would be to take out per-condition cover for any illness which you know your pet has or to start putting a little bit of money aside which can be used in case your pet gets ill but is too old to qualify for insurance.
It is a heartbreaking decision to have to put a pet down simply because vet bills cannot be paid so you should always make sure you have a safety net which can ensure the physical wellbeing of your animal. Talk to different insurers and do your own research, that way you should be able to find a policy which will protect your animal well into old age.