Pet Insurance Types

The following table gives a brief lowdown on the different pet insurance types along with their advantages and disadvantages.

Type	Advantages	Disadvantages
	A fixed claim amount is set "per condition" You can claim upto this fixed amount for upto 12 rolling months from the onset of that condition	Once 12 months have elapsed from the onset of a condition or the maximum claim amount for that condition has been reached, the condition cannot be claimed for again
	A fixed claim amount is set "per condition" There is no time limit over which this fixed amount can be claimed	Once the maximum claim amount for a condition has been reached, the condition cannot be claimed for again
	A fixed claim amount is set "per year" You can claim for the same conditions you have claimed for in the past for upto the fixed claim amount for the year This fixed claim amount is reset when the policy is renewed	Can be more expensive than annual pet insurance or per condition pet insurance You can't easily change companies as the new insurer is unlikely to cover pre-existing condtion

Annual Pet Insurance

Annual pet insurance policies while not the most flexible, offer peace of mind to pet owners by providing a standard level of pet insurance cover at an affordable price. With annual pet insurance, once you make the initial claim for a condition or injury that your pet has received treatment for, further claims for that condition will only be covered by your policy for upto 12 months after which your policy will no longer cover that condition.

For example, if you take out a pet insurance policy in January which pays £3000 per condition and you make a £500 claim for a condition in May of the same year, you can claim up to £2500 for the same condition up until May of the following year (providing of course you renew your policy at the end of its term).

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Per Condition Pet Insurance

With per condition cover, the insurer will set a limit as to how much you can claim for any given condition but will not set a time-frame in which this money has to be claimed. So the cover for a particular condition will only cease when you reach the maximum amount set, whether this happens in the first year of your policy or the subsequent years (assuming you renew your policy each year). Once the maximum amount for a condition has been reached that condition cannot be claimed for again.

While this is clearly not ideal for long-term major health issues, for relatively short-term minor health problems, per condition cover can be great as it means that you won’t be paying out as much every month as you would be if you were to take out a policy which offered lifelong cover.

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Lifelong Pet Insurance

Lifelong pet insurance typically covers a pet for the continuing costs of veterinary treatment for upto the annual limit of the policy. Conditions that have been claimed for in the past can be claimed for again and again. However, a limit is placed on the total amount that can be claimed each policy year and this limit is reset once the policy is renewed. Lifelong pet insurance is ideal for pets with long-term illnesses such as arthritis or diabetes.

Whilst premiums may change as your pet ages, lifelong pet insurance is the best way of ensuring that no matter what happens over the course of your pet’s lifetime, you will always have financial help that you can call upon should injusr or illness befall your pet.

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