This is a sponsored post, but all opinions expressed are my own. Prices and information are correct as of October 2021.
Like any other comparison site, Quidco Compare will find you great deals on all insurance products. The difference is that you get cashback on top! In this post, I will talk about why you should consider insurance for your pets, and I will be using Quidco Compare to show you how to get the best deal on your pet insurance.
Cover for your fur babies
Most of us consider our pets part of the family, and we love them! We have three little furry friends at Shoestring Cottage: Archie the cockerpoo, a plump moggie called Dora and a slinky tiny puss called Lola. Despite being 8 years old, she still looks like a kitten!
Because vet bills can run into thousands for some conditions, we always have our fur babies insured. But it’s hard to know which is the best deal. It is important to me not to pay more than I need to. However, I don’t only look at cost; I want to know what is covered, the excess I will have to pay in the event of a claim and any limits to the policy.
Pet insurance doesn’t just cover medical bills; it is also possible to get financial compensation for the loss or theft of your animal, or if they die due to an illness or accident. Of course, no amount of money will help you recover from the loss of a beloved pet, but at least you won’t have to worry about costs whilst you are grieving.
Dogs can also get third party liability cover, in the (hopefully unlikely) event that they cause injury or damage to property.
Navigating the site
Quidco Compare makes researching the right insurance for your pet relatively simple, as the policies and their limits are listed in table form, so you can easily compare.
You could pay from just £3.01 a month for pet insurance, depending on the type of animal and the circumstances you want the policy to cover, and get £20 cash back.
The first thing to do is select ‘Compare Pet Insurance’. Choose your animal type and input some basic details, such as age and breed. It’s very easy to navigate.
I went through the process using Archie, and was pleased to find that the cheapest deal with the levels of cover I require was with Animal Friends – the company we already insure all of our animals with!
Things to consider: read the small print
As I said before, there may be other considerations just as important as price to you. For example, if your pet was to develop a long-term problem, would you be able to afford regular treatments and medication? If not, then pet insurance could provide reassurance that you could manage financially in such an event.
However, it is important to check the limits placed by the insurers. For example, the cheaper policies will often cover you up to a specific amount each year overall, whilst others will have an annual limit per condition. £1000 a year may seem a lot – and hopefully you will never need to claim – but vet bills are expensive and this amount would cover only basic costs in the event or a serious issue.
Sometimes the annual premium will be similar, but when you read the small print one policy may actually offer you higher levels of cover. Some will cover lifetime conditions and others won’t. For me, it is important that this is included.
It is also worth checking the excess on each policy. This is the amount you have to pay towards each claim. You have a compulsory amount, but can add a voluntary extra sum to bring your annual premium down.
Peace of mind
Having pet insurance gives me the peace of mind that I will be able to get medical care for my animals should the worst happen.
Being on a budget, I would rather pay a small amount each month than have huge medical bills to deal with in the event of a serious illness or accident.
I always use a comparison site when taking out a new insurance to help me get a good deal. However, getting cashback on top using Quidco Compare is the icing on the cake! It is a great tool to get the best deal on pet insurance, car or household insurance.
Win £1k during October
If you get a quote during October for home or car insurance (or both!), using the links below, you will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win £1,000. Please note that this doesn’t apply to pet insurance, however.
Refer your friends and family so they can enter too + earn an ADDITIONAL £25 for each referral (terms here). Link to competition: https://www.quidco.com/pages/compare-win-1000/
Chrissie says
As you say, it is so important to look at the small print, we had a bad experience with our 6 year old terrier’s insurance, she has bladder cancer ,it cannot be operated on and is terminal so we have pain relief for her but when we made a claim they refused to pay as she had a urine infection 3 years ago and they said it was seen as related condition, we were so upset and let are feelings known, they were so insensitive but after many phone calls and messages they gave in and paid up. We didn’t renew our policy as poor Teddy doesn’t have long to go. Our other dog is 12 years old and had a serious spine problem a few years ago, the surgery and aftercare was £4000 and we were covered for that but she is now blind in one eye due to a cataract which they paid for the diagnosis and if she develops one in the other eye they will not pay for that so we no longer have her insured, it seems if an old problem comes back you are not covered. The money for her is put aside that we would have had to pay for her insurance which now amounts to about £2500 so that amount is there for her if we need it. By the way, your dog is adorable.as are ours.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
Yes, you do have to push the insurers at times – they will always look for a way not to pay! But having a bladder infection is not the same as bladder cancer and you don’t have to be a vet to know that. Glad they paid out!
Fiona Adams says
I will never ever again use Pet Plan. I used them without any problem until I had to have one of my cats put down three years ago. The monthly direct debit for her insurance had gone out of my account on the same day and I rang that afternoon to cancel the insurance. When I rang I explained that I was too upset to talk and I’d given my husband permission to speak to them. The first thing the guy on the phone said was that he couldn’t understand why I was so upset and why couldn’t I speak to him?! After speaking to my husband he then proceeded to send the cheque to the wrong address twice and I had to go through their complaints department to get the refund. After an already distressing day they just added to the upset. If I ever have another pet I will be looking for another insurer!
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
How terrible! It sounds like you were unlucky with that staff member. Most people would be much more understanding.