How to Find Cheap Pet Insurance Easily
I know I keep circling around the topic of either trying to get a free pet insurance or trying to locate a pet insurance that is cheap. But both ideas seem to be very common when you see the search pattern of people online. It is always words like “free”, “cheap” and “low cost” that people search for and I have to admit that I am pretty….. well… sad or disappointed about that fact.
It is not that people are trying to get a “great coverage” or the “perfect pet insurance” at the right price but rather they search for just the price and then hope to afterwards get a coverage that will be sufficient for their pet. I think that is the wrong way around it.
It’s like going to the drugstore to by medicine to save your life from a bad disease and then ask the pharmacist for the cheapest product first and secondly what the changes are that it’ll work for you (supposing that the cheaper drug has a less efficiency rate).
As a pet lover I am generally against the fact that people are trying to save a few dollars or pounds when it comes to taking care of their pet but I can’t help the fact that this is what many people want and as a website owner I feel I have to provide people with what they want while still trying to get my point across. So here goes…
Getting Cheap Dog Insurance
When searching for pet insurance a good place to start is to narrow down your search as to whether you’re looking for pet insurance for your dog or your cat. Now I know that you might say that you need it for your horse, your exotic bird, your pet rabbit or another type of animal but unfortunately that is out of the scope of this article. Finding insurance coverage for other pets than cats and dogs can really be a challenge.
If you live in the UK there is a site called MoneySupermarket (click here to visit their site) which is a price comparison site comparing anything from prices on broadband connections to utility prices. Among those you’ll find both tools for searching for the cheapest dog insurance as well as the cheapest cat insurance.
When you click the link above you’re taken to a site that that lets you enter the breed of your dog as well as the age. Secondly you’ll have to enter whether you want to pay on a monthly or an annual basis. Insurance companies normally give you a discount if you pay a year in advance.
If you live in the US there is a similar site called PetInsuranceReview (click here to visit their site) and they too have kept their focus on dog insurance and cat insurance.
Their list is a little different than the one from MoneySupermarket because it doesn’t take into consideration what breed your pet is and the age of the dog. That means that you’ll have to spend some time calling up the insurance company to ask whether the specified price also applies to your dog.
Now that might seem like to much hassle but my advice to you is to call them up anyway. Don’t deal with an insurance company that you haven’t spoken to and that hasn’t answered some critical questions from you. If you walk blindfolded you WILL eventually walk into a ditch.
Getting Cheap Cat Insurance
The process of finding cheap or low cost cat insurance is very similar to the one above but you will however need to visit other parts of the two companies’ websites. To make it a little easier for you then these are the links directly to the comparison pages for cats:
You’ll find that cat insurance is cheaper than dog insurance in most cases but it will eventually depend on the breed as well as the age of the animal. Older pets are more likely to have illnesses and get injured and will therefore cost you a larger sum of money.
To Wrap Up
As stated earlier I feel that looking solely for cheap pet insurance is the wrong approach and that you should first check to find the level of coverage you need and then start looking for the best price. Not the other way around!
Before closing I would like to point you to a couple of great features from the two sites mentioned above. For the US site there is a Multiple Quote Tool (click here) that will help you have companies bid on providing you either cat or dog insurance which will give you a more “hands off” approach.
The UK site on the other hand provides a tool that you give you an instant notice when great pet insurance offers are available via email. You can sign up for that service by clicking here.
So before you go search for cheap pet insurance PLEASE think twice and go for the level of coverage first and THEN go for price. Happy hunting.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Mikael-As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. I spoke in one of your earlier posts about Trupanion. I agree that level of coverage is important. Anyone who’s looking at pet insurance should also check provider’s site and try to get a copy of their policy wording, benefit schedule(if applicable), and exclusions. They can help you make an educated decision. I’d be cautious if you go to a site and can’t get their policy wording. Just my 2 cents worth.
April 16th, 2008 at 4:35 am
That is a great advice. Checking the site of the insurance company will provide some valuable pointers when making up your mind. I do feel that this can not be the only thing you do as comparing policy wording requires a lot of training and most people will not be able to (or even want to) read them and understand every word. Therefore I always suggest that you’ll pick up the phone and call the company… one of the parameters I look for is the time that they’ll leaving you hanging while waiting to get through. The (to me) can be a warning sign.