Pet Insurance Recommendations

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  CheapAzChips on 03/04/2024 - 07:53

  +2

  Purely opinion: Avoid Pet'n'Sure.

  I find their ads shameful. Any company that shames or scares you into purchasing insurance with clearly fabricated stories should be avoided.

  • 

    kiwical on 03/04/2024 - 07:57

    Yes, we have a friend who used them. They got sucked into thinking the weekly rate looked affordable. It's not of course. They pay far far more than we do with an annual payment at Southern Cross.

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  kiwical on 03/04/2024 - 07:55

  Happy with Southern Cross here. Perhaps the only weird thing is they have a mail in process (yes snail mail) for claims. So you can't email a claim to them. I would always get dental add on. That can be a big killer cost wise in the event of issues. I have a cat though, never had dog so can't comment if they generally have the same teeth issues.

  My policy paid for itself many times over in the first year when we had to get a leg amputated. Our cat does tend to fight. Over 3 years I've spent $1200 in premiums ($400 per year) and had $2000 worth of claims approved.

  I think it's especially worth it for a puppy/new dog. You can reassess after a few years when you get a feel for what sort of beast it is health / accident wise.

  • 

    gcnz on 03/04/2024 - 08:16

    We used to email for claims. Just looked at my sent emails, oldest cliam I've submitted by email was March 2017. Last was in 2020 I think. We submit online now, not as smooth as their health insurance but it's all online. There is a 'make a claim' link on their homepage.
    We have a silver policy with Southern Cross Pet, has been good, our dog has had a few surgeries related to a bladder stones. SCP have been quick to payout. We also have an addon so can claim up to $200 worth of special diet food per year. We pay $110 a month, which seems like a lot but has been good for us. (looking at a new quote, it's about $70 a month, not sure what else we have added on to bump up the price).

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  kiwical on 03/04/2024 - 10:17

  Murphys Law. I have an email this morning from Southern Cross. My policy has changed. They are removing my nil excess and it will now be $250. 100% claim cover is now gone and it will be 10% payable by me 90% by them.

  I'll have to dive into that and decide if it's still economic. It's quite a big change. With 100% cover and no excess, things like smaller injuries that cost less than $250 to treat were previously covered, now it seems they aren't.

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  catchthelight on 03/04/2024 - 10:46

  I've been happy with petplan/petcover and had tens of thousands paid out over the years for ongoing illness. Happy to answer specific questions. The NZ subreddit has some good discussions about pet insurance recommendations too.

  • 

    dekodE on 03/04/2024 - 15:09

    +1

    Same - I have been with them for 4 years, and have paid out thousands for our Cat.

    • 

      loldev on 03/04/2024 - 16:19

      +1

      Another +1 for petplan we've had them for 10 years with our dog and they've paid out thousands, knee replacements, skin problems etc

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  arn0ld93 on 03/04/2024 - 11:18

  I am with Cove, they are great, very friendly and the most affordable when I last shopped around. We needed dental cover too for our dog breed which they have and not many others had.

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  SachaR on 03/04/2024 - 15:26

  We are with PD but under their old policy. They have been 99% amazing to deal with. Whoever you go with read the fine print. Companies often have a limit per condition eg. Your pet has allergies, you can only claim up to x amount over the lifetime of your pet and it doesn’t reset each year (this catches many people out)
  Also make sure you check any clauses around congenital conditions (even if your dogs parents have clean dna checks I believe they can still deny claims based on what is a common congenital for your breed of dog) or things like joint dysplasia and luxating patella.
  Keep a close eye on conditions they won’t cover. You can always call them and ask them questions before you take out cover. Any specific information or advice you get from them that isn’t explicitly stated in policy get it in an email from them so you can use it to dispute a denied claim in the future if it happens. Also keep in mind many of not all insurance companies require you to pay for the cost of the vet bill first and then you have to claim it back from them.

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  shopaholic on 05/04/2024 - 09:57

  I have been with Southern Cross previously and currently with AA Pet Insurance, Southern Cross was great and we were able to get free cover for the first month (I think) because he was just a kitten, then I started weighing up different providers after a year and our premiums increased and moved to AA Pet Insurance as we found we could get better coverage through them for a similar/lesser price (however, we are also AA members and have car insurance through them so did get a small discount).

  Approximately 2 years ago we needed to make a claim through AA Pet Insurance, he had urinary crystals and spent a week at the vet, their claim process was really easy and they were quick to pay the claim once it was accepted. I would recommend checking how your pet insurance works, we had to pay for everything upfront and then they paid it out to us (minus excess) once they'd approved our claim.

  Many of my friends are dog owners and knowing from their experience I would highly recommend dental cover and ensuring they are insured from day one.

  Whatever you decide, I hope your dachshund has a happy and healthy life :)