Looking for pet insurance reviews? Cost is obviously a big consideration when making a pet purchase decision. But the sticker price alone isn’t a good indicator of full cost. Instead, it’s important to consider the complete interplay between deductibles, premiums, and benefits. Extras too are an area of potential savings – just make sure to get your facts straight.
For example, what if you wanted to protect against veterinarian bills for age six months or older? You’d want a plan that allowed you to enroll your pet early and get the lowest premiums possible. But if you chose deductibles equal to four times your dog’s age instead of six months, how much would your premium be?
Not much, right? That’s fine if deductibles aren’t high enough and you just want the least expensive coverage possible. But it’s wrong to lump all “pet insurance” plans together and think they have the same coverage levels and prices. One company may have lower premiums for male dogs and another may have lower premiums on female dogs. So be aware of which companies are offering you what kind of coverage – and what coverage you’re getting.
A smart pet insurance company will take the time to find out your dog’s breed and age before setting your premium rates. Then they’ll price your plan to fit your dog’s needs. They’ll also give you options for how much of a deductible you’ll need to pay. And they’ll help you choose the right combination of deductibles, premiums, and benefits to make sure you’re getting the best value. This all takes time and research, but it saves you money in the long run.
Figaro pet insurance gave us information about a company called Geico. We were told that there are two different policies they offer: Standard and Premier. The Premier policy has higher premiums because it covers “the more common” catastrophic occurrences, such as neutering or surgery, while the Standard policy is typically less expensive.
One other company, we looked to have a “flat rate” for their insurance coverage, even though the actual cost to insure our six-legged friend was only about three dollars per month. Their website said their “flat rate” policy will cost your pet insurance company “no more than” forty-one dollars per month. But did we find any mention of the “any one insurer” clause? We did call and talk to a representative, and he told us that there’s no catch with the flat rate policy. So it appears this one insurer may be trying to lure customers to sign up for a higher price than is necessary. Hopefully, if you use the internet, you will be able to find more reliable information about pet insurance companies.