How Expensive Is Pet Insurance Really?

We all love our pets and want to do our best by them. But when the word “insurance” crops up, people often assume it’s unaffordable and unnecessary. So how expensive is pet insurance, really? Will it break the bank or is it good value for money?

You might be surprised to hear that pet insurance doesn’t have to be a huge monthly expense.

Importantly, getting in early – before medical conditions emerge – often means you have greater insurance coverage across your pet’s lifetime. Pre-existing conditions aren’t covered by pet insurance, though plenty else is.

Read on to find out more.

Just how expensive is pet insurance?

Unlike your car, your pets might not fetch tens of thousands of dollars on the open market. But more and more these days breeders are asking thousands for a new pup! And while purebred kittens aren’t fetching (excuse the pun) as much, prices have risen across NZ cat breeder offerings too.

Whether you’ve paid a pittance – we’re looking at you, awesome animal shelter adopters – or top dollar, in our opinion pets are priceless. And for years, we’ve insured the things that are most valuable to us. Almost without thinking. Because it’s a necessity. Homes, cars, businesses, and even our life…

Doesn’t it make sense that your pet is one of those valuable assets too?

“But the cost! It must be so expensive,” you think. “I could probably just save up for vet bills instead” is another common train of thought. Although it is possible to save for vet bills (you’d better hope they don’t flow thick and fast or urgent and weighty – some run into the thousands), the great expense of pet insurance is a myth.

You don’t have to break the bank to offer you and your furkid a soft landing in times of crisis.

Pet insurance can be affordable

You might be surprised to find out the real cost of pet insurance. PD Insurance’s plans start from as little as $1 a day for our Accident Plan. That means that if your dog gets hit by a car or your cat falls off a balcony, you can visit a vet without worrying about being landed with a huge vet bill.

The $$$

It’s not just us saying this. MoneyHub set out to answer the question “how expensive is pet insurance?” too. Their research shows that imaginary dog Buster (who’s a one-year-old male Jack Russell) would cost around $14 per month to insure on our Accident plan. In return, we’ll reimburse you up to $5,000* (called a defined benefit limit) per year towards your dog’s claimable expenses.

Which means you could potentially cover your dog each month for less than the price of a jar of Mānuka honey.

For our Classic cover, which covers emergencies, illness, and accidents, you’d still be paying less than $45 per month for Buster. With a $10,000 defined benefit limit per year*. Regular coffee drinkers could easily save this by sacrificing a café coffee every second workday, and fast food lovers could swap their weekly takeaways for brown-bagged lunches to save this up quickly.

And then there’s our Deluxe plan, with its $20,000 annual defined benefit limit* and dental cover on top of everything else. Plus, you may be eligible for our multi-pet discount if you’re insuring Buster and Kitty (or more).

Not to mention we’re unique in that we don’t lock you into a contract – just pay month to month with PD Insurance.

Make your choice according to your budget and what your pet needs.

Calculations for different pets

Of course, at the insurer’s end the cost of your pet insurance is calculated from a variety of different factors. These include:

• Type of animal i.e. paws or claws
• Their breed
• Their age
• Number of pets being insured
• The extent of cover/benefits you’re looking for
  

Your pet might be cheaper or more expensive to insure than the imaginary Buster. It’s likely that if you haven’t got a quote on pet insurance before, it’s cheaper than you realised.

We know, we know. It’s a surprise. Because pets obviously beat out coffee, right? If you’re now doubting everything you’ve ever heard about pet insurance, read our article on busting pet insurance myths.

Not sure what all of these plans cover, which one is a good fit, or if you’d be getting value for money? Compare dog insurance plans here and cat insurance plans here to find out.

Is pet insurance necessary?

Of course, there are some situations in which pet insurance might not be a necessity. This will usually depend on your financial circumstances.

If you can easily pay for a few hefty vet bills in cash, then you might want to take the risk of not having pet insurance. Remembering that anything can happen at any time when it comes to animal illness and injury. Some people in this situation even opt to open a separate account and transfer money on a regular basis to keep aside for vet bills.

This is an option if your disposable income is good enough to easily absorb the cost of a high bill. Or two…or three…

However, if you know a big bill would set you back financially or – more importantly – mean you couldn’t offer potentially lifesaving treatment to your pet due to the expense, then pet insurance is a good idea. We have plenty of examples that might confirm this for you… such as the (newly insured, thankfully) pup who was bitten at puppy school and needed $7,000 in leg amputation surgery due to the resulting infection.

Doctor Melanie Bowden says that the life-threatening situations are the most heart-breaking part of being a vet. Aside from recognising that pet insurance helps prevents the need for a dollars vs heart decision, Dr. Bowden advocates for insurance because it can improve vet mental health.

While there’s a chance your pet will only ever need routine check ups and pet vaccinations, this can’t be guaranteed. Not even with rolls and rolls of bubble wrap. After all, we know how mischievous they can be. Especially in the puppy and kitten stage.

And then as pets age they face a higher probability of illness and injury – just like their humans.

Get a quote to cover your pets

Who needs coffee and burgers when you have furry cuddles, anyway? How expensive is pet insurance, really?

If you’re thinking that you might be able to tweak your budget to give your pet the best shot at a long and healthy life, just click below and get your online quote below. PD Insurance gives new customers one or more months free with no lock in contracts.

* sub-limits apply