This guide covers how pet insurance is bought online for a dog or cat. It follows the order a first-time buyer meets each step. These are the details to gather, the quote form, the results, the insurer's site and the papers that follow payment. It is general information. It does not describe any one plan or any one pet's situation.
Before you start: what to have ready
The quote form asks about the pet and its health. Having the details at hand helps the answers to be accurate. Accuracy matters because an insurer relies on these answers when it later looks at a claim.
- The pet's species, breed or mix, and its date of birth or age
- Whether the pet is microchipped, and the microchip number if the form asks for it
- Vet records, including any past illness, injury or ongoing treatment
- The date you would like cover to start
- Your name, contact details and address in Singapore
The vet records are the item most often missing. A copy from the vet clinic, or the vaccination booklet, can help with dates.
The quote form and why each question is asked
Each question on the form affects either the price or whether a plan can be offered at all. Knowing the reason behind a question makes it easier to answer it fully.
- Species and breed. Some breeds are prone to costly conditions, so they cost more to insure. A few breeds are on insurers' restricted lists and cannot be covered at all. Akitas and Pit Bull types are examples.
- Age. Most insurers take new pets from 8 weeks up to about 8 or 9 years old. Cover usually continues after that if the policy is renewed without a break.
- Microchip. This can change how many insurers will quote. Today, six insurers price a typical microchipped dog. Only two price a dog that is not yet microchipped.
- Health. Conditions the pet already had before cover started are not covered. Some insurers cannot cover certain ongoing conditions. The results say which ones and why.
An answer that is guessed or left out can cause problems at claim time. Where a detail is unclear, checking with the vet before submitting the form is one option.
How to read the results
Plans from each insurer on the panel are listed from the lowest premium up. The list is ordered by price only. It does not rank cover. Two plans with close premiums can have quite different limits.
Today's examples give a sense of the spread. They are not what any reader will pay. A typical microchipped dog is priced by six insurers, from about S$203 to about S$1,472 a year. See today's dog prices. A typical microchipped cat is priced by five insurers, from about S$156 to about S$1,177. See today's cat prices. For a dog not yet microchipped, two insurers quote, from about S$392 to about S$1,472. See the not-microchipped example.
Points to compare in each result:
- The yearly vet-bill limit. This is the most an insurer pays in a policy year. Surgery for a large dog can use up most of a low limit.
- The co-payment. This is the share of each vet bill you pay yourself. A 10% co-payment on a S$1,000 bill means you pay S$100.
- The excess. This is another part of each bill you pay yourself. Amounts differ between plans.
- The waiting period. Illness is usually only covered after the first few weeks. Lengths differ between plans.
- Other benefits. Look at third-party liability, cremation or burial costs, and boarding fees if you are in hospital.
- Insurers that could not quote. The results explain the reason, such as breed or an ongoing condition.
Finishing the purchase on the insurer's site
After a plan is picked, the purchase is completed on the insurer's own site. The answers given on the quote form are already filled in. Payment is made on the insurer's site, not on this one.
- Check that each pre-filled answer is still correct
- Check that the plan name and premium match the plan you picked
- Read the policy wording, especially the list of exclusions
- Note the cover start date and when any waiting period ends
- Look for how to make a claim and what documents a claim needs
If an answer needs changing at this stage, the premium may change too. The insurer decides the final terms.
After you pay
Insurers usually send a confirmation and the policy documents by email. The policy schedule sets out the pet's details, the cover dates and the limits. The policy wording sets out the full terms. Together they are the record of what was bought.
- Check the pet's name, breed, age and microchip details on the schedule
- Tell the insurer promptly if any detail is wrong
- Save the documents where they can be found during a visit to the vet
- Note the renewal date, since renewing without a break usually keeps cover going as the pet ages
- Read how claims work before one is needed; see the Claims page
Things to note
- Routine care is not covered. Vaccinations, grooming and neutering are left out.
- Earlier conditions stay excluded. Conditions the pet had before cover started are not covered.
- Cover for illness does not start on day one. Illness is usually only covered after the first few weeks.
- Breeding is excluded. Breeding, pregnancy and birth are not covered.
- The lowest premium is not the same cover at a lower price. Limits, co-payments and excesses differ between plans.
Where to get help
To see plans for a dog or cat, start from the pet insurance quote page. For questions about making a claim, see the Claims page. For other questions about using this site, use the Contact page. More general guides are on the guides page.