TL;DR
- The same pet can be priced very differently. Today, a microchipped dog with no known conditions is priced from about S$203 to about S$1,472 across six insurers.
- Microchipping widens your choice. Today, only two insurers price a dog that isn't microchipped, and the lowest price starts higher.
- A bigger co-payment, a bigger excess or a lower yearly limit can bring the premium down. The catch is that you pay more when something goes wrong.
- Letting cover lapse to save a year can cost you later. That is because of age limits for new pets and the pre-existing condition exclusion.
- Promo codes help, but look at the plan underneath first.
Why do quotes for the same dog differ so much?
Short answer: each insurer prices risk its own way, and the plans are not built the same. Today's example for a microchipped dog with no known conditions runs from about S$203 to about S$1,472 across six insurers. For a microchipped cat, five insurers price it from about S$156 to about S$1,177. Some of that gap is pure price. Some of it is cover: yearly limits, co-payments, excesses and waiting periods all differ between plans.
One thing to know about how we list plans. We rank them by premium only, from the lowest up. So the plan at the top is the lowest price, not necessarily the one with the most cover. You can see today's spread on the microchipped dog page and the microchipped cat page.
What it depends on: your pet's breed and health. Some breeds are prone to costly conditions, so they cost more to insure. A few breeds on insurers' restricted lists, such as Akitas and Pit Bull types, cannot be covered at all.
Does microchipping my dog really change the price?
Short answer: in today's examples, yes, mainly at the low end and in how many plans you can pick from. For a dog that is not yet microchipped, only two insurers give a price, from about S$392 to about S$1,472. For a microchipped dog, six insurers price it, starting from about S$203. The top of the range is the same, so the difference is in the lower prices and the wider choice.
This is one of the few savings that doesn't take any cover away. You do pay your vet for the chip itself, so weigh that against the premium difference. Compare the not-microchipped dog page with the microchipped one to see today's numbers.
What it depends on: whether your dog already has a chip. Check your vet records or adoption papers before assuming it doesn't. Our cat example only covers microchipped cats, so we can't show the same comparison for cats.
Is a higher co-payment or excess worth the lower premium?
Short answer: it can lower the premium, but you carry more of every bill. A co-payment is the share of each vet bill you pay yourself. With a 10% co-payment on a S$1,000 bill, you pay S$100. An excess is generally a fixed amount you pay on a claim before the insurer pays the rest. When you take on more of each bill, the insurer pays less per claim, so the price usually drops.
The trade-off shows up on a big bill. A small percentage of a surgery bill can still be a real sum. We have a separate guide on how the excess works in our guides section if you want the detail.
What it depends on: how comfortable you are paying your share of a large bill from savings. It also depends on how often you expect to claim. A dog that eats everything at the park is a different bet from a cat that never leaves the flat.
Is a lower yearly vet-bill limit a false economy?
Short answer: it can be, if your pet ever needs surgery. The yearly vet-bill limit is the most an insurer pays in a policy year. Surgery for a large dog can use up most of a low limit. Anything beyond the limit is on you until the policy year resets.
Limits differ between plans, so check each one on the comparison page rather than assuming. A lower premium sometimes comes from a lower limit. That is a saving that removes cover, and it's worth knowing before you pick.
What it depends on: your pet's size and breed, and how much you could pay yourself if the limit ran out halfway through a treatment.
Can I drop extras I'm not going to use?
Short answer: sometimes, but first know what the core cover already does. Pet insurance of this kind covers vet bills for accidents and illness, including surgery. It also covers third-party liability if your pet hurts someone or damages property. Cremation or burial costs and boarding fees if you are in hospital are part of it too. Plans differ on which of these are built in, which are optional, and how much each pays.
Before paying for an extra, check it isn't already in the base plan. Also check you're not paying expecting something that is excluded. Routine care such as vaccinations, grooming and neutering is not covered. Neither is breeding, pregnancy or birth. Those are costs to budget for yourself.
Be careful with liability. It is easy to think you won't need it. But if your dog knocks over an auntie at the void deck or damages a neighbour's things, that's exactly what it is for. Dropping it is a saving that leaves a gap many owners would want filled. There's more on extras in the guides section.
What it depends on: how much your pet is around other people, and whether family could look after your pet if you ended up in hospital.
Are promo codes worth chasing?
Short answer: they can bring the price down, but pick the plan first and the code second. You can see current offers on our promotions page. When you choose a plan, you finish buying on the insurer's own site, with your answers already filled in.
A discount on a plan with a low yearly limit can still leave you with less cover than a slightly pricier plan. So line up the cover first, then see which promotions apply.
What it depends on: the promo's own terms. Questions to ask include whether it applies only to the first policy year and whether it has conditions attached.
When should I buy, and can I skip a year to save?
Short answer: buying earlier is usually easier, and skipping a year is the riskiest saving on this list. Most insurers take new pets from 8 weeks up to about 8 or 9 years old. Cover usually continues after that if you renew without a break. Let it lapse when your pet is older, and you may not find a new insurer willing to start cover.
There is also the pre-existing condition exclusion. Anything your pet already had before cover started is not covered. So a condition diagnosed during a gap is likely to be excluded by any new policy. Waiting periods also apply at the start, and illness is usually only covered after the first few weeks. Switching insurers to save money can mean starting a fresh waiting period.
What it depends on: your pet's age and health history. If you have claimed for a condition before, a new insurer may treat it as pre-existing. Keep your vet and claim records together, and see our Claims page for how claims generally work.
What to do next
- Get quotes on the pet insurance page, answering honestly about breed, age, health and microchip status.
- Look at today's example prices for a microchipped dog, a microchipped cat and a dog not yet microchipped.
- Before choosing on premium alone, note each plan's yearly limit, co-payment, excess and waiting period, then check the promotions page.