We did the digging and found the top pet insurance brands and we have a winner...

It is no secret that pet insurance is fast becoming a somewhat mandatory form of short-term insurance for cat and dog owners alike.

And here’s why…

Thanks to the various developments in veterinary care and the improvement in the quality of nutritional products, our furry family members are now able to enjoy longer lifespans, which may be great for our wellbeing and theirs, but not always for our wallets. The cost of owning your little Rover or Tigger has also increased as toys, food, accessories and of course, veterinary care all begin to add up over the years of frolikcing through daisy fields with your furball.

That’s where pet insurance comes in…

Having a pet healthcare plan can help you to plan for the healthcare of your pet and offset costs for routine care, unexpected injuries and illnesses.

But just how do you choose the right pet insurance provider for you, your budget and most importantly, your pet?

With more and more insurance providers popping up in your internet search, finding the right provider and plan may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be:

We have put together a list of the TOP 4 pet insurance providers - Medipet, Dotsure, Hollard and Oneplan.

We list who they are, their key benefits, cover plans and prices, as well as their downfalls so that you don’t have to spend hours on the web or worse, on the phone trying to fit the role of a personal investigator when it comes to choosing pet healthcare.

At the end of all of this, we come to our verdict on who is the best overall pet insurance provider for your pet.

Let the games begin...

Medipet

Who they are:

Being the only insurance broker in South Africa who deals solely in pet insurance, Medipet describes their services as being one of the only insurance providers who can offer you advice and expertise from a team of animal loving staff, delivering in veterinary expertise and the best possible service.

Basically, what Medipet is saying is that they are one of the oldest brands in per insurance (started in 2007) and therefore, the best out there in having gained the most amount of knowledge when it comes to petcare. But, does the oldest really mean you are the best in a world that is so innovatively adapting and changing on a daily basis?

Plan and pricing options:

●     Medipet offer 3 cover options for your pet

○     The first 2 consist of more comprehensive cover and include some routine care options, boarding fees, accidents and more.

○     The first cover option is priced at R259.34 (cats) for R302.32 (dogs)

○     The second cover option is priced at R296.39 (cats) and R367.52 (dogs)

●     The third option consists of accident cover only and costs R164.48

●     All of these plans exclude the compulsory monthly vet fee of R12 per pet and added-on routine care at R60 per pet

Key benefits:

●     One of the first pet insurance providers

●     The only insurance provider that focuses only on pet insurance

Downfalls:

●     Complicated claim process which entails filling in the form and having it stamped and signed by your vet and then forwarded to Medipet with the vet tax invoices - claim can only be submitted and refunded after visit to the vet

●     The plans do not cover training

●     No excess for behaviour, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, acupuncture and supplements

Dotsure

Who they are:

Dotsure stands on the premise that they are a brand that genuinely cares about the things that mean the most to you and believe their key to success is listening to their customers and letting them determine Dotsure’s direction. Hence why they vow to never stop innovating and improving their customer experience.

It’s a rather generic promise, but we get the point in where they are attempting to live in the mind of their customers. We think. 

Plan and pricing options:

●     Four plan options for dogs and cats: Accidental, basic, standard and superior (each plan covers varying specified and capped amounts for claims for procedures such as surgery, pathology, prescription medication and hospitalisation, the amount paid back to you will be more should you choose a more comprehensive and expensive plan - this is how it works with most insurance providers)

○     Accidental - From R 69pm

○     Basic - From R 143pm

○     Standard - From R264

○     Superior - From R360

Key benefits:

●     Exotic pet cover - we have to give this to them, this is a pretty great benefit that not alot of pet insurance providers offer, but Dotsure covers all sorts of exotic pets from Gerbils to Galapagos Giant Turtles

●     A large range of plans, prices and cover options

●     Easy to use website for pricing structure and plan details

●     No microchipping needed

Downfalls:

●     30 day waiting period for claims  - claim can only be submitted and refunded after visit to the vet

●     Limited information on T&C’s available on the website

Hollard

Who they are:

One of the big boys in pet insurance in having been around for more than 25 years, Hollard covers both cats and dogs in petcare and promises to ease the strain of mounting vet bills on your wallet.

Basically, they promise what everyone else is promising. They don’t have a clear difference in the field of pet insurance apart from the fact that they have been providing healthcare for pets for 25 years. That’s it.

Plan and pricing options:

4 plan options

Plan 100

●      Covers UNFORESEEN accidents and illness

●      Pays 100% PetSure Tariff rate less excess

Plan 80

●      Covers UNFORESEEN accidents and illness

●      Pays 80% PetSure Tariff rate less excess

Accidental Injury Cover only

●      Covers accidents only

●      Pays 100% PetSure Tariff rate less excess

Routine Care (Optional add on to Plan 80 and Plan 100)

●     This cover option covers you for routine procedures including vaccinations, deworming, flea control, and the procedure portion of dental scaling.

●     This option can be added to Plan 100 and Plan 80 but not onto the Accidental Injury Cover only plan.

Key benefits:

●     No upper age limit for accidental injury – so even senior citizen pets are covered - Very clever way to turn a downfall into a benefit as senior pets are not covered for other plan options

●     Choose an add-on option to cover routine expenses such as vaccinations and tick and flea control

Downfalls:

●     14 days waiting period for claims - claim can only be submitted and refunded after visit to the vet

●     Dental disease and behaviour not covered

●     Congenital and hereditary diseases

●     Prices not available on website

Oneplan

Who they are:

Oneplan was one of the first providers in pet insurance to hit the market. They establish their positioning on simple pet insurance that delivers in quality, accessibility and adjustability.

What gives Oneplan pet insurance its competitive edge is their easy-to-use app, their adjustable plans, and, we saved the best for last here - their unique Onecard which allows for your claim amount to be made available BEFORE YOU SEE THE VET.

That’s right folks, get paid before you see the vet.

Plan and pricing options:

●     A wide variety of plan and cover options:

○     Hospital plan - From R134pm

○     Classic plan - R262pm

○     Super - R368pm

●     Plans can be adjusted and changed at any time through the app or online service portal

●     Plans can be tailored to suit your pet’s needs and your budget

Key benefits:

●     Get paid before you see the vet

●     Tech savvy app that allows you to upload claims, view your claims and financial history and update your personal and medical information for you and your pet

●     Wider range of cover for the price you pay

Downfalls:

●     We were going to say that they don't offer health insurance for people too - but, they do!

Our verdict on the best pet insurance provider…

The competition among pet insurance providers sure is rife out there, with most brands offering you the best advice, cover and cost for your pet, it’s a difficult thing to decide on who is the best for not only you, but also your little (or big) furball.

After sifting through all the information available on the internet and other points of communication, it started to become very clear for us what the underlying winning points were for us when it came to pet insurance...

Here’s what it came down to:

●     Simple plan structures

●     Cover options that could be adjusted accordingly

●     The cost of premiums compared to what they covered

●     Claim processes

The winner when it came to simplicity when using the website was a close call between Dotsure and Oneplan, but in terms of simple plan explanation and cover details, we have to go with Oneplan.

Looking at cover options and their adjustability, this was a no-brainer, Oneplan.

A number of the insurance providers offered some great cover options, but they either came at a cost or had a list of T&C’s of what is not covered. Oneplan seemed to be the only brand that offered more bang for your buck!

But here’s the kicker:

Claims! The reason why we want pet insurance is so that we aren’t left with quite so little money at the end of our month. The ONLY INSURANCE PROVIDER that didn’t have you digging in your own wallet to pay the vet at the time of the appointment, was Oneplan.

This comes with using their unique Onecard, which loads the funds of your claim before you see the vet!

So, with all of this mind it becomes apparent as to who the best pet insurance provider is for you and your pet - Oneplan.

Give us a call today and find out just how we can make your life and your pet’s a better one when it comes to health insurance.

Yours in paws,

Oneplan Pet Insurance.