Pet insurance is fine and dandy - but have pet insurance companies taken the steps to keep up with the life and times of its clients?
In my humble opinion, no they have not. As our lives become busier, financial strains become greater and things happen in the blink of an eye, it is imperative that our insurance policies (whether that pertains to health, home, vehicle or pet) slide effortlessly into our daily lives. So I did some digging to find out who offers comprehensive, modern and on-the-ball pet coverage and the polls are in: there are few better plans than Oneplan.
Because I don’t expect you to take my word for it (although you could), I’ve written a comprehensive breakdown of what to expect from a normal pet insurance provider and what you can expect from becoming a part of the Oneplan Pet family. The choice is yours from here on out!
Please note that these prices are reflective of the date that this article was written. For up to date pricing, please follow this link!
Coverage
Coverage is probably the first thing you want to compare - considering it is the basis of insurance and all that jazz.
Pet Insurance
Your coverage with standard pet insurance is known to chop (don’t say that too loudly if you have doggos around) and change. There are multiple tiers and plans you would need to sift through - each offering something different and most don’t offer standard, across the board benefits. This means if you’re after a more budget-friendly policy, you’re not going to have access to the same benefits as an expensive plan which may sound fair because that’s life but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Oneplan
As a comprehensive pet insurance provider, Oneplan really does rise to the occasion when it comes to providing exceptional pet healthcare regardless of whether you have the cheapest or most expensive policy. Every policyholder has standard, across the board benefits that are essential to the wellbeing of your pet. They have one the highest annual limits - their Pet Super Plan has an annual limit of R70 000 (yes, R70 000) for just R387 per month.
Please note that these prices are reflective of the date that this article was written. For up to date pricing, please follow this link!
Routine Care
Routine care often accumulates to being one of the more expensive elements of being a pet owner - and it is care that can’t be skimped on. Routine care includes:
Consultations for and/or vaccinations, deworming, flea control
Sterilisation
Teeth polishing and scaling
Anal gland expression
Pet Insurance
You’ll find that oftentimes routine care is excluded from most pet insurance policies and they will ask for an additional fee to be added to your premium should you want routine care to be included.
Oneplan
Oneplan includes routine care in their Pet Classic Plan which covers R720 per year for routine care and their Pet Super Plan which covers R850 per year. This can make an incredible financial difference for something you shouldn’t have to pay an arm and a leg for routinely caring for your pet.
Plus, thanks to their Routine Care Plus benefit, you can boost up your routine care coverage for an extremely small monthly fee.
Payment and Claims
So this is where you’re going to see me dork out a little bit because I just get so excited by what Oneplan has to offer in terms of how you pay and how you claim.
Pet Insurance
Business as usual, I’m afraid to say. For a majority of pet insurers, reimbursement is still the way they operate. I mean sure, it’s all good and well if and when you get paid but it often means sacrificing something else for the month - we never expect emergencies, do we? Paying upfront from your bank account just isn’t feasible for most people, which is why I appreciate what Oneplan came up with.
Oneplan
Oneplan embodies that way that it has truly thought of the individual when planning their payment and claims strategy. Fast, efficient and human-centric, Oneplan fonts you with money before you’ve even seen your vet. What does this mean? It means you don’t have to scramble for cash in strange places or worry about paying a massive lump sum out of pocket.
Here’s a quick look at how easy it is to pre-claim, pre-load and pre-pay for your vet consults:
- Login to the Oneplan App using your current policy number and password.
- Using the menu icons, select the cover you want to claim for.
- Select “my claims”
- Select “load claim”
- Select the item that you want to claim for
- Fill in the required information: the date you are going to see your vet, who is seeing the vet and which Onecard you want to load the claim onto.
- Select “process claim”
- Relax and all the best for your appointment!
Also bear in mind that when Oneplan says vet, they mean your vet. Which means any vet of your choice as opposed to having to choose from the group of vets standard Pet Insurance requires you to choose from.
Pre-existing Conditions
Pet Insurance
Most pet insurers shy away from pre-existing conditions or flat-out will not cover your pet if you are insuring them after they have been diagnosed with an illness or condition. The thing is, our pets can develop conditions from a young age and this then means years of having to treat an expensive condition.
Oneplan
Pre-existing condition? No problem. Hereditary illness? Bring it on. Congenital condition? Can do. Oneplan is dedicated to providing its clients with top-tier healthcare that extends to all pets and furry friends. Whilst there is a waiting period of 12 months before your cover for pre-existing conditions kick in, I think that’s a fair trade for years of financial alleviation and peace of mind to come.
Not to mention how Oneplan bases their pricing for pet insurance on the individual needs and health of your pet - they know how every pet is unique and work hard in creating tail-o-made premiums to suit your fluffy friend.
I don’t think it’s difficult to see why Oneplan is a stellar choice for any serious pet-owner. They have ticked all the boxes for me and I believe they could tick all the boxes for you. Jump on the phone with one of their consultants or better yet, become a part of the Oneplan family in (genuinely) ten minutes via the App.