Premiums
You can usually pay your pet health insurance premium monthly or annually. Be careful though because you may assume that paying annually will result in a discount on your premium but this isn't necessarily the case.
Some pet health insurance plans have a surcharge for breeds that are determined to be higher risk for illness or injury. These are often giant breeds like Great Danes, and some pedigree breeds with exaggerated body shapes and facial bone structures. Examples of breeds that are often classified as higher risk by pet health insurance companies are Basset Hound, Boxer, Bulldog, Dachshund, Deerhound, Doberman, English Bull Terrier, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Greyhound, Irish Wolfhound, All Mastiff Breeds, Newfoundland, Old English Sheepdog, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, St Bernard, Shar-Pei and Staffordshire Terrier.
There may be a maximum age to obtain pet health insurance, for example 10 years old, or elderly animals may require that you pay a loading, which is an additional percentage of the annual premium. However you may also be able to get cover for the lifetime of your pet at the standard premium price if you initially insure your pet at a young age and renew annually.
Some pet health insurance policies offer a discount for additional pets from the same household.
There will be a cooling off period (for example 2 weeks) after you take out a pet health insurance policy to consider the full terms and conditions of the policy. If you are not happy or change your mind during this time you may cancel the insurance and receive a full refund.
Some plans have a no-claims bonus (for example 10%) which is offered as a discount on the following years premium.