Insurance World

Are you one of the million of Britons famous the world over for being a pet owner and lover? If so, do you have pet insurance? If not, you may well want to read on if you want to save yourself millions of pounds….

Let’s look at two, not uncommon, scenarios that may happen to a pet owner in the UK:

Scenario 1:

You own a dog. The dog is out in the garden. The post comes to the house to deliver a letter. In the course of delivering the letter your dog bites the postman.

Scenario 2:

You own a horse. The horse is grazing in the field. The horse is startled, jumps the hedge and crashes into an oncoming car.

Do you know what would happen in both of these scenarios? Well, if you don’t already know, as you may recall from the recent famous case involving Princess Anne, in Scenario 1 you could be liable to pay damages under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Less well known, in Scenario 2 you could be liable to pay damages under a recent House of Lords interpretation to the Animal Act 1971. Either way, you’re paying.

How can you limit the liability you’ll suffer if either of these unfortunate events where to occur? Without some form of pet insurance policy you could not. As such, if you have a pet and want to save yourself from the prospect of having to pay out a potentially large amount of money in compensation damages to a third party – now is the time that you should be considering getting pet insurance.

Although pet insurance is unlikely to cover you for the full costs you that you may need to pay to both defend your self against a claim and also pay compensation if you lose, as there is likely to be a minimum excess payment and maximum cap payment, for a reasonable annual premium payment you can arrange to have cover that would pay a large portion of this amount.

At the end of the day, however, having pet insurance is like having any other type if insurance. Would you go out n the roads and drive your car without insuring yourself against an accident? Would you leave all your valuables at home without having any home contents insurance? Do you want to take the chance that you could be used for million in personal injury compensation without having paid a minimal amount in pet insurance?

…swiftcover.com reveals the ‘famous five’ excuses for travel without insurance
Last year, around 2.5 million Britons put themselves at risk, and travelled abroad without arranging travel insurance1. But, according to a study by swiftcover.com, the UK’s first and only 100% online insurer, it is merely false conceptions about the level of insurance cover provided by other sources, cost and a dash of ignorance that has led holidaymakers to take these risks when away from home2.

“I have cover elsewhere”
Over a fifth of people (21%) believe that the cover they have as either part of their home insurance or their bank’s current account deal is adequate to insure them when on holiday. However, this is rarely the case.

Home insurance policies do not always cover medical expenses whilst abroad, will not pay out for a cancelled trip and do not always cover personal possessions when away from home. Even with an ‘all risks’ level of cover on a household policy, where it is possible to claim for items that are lost, stolen or damaged abroad, this often impacts on the policy’s no claims discount and will discourage people from doing so.

Similarly, the travel insurance provided by banks can often be exclusive, covering medical expenses only and requiring their customers to pay an additional premium to upgrade their policy. swiftcover.com therefore urges the consumer to read the small print, and ensure they have sufficient cover for their needs.

“The European Health Information Card (EHIC) gives me sufficient cover”
Nearly 5.7 million (13%) deem this to be true – but it is not. Indeed, whilst the EHIC (formerly known as the E111 form), does cover admission to public hospitals and some medical costs, it will not stretch to repatriation costs or treatment costs in private clinics3.

“I don’t think I am likely to claim”
Almost 8.5 million (19%) people have adopted the ‘it’ll never happen to me attitude’ and choose not to purchase travel insurance as they simply don’t believe the worst will happen. Sadly, this is not the reality. Last year alone, over 850,000 travel insurance claims were made, spanning accidents, ill-health, curtailment or cancellation of a trip and the loss or damage of possessions4.

“It’s too expensive”
Over 6.6 million people (15%) refuse to travel with insurance as they believe the cost is too great. Travel insurance can be bought for just a few pounds - it’s just a case of shopping around. Whereas some tour operators and travel agents may offer overpriced premiums as part of a package deal, buying direct from a travel insurer almost always works out cheaper. swiftcover.com offers good value, comprehensive cover from as little as Ј5 – a two week holiday to Spain, for example, can cost as little as Ј10 per person.

“I sometimes forget”
The excuse for nearly one in ten (8%) Brits is that they simply forget. But this can be redressed with ease by purchasing an annual worldwide policy – covering you for all your holidays, short breaks and business trips wherever you go. swiftcover.com offers an Annual Worldwide policies starting at Ј43 for a Premier level of cover.

Robin Reames, Claims Director at swiftcover.com comments: “British holidaymakers should think twice before travelling without adequate insurance. The facts speak for themselves and shouldn’t be ignored. Travel insurance can be purchased quickly and with ease online. By cutting out the call centre, swiftcover.com is able to offer some of the cheapest premiums on the market”