Why did our pet insurance rise when we moved just three miles?

Is our pet insurance premium increase justified after we moved three miles across Peterborough?

We have four pets insured with Animal Friends – the cat for 14 years and the dogs for seven, six and five years. Our monthly premiums came to £158. We moved from a through-route in the centre of town to a cul-de-sac in the suburbs, but will continue to use the same vet. I notified Animal Friends, and was told our premiums would be increased to almost £169.

It has justified this on the basis that many things affect premiums “such as increasing veterinary fees, together with a high increase in the frequency of claims received geographically”. Given that we will continue to use the same vet, and all the other risks look exactly the same, I can only see this as a money-making exercise. My car insurance went down £100 following the move.

TF, Peterborough

Like you, my immediate reaction was that this was a price rise for no apparent reason. I could understand it if you had moved to an area with higher vets’ costs, or to a busier road with a higher risk of an accident.

Animal Friends told me that it stands by the 6.86% increase, the equivalent of £130 a year. “Premiums are based on a number of factors and not just limited to a specific veterinary practice,” it said, before reiterating what it had told you about fees and the frequency of claims in different postcodes.

I got a quote from the firm’s website to cover a cat at both your new and old postcodes, and it was about 5.6% higher for your new address.

When the policy comes up for renewal, do your research. You are spending more than £2,000 a year on insuring your pets and another firm may do it for less.

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