In France, owners of dogs and cats are still hesitant when it comes to insuring their pet. However, pet insurance has the advantage of better preserving the health of their little companion while allowing them to reduce their veterinary costs.
While most contracts provide for a minimum commitment period of one year, some insurers now offer formulas with no commitment period, which speeds up termination at any time and much faster. . Let’s take a look at these pet insurance policies.
What is dog/cat insurance with no commitment period?
The owner of an animal takes out insurance for his dog or cat to protect his health, but also to reduce his veterinary costs. This type of insurance is similar to mutual insurance for people. Each insurance company can offer the guarantees and prices it wants, but we can identify three types of categories:
- the basic formulaseconomy, covering only illness and/or accident -related costs, up to 50% to only 70%;
- intermediate formulascomfort, which includes these services as well as additional examinations, up to 70% to 90%;
- premium formulashigh-end, are complete formulas that cover almost all veterinary care, and these, up to 90% to 100%.
The dog or cat owner chooses the formula that suits him, knowing that the higher the level of protection, the higher the price.
The duration of the commitment is an important point of an insurance. This is the period during which the owner of the animal, the subscriber, is obliged to fulfill his contract. In most cases, as provided by the Insurance Code, the commitment period for this type of contract is one year. However, some companies do not respect this rule and impose commitment periods of more than one year.
Most contracts can be renewed by tacit agreement. Therefore, when the contract reaches the expiry date, it is automatically renewed for another year, unless the owner of the animal decides to terminate his contract. That is, if the subscriber no longer wants to be covered, he or she needs the process of terminating his or her contract.
Conversely, a non -binding insurance contract can be terminated at any time. For some types of contracts, the procedure to follow is very simple. For others, the contract may be accompanied by a non-binding trial period. When the period ends, coverage will stop, but the dog or cat owner can ask to continue coverage if they wish.
It is not mandatory to take out this type of insurance for your pet. However, for some dogs classified in category 1 and category 2, keep in mind that getting civil liability insurance is mandatory.
Dog / cat insurance with no commitment period: what is the guarantee?
Depending on the formula chosen, the guarantees included in insurance with no commitment period are more or less numerous, like a classic insurance. Here again, we see the three main levels of coverage, namely the basic formula, the comfort formula and the complete formula where it is possible to add some options.
Therefore, depending on the level of protection, non-binding dog/cat insurance can cover up to 50% to 100% of the costs associated with:
- veterinary consultation;
- illness and/or accident care;
- drug treatment;
- additional examination (imaging, analysis, etc.);
- surgical procedures;
- hospitalization;
- preventive measures (sterilization, castration, vaccination, antiparasitics, deworming, therapeutic feeding, etc.);
- euthanasia;
- at the grave.
Dog / cat insurance without a commitment period: how to subscribe? At what price?
To get dog/cat insurance without a commitment period, all you have to do is request the services of a company that offers this type of formula. In general, the subscriber must meet certain preconditions for his application to be accepted, but these are more or less than the conditions required under standard insurance contracts.
In fact, the first condition has to do with the age of the dog or cat to be insured, which should be between a minimum of 3 months in most cases, and a maximum of 5, 6 or 8 years depending on the companies and formulas. . In addition, the animal must be in good health, a point that is usually confirmed by the obligation to provide a veterinary certificate.
In addition, the dog or cat to be insured must be identified by a tattoo or an electronic chip. He must also be updated on his compulsory vaccination and have no hereditary, congenital, chronic or recurrent disease.
It should be noted that some companies refuse to handle animals living in packs, breeding or in groups of more than five individuals or even animals used for hunting or for commercial purposes.
What is the price of dog / cat insurance with no commitment period?
In most cases, the price of dog/cat insurance with no commitment period is similar to regular insurance. On average, it takes 5 euros to 15 euros per month for an entry-level formula, 15 euros to 30 euros per month for an intermediate formula and 30 euros to 80 euros per month or more for a complete formula.
Dog / cat insurance with no commitment period: how does it end?
The advantage of getting dog/cat insurance without a commitment period lies in the fact that its termination is simpler and faster. In fact, the owner of the subscriber can terminate the contract at any time without reason of his own. All you have to do is send a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt to your insurer in most cases, or follow the cancellation procedure mentioned in the contract clauses if it differs.
For other variations of the classic formulas, you need to know that the subscriber is protected by law. Lagarde (2010), Hamon (2014) and Bourquin (2017) laws collaborate with each other to allow the dog or cat owner to terminate their contract at any hour in the first year, then do so without ’ y paid two months in advance. the expiration date of the contract in subsequent years. Also, keep in mind that the insurer must send a letter to his client each year to remind him of his right to terminate his contract. However, some unscrupulous insurers do not honor this obligation or act at the last minute to not give the owner time to respond. If this failure is proven by the subscriber, he can terminate his contract if he wishes, always free of charge.
Don’t hesitate to use the services of an online comparator to find the non-binding dog/cat insurance formula that is right for you. All you have to do is fill out a short question and this free tool will send you a list of personal quotes that will meet your needs. All you have to do is compare them to choose the offer that offers the best amount of money and negotiate other advantages by playing the competition!