Maximum benefit pet insurance

What is maximum benefit pet insurance?

Maximum benefit pet insurance covers your cat or dog for each injury or illness up to a specified pre-set limit. There’s no time limit on how long you can claim, like with a time limited policy. This means you can keep claiming for the same condition until you reach the financial cap, as long as you renew your policy each year, and keep up with premium payments. You’ll sometimes hear them called money limited or per condition pet insurance policies.

Don’t mistake maximum benefit for being all encompassing though. If your pet has a pre-existing condition before you take the policy out, that won’t be covered. And if the same condition develops somewhere else, let’s say the opposite leg, you won’t be covered for that either – most insurers will consider it the same condition and won’t cover you for it. 

Advantages

• Know exactly how much you’re covered for, with a fixed amount for each injury or illness
• Not time limited, so it doesn’t matter if a condition lasts for days or years
• Useful if your pet needs regular medication, as it can help cover the costs over time

Disadvantages

• You can only claim for each condition once, even if it reoccurs
• You could reach the limit quickly if your pet needs expensive treatment, like a major operation
• The maximum amount per condition isn’t reset each year, like with lifetime pet insurance
• As with most pet insurance, pre-existing conditions aren’t covered

Is maximum benefit or lifetime cover better for my pet?

While maximum benefit policies offer a fixed, one-off amount per condition with no time limit, lifetime cover offers a fixed amount per condition, which resets when you renew your policy each year.

Because it offers more extensive cover, lifetime policies usually cost more than maximum benefit cover. Ultimately, only you can make the final decision of whether it’s worth it.