Getting solid health insurance for your fuzzy companion doesn’t quite cover everything that might happen during its lifetime. There are situations that warrant a different kind of approach – a different insurance policy. Holidays and traveling are some of them.
Of course, this should come hardly as a surprise; after all, we humans get both health and travel insurance, so why shouldn’t our pets too?
Fetch has a stellar reputation among pet insurance companies.
Different kinds of un-furr-tunate events may occur while we’re abroad with our beloved furry friends. Proper travel insurance should be put in place to help us deal with the financial baggage of such situations, which would only worsen our emotional turmoil.
But this is all rather easy to deduce. What’s more important than enrolling in pet travel insurance is to know how exactly this type of insurance works, what it covers, and which insurance companies out there are the best to go for.
No need to panic – we have an answer to all of these questions.
What does Pet Travel Insurance Cover?
Pet travel insurance covers the expenses for the most common types of mishaps that can take place while you and your companion are abroad. This includes a variety of scenarios. The number of these scenarios also depends on the particular insurance provider and the policy or plan you agreed on.
Still, there are some general types of costs that almost all travel insurance providers cover.
Vet Fees
In case your pet gets ill or injured while abroad, the pet travel insurance will cover the veterinary fees exactly like the regular pet health insurance covers vet expenses in your home country.
One thing to note, though, is that the main prerequisite for the insurance cover is that any injury or illness should be sustained abroad. No older injuries, lingering or pre-existing conditions will be covered.
Advertising and Reward for Theft or Loss
In the event that your pet gets lost or stolen, the insurance provider would cover for the advertising and reward in order to help retrieve your pet. However, the reward can only be claimed by a third party, not by you or any other person traveling with you and your pet.
Holiday Cancellation
The pet insurance provider will fully cover the costs for the cancellation of your holiday if your pet is in urgent need of medical treatment, thus preventing you from traveling. The same applies if your pet dies before the scheduled trip, leading to its cancellation.
Emergency Repatriation
If your pet gets ill or injured abroad and has to be immediately brought back to your home country, travel expenses will be covered by the insurance provider.
Similarly, if a pet’s illness leads to a delay of your departure, the insurer will cover all expenses related to accommodation.
Loss of Passport
In case you lose your pet’s passport or healthcare certificate while abroad, the travel insurance can cover the costs for a passport or certificate replacement.
Quarantine Expenses
Suppose your pet develops a condition that would warrant quarantining while abroad, and it’s unable to travel back to your home country. In that case, the travel insurance company will cover expenses related to the quarantine.
Still, as this can be pretty pricey, most companies set a limit of about $2,000. You will have to cover anything above that amount by yourself.
Tapeworm Treatments
If your pet requires repeated tapeworm treatments and your return to your home country is, for some reason, delayed, the insurance provider can cover the costs of these treatments until you get back.
These are the main types of costs covered by travel insurance companies. Yet, not all companies do an equally good job at covering them for a reasonable price. Some stand out.
Pet Travel Insurance Companies: Rating
Out of the numerous pet insurance companies that offer travel insurance for pets (and the less numerous exclusively dealing with travel insurance), we selected the three most popular ones:
Trupanion
An already renowned pet insurance provider, Trupanion does not offer a separate travel insurance plan. It already has one incorporated into the regular pet insurance policies it offers.
Admittedly, it only covers your pet for traveling around the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, but considering how you don’t actually have to pay separately, this is as good a deal as they come.
Pet Travel Insurance
A company specifically intended for travel insurance, approved by the IPATA, Pet Travel Insurance is simple and straightforward – you provide basic information on your pet and get a quote. It covers all that needs to be covered for a reasonable price.
Fetch by the Dodo
Fetch is another regular pet insurance provider which additionally offers travel insurance – both as part of its regular insurance packages and separately. Backed by the Pet Travel international company, it can be quite pricey with its quotes but truly allows you to cover all of your pet’s needs while abroad.
Comparing Pet Travel Insurance Plans
All of these insurance policy providers offer completely different coverage plans, so it makes sense that each would cater to a different kind of pet owner. Pet owners looking for a practical option that don’t typically travel outside the US should definitely go for Trupanion, as that’s an overall pet insurance company.
Those preparing for trips outside the US border should contact Pet Travel Insurance. In contrast, those who’re unsure or are looking at several consecutive trips should make up a good travel insurance plan at Fetch.
But what kind of policy options are there?
Pet Travel Insurance Policy
There are two types of insurance policies you could go for: single trip and multi-trip.
- Single trip policies are constructed in a way to cover your pet for the duration of a single trip with a previously set number of days.
- Multi-trip policies are made to cover your pet for several trips intended for the coming period.
Most insurers would cover for up to around 90 days per year, but this isn’t fixed. Some don’t limit the number of days, but the number of travels. Based on this, decide whether the single or multi-trip option is suitable for you.
How Pet Travel Insurance Works
It’s quite simple, really; first, you check if your basic pet health insurance covers travel expenses. If not, you find a potential provider, inform them about your pet’s breed, age, sex, and country of residence and ask for a quote.
Once you accept the quote and make an insurance plan, you set it in motion – you travel abroad, and if any undesired event takes place, the travel insurance covers the (majority of the) financial costs for it. That’s it!
Best Pet Travel Insurance
Now that we’ve seen and reviewed all of the offered options, we believe that the best one to recommend would be Trupanion.
While not covering trips worldwide, it is, by and large, the most financially affordable option, as you don’t actually have to pay anything extra to get it – it’s already included in the normal pet health insurance.
As long as your pet travels around the US, Canada, or Puerto Rico – it gets the full treatment. You can rest assured that whatever happens, wherever you are, you will be as financially supported by Trupanion as when you’re at home.
