Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Cheap pet insurance
You'd be barking if you don't check
Cats, dogs, canaries, rabbits etc. Hot deals comparisons miss too, eg, £75 Amazon

Vet bills (already sky high) and general pet care costs have risen a further 13% in the year leading up to September 2023. So much so that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has stepped in to investigate. The outcome's unlikely to be speedy, so in the meantime here are our top tips for those who want to cut the cost of pet insurance, to ensure you're not left facing tough decisions in the event of an unexpected trip to the vets. Our full Cheap pet insurance guide has a litter of tips to reduce costs, here's a brief walkies through it...

• Cats & dogs. Prices are bespoke, so the key is to get as many quotes as possible in the shortest time.
  
  1. Combine comparison sites. Try as many as you've time for, as they search different insurers and sometimes have different prices for them, and most let you get multi-pet quotes. In order of how many insurers they compare, try MoneySupermarket* | Compare The Market* (single pet quotes only) | Gocompare | Confused.com*.
  
  2. Check deals not on comparison sites. Big providers Petplan* and Direct Line don't appear on comparisons, plus there are also promo deals in our top deals that comparisons don't list (some as we've blagged exclusive extras). So check them and compare to the comparison site winners, of course factoring in the level of cover (though we don't have much feedback on some of them):
  
  - Animal Friends* via this link offers a £75 Amazon voucher paid after 90 days of cover.
  - Waggel* via this link offers a £60 Amazon voucher per pet insured (up to £180) paid after 90 days of cover.
  - Agria* via this link offers a £75 (dog) or £40 (cat) Amazon voucher paid after 120 days of cover (max £155).
  - Tesco* offers 3,000 Clubcard points if you buy a new standard, premier or extra policy & enter your Clubcard number.
  - And check cashback sites too to see if you can get cashback on the comparison's winner.
  
  3. Cats are seen as free spirits, dogs aren't. So you're liable for your dog's behaviour if it causes damage or injury to other people or property. Always check 3rd-party cover (as a min, get it standalone from Dogs Trust).
  
  
• Horses, rabbits, parrots, reptiles & other pets. As comparisons sites don't usually work for these, you'll need to manually compare quotes directly with specialist insurers.
  
  - For horses and ponies: Try SEIB, Petplan Equine* and NFU Mutual.
  - For rabbits, budgies, guinea pigs, parrots, lizards and more: Try Exotic Direct* and British Pet Insurance (+ Sainsbury's and Petplan* for rabbits).
  
  
• WARNING: Beware switching insurance if your pet has an existing condition. Most new policies won't cover past issues, whether you've claimed for them or not. Yet if you stay with your old insurer, you're likely to pay more to cover that condition in future. So it's usually a hard choice between switching to a cheaper policy with no cover for the specific condition, or sticking and likely paying more. Full help in existing problems.
  
  
• Pet insurance NEED-TO-KNOWS...
  1) It generally covers big issues (such as broken bones and tumours), not check-ups. See what's covered.
  2) Need cover but can't afford it? If you're on certain benefits, charities such as the PDSA may help with vet bills.
  3) Could you self-insure? For smaller animals, you could put cash in savings to cover fees. See self-insuring help.
  4) Keep your routine jabs up to date. Or it may invalidate your insurance.
  5) Always check the policy is right for you. It's not easy, as insurance is about protection from the unknown, but do check the policy details, what's excluded, and that the firm's regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
  6) If your claim's unfairly rejected, take the firm to the Financial Ombudsman. Once you've complained to the firm, you've then a right to go to the free independent Financial Ombudsman Service for its help to settle the claim.

Can't afford to clear your debts? You can't afford NOT to check if you can shift 'em
The longest 0% balance transfer gets worse on Thursday. Paying credit card interest? CHECK NOW if you can get 29mths 0% (3.45% fee) & £25 cashback

Last week, we gave you 24 credit card need-to-knows, including how to slash interest rates to 0%. No apology for a bit of repetition this week, as it was hugely popular and we've learned the longest card is losing its promo cashback. As a reminder, a 0% balance transfer is when you get a new card that pays off debt on your existing card(s), so you owe it instead but INTEREST-FREE. This means your repayments clear the actual debt, not just mostly cover interest. Two tips first...

1. Don't 'just apply', as that can hit your ability to access credit. Go via an eligibility calc. In two mins, our 0% eligibility checker shows your card-by-card acceptance odds, so you can home in on those most likely to accept you.

2. If you've a choice, go for the LOWEST FEE within a 0% time long enough to clear your debt. Generally, the longer the balance transfer, the bigger the one-off fee, eg, 3% of the amount transferred (so £30 per £1,000). So if you can clear your debt quicker, go for a shorter deal to minimise fees. UNSURE? Play safe, go long, like the Barclaycard.

Getting a card? ALWAYS follow the Balance Transfer Golden Rules:
a) Never miss the minimum monthly repayment, or you could lose the 0% deal and it'll cost far more.
b) Aim to clear the card (or balance-transfer again) before the 0% ends, or the rate rockets to the higher APR.
c) Don't spend or withdraw cash. It usually isn't at the cheap rate and withdrawals may hit your ability to get future credit.
d) If you don't transfer at application, you've usually only 60 to 90 days to get the 0%. Do check with your card.

Quick balance transfer FAQs (click links for Martin's answers)
Q. Is it worth applying if my eligibility odds are low? | Q. What if my credit limit isn't big enough? | Q. Can I shift debt to existing cards too? | Q. Should I try to pay off my biggest debt first? SPOILER: NO.
Full help and info, including options for poorer credit scorers, in Best balance transfers.