What is a variable co-payment?
Pet insurance rarely covers 100% of the veterinary costs you incur. With most pet insurers, you therefore have to pay a percentage of the costs yourself. Insurers may use different terms for this, but the principle is the same and is most often named ‘eigen bijdrage’ in Dutch.
If the costs are covered under your policy, the insurer will usually reimburse between 50% and 90% of your vet’s bill. You pay the remaining percentage yourself. This helps keep the insurer’s costs manageable and, in turn, keeps your insurance premium as low as possible.
The exact reimbursement percentage varies by insurer, policy package and type of treatment. More comprehensive packages generally reimburse a higher percentage, while budget policies often reimburse a lower percentage. On our website, you can easily see the reimbursement percentage offered by each pet insurer for each policy package.
What is a fixed excess?
Some insurers apply a fixed excess, or offer the option to set one voluntarily. The system is similar to your own health insurance and is designed to keep costs for the insurer (and therefore the premium you pay) as low as possible. The amount you pay per claim or per year varies by insurer. In Dutch, this is often called ‘eigen risico’.
- OHRA applies a fixed excess of €30 per year (in the premium package) to €70 per year (in the basic package) for cat insurance. For dogs, the excess ranges from €50 per year (premium package) to €100 per year in the basic package. This amount is deducted from the payout on your first claim.
- If you are insured with a.s.r., you pay a variable co-payment (see above) of 25%, but always with a minimum of €25 per claim. You are allowed to combine several vet bills into a single claim.
With the other pet insurers (Figo, PetSecur, Univé, Inshared and Dierenverzekering.nl), you do not pay a fixed excess.
What is a voluntary excess?
With three insurers (Figo, PetSecur and Dierenverzekering.nl), you can choose to opt for an additional excess. In return, you receive a discount on your monthly premium. This discount can be more than 30%.
How does this work? You choose the amount of the excess yourself, ranging from €50 to €250 per year. As with your own health insurance, you pay the excess first. Only after you have reached the excess will the insurer start reimbursing your vet’s bills.
With a voluntary excess, the pet insurer will reimburse slightly less, but you will pay a lower premium as a result. Would you rather not have a voluntary excess? You can simply opt out of it. All rates on this website are shown without any excess discount, making it easier to compare monthly premiums.
What are one-off costs?
Some insurers charge a one-off fee when you take out a policy. This is separate from your monthly premium and any costs you may have to pay when making a claim.
Currently, this only applies to:
- Dierenverzekering.nl charges €8.95 per policy taken out.
- PetSecur charges a one-off policy fee of €12.00.
All other pet insurers do not charge any one-off fees.
