Choosing the right Pet Insurance is extremely important, as the wrong choice now could have severe financial consequences later and comparing numerous policy terms and conditions can be daunting.
Once you have read this review of Costco Wholesale UK and compared polices using our unique search facility, you will have all the information you need to make an informed choice.
Costco Pet Insurance Review by Jonathan 08/10/2020
Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American owned operator of discount stores of the type known as warehouse clubs or wholesale clubs, in which bulk quantities of merchandise are sold at deeply discounted prices to club members who pay an annual membership fee. It is one of the largest retailers in the world.
Costco use their buying power to negotiate deals for their members on all sort of ancillary services, including Insurance.
Costco have teamed up as an introducer with Sterling Pet Solutions. They offer four levels of cover and the discounts you receive vary depending on the type of Costco membership that you possess and are normally only applicable for the first 12 months of the policy.
Sterling Pet Solutions is a trading name of Sterling Client Services Limited who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Sterling Pet Insurance is underwritten by Covea Insurance Plc who are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Click on the website link to go directly to the insurance providers website. Visit Costco Wholesale UK's Website and Get a Quotation direct
Click on the white bars on the right side of the policy boxes below. Expand the content to view star ratings of all policies offered by Costco Wholesale UK.
You must be a member of Costco.
Your pet must be older than 8 weeks.
You must take care of your pet and make sure you arrange any treatment including routine dentistry to reduce or prevent illness or injury.
Your pet must be vaccinated against
Dogs: distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirus.
Cats: feline infectious enteritis, feline leukaemia and cat flu.
Your pet must be older than 8 weeks
Costco Pet Insurance has four levels of cover
£1,000 £3,000, £6,000, or £7,500.
This is the maximum amount payable and you may claim up to the level of cover selected within the period of insurance. The policy is for 12 months and future periods of insurance cannot be guaranteed. You can claim for ongoing conditions so long as you continue to insure and cover continues to be made available to you.
These are the most important policy exclusions
Costco Pet Insurance will not cover;
Complementary Treatments are covered up to 25% of the veterinary fees limit. These include Physiotherapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, osteopathy, hydrotherapy, chiropractic and alternative medicines recommended by your vet and carried out by a properly trained person
The policy also included cover for Training and Behavioural problems covered up to £200
Prescription food (called Clinical Diet) is covered up to £200. The description of a clinical diet is "A clinically formulated diet prescribed by your vet as part of your pet's treatment for a specific illness or condition.
This does not include diets prescribed for weight reduction.
Dentistry is covered up to the vet fees limit, provided it is required as a result of a specific illness or injury.
Both MRI/CT Scans and Cruciate Ligaments claims are covered up to the vet fees limit.
The policy covers the cost of putting your pet to sleep, but does not cover the cost of burial or cremation.
You can insure more than one pet under the same policy and receive a 10% discount.
None of the Costco pet policies cover any condition that is known about, or has been investigated by a vet, prior to the inception of the policy.
The policy specifically excludes any pet used for breeding and will not cover, pregnancy, false pregnancy or giving birth.
Taking your pet abroad, is an option that you can choose for any of the Costco policies. The policy extends emergency vet fees cover to include any journey made by you and your pet within Europe ( A maximum of 60 days per trip).
In addition to vets fees, the policy also covered quarantine costs, emergency repatriation, Loss of pet Passport and the cost of repeat worming treatment, required as a result of delayed departure.
The policy excludes any illness claim that occurs within the first 14 days.
If your pet is stolen or strays, you must wait a minimum of 90 days before you are able to claim.
All Costco policies have a fixed excess (this is the first amount of any claim your are required to pay)
In respect of dogs under the age of 8 the excess is £100 and £110 for older dogs.
In respect of cats under the age of 8 the excess is £85 and £95 for older cats.
Dog Liability Insurance £250 Excess.
Holiday cancellations £75 Excess.
Once your pet reaches the age of 8 any claim that you make will require an additional contribution of 15%.
For example if a claim for your 9 year old dog totals £1,000, you will need to pay £110 plus 15% of the balance £133.50 total £243.50.
The Information on the Costco site is minimal as they only really act as an introducer to Sterling Insurance Services.
Once you have been directed the Sterling site provides much more detailed information on the policy, sums insured, frequently asked questions etc.
Not being a Costco member prevented us from testing the quotation system and claims of member discounts.
The policy wording is only 17 pages long. Whilst it is tightly packed, there is a summary of cover and an index to help you navigate. It is reasonably easy to understand and has less conditions to read through than other policies.
In readability tests, the policy wording scored 61 (out of 100) and is classed as standard reading.
Overall the wording has an average reading age of 11 - 13 years. This means that a person with a reading age of 11-13 years should be able to understand the policy.
The policy does not include a helpline.
We could not find any customer reviews on Costco pet Insurance.
We couldn't find any information of administration charges, so must assume that they don't charge any.
Discounts are available, but you need to be a Costco member to benefit.
Both the £6,000 and £7,500 benefit policies were awarded 5 star rating for high levels of overall cover.
We are unable to verify how competitive the premiums are, but if you are a member of Costco, it would be worth checking them out and comparing with similar policies.
That's Insurance have spent some time mystery shopping on costco-pet-insurance-review's website. The policy wording, website, customer service/buying process have been carefully reviewed and each section awarded a user friendly score, which you can see below.
Policy wording - Marks are awarded for Layout, Readability ,Terminology, Communication and Appropriate information.
Website - Marks are awarded for Layout/Navigation, Access to important information e.g. policy wordings, Clear Explanation/Comparison of policies, including limitations, Frequently asked questions.
Customer Service – Marks are awarded for the Buying process, Customer Service, Clear Quotations, Access to important information/Comparison of quotes.
The scores have been calculated as an overall percentage and shown on the three gauges. You can see how Costco compares to the industry average. The higher the percentage the better the company performs in each area.
(layout, readability, terminology)
Awaiting user friendly score
(layout, navigation, access to information)
Awaiting user friendly score
(clear quotes, buying process, customer service)
Awaiting user friendly score
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