It can be hard to decide whether or not to get pet insurance because you don’t know if you’ll ever need it.

Make sure you don’t buy something without knowing enough about it by asking yourself these 8 questions.

8 Questions You Should Ask About Pet Insurance Before Buying It

If you answer “no” to any of these questions, you might want to wait and see if things change so that you can answer “yes.”

Why do you own a pet?

This is a great question because of two things. First, it will give you a good idea of how serious your possible client is about having a pet.

Second, it’s always interesting to hear about people’s pets and why they’re important to them.

When you start writing your proposal, you can use that information to talk about your services.

A few questions like these can also be great conversation starters during meetings or phone calls with clients.

Read also: 7 Simple Changes That Will Make a Huge Difference with

Just remember that not everyone wants or needs to hear a whole essay about why you own a dog.

What kind of animal is your pet? Another question that will help you learn more about your client and how they feel about their pet.

For instance, if they have a cat instead of a dog, they may have to deal with some unique problems (like litter boxes).

If they have a strange animal like a snake, there may be other things to think about (like licensing requirements).

You can also find out if there are any rules or limits on owning certain types of animals by asking about specific animals.

 What kind of animal do you own?

Your insurance coverage may be different based on what kind of pet you have. For example, if you have a dog, there are three different types of coverage to think about: accidents-only, which pays for accidental injuries or illnesses; comprehensive, which covers accidents and routine care like checkups and vaccinations; and wellness-only (designed for pets who rarely need veterinarian services).

Make sure to ask about the different levels of coverage before you buy a policy. If you don’t, you might not be covered if your dog gets hurt at daycare and needs surgery because of it.

Read also: 4 Best Dog Pet insurance You Need To Know

The same is true if you get a cat from a shelter. They often already have health problems that need to be treated. If you don’t know what kind of policy is best for your pet, talk to your vet and then compare rates online.

They can also help you figure out if pet insurance is right for your budget. In general, monthly premiums range from $10 to $40, but they can go as high as $100 depending on where you live and how much your deductible is.

Depending on where you live and how much coverage you want, deductibles can be anywhere from $50 to $500. But most companies have an annual maximum payout of between $5,000 and $20,000, so make sure it will cover big expenses like cancer treatments or amputations if they happen.

What’s the age of your pet?

Most pet insurance plans will cover sickness or injury if your pet is younger than seven years old. If your pet is over seven years old, you should look into what you can do to help keep serious problems from happening.

Still have questions? Be sure to check out our post all about pet insurance here. How often do you take your pet to the vet? If you go to the vet every six months for regular checkups and shots, your plan may be enough for routine care.

But if you travel more than that, especially for things like dental cleanings, you might want to think about getting more coverage.

Up to 20% of your annual premium can go toward extra coverage, so make sure it’s worth it before choosing one plan over another.

Also, remember that some plans have annual deductibles of $250 or more. Before you choose a plan, make sure you know how much money you’ll have to pay upfront.

Do I need to spay or neuter my dog or cat? Many insurance companies won’t cover any costs for pets that haven’t been altered, including some cancer treatments.

Can my pet be a service animal? Some companies only cover service animals like seeing-eye dogs, while others cover both service animals and pets (such as guide dogs).

Do I live in a state where vet costs are high? If the cost of veterinary care in your state is higher than in other states, it’s probably best to find an insurance company with lower rates there.

Does your pet already have a health problem?

A lot of insurance plans won’t cover conditions that have already been diagnosed. Make sure you know what they are, especially if your pet is already sick or has been treated for a condition in the past. A condition that wasn’t covered back then might be called “pre-existing” now.

(Check your policy to see if there is a time when you can’t make a claim.) If so, you might want to get insurance from a different company, or at least compare rates from different companies. Or, it might be better to wait to get coverage until your pet is better and you can prove he or she is healthy.

So, you won’t have to pay high premiums for a condition that might go away on its own. Don’t try to hide anything on your application, though. This is a fraud, so your policy will be canceled.

Will you pay out of pocket if you have to?

Find out how much it would cost to treat your pet on your own and how much of that cost your insurance will cover.

If it’s more than a few hundred dollars, think about whether you have enough money in your emergency fund to pay for it. Also, find out how often accidents happen.

If accidents happen often, pet insurance is probably a good idea. For example, I have $1,000 in my savings account right now, so I’m ready for any emergency that might come up in the future.

It might be a good idea to see if there are any other charities or organizations in your area that can help with vet bills.

Some help with money and others may be able to point you to programs where your pet can get care for free.

Don’t forget, though, that our pets are part of our family no matter what happens, and we should do everything we can to help them when they need us the most.

Do you know that there are different levels of benefits, such as basic, medium, and so on?

Is he or she your first animal?

It can be hard to understand pet insurance, so it’s important to know how much it costs before you buy a policy.

Before you get a quote for pet insurance, you should decide if you want to add your new pet to a policy you already have or start a new policy.

Adding your first pet to a plan you already have is easy, but you will have to pay more. If you decide to get a new policy, you should know that most policies require you to pay for at least one year of coverage upfront.

If, for example, your first pet is an expensive rescue dog from Colorado, you might want to add him or her to a plan you already have instead of starting from scratch. Just make sure it doesn’t break any of your current policies!

Have you looked into pet insurance companies before you bought a policy?

When it comes to insurance for pets, not every company is the same. In fact, a VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance) study found that 71 percent of pet owners who used their plans had trouble getting their claims paid.

If you’re thinking about getting pet insurance and want to find out more about companies before buying coverage, ask yourself: Are there any insurance companies I don’t want to cover my pet?

How much does each company’s coverage cost? What health conditions and treatments does each company not cover?

Is there a time I have to wait before I’m covered if I get sick or hurt after I buy the policy? Do you give your veterinarian health records for your animals when they need to be renewed, and does your vet ask you to?