TRAVEL agents can add pet travel insurance to the portfolio of policies they offer to clients with the launch next month of a pilot scheme that will allow people to buy cover for their pets.
Under the scheme, pets will be able to enter the UK without going into quarantine for six months from February 28 provided they have been microchipped, blood-tested and vaccinated against rabies before leaving the UK.
They will also have to be treated for ticks and tape-worms 48hrs before returning to the UK.
Initially animals being brought back into the country on a ferry must travel from Calais to Dover, from Cherbourg, Caen, St Malo or Le Havre to Portsmouth (Brittany Ferries is highlighting dog friendly gites in its 2000 brochure) or through the Channel Tunnel.
Travel options could be extended when the full scheme is introduced in April 2001.
The opportunities to sell into this market have not been missed by Travel Insurance Services, which is the first travel insurance specialist to put together a pet travel policy.
It offers up to £500 for overseas veterinary costs, up to £100 for a replacement pet travel certificate and up to £2m liability for the owner, in case the animal causes an accident or injury. The policy also provides up to £1,000 in case the trip has to be cancelled because the pet needs surgery.
The cost is £7.50 net for one week in Europe, with £5 for each subsequent week. The policy must be bolted on to TIS’s normal client insurance, which costs £9 net for one week in Europe, or £38 for an annual multi-trip in Europe.
TIS head of travel Rob Smith said: “Although there are those who think the idea of pet travel is far-fetched, there are a number of people with holiday homes abroad which they might want to visit two or three times a year, and putting animals in a kennel or cattery is expensive.
“Nowadays most responsible pet owners have pet insurance, so why not pet travel insurance?”
Ketteridge general manager sales Doug Weston has been talking to insurers to see if they would be willing to develop a pet travel insurance scheme.
“It might seem a bit of a joke at the moment, but it is something we should be considering,” he said.
“Agents will have to know the ins and outs about taking animals on holiday to advise clients, so they might as well sell them an insurance policy as well. It could be a nice little earner.”
Cancellation is seen as the biggest risk for pet lovers planning a holiday as it is unlikely that they would want to travel if their dog or cat was taken ill and unable to go on the trip.
Even if they did, it is unlikely they would be able to get them a place in a kennel or cattery at the last minute.
Such an event would be covered by only a few normal client policies. For instance, those from Euclidian Risk Management and Perry Gamble’s Travel Assurance Premier scheme, which pays out for cancellation due to ‘any fortuitous cause beyond the insured person’s control’.
The Premier policy also pays out up to £200 to cover extra pet care fees in the UK if the owners are delayed getting back from holiday.
Chairman Joe Perry said: “Most people put their dogs and cats in kennels or a cattery. I can’t see there will be enough demand for a pet travel insurance.”
five things you should know about PEt travel insurance
1. Make sure the policy has cancellation cover. Pet lovers will not want to travel if their dog or cat is ill, but they would not be covered for cancellation under most existing insurance policies.
2. Pet travel insurance could be sold as a separate policy or as an additional section, relevant to pets, to the owner’s travel policy.
3. Liability insurance actually covers the owner – after all, he or she will have to pay out to a third party if the animal causes an accident or injury.
4. A pet travel policy could cost more than a human’s travel scheme as there is less competition in the market. That means more commission for agents who seize the opportunity.
5. Agents might have to ask about a pet’s health, in the same way as they have to ask their clients about pre-existing medical conditions, in case they have recently been seriously ill or had an operation.