20 December 2010

M&S Pet Insurance Offers Tips If Buying A Cat Or Dog This Christmas

• M&S Premier Pet Insurance offers up to £7,000 a year in vets' fees for illness and injury
• New customers receive a 15% online discount

As many parents consider buying a cat or dog for their child this Christmas, M&S Pet Insurance is offering tips to potential pet owners.

According to research commissioned by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), nearly a third of people would consider giving a pet as a Christmas present*.

Andrew Ferguson, M&S Head of General Insurance, said: ‘Becoming a pet owner can be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience.

‘However owning a dog or cat requires a serious time and financial commitment. Unfortunately many people are not aware of this commitment, contributing to thousands of cats and dogs being abandoned in the UK each year**.

‘Potential pet owners need to give careful consideration to how a dog or cat might impact on their lifestyles and pockets before deciding on a new animal addition to the family.’

There are a variety of benefits to taking out pet insurance, including cover for veterinary fees if a pet is injured or becomes ill.  M&S Premier Pet Insurance offers up to £7,000 a year in vets' fees for illness and injury

Other key features of M&S Pet Insurance include:

• Cover from eight weeks with no upper age limit;
• No time limit on treatment as long as your policy is in force;
• Unlimited telephone access to a Vet Nurse 24/7 with Vetfone;
• M&S Pet Insurance Premier Cover has been five-star rated for features and benefits by Defaqto, an independent research company.

M&S Pet Insurance tips when looking to give a home to a cat or dog:

• Pick the right lifestyle pet – research has shown that one of the most popular reasons for owning a cat is that they are easy to maintain***.  A person with a busy schedule and less time to offer, should consider owning a cat as they are more independent and less demanding of time than a dog
• Healthcare – vet bills can be costly and some breeds are more prone to illnesses than others. Before adopting a pet, it is worth researching which breeds are prone to potentially costly conditions such as arthritis and diabetes.  By putting adequate pet insurance in place pet owners can safeguard against these costs.
• Breed – the larger the dog, the larger the investment required in terms of exercise time and feeding costs on an ongoing basis.
• Age – puppies will require more training time than an older dog. They may also require a greater upfront investment in terms of paying for vaccinations and spaying costs.

For more information about M&S Pet Insurance or to apply, customers can visit www.marksandspencer.com/petinsurance or telephone 0800 731 4280.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

* ABI press release 28 Dec 2008 - http://www.abi.org.uk/Media/Releases/2008/12/Insurance_for_your_pet_could_be_the_best_present_you_buy_this_Christmas.aspx
** bbc.co.uk/27 April 2009 quotes RSPCA statistics of 11,586 abandoned animals in 2008, and 1,432 animals were abandoned in the first two months of 2009.
*** Pet ownership statistics (2010) Pet Food Manufacturers Association

For further information please call the M&S Money press office:

Simon Coughlin on 020 7992 1574
simon.coughlin@mandsmoney.com
Liz Neild on 01244 686 068
liz.a.neild@mandsmoney.com

M&S Money (the trading name of Marks & Spencer Financial Services) was founded in 1985 as the financial services division of Marks and Spencer Group plc, making 2010 the company's 25th anniversary.

The company is a top-ten credit card provider and the second-largest travel money retailer in the UK.  M&S Money also offers a range of insurance cover, including home insurance and car insurance, as well as loans, savings and investment products.

In November 2004, Marks & Spencer sold M&S Money to HSBC. HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 8,500 offices in 86 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of US$2,422 billion at 30 June 2009, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as ‘the world's local bank'.

M&S Money has an executive committee comprising an equal number of representatives from HSBC and Marks & Spencer.

M&S Pet Insurance policies are provided by RSA Insurance Group plc.