Student contents insurance guide

Starting university is exciting but it can be a daunting experience, too. With so much of your focus on meeting new friends, surviving Freshers' Week, starting your studies or simply finding your way around a new city, protecting your belongings might not be top of your list of priorities.

However, if you take just a minute or two to think about the things you own, and in many cases rely upon, such as your laptop, mobile phone, TV, clothes, iPod or camera, the value is probably greater than you think. So while buying insurance may seem dull, it's one of the most sensible investments you can make as a student, particularly since young people in the 16-24 age group are three times more likely to be victims of burglary and one in every three students becomes a victim of crime (source: Home Office Report ‘Crime in England and Wales 2007/2008’).
So what is student insurance and why do I need it?

Some students are under the impression that their belongings are covered under their parents' home insurance, but this is often not the case and even where cover is available it will usually be restricted. As a result, standalone student contents insurance policies are available to protect against loss or damage caused by risks such as theft, fire, vandalism, storm, flood and burst pipes.
With the average student now owning over £4,000 worth of belongings (Source: Endsleigh Student Possession Research 2008) student contents insurance can provide you with valuable peace of mind, regardless of whether you are in your first or final year of studies. Although insurance won’t make the loss, theft or damage of your belongings any less upsetting, it will ease the financial strain of replacing them.
Getting the right student contents insurance
The most important aspect of finding the right student insurance policy is ensuring that it provides suitable cover for your lifestyle. Always check the small print of the policies you're interested in to ensure they provide suitable cover for your needs. You may be living in shared accommodation or halls of residence but some student insurance policies will not cover ‘walk in theft’ (burglary without forced entry), and other policies may not cover pedal cycles or musical instruments as standard, for example.

Some insurance companies will offer flexible cover options so that you can pick and mix your cover depending on what you need - meaning you often have the option to insure one item, a selection of items or the contents of your whole room. To ensure you have an adequate amount of cover check the policy terms for item cover limits, any ‘total valuables’ limits (the maximum you can claim for multiple items), the excess (the amount you have to contribute in the event of a claim) and any exclusions (items or risks that are not covered).

Remember to check the period of insurance too, as your policy may cover your possessions during term time only and should you need cover to continue during holiday periods then you will need to speak to your insurer to arrange this.

Depending on the insurance company, other policy benefits may include a 24 hour student helpline, legal expenses cover, cover for course fees should you be deregistered due to death, illness or accident and accidental damage cover.

Pet insurance guide

To help you decide if pet insurance is right for you, we've compiled a short guide that explains what it is, how it works and how you could save money but still find the right cover.

What is pet insurance?

Pet insurance helps to cover the cost of veterinary treatment in the event of an insured pet falling ill or being injured in an accident. Some pet insurance policies will also pay out if a pet dies, is lost or stolen or causes injury to a third party or damages a third party's property. Far from being limited to cats and dogs only, many pet insurance companies will cover smaller pets too, such as rabbits - and even exotic pets, such as chinchillas and parrots.
Why do I need it?

Pets are a big part of our lives, so when they fall ill or are injured providing the best health care for them is important. With the advances in veterinary medicine, treatments are now available that were once reserved for humans, making once fatal conditions in animals now treatable. Veterinary practices also have access to much more sophisticated equipment than they did in the past, making it possible to detect and diagnose problems that would once have gone untreated. Inevitably, these types of treatments and diagnostics come at a price, leaving some pet owners faced with a difficult choice. For this reason, many opt to take out pet insurance as not only does it provide valuable peace of mind against spiralling vets fees, but it also allows them to fully explore all available treatment options.
Pet insurance policies in more detail
Some pet insurance companies will allow you to choose from a range of excess amounts when you take out the policy – the higher you set the excess, the cheaper your premiums are likely to be. However, remember to always set the excess at an amount you can comfortably afford should you need to make a claim.
What about pre-existing conditions?
A pre-existing medical condition is one for which a pet actually received care, treatment or veterinary advice before the cover came into effect. Most pet insurance companies will be willing to insure the pet, but will exclude the pre-existing condition from the cover.
Is pet insurance available for older pets?
Pet insurance companies typically treat dogs and cats aged eight and over as 'older pets'. Whilst cover is available for older pets, premiums are usually higher than for younger animals as they are considered to be at a greater risk of illness, particularly long term illnesses that are associated with age. Some pet insurance companies are still able to offer competitive premiums by increasing the policy excess or requiring that an additional contribution is made towards any claims. Where this is the case, it is usually a fixed percentage of the amount of the claim.
If you are looking to insure an older pet, the level of cover is important. Therefore always shop around and compare policies by features as well as price.

When comparing policies always compare on policy features as well as price, that way you can be sure you are getting the right cover for your needs. Spending a little more, rather than simply choosing the cheapest policy, may offer better value for money – but remember to check the excess on any policy you’re interested in before you buy. If you don't, you may have a nasty shock when you come to make a claim

Health Insurance guide

Finally, selecting the perfect health insurance policy is all about careful self evaluation and extensive research. Some time and efforts put can actually save you a huge amount of money in case of the medical emergencies. If you strictly follow the guidelines mentioned above, you are surely on the way to a quality health insurance policy.
Almost every single person in this universe has fallen ill at some point of time. Apart from general illness, a large number of people meet with an accident very often. This has thus made visits to a doctor surely imperative. However with the introduction of new technologies in the realm of medicine, the expenses and cost of treatments are on a rise as well. All these thus leave the sufferers in great financial burden. So in order to make the scenario a better one, various health insurance plans have been introduced.
Also, with coming up of technologies such as computer and television, there is even an increase in the eye problems faced by people. But the cost of visiting an eye specialist can actually leave a hole in your pocket. Thus, vision health insurance helps to cover all the costs that you incur on contact lenses, glasses, laser surgeries along with the regular checkups and emergency treatments.
In case you have a low budget, you can then purchase a short term insurance plan in order to offer health care facilities to your entire family. Moreover, another type of health insurance is the student insurance plan. It has been observed that students are more prone to illnesses due to their unorganized and tiresome lifestyles. With quality student health insurance, students can easily get covered for their health and medical expenses with much ease.
You can even save a huge amount of efforts and time when you take the health insurance quotes from online portals. If you plan to take quotes from individual health insurance providers, it will take you a huge amount of time to do so. But with the help of online comparison sites and health portals, you can carry out comparison shopping and best free health quotes.
A large number of people think that when an employer provides certain kind of health insurance plan, the insurance is not complicated. However this is not true. There are doctors to select from, plans to consider and the deductibles that are worth all the consideration. In case you are self employed, having the best health insurance can prove to be a difficult task. You may see yourself lost in the ocean of details and insurance companies available. All such difficulties can be easily sorted by getting insurance quotes from the service providers and then carefully going through their fine prints.
Even a pregnant lady has to undergo regular scans and checkups with the doctor and the midwife in order to ensure that her pregnancy is progressing safely. Though various insurance plans do not cover general pregnancy, it is crucial to note that every insurance provider has its own rules and regulations regarding pregnancy coverage. While some insurance companies cover for the issues related to pregnancy, others cover all treatments, scans, checkups that are done during the entire course of pregnancy.