A visit to the dentist, physiotherapist or osteopath can often mean financial as well as physical pain, but there is a way you can get hundreds of pounds of healthcare for just a few pounds each month.

Health cash plans help towards NHS or private medical care and are designed to assist with the cost of treatment.

I have had a policy with BHSF for several years, which costs £11.25 a month (or £135 a year). In 2014 alone I received back £332.90 in claims, mostly because I needed some custom-made orthotics to correct a foot problem. Other claims were for dental check-ups and a trip to the physiotherapist.

I used to be short-sighted and claim back £100 a year for contact lenses, but laser eye surgery a couple of years ago means I don’t need contacts or glasses anymore. But even so, a health cash plan is still well worth it.

Brett Hill, director of the Health Insurance Group, explains how such a plan works: “In return for a monthly premium you can reclaim the cost of routine treatments, consultations or diagnostic tests, up to the limit of your chosen policy. You just need to arrange the treatment and pay the provider, then send off a receipt and claim form to your plan provider to reclaim the cash.”

It is important to point out that cash plans are not an alternative to private medical insurance (PMI) – they are a different product altogether. With a cash plan you need to seek out the providers or therapists yourself and pay up front. There is no queue jumping facility and they won’t cover the full cost of long-term treatment. But neither do you have to go to a GP first for a referral in the way that private medical insurers require.

Exactly how much you will pay for a health cash plan depends on your age, and whether you join as an individual, a couple or family. Children are generally covered on family plans until the age of 18, although benefit payouts for children can be lower. Your premium will also depend on the level of cover you require – the more you pay, the higher the benefit level. You will also pay more if you have a specific pre-existing condition.

Comparing cash plans is tricky, as they all offer different benefit levels and cap the amount you can claim per treatment at different levels.

Johanna Gornitzki from MoneySaving Expert.com recommends cash plans if you are going to use at least two of the benefits. “So if you wear glasses, want to get your teeth checked every year, or suffer from a bad back and want some physio, then a cash plan could save you a lot of money. But if you think you will only use one of the benefits, it often works out cheaper paying for it separately,” she says.

The best way to choose a plan is to think about which benefits you are most likely to use, and choose the plan that offers the largest claim limit for that type of treatment.

For example, if you are sporty but injury-prone you might be a regular at a physiotherapist. WPA’s level one cover costs £10.28 a month (£123.36 a year) but pays out 100% of fees for therapies such as physio and chiropody up to a maximum of £200 a year – roughly the cost of four private appointments.

Most cash plans pay for contact lenses and glasses, so they’re a no-brainer if you are short-sighted. Dental is another popular category, and if you’re strapped for cash you can buy a cash plan purely for dental care. Simplyhealth has dental-only cash plans from £8.40 a month.

Some cash plans also include cash payouts if you stay overnight in hospital. For example, UK Healthcare pays £20-£75 a night in hospital for up to 25 nights a year. A handful give you cash if you have a baby or adopt.

Age limits vary. Benenden has a 17-65s cash plan, and another for those aged 66 and above. BHSF offers the same plan to all ages, but increases the premium when you reach a new age bracket. You need to be under 65 when you buy a policy with Westfield, but your cover will continue beyond 66.

However, despite the fact that health cash plans sound like a bargain, there are some potential pitfalls. “A waiting time (excess period) of three months usually applies from when you start the policy, though there are some promotions where the excess period has been removed or only one month applies. Some can be as long as six months,” Gornitzki says.

Also remember that it is a “pay-and-claim” process so if you lose a receipt you’ll be out of pocket. Providers will also want to see evidence that the person treating you has the required accreditations or qualifications.

As with most pay-and-claim policies, cash plan providers bank on a certain proportion of customers setting up the direct debit then forgetting about the policy and never claiming – so make sure that’s not you.