Did you know that you’re more likely to claim on your pet insurance than your car or home policy?

There are a range of pet insurance policies and so it is very important that you make an informed decision when choosing one for you and your pet.

Lifetime: 

This is the most comprehensive type of cover you can get.  You pay premiums every year during your pet’s life and the insurer will have to keep covering you regardless of age or any existing conditions (subject to conditions).  Conditions will be covered for the life of your pet (up to your maximum benefit) and cover will renew at each policy year.

Annual: 

You pay for 12 months’ worth of cover on a rolling basis, giving you the option to switch to a cheaper policy each year.  This kind of policy costs less, but might offer less comprehensive cover and generally will not cover pre-existing conditions, therefore if your pet were diagnosed with an ongoing condition (such as arthritis or diabetes) then they will only be covered until the end of that policy year.  At renewal you will not be covered for these ongoing costs.  These policies may also prove difficult when wanting to insure an older pet.

Accident only: 

This is the most basic and cheapest level of cover available. It covers accidents (such as your dog being hit by a car), but not illnesses.

Did you know – according to Which? 70% of all pet insurance claims are for illness, not accidents.

Direct Claims

We are able to offer direct claims to clients subject to certain conditions:

  • A pre authorisation must have been successful with you insurance company prior to treatment starting. This means that we are unable to offer a direct claim out of hours, at the weekend or for an emergency, as a pre authorisation cannot be processed in time.
  • We cannot offer direct claims for long term medication or long term treatments such as hydrotherapy, physiotherapy or K – Laser therapy.
  • A direct claim can only be considered for procedures over £500.
  • Upon receipt of a successful pre authorisation, a deposit of £500 is required to cover the policy excess and any deductions made by the insurance company (any outstanding money will be refunded once the claim is settled).
  • If the client is liable to pay a % excess towards the procedure, then a higher deposit may be taken to cover this.
  • The admin fee to complete a pre authorisation and submit a direct claim is £52.50 which would need to be settled prior to submitting the pre authorisation.

*** Please not that not all insurance companies offer pre authorisation. In this instance, we are not able to offer a direct claim ***

Routine Insurance Claims

For client who have paid for treatment and are wishing to claim through their insurance company, please provide us with a claim form from your insurance company with the owners section fully completed by the policy holder, including your policy number.  Please ensure you have also signed the relevant section.  We will then complete the veterinary section and will include all invoices relating to treatment.

Please note we do charge an administration fee for processing your claim form for you.  For a first claim this is £21.00 and for a continuation claim this is £14.55. This is free of charge for pet health club members.

If you ever have any questions regarding insurance then please do not hesitate in speaking to a member of the team today.