Question 1

What is covered by the Pet Therapies benefit?

Accepted Answer

We provide cover for Pet Therapies in addition to our cover for Vet Bills so that you can receive help covering the cost of hydrotherapy, herbal medicine, homeopathy or acupuncture if your vet recommends these to you.

Our Essential plan provides 12 months treatment up to £500 per illness/injury for Pet Therapies.

Our Covered For Life® plan provides £2,000 for dogs and cats, or £750 for rabbits, every year for Pet Therapies.

Within these benefits you can claim up to £500 for hydrotherapy per illness/injury (£750 for all illnesses/ injuries for rabbits). On our Covered For Life® plan this cover refreshes each time you renew allowing to you to continue to claim for the same condition year after year providing you renew with no break in cover.

You can also claim for physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic manipulation and behavioural treatment under the Vet Bills benefit.

Question 2

What should I do if my pet passes away?

Accepted Answer

It’s never easy to say goodbye to your pet, but if the worst should happen, Petplan will be here to support you. Whilst insurance may be the last thing on your mind when your pet dies, there are a few things you need to think about.

Cancelling your policy:

Make sure you notify us of your pet’s death by filling in our online cancellation form.

We will then cancel your policy from the day after your pet’s passing.

Depending on your current payment date, once you cancel you may be due a refund. Alternatively, you may be charged for any additional days’ cover since your last payment date. If you owe any outstanding premium, we will request this from your bank on the next working day. Refunds will be paid back onto your usual payment card.

If you pay by Direct Debit and have less than 5 working days left before your next payment is due to be collected we will be unable to stop this collection. We will take this payment as normal and then refund this directly to the bank account for which we hold details.

Claims:

The team will be able to help you complete any open claims or submit claims for any treatment your pet was undergoing.

You may also be eligible to receive a death benefit within your policy. If this is the case, we will transfer the benefit to you, once you have notified us of your pet’s passing.

Support:

Losing a pet can be a painful and traumatic time. If you need any extra support, our partners at Blue Cross run a pet bereavement helpline on 0800 138 6515.

Question 3

Can I insure a pet of any age?

Accepted Answer

Whether your pet is a cat, dog or rabbit you can start your pet's insurance from 6 weeks of age. Once your pet is insured with Petplan, as long as you renew your cover each year without a break, we will continue to pay claims for ongoing conditions. For our Covered For Life® cat insurance policy you must start the insurance before your cat’s 10th birthday. On the Covered For Life® dog insurance policy, cover must start from 6 weeks of age and before their 8th birthday. For select dog breeds, cover must start before their 5th birthday. Please contact our friendly Customer Care team on 0345 077 1934 if you have further questions about insuring your dog. On our rabbit insurance policy, cover must begin before their 5th birthday. If you haven't had pet insurance previously and your pet has passed the upper age limit you'll be glad to hear that there is no upper age limit on our Petplan Essential policy for dogs and cats.

Question 4

If my pet has been ill before, will this be covered by my insurance policy?

Accepted Answer

At Petplan, we don't believe in a "one-size-fits-all" approach to pre-existing conditions, and review every pet's needs individually. Before taking out your dog, cat or rabbit insurance you must tell us about your pet's conditions and any prior illnesses or injuries they've had. We will then decide whether we can provide cover for this condition or not. We like to be as clear as possible with our customers, therefore any exclusion from cover placed on your policy will be stated clearly on your Certificate of Insurance. Your pet's previous medical history will not affect your premium. When you take out a policy you should always check your terms and conditions in conjunction with your Certificate of Insurance to see what is and what is not covered.

Question 5

What dog insurance policies do you offer?

Accepted Answer

Our two types of dog insurance offer either ongoing help with vet bills or short-term help with vet bills.

Our Covered For Life® plan provides ongoing help with vet bills. You can continue to claim year after year for the same condition up to your chosen yearly limit providing you renew with no break in cover.

Our Essential plan provides short term help with vet bills. You can claim for 12 months treatment up to £3,000 for each illness/injury. Once you reach either of these limits the condition will no longer be covered.

Read more about our Dog Insurance policies here.

Question 6

Does Petplan offer travel insurance for pets?

Accepted Answer

Yes we do, this benefit is available as standard on all of our Covered For Life ® polices, however this does not include Legal Liability Cover abroad. For further information please refer to your Terms and Conditions or alternatively you can call our customer service centre on 0345 071 8000.

Question 7

Do you offer Legal Liability cover?

Accepted Answer

Yes, our Covered For Life® and Essential dog policies automatically include Legal Liability cover – in addition to cover for Vet Bills, Pet Therapies, Emergency Boarding and Holiday Cancellation. Our Legal Liability insurance covers dog owners for compensation, legal bills and the associated costs related to defending claims brought against them. Please do note that Legal Liability cover is not included in the 4 week cover. To find out more, visit our helpful Legal Liability Cover page.

Question 8

What does a Vet Bills claim excess mean?

Accepted Answer

The excess is the amount you need to contribute to the cost of a claim.

If you have our Essential plan your policy covers treatment costs for 12 months up to £3,000 per illness or injury. You would need to pay an excess for each illness/injury.

If you have a Covered For Life® plan you can claim up to the Vet Bills amount you chose - £4,000, £7,000 or £12,000 per year. You would need to pay an excess for each condition each policy year.

To help keep premiums affordable, as your pet gets older you will need to contribute more towards the cost of your claim. You'll pay 20% of all pet treatments on top of your fixed excess. We’ll remind you of this a year before it happens.

You can check your Vet Bills excess at any time on your Certificate of Insurance.

**You can make a claim online here. **

Question 9

What are the benefits of the Essential plan?

Accepted Answer

Our Essential plan provides short term help with vet bills. You can claim for 12 months treatment up to £3,000 for each illness/injury. Once you reach either of these limits the condition will no longer be covered.

We also provide a Covered For Life® plan which provides ongoing help with vet bills. You can continue to claim year after year for the same condition up to your chosen yearly limit providing you renew with no break in cover.

Question 10

Why does my pet have to have an annual dental check?

Accepted Answer

Whether you have a cat, dog or rabbit insurance policy, you must take reasonable steps to maintain your pet's health throughout the policy year and to prevent injury and illness. Therefore you must arrange and pay for your pet to have an annual dental examination by a vet in order to prevent illness or injury and get any treatment they recommend to be carried out within 6 months. By continuing with these check-ups this shows us that you have played your part in caring for your dog, cat or rabbit, so we can play ours.