Q: How do I buy multi-pet insurance online?

If you are a new customer click Get a quote , enter details for the first pet and click the ‘Add another pet’ button on the form. You will be asked to select a plan for the initial pet, followed by any additional pets.

Question 1

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 2

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 every year for Pet Therapies.

Within these benefits you can claim up to £500 for hydrotherapy per illness/injury. 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 3

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 4

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, the benefit will automatically be transferred to you upon notification 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 5

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.

Question 6

How do I buy multi-pet insurance online?

Accepted Answer

If you are a new customer click Get a quote, enter details for the first pet and click the ‘Add another pet’ button on the form. You will be asked to select a plan for the initial pet, followed by any additional pets.

Question 7

Can I get a Petplan policy outside the UK?

Accepted Answer

Our Petplan policies are only available to residents of the UK, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. We can offer dog, cat and rabbit insurance to British Forces Posted Overseas, as long as they are serving in Europe and can provide a BFPO mailing address.

Question 8

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 products you must start the insurance before your cats 10th birthday. On the Covered For Life® dog insurance products, cover must start from 6 weeks of age and before their 8th birthday and if your dog is a select breed the insurance must begin before their 5th birthday. For our rabbit insurance policy, which is also a Covered For Life® product, insurance 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 (N.B. This product is only available for cats and dogs).

Question 9

If I buy a Petplan policy, when does my cover begin?

Accepted Answer

Cover for injury will start as soon as you take out a policy online or over the telephone. Cover for illness starts 14 days afterwards.

Question 10

What does Covered For Life® mean?

Accepted Answer

Our Covered For Life ® policies are designed for pet owners concerned about their pet developing a long-term, chronic or recurring illness. We have cat insurance, dog insurance and rabbit insurance Covered For Life ® policies. These cover conditions such as arthritis or eczema which require treatment from a vet over a long period of time, often for life. As long as the Covered For Life ® policy is renewed each policy year without a break, we will continue to provide cover for new illnesses after the policy starts right into your dog, cat or rabbit's old age. Many other dog and cat insurance policies, including one of our own, Petplan Essential, will limit the amount and/or time you can claim for each illness of injury. It is definitely worth checking the small print before you buy so that you understand the terms, conditions and any excesses that apply.