If your pet has sadly passed away, there are some resources you may find useful to help you and your family deal with your grief under our Pet bereavement and pet loss page.

If you wish to contact us to cancel your policy, you can do this via Live chat, email info@animalfriends.co.uk or by calling our friendly UK team on 0344 557 0300. The cancellation will not affect any claim you may be intending to submit, providing that the premium for the treatment period has been paid. All this will do is stop any future payments from being debited.

If you are thinking of claiming for our Death of pet benefit, please visit our Pet bereavement and pet loss page for more information.

Whilst we typically look to receive claims within 90 days of the treatment dates, we understand COVID-19 is effecting timescales so we’re happy to review any claims submitted over 90 days. We’re unable to give any guarantees of cover, but claims will be reviewed on a case by case basis.

If you have provided us with your mobile number we’ll text you to confirm we have received your claim. The claims outcome will be sent to you in an email. You will also be able to see the status of your claim by logging into your online account. If you haven’t logged into your account before, you will need to register first.

Claims submitted by Pawtal, our online claims system for vets, should appear on your online account within 48 hours. If you have had to send us a paper claim form, this may take a while longer to appear.

We do hope that your dog or cat is returned to you safe and well, but if in the unfortunate event that they are not found, you may wish to cancel your policy. Policy cancellation is down to your discretion.

However, after 45 days of your dog or cat being missing you may wish to claim on our Loss by Theft or Straying benefit. Please note, our Loss by Theft or Straying benefit is not available on our Accident Only policy.

Through our Loss by Theft or Straying benefit, we can look to pay a percentage of the market value, the price paid or the amount specified in your schedule (whichever is the lesser) if your dog or cat is not found within 45 days of being lost or stolen from your home address. Please note, this will need to be the same address registered on your policy and the amount will be dependent on the age of your pet. For example:

• Pet aged up to 1 year: 100%
• From 1 year up to 3 years: 75%
• From 3 years up to 5 years: 50%
• From 5 years up to 8 years: 35%
• From 8 years and over: 25%

Please note, we would need proof of your pet’s purchase for this type of claim. This can include purchase receipts, an email from the breeder or pedigree documents. Dogs must be microchipped with up to date information, as required under The Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015.

To claim for this, you will need a Loss of Pet claim form and proof of how much you paid for your pet. You can request a Loss of Pet claim form by calling us on 0344 557 0300 or emailingclaims@animalfriends.co.uk.

If we settle a claim for theft or straying, we will cancel your policy from the date we settle your claim and no refund of premium will be returnable.

If your dog or cat has been missing from your home address (this must be the address registered on your policy) for longer than 48 hours, you may be able to claim for the cost of advertising and the cost of a reward for the safe return of your pet. Please note that the Advertising and Reward benefit is not available on our Accident Only policy.

If you have our Prestige policy, we’ll provide cover for the cost up to a maximum of £1,000 for advertising and reward. For other cat and dog policies we’ll provide cover for the cost towards advertising and a reward for your lost pet up to a maximum of £200.
Before you claim you’ll need to agree the reward amount to be offered with our claims team, by emailing them at claims@animalfriends.co.uk. Please note, the reward cannot exceed the purchase price paid for your pet

To claim for this, you will need a Loss of Pet claim form and evidence of the costs involved in advertising, such as receipts for advertising and proof of payment for reward. You can request a Loss of Pet claim form by calling us on 0344 557 0300 or emailing claims@animalfriends.co.uk.

When your dog is 8 or older or your cat is 10 or older, a co-payment will become payable when you make a claim for vet fees.

The co-payment is usually 20% of each claim amount that you’ll have to pay, in addition to the Excess and will be deducted from the applicable policy limit.

Just like people, as your pet ages the chance of it needing medical treatment increases, meaning you’re more likely to claim on your policy. This means that your premiums may increase as your pet ages.

If you provide us with your mobile number this will allow us to send texts to acknowledge receipt and update you on your claim.

If your vets are registered to our Pawtal system, we can pre-authorise any amount of treatment that would be required in a 24-hour period prior to it going ahead for your peace of mind! Please note that treatment authorised will be subject to your policy terms and limits.

If submitted between 9am and 5pm we aim to provide an outcome within the hour! Your vet should be able to tell you if they’re signed up to the service.

If your vets are not signed up to our Pawtal system, we can look to pre-authorise treatment going ahead within a 24-hour period that is or, exceeds £1000. This will be subject to your policy terms and limits. Please note that our Basic policy would not be applicable.

Yes, all of our policies provide cover for complementary treatment, some of our policies are subject to an inner limit. You can check this information by checking your policy document.

If you are unhappy with the outcome of a claim, please call us on 0344 557 0300 to discuss your case further.

Should you wish to make a complaint, please visit our complaints page or more information.

We review your premium price on an annual basis, and there are multiple factors that may cause pricing changes, either up or down, such as claim history, your location, the average cost of vet treatment at the time, changes in tax rates etc. However, we do not offer “no claims bonuses” to our policies, as we think that is unfair to our policyholders who do need to claim. We regularly review our pricing structure to make sure we give our customers a fair deal.

Yes, we can pay your vet directly at their discretion. This can be done by ticking the ‘Pay my vet directly’ box on the claim form. Alternatively, your vet can claim directly by using Pawtal, our online claim system for vets only.

You can authorise another person to talk to us about your policy on your behalf by calling us on 0344 557 0300. You will have to formally request for this person’s name to be added to the policy as an authorised person before we can speak to them, to ensure your protection and privacy.

This may come in handy if you need us but are unable to contact us yourself for any reason. Your authorised person will only be able to relay information to you, they will not be able to make changes or amendments to your policy, such as a change of address or payment details, provide information regarding a claim, or cancel your policy.

Please note – an authorised person CANNOT sign the claim form, this must be done by the registered policyholder.

For all of our policies, except Max Benefit, your excess is deducted once per condition per policy year. This means that you pay your excess upon your first claim, and should the claim continue past your annual renewal you will have to pay the excess again.

Our Max Benefit policies only require you to pay an excess once per condition.

When your dog is 8 or older or your cat is 10 or older, a co-payment will become payable when you make a claim for vet fees.

The co-payment is usually 20% of each claim amount that you’ll have to pay, in addition to the Excess and will be deducted from the applicable policy limit.

Just like people, as your pet ages the chance of it needing medical treatment increases, meaning you’re more likely to claim on your policy. This means that your premiums may increase as your pet ages.

How is a co-payment applied to a policy?

Here is an example based on an £800 claim for vet fees that was assessed and accepted in full:

Amount of claim: £800.00

You pay

Excess: £99.00

20% co-payment: £140.20

Total payable by you: £239.20

Animal Friends will pay: £560.80

The excess is the amount that you pay towards each accident, illness or condition you claim for. You will pay an excess for each new condition and this will be deducted from the first claim relating to that condition. If you claim for the same condition over multiple policy years (i.e. following annual renewal of the policy) you will find a new excess is deducted each year. For our Max Benefit policies the excess would only be payable once per condition.

How is an excess applied to a policy?

The excess is deducted from the overall limit of your cover, please refer to your schedule for a breakdown of the maximum policy limits applicable.

So, with an example limit of £3,000, if you have selected an excess of £69, the maximum settlement made would be £2,931 for a single condition. Please check your policy summary to find out time restrictions relating to your limits, and how the excesses will be applied in relation to this.

Please also check your policy summary to see how excesses might be applied to non-veterinary benefits.

To claim for vet fees for dogs and cats or to submit a pre-authorisation, your vet can do this on your behalf through Pawtal, our online claim system for vets. This means that there is no paper work required and claims can be dealt with much quicker.

For repeat medication, please print off, complete and return the repeat medication claim form with a copy of the invoice. .

For all other claims, please call us on 0344 557 0300 Monday to Friday: 08:30 – 18:00 or Saturday: 09:00 – 16:00

We pay any successful claims via BACS transfer.

If you pay by Direct Debit, we will pay your claim into the same account as we take payment from. If you pay by another method, you will need to nominate an account on your claim form and provide details.

We can arrange to pay your vet direct or reimburse you your eligible costs if you have already paid. If you want us to deal with your vet directly you’ll need to tick the relevant section on your claim form.

Pawtal is our online claims system for vets and allows us to pay your vet directly. It is not designed for customers to use but only vets.

It is an online service that enables vets who have registered to submit a claim online directly to Animal Friends on your behalf, after taking a few details from you.

In many cases we’re able to pay successful claims on the same day they are submitted to us. This can mean a very fast response to the claim at the critical time when your pet needs immediate attention.

If you have submitted a paper claim form, we aim to process this within 5-7 working days once we are in receipt of a fully completed claim form and all relevant information.

It is important to provide a copy of the full medical history and to ensure the claim form is signed by the policy holder to avoid any delays.

Alternatively, if your vets are registered to our Pawtal service, we assess claims within 24 hours of us receiving the information via this service.

Please note, in the event of us experiencing unusually high claim volumes, claims may take longer. If during this period you submit a claim, we will do our best to update you if there is a delay but you also do have the option of contacting us for an estimation.

To claim for vet fees for dogs and cats or to submit a pre-authorisation, your vet can do this on your behalf through Pawtal, our online claim system for vets. This means that there is no paper work required and claims can be dealt with much quicker.

For repeat medication, please print off, complete and return the repeat medication claim form with a copy of the invoice. .

For all other claims, please call us on 0344 557 0300 Monday to Friday: 08:30 – 18:00 or Saturday: 09:00 – 16:00

Your claim must be sent to us within 90 days of the first date of treatment you’re claiming for.

If you’re claiming for something other than vet fees, such as medication or complementary therapy, you need to submit your claim within 90 days of purchasing the medication or your pet having the treatment.

Your policy documents contain all the information you need to find out what is and isn’t covered by your policy, as well as your policy limits.

It’s important that you read your policy wording carefully so that you, and your vet, know what is likely to be covered.

Different policies have different limits and exclusions, so reading your own policy documents in full is very important.