To make sure your claim is processed without a hitch you need to make sure:

• You’ve selected the right form for your claim
• The form is signed by the policyholder and the vet who carried out the treatment/appointment
• You include a full medical history from all vets your pet has attended
• An invoice with a full breakdown of the treatment is included
• BACS details are included so that the relevant person can be paid; either yours if you paid your vet up front or your vet’s if we are paying them
• If you pay by monthly direct debit we can only pay into the account we take payment from
• If you wish for us to deal with your vet directly, please make sure this option is ticked on your claim form
• All details must be correct, so please double-check them before sending

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 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.

We aim to process claims within 5-7 working days assuming the appropriate claim form is used and completed in full with all of the relevant information by yourself and your vet. Errors on the claim form can cause delays. During periods of unusually high claim volume claims may take slightly longer, but you can always contact us for an estimation. If your vet claims directly using Pawtal, claims times are usually much faster.

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. A co-payment is currently payable on all claims if you renew your policy after your dog turns 8 or your cat turns 10. The co-payment is a payment of a fixed percentage of the claim for which you are liable. Like your excess, this is deducted from your policy limit. The co-payment system allows us to continue offering competitively-priced cover for your pet with no upper age limit. It means we can insure your pet for their whole life.

You can authorise a friend or family member to talk to us about your policy on your behalf. 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.

Pawtal is our unique claims service that allows us to pay your vet directly, and in many cases we’re able to pay successful claims on the same day they are submitted to us. It’s free for vets to sign up, and we have thousands of practices using the service already. Check out our claims page for more information!

We pay 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. If you have paid your vet already, we will pay you, or we can arrange to pay your vet if you haven’t already. For this, you’ll need to tick the relevant section on your claim form to allow us to deal with your vet directly.

We have four different claim forms for dogs and cats, and six for horses. For pets:

• The New Claim form should be used if you’re claiming for a particular condition, illness or injury for the first time, or for a new medication that’s never been claimed for on an ongoing condition
• The Continuation Claim form is used if you’re claiming for further fees regarding a claim you’ve started before, for example for illnesses, injuries or conditions requiring follow-up treatment
• The Vet Pre-Authorisation form is for pre-authorisation of future treatment if it’s likely to cost over £1000.
• The Repeat Medication form should be used to claim for repeat prescriptions from your vet or online pharmacy.

• The General Claims form should be used to claim for vet’s fees, Loss of Use and the death of your horse
• The Saddlery and Tack form should be used to claim for theft, loss or damage of saddles and tack
• The Trailer form should be used to claim for the theft, loss or damage of your trailer
• The Personal Accident form should be used to claim for injuries caused to you by your horse
• The Loss by Theft form is for claiming for the loss of your horse by theft or straying, as well as claiming for any monies used for advertising and/or reward for your missing horse
• The Vet Pre-Authorisation form should be filled in and sent by your vet in advance of treatment likely to cost more than £1500

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 veterinary 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 the appropriate 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.