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.

We have four different claim forms for dogs and cats, six for horses and two for riders.

For dogs and cats:

• 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 hasn’t 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.

For horses, please use the following forms to register a claim, where your policy includes the stated benefit:

• The General claims form should be used to claim for vet fees, loss of use or the death of your horse
• The Saddlery and track 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

For riders, please use the following forms:

• The Personal accident form is for personal accident claims.
• For Emergency vet fees, please complete the standard equine vet fees form but add that it was an emergency.
• For Public liability / custodial liability, please call us on 0344 557 0300.

If you need more help please contact us on 0344 557 0300.

If you’d like us to post a form to you, please call us on 0344 557 0300 or email us at claimformrequest@animalfriends.co.uk.

Find claim form

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.

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

Alternatively, your vet can claim directly from us using our Pawtal system. Your vet should be able to tell you if they’re signed up to the service.

Your claim will then be reviewed in line with our T&Cs.

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 make a claim on your pet insurance policy you will need to complete the relevant claim form for the treatment or incident in question and post or email this to us together with the relevant invoice and your pet’s full medical history (you will need to get this from your vet).  Alternatively, if your claim is related to veterinary fees, you can ask your vet to submit a claim on your behalf through Pawtal, our online claims system for vets.

Find the claim form you need.

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.