Pet Insurance

1 in 4 UK households have a pet, and 2 million buy pet cover each year. Each year 1 in 3 pets need veterinary treatment with average bills at £300 (some complex treatments can cost more than £4,000). Consider the cost of not being covered and your pet needing treatment.

Jargon Buster

• Accident Only Cover — only covers the treatment of accidents, not illnesses, or at most only provide emergency treatment of illnesses
• Additional Benefits Cover — extra cover including missing pet rewards, emergency boarding costs, theft or straying, death due to accident, holiday cancellation costs
• Annual Cover — cover where you may claim up to the level of cover selected within the period of insurance (12 months)
• Annual Payment — a one-off payment in advance to cover a year's insurance
• Annual Policy — cover you for a full 12 months unless cancelled by either party
• Commencement Date — the date that the policy starts
• Complementary Treatment — includes homeopathy, acupuncture, osteopathy, hydrotherapy and chiropractic
• Cooling Off Period — within 14 days of receipt of your documents you can cancel your policy in order to receive a full refund. Note: as long as no claims have been made
• Cross-breed — a pet whose parents are of two different breeds, or a mixture of several breeds
• Dangerous Dogs Act — an act passed in 1991 that made it illegal to own, breed, sell or gift certain dog breeds
• Excess — this is the amount that you will be asked to contribute towards the cost of a claim
• Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) — the UK's financial watchdog, the FCA regulates the financial services industry, including insurance companies. The FCA can advise you on making a complaint against an insurance company
• Lifetime Cover — most comprehensive form of pet insurance. Offers vet fees cover up to a maximum amount, which are reinstated each year. If your pet develops a long term chronic illness provided it didn't pre-date the policy, this will be covered for the rest of your pet's life
• Maximum Benefit Cover — long-term or recurring illness or injuries will not be covered once the amount paid out for treatment of the illness or injury reaches the financial limit of the policy
• Mongrel — a dog of unknown parentage
• Overseas Travel Cover — allows you to take a pet into one of the participating countries without them having to go into quarantine as well as extra travel related benefits
• Pedigree — a pet whose parents are both of the same pure breed
• Period of Insurance — the length of time you are covered as noted on the policy schedule
• Pet Travel Scheme — allows animals to travel easily between participating countries without undergoing quarantine
• Policy — a document detailing the terms and conditions applicable to an insurance contract and constituting legal evidence of the agreement to insure
• Policy Holder — the person in whose name the policy is issued
• Pre-existing Condition — any condition (or complication directly resulting from that condition) that has been identified or investigated by a vet or is known to you prior to taking your original insurance on this animal
• Premium — the amount you pay to provide annual insurance cover for your pet or pets
• Routine Treatment — typically treatments that are carried out in regular intervals, like worming, dental cleaning or vaccinations. Note: tend not to be covered
• Schedule — the part of a policy containing information peculiar to that particular risk
• Third Party Liability — cover if your pet injures someone or damages their property
• Time Limited Cover — offer a fixed amount of money for treatment over a specified period (non-lifetime)
• Underwriter — decides whether to accept you as an insurance risk and then calculates your insurance premium
• Vaccinations — part of maintaining your pet's health. Note: if your pet falls ill as a result of not having a vaccination, the policy would not cover the required treatment
• Vet Fees Cover — allows you to claim up to the level selected each year providing you renew your policy
• Voluntary Excess — chosen by you and is in addition to any compulsory excess. Note: the higher the voluntary excess the lower the premiums