Accident only policy
Accident Only is a policy type that protects you in the event of your pet suffering an accident. It is the least comprehensive of cover types because I does not cover you for any illnesses or diseases that may need treatment.
Limits are annual limits and apply to each accident that you pet might suffer and you can claim for an unlimited number of accidents so long as the policy remains in force.
Accidental damage
This relates to damage to property that your pet causes while you’re visiting someone else’s home. Accidental damage cover can help to protect you against any costs arising from such an event.
Advertising and reward
This is a feature of insurance policies that provide cover towards advertising for the safe recovery of your pet if they have been lost or stolen. Costs can also be recovered for a reward for finding and returning your pet.
Age limit
This relates to the lowest age that an insurer will be able to insure your pet. This will change depending upon pet insurer but usually between 5 and 8 weeks.
Annual condition limit
This is the amount that you can claim for vet fees for each separate condition that your pet suffers from each year.
Annual policy limit
The amount you can claim for vet fees each policy year.
Authorisation
This is the process which allows the named policyholder to give official permission for someone else (usually a family member) in order to discuss and make changes to the policy on your behalf.
Auto-renewal
This is the process which some insurers apply to your policy which means it will automatically continue once the renewal date arrives.
Behavioural condition
A behavioural condition signals a change in your pet’s usual behaviour and there are signs that they are experiencing a negative emotional state.
Behavioural treatment
Behavioural treatments are included on most pet insurance policies and help to cover treatment if your pet is diagnosed with a behavioural condition by a vet. Insurance usually helps to pay for prescribed treatment including:
- Behaviour training
- Pheromone products to help calm your pet down
- Medication prescribed by your vet
Find more information on behavioural treatment cover
Bilateral conditions
Bilateral conditions are those that usually appear in body parts that your pet has more than one of (e.g. ears, eyes, elbows).
If your pet develops a condition in one part of their body that they’ve had before in another part of their body then this will be classed as one condition and will therefore be covered under the same vet fee limit.
Pre-existing conditions is a consideration here too. For example, if your pet has cruciate ligament treatment in the right leg before you took out the policy then you may not be covered if your pet later requires the same treatment in their leg.
Find more information about what are bilateral conditions.
Boarding
Boarding cover is able to cover the costs of putting your pet into a cattery or kennel where you are unable to care for your pet due to you having been in hospital or need emergency care. You may also find your insurer can cover costs for professional dog walking services.
Breeding
If you are considering breeding your pet then most providers will not be able to cover you and your pet.
Chronic condition
A long-term condition for which there is currently no cure and are managed with medication and other treatment. Chronic conditions include diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.
Clinical signs
These related to any change in your pet’s normal healthy state, appearance, bodily functions or demeanour.
Co-insurance / Copay
A co-insurance or copay is a payment that you make in addition to the excess when making a claim.
It is a percentage of the vet fee when claiming which usually is around 20% of the claim value. Coinsurance payments are optional with some providers but can become compulsory for older pets.
Find out more about copay and co-insurance payments.
Certificate of insurance
This is a personalised document that details the cover provided by your insurance policy.
Claims form
This is the document the policyholder needs to complete when needing to make a claim.
Complementary treatments
Complementary treatments is a catch all term of additional treatment that your pet may receive either from a vet or a qualified professional in the relevant area. These include acupunture, chiropractic care, osteopathy, hydrotherapy and more.
Condition
A condition is any injury or illness with a single cause or diagnosis.
Condition limits
A condition limit is the amount that you can claim up to towards vet fees in each policy year.
Congenital conditions
An illness that exists since birth but doesn’t necessarily show symptoms right away.
Continuation claim
This is where a policyholder may claim for further vet fees or repeat medication for illnesses, injuries or conditions requiring follow-up treatment, such as repeat Insulin for a diabetic patient. Usually these are treated and assessed more quickly than claims for new conditions.
Cooling off period
A 14 day period in which you can cancel your policy and receive a refund – assuming no claims have been paid.
Cover
Protection that is given by an insurance company when it agrees to pay money.
Cover start date
This is the start date of your insurance policy. You are able to select a date up to 30 days in advance for your policy to start. You may not be covered for illnesses that occur within the first 14 days of your policy start date (See ‘Waiting Period’)
You will not be covered for any accident within the first 2 days, or illnesses within the first 14 days of your policy start date (if your policy covers illness as well as accidents).
Cremation and burial
Some insurers cover the cost of cremation or burial if your pet dies or is put to sleep by a vet as a result of illness or accident. This is usually covered under Death of Pet cover [See also ‘Farewell Cover’].
Crossbreed
Describes a dog whose parents are from 2 different recognised breeds.
Consultation fees
This relates to the fees that are incurred by visiting the vet for an assessment.
Diet food
Diet and prescription pet food is a recommendation from a qualified vet or pet nutritionist in response to allergies, intolerances or needs to lose weight. Most insurance companies will help with the cost of providing this diet food to your pet.
Find out more about Diet and Prescription Food cover.
Death of pet
If your pet dies from an accident, injury or is put to sleep, Death of pet cover allows you to recoup some of what you paid for your pet. The amount you’ll receive depends upon how they died, how old they were and how much you paid for them.
Find out more about death of pet insurance cover.
Deductions
Deductions refer to something that is subtracted from your claim for example the excess payment, co-insurance payment or administrative costs for completing a claims form.
Dental treatment
Dental cover for pets is normally split between accident only and accident and illness. It provides a separate limit to which you can claim for dental and gum related conditions. Cosmetic dental work is not normally covered under insurance policies.
Find out more about dental cover for pets.
Direct claim
This is where upon acceptance of a claim the payment/settlement is sent straight to your vet practice.
Find out more about direct vet payment.
Elective treatment
This is treatment that you have chosen to proceed with despite not having been recommended by a veterinary professional. This could include cosmetic procedures and are not normally covered under insurance policies.
End date
The date on which your policy is set to expire.
Excess
The excess is the amount that you’ll need to pay when you make a claim. This is in addition to any co-insurance you may also have to pay. It is a fixed amount that is paid on each condition claimed for in each policy year.
Find out more about how excess payments work.
Excluded breeds
These are animal breeds that an insurer does not offer cover for. Excluded breeds will usually include crossbreeds if there is an excluded breed crossed with a non-excluded breed.
Each insurer will have their own version of this list so check with them. At the very least it will included any dog that is banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act of 1992.
If you do have a policy with an excluded breed then your policy will be cancelled.
Exclusions
These are elements of the policy that are excluded from your cover. Commonly this tends to be third party liability in the event that your pet has caused an accident or injury to someone in the past.
Emergency boarding
This is an element of cover that allows you to recoup costs of putting your pet in a cattery or kennels in the event that you as the owner are admitted to hospital or need emergency care and cannot care for your pet at that time. Costs may also be claimed for professional dog walking services.
Farewell cover
[See ‘Death of Pet’] If your pet dies from an accident, injury or is put to sleep, Death of pet cover allows you to recoup some of what you paid for your pet. The amount you’ll receive depends upon how they died, how old they were and how much you paid for them.
Find out more about death of pet insurance cover.
Financial Conduct Authority
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the UK regulator of financial services firms.
Find out more about the FCA.
Financial Ombudsman Service
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is a free to use service that settles complaints between consumers and financial services businesses.
Find out more about the FOS.
Financial Services Compensation Scheme
The FSCS protects you when financial firms fail. If the financial firm you’ve used has gone out of business and can’t pay your claim then the FSCS can step in to help.
Find out more about the FSCS.
Holiday cancellation
[See ‘Overseas Travel’] If your holiday is cut short or cancelled due to your pet needing emergency treatment then you could be covered under your insurance. Additional aspects of this cover include if you need repatriation and repeat tapeworm treatment among others.
Find out more about how pet insurance deals with overseas travel and holiday cancellation.
Illness
Illness means sickness, disease, infection or any change in your pet’s normal and healthy state which has not been caused by an accident or injury.
Inception date
The date at which your policy starts.
Injury
Damage to one or more parts of your pet’s body as a result of an accidental cause.
Inner limits
These are extra limits that fall within the overall vet fee limit for specific conditions, treatments or sections of cover. For example, your policy may have a £6,000 vet fee cover but a £2,000 cruciate ligament limit, meaning that you are only covered up to £2,000 for cruciate ligament treatment.
Insurance Product Information Document
An Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) document is part of your key documents when you take out an insurance product. It is a summary sheet showing the benefits, exclusions, restrictions, areas of cover, how your policy is paid and your rights and obligations.
Kennel and boarding fees
[See ‘Emergency Boarding’] This is an element of cover that allows you to recoup costs of putting your pet in a cattery or kennels in the event that you as the owner are admitted to hospital or need emergency care and cannot care for your pet at that time. Costs may also be claimed for professional dog walking services.
Lapse
This is an industry term for policies which do not continue after the renewal date has passed.
Lapse Ratio
An industry term for the number of policies issued by an insurance company that have not been renewed compared to the number of policies that were in force at the beginning of the time period.
Lifetime pet insurance
Lifetime pet insurance plans are the most comprehensive policies available. The key element to lifetime cover is that the vet fee limit of the policy is reinstated every 12 months. This means you can continue to claim for conditions year after year so long as your policy is renewed each year.
Find out more about lifetime pet insurance.
Lifetime condition limit
This relates to the total amount that you can claim for a condition for the life of the policy. This does not apply to Lifetime policies as they reinstate the vet fee limits at renewal. Nor does it apply to time limited policies as the limit is 365 days from the condition being treated or when the vet fee limit is reached.
For maximum benefit and accident-only the condition limit does apply so long as the policy remains active.
Loss ratio
An industry term for the difference in premiums collected against the amount paid out to settle claims. If for each £1 collected £0.75 was paid in claims then the loss ratio would be equal to 75%
Maximum benefit insurance
This is a policy type that allows you to claim up to a set amount for each condition that your pet has. There is no time limit so you can continue to claim up to the limit for as long as your policy remains in force. Once you reach the limit for that condition then you can no longer claim for that condition and it is then classed as pre-existing.
Find out more about maximum benefit pet insurance.
Microchip
A small chip that lives within your pet which, when scanned, holds the owner’s personal information. This allows the owner to be contacted in an emergency or if the pet is lost.
Multipet insurance
This is the term used for insuring more than one pet on the same policy.
Find out more about multipet insurance.
Multipet discount
This is the discount offered by some pet insurers off the premium for insuring more than 1 pet on the same policy with them.
Market value
This is the term that insurers use when determining how much to payout for your pet in the event of being permanently lost of under the death of pet benefit. If you do not have any evidence of how much you paid for your pet then then insurer will base any payout upon the current market value of the pet.
Managing General Agent
This related to the structure of some insurance companies. A managing general agent (MGA) model, is when specialised insurance agents or brokers underwrite on behalf of insurers with delegated authority from them.
Non Lifetime Cover
This relates to two policy types called Maximum Benefit and Time-Limited cover.
Onset date
An onset date is the date that a pet’s symptoms were first identified before making an appointment with your veterinary practice. It may be needed to proceed and properly assess a claim.
Overseas travel cover
[See ‘Holiday Cancellation’] If your holiday is cut short or cancelled due to your pet needing emergency treatment then you could be covered under your insurance. Additional aspects of this cover include if you need repatriation and repeat tapeworm treatment among others.
Find out more about how pet insurance deals with overseas travel and holiday cancellation.
Older pets
This is a threshold that means your pet is classed as ‘older’ or ‘senior’. Different insurers will have different ages but you may find that cover is restricted and premiums, excess and coinsurance payments may change after this point.
Find out more about senior cat insurance and senior dog insurance.
Out of hours fees
This relates to costs incurred by visiting a veterinary practice outside their normal operating hours. There is usually a surcharge for this.
Persistency
An industry term. Persistency is the percentage of an insurance company’s already written policies remaining active, without lapsing or cancelling. This is a critical factor in understanding the success of an insurance companies.
Policy documents
Policy documents is a collective term for all the information that you need to know about your policy. This includes – but maybe not limited to – Policy Wording, Schedule and an Insurance Product Information Document.
PETS Scheme
This is a government scheme that allows pets to skip quarantine when travelling between member countries of the PETS scheme.A scheme run by the government that means pets don’t have to go into quarantine when travelling between member countries.
Policy year
This is the 12 month contractual period in which your policy remains in force. It’s how long your policy is active for.
Policy wording
This is one of the key policy documents and shows the detailed wording of the policy. It’ll show you all of the different elements of your policy and how they work, any detailed exclusions and limits.
Pre-existing condition
A pre-existing condition is something that your pet has either suffered from, sought treatment for or was either known to you or your vet before the cover start date of your insurance policy.
Most pet insurers do not cover pre-existing conditions. whether they needed treatment previously or not.
Find out more about pre-existing conditions pet insurance.
Policyholder
This is the person on the policy schedule and the legal owner of the policy. They are the individual who is entitled to receive the benefits of the policy.
Pre-authorisation
Pre-authorisation is provided by some but not all insurers. It relates to the ability for you to have your claim accepted before the treatment is administered. It can be useful if you are unsure of coverage particularly where expensive treatment is concerned.
Premiums
A premium is the amount you pay for your policy. It can be calculated and paid annually or monthly.
Public Liability
If someone make a legal claim against you for an incident involving your pet. This could be something where the actions of your pet has resulted in someone being killed, injured or property being damage. Third party liability only applies to dogs, not cats.
Find out more about third party liability in pet insurance.
Quote
Your quote takes the information you provide to produce a price for your annual insurance. Quotes are normally eligible for 30 days but check as this can change depending upon the insurer.
Recurring conditions
This means the reappearance of a condition, clinical sign or symptom of an illness after a period of remission.
Related conditions
Medical problems related to or caused by another illness, accidental injury or symptom, including diagnosis and illness caused by the treatment of another condition.
Renewal
Renewal is when your policy continues following the end of the policy year. If you pay by Direct Debit your policy will renew automatically. If you pay annually and agreed to have payments automatically taken at renewal, then no further action is needed. For other payment methods, please call us on 0344 557 0300.
Renewal Rate
The renewal rate is an internal metric that insurers measure and it is to work out the number of people issued with a renewal invite that go on to successfully renew for another policy year.
Routine and preventative treatment
Routine and preventative treatment includes things like vaccinations, spaying, castration, and flea and worming treatment. These, or any conditions that arise from these and other routine and preventative treatments, are not covered by our policies
Schedule
The schedule is a key policy document and is a personalised document showing information about your and your pet. It is a document which contains important information about you and your pet.
Self-insurance
This is the alternative to pet insurance and is the process of putting money aside to pay for veterinary bills and treatment as and when they arise.
Spaying
This is the term used to describe the neutering of a female animal.
Theft and straying
This is a section of cover that relates to pet theft or your pet straying. It can help to cover costs of advertising for their recovery and offering a reward for a safe return. It can also pay out if you pet is permanently lost.
Find out more about theft and straying cover.
Time limited policy
This is a policy type which covers new conditions for 12 months (usually from the first date of treatment) or until the condition limit is met, whichever is reached first.
Find out more about time limited pet insurance.
Treatment
The process of caring for an illness or injury. This might include veterinary care, scans and exams, monitoring, surgery, diagnostics and medication.
Third party liability
[See ‘Public Liability’] If someone make a legal claim against you for an incident involving your pet. This could be something where the actions of your pet has resulted in someone being killed, injured or property being damage. Third party liability only applies to dogs, not cats.
Find out more about third party liability in pet insurance.
Underwriter
An underwriter is the company which takes liability for the policy. Underwriters work with insurance brokers to sell their policies in return for a commission. The underwriter is the one that ultimately pays and settles claims.
Vaccinations
These are preventative treatments admitted by your vet to prevent your pet falling ill. If your pet vaccinations are not up to date then you may find that certain conditions which vaccination could have prevented will not be covered.
Find out more about core vaccinations for pets.
Vet
A fully qualified veterinary surgeon who holds a current license with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Vet fees
The costs incurred after veterinary treatment for any clinical sign, symptom, accident, injury or illness your pet has suffered.
Vet fee inflation
The rate at which veterinary treatments costs are increasing.
Vet advice line
A service offered by most pet insurers that provide owners with access to speak to vets about certain conditions or worries they have.
Waiting period
[See ‘Cooling off period’] Pet insurance companies have a waiting period of 14 days between the policy start date and when your pet is covered for illnesses. Some also have a waiting period for accidents as well.
This is to ensure coverage is for new injuries or conditions, not for problems that already exist. Check with your provider for their waiting periods. Find out more about how pet insurance waiting periods work.