Pet Insurance FAQs

Who is InsureYourPaws.co.uk?

InsureYourPaws.co.uk is a brand of Cover-More Blue Insurance Services Limited, part of the Cover-More Group, a Zurich Company. The Pet Insurance policies we offer for cats and dogs are underwritten by Covea Insurance plc.

What types of Pet Insurance cover do you provide?

We offer three types of pet insurance, allowing you to choose the cover that suits your needs and budget.

      Accident Only

      Provides cover for injuries resulting from an accident for up to 12 months and Third Party Liability (dogs only), (subject to the terms and conditions of the policy).

      Maximum Benefit

      Provides illness and injury cover per condition (subject to the terms and conditions of the policy).

      Lifetime Cover

      Provides cover for illness and injuries for the lifetime of the policy (subject to the terms and conditions of the policy).

Accident Only Pet Insurance

Your pet will be covered up to the maximum vet fee limit for up to 12 months for each covered accident subject to the renewal of the policy and premiums being paid on time. Once either the 12 month time limit or maximum vet fee limit is passed, the injury will no longer be covered. There is no cover for illness under this type of cover unless it develops as the result of an accident. The price of the Pet Insurance will change each year.

Accident Only Cover also provides Third Party Liability (dogs only).

Maximum Benefit Pet Insurance

Your pet will be covered up to the maximum vet fee limit for each covered illness and injury subject to the renewal of the policy and premiums being paid on time. Cover will continue until the vet fee limit is reached, once the limit has been reached for a condition, that condition will no longer be covered. The price of the Pet Insurance will change each year.

Lifetime Pet Insurance

With lifetime reinstatement cover, your pet will be covered up to the vet fee limit for all covered illnesses and injuries per policy year. Subject to the insurer offering renewal and premiums being paid on time, cover will reinstate at renewal and all eligible conditions will continue to be covered up to the vet fee limit. There is no limit to how long you can claim for each illness or injury as long as your premiums are paid up to date and the insurer continues to invite renewal. The price of the Pet Insurance will change each year.

Does Pet Insurance cover vaccinations and other routine care?

Our pet insurance does not provide cover for routine and preventative care like vaccinations, flea, tick and worming treatment or neutering. If you do not have your pet vaccinated and it becomes ill with a condition that a vaccine would have prevented this will not be covered. It is a condition of our insurance that you pet must have an annual health check by a vet.

Can I get Pet Insurance for a pet of any age?

To start a new policy, your pet must be older than eight weeks and younger than eight years of age for dogs and younger than ten years of age for cats. Once you have Pet Insurance, if you continue to renew the policy, and subject to the Terms and Conditions of the cover, there is no upper age limit and we will continue to offer cover for your pet.

How does the Pet Insurance excess work?

Veterinary claims will be subject to a fixed excess as detailed in your Policy Schedule which is payable per condition per year. This means that if a treatment for a condition happens over multiple policy years, the fixed excess will be applied on the first claim of each policy year.

If your pet is aged 5 years or above on the start date of the policy year, there will also be a 10% percentage excess of the remaining amount claimed after the fixed excess has been deducted. Please see example below.

Amount Claimed £1,500
Less Fixed Excess -£99 £1,401
Less Percentage Excess 10% of £1,401 = -£140.10 £1,260.90
Total Paid to You £1,260.90
Total Paid by You £99 + £140.10 = £239.10

If my pet has been ill before, will this be covered by my Pet Insurance policy?

There is no cover for pre-existing conditions with this policy. This includes any illnesses which developed before or within the first 14 days of the policy start date. Injuries which occurred before or within the first 48 hours of the policy start date will not be covered. For new policies from 9 May 2020, there will be no cover for Cruciate Disorders which developed before or within the first 30 days of the policy start date.

How do I make a claim on Pet Insurance?

Simply call the claims administrator, Sterling Pet Solutions on 0344 273 2777 who will assist you with your claim.They will take your policy details and send you a claim form for completion.Lines are open Mon - Fri 9:00am – 5:00pm.

Will this Pet Insurance pay my vet fees direct?

The Claims Administrator can arrange to pay most veterinary surgeons directly in the case of a vet fees claim. Please ask your vet if they are happy to do this, and the Claims Administrator will take care of the rest.

How do you calculate my Pet Insurance premium?

Your pet is one of a kind! When the insurer calculates your quote they use a number of different factors; for example, your pet’s age, sex and breed as well as your postcode to provide a quote that is unique to your pet. This allows the insurer to keep our prices as competitive as possible. At each renewal, the cost of cover is recalculated, and we will email you with a quote. If you have had a claim paid to you this can impact your renewal price.

Can I get a discount on Pet Insurance for more than one pet?

Yes, if you have two or more pets, whether they are all dogs or all cats or mixed, then you are entitled to a Multi-Pet Insurance discount.

How can I pay for my Pet Insurance?

You can pay for your Pet Insurance in full or by instalment by either credit or debit card. Choosing the monthly instalment method allows you to spread the cost of your policy over the year at no extra charge as this service is interest free.

Will InsureYourPaws.co.uk automatically renew my Pet Insurance?

Yes, we will aim to automatically renew (auto-renew) your Pet Insurance when it runs out, unless you tell us not to. Each year we will notify you by email 5 weeks before the renewal date of your policy and tell you about any changes to the premium or the policy terms and conditions.

If you do not want to us to auto-renew your policy, you can log into the Your Policy section of the site or call us on 0344 273 2777, otherwise we will collect the renewal premiums from your credit or debit card.

The automatic renewal service relies on your credit/debit card details still being valid. If your credit/debit card details have changed within the last 12 months you must contact us to process the booking over the phone or log into the Your Policy section of our website to renew. If you do not receive confirmation of your new policy by your renewal date please contact us.

What charges do I incur when buying Pet Insurance?

We work hard to try and minimise any additional charges you may incur in the supply of your policy. We charge a fee of £8.00 for renewals and policies booked online. If you choose to book your policy through our call centre, the fee is £11.00.

How do I cancel my Pet Insurance?

Providing you have not made any claims, you have 14 days from the receipt of your policy documentation to cancel if you decide not to continue with the policy cover and you will be refunded your full premium minus the administration fee, which is non-refundable.

If it has been more than 14 days since you have received your policy documents, you can still cancel and receive a partial refund subject to the terms and conditions of your policy if you have paid annually. If you are paying by monthly instalment and you cancel, no further payments will be collected from the cancellation date and there will be no refund of payments already made.

Please note that if you have made a claim on your policy which has been paid, you will not be eligible for a refund of premiums unless your pet has passed away. If you are paying by monthly instalment you will either need to continue making monthly payments or pay the outstanding premium for the remainder of the policy year.

Can I Still Travel with My Pet?

As you may be aware, the transition period following Britain’s exit from the EU expired on 31st December 2020. One of the areas impacted by the change in our relationship with the EU is how you can safely travel with your pet overseas.

Her Majesty’s Government has informed that until an agreement has been reached between the United Kingdom and the European Union you will need to follow the guidance below for any pet that will travel overseas from 1st January 2021:

  • Ensure your pet is microchipped;
  • Have your pet vaccinated against rabies. Have a blood test at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination or booster to ensure rabies antibodies are present;
  • Wait 3 months from the date the successful blood sample was taken before you can travel Ensure the vet gives you a copy of the test results and enters the date that the blood sample was taken on an animal health certificate (AHC)

You will not be able to travel with your pet if you have not completed these steps. If the blood test result is not successful, you’ll need a repeat vaccination and another blood test taken at least 30 days after the repeat vaccination.

Please do contact your vet if you have any queries relating to any future travel you have planned. You can also view the guidance from the Government at: www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-from-1-january-2021

Once we know the outcome of any agreement between the EU and the UK, we will know how this impacts the overseas travel element of the insurance policy and will update the guidance provided.

Please note that the above guidance will apply to any reference of adherence to the PETS Scheme from 1st January 2021 within the current policy wording.