The is the maximum amount of money an insurer will pay out on claims over a year. Its possible some policies will have a policy limit on health conditions as well. After the annual limit to reached further costs will need to be covered by the policy holder themselves rather than the insurer.
A claims form can be requested from your insurance provider as and when needed. Depending on the claims procedure your may need to fill one of these and provide to either the insurance provider or underwriter in the event of a claim attempt. Please check the policy wording of the specific insurer for further information.
The term co-payment is a form of shared cost. In some forms of insurance, should the policy holder make a claim they pay would have to pay towards the claim (like an excess but co-payment is percentage based).
So for a pet insurance policy, if someone had £1,000 in vet bills and a 10% co-payment amount, the insurer would pay 90% at £900 and the policy holiday would pay 10% at £100.
A medical condition, also known as a pre-existing medical condition is any injury, illness or health problem that a pet or animal experienced before the pet insurance policy started. Whether pre-existing medical conditions are included depends on the insurer, specialist insurers can include cover for these.
Insurance in the UK comes with a minimum 14 day cooling off period during which the policy can be cancelled with out any charges unless of course you have made a claim or used the policy.
An excess is the amount that a policy holder pays towards the cost of a claim and it exists in many forms of insurance. This is slightly different to co-payment as an excess is a static amount rather then a percentage. Both can exist on the same policy. Those looking to take out a new insurance policy can often get cheaper quotes and premiums but upping the payable excess in the event of a claim.
An IPID is a form of insurance document that consumers must be provided at point of purchase. It details the import inclusions and exclusions on the policy. You should receive one alongside your policy wording when taking out a pet insurance policy.
More information on the insurance product information document can be found on the FCA website here.
This is a form of identification that can be used to return lost pets to their owners. A small chip is inserted into the animals body, a scanner can then be used to scan this chip. This returns a unique code which is linked to the registered owners details.
Neutering is the removal of an animals reproductive organs, this can be either full or part. There are many names for this including fixing, castration (male specific term), spaying (female specific), gelding (male horse).
There are both advantages and disadvantages to having a pet neutered, this includes various health and behaviour benefits but more information can be found here.
When taking out a pet insurance policy you will be provided with a number of policy documents, these are important files / printed items that relate to the cover purchased. These can include but are not limited to:
You should either print or store the electronic documents in a safe space so they can be accessed in the event of a claim.
The premium is the insurance cost. This premium will detail the amount money to be paid by the insured person or party to an insurance company for cover. This will include Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) which should be confirmed when taking out the insurance.
This is the date when your insurance policy ends and cover would stop. To continue cover you would need to renew the policy with the same carrier.
Insurers will contact you when it comes to renewal time to confirm the price for the next years insurance.
