FAQs

Lifetime policies provide cover for veterinary treatment costs, due to illness or injury, throughout your pets lifetime. However, we do not provide cover for any illness or injury (including clinical signs), which happened or occurred before your policy start date.

Although cover is annually renewable, provided we offer and you accept our renewal invitation, your pet will benefit from continuous cover, including costs for recurring conditions. Once the policy has been renewed with us, the maximum limits for the cover selected will be available again.

It is important to note that Policy Terms and Conditions can change over time. For example; in addition to any excess payable, you will be required to contribute to the cost of treatment once your pet reaches a certain age. Please refer to your certificate of insurance for further details. In addition, your premiums will increase due to factors such as your pet’s age, breed, claims history, postal address and our view of future costs of providing cover.

We are delighted to introduce Voluntary Contribution policies to our range of pet insurance products. These policies still offer extensive levels of cover, but may suit customers who want a more flexible pet insurance product by offering savings on your premium. Please click here for further details.

We are happy to pay claims direct to your vet, this is providing they are happy to accept payments from us. Please check with the veterinary practice you use that they are able to offer this.

If you make a claim under one of our Lifetime policies, you will need to pay an excess. The fixed excess is payable once per condition, per policy year. For Standard & Maximum Benefit Policies, you only have to pay one fixed excess for each separate condition being claimed.

Depending on the policy you have, there may be a contribution excess to pay once your pet reaches a certain age; this is paid on each claim

On our Lifetime Contribution policies, the fixed excess is payable once per condition, per policy year and the 30% contribution is deducted from each claim you submit, regardless of your pet’s age.

If your vet has claimed for something we don’t cover, such as prescription diets, or if your claim exceeds the insured amount, then you will have to pay any additional costs.

No, as with the majority of pet insurance policies, we do not cover annual vaccinations or preventative healthcare products, such as wormers & flea treatment.

If you have one of our Maximum Benefit or Lifetime policies, your pet is covered for treatment for up to 45 days abroad per each policy year.

We do not provide cover for either routine or elective castration or spaying; however, if this procedure is considered as necessary in order to treat a diagnosed medical condition, we are able to consider these costs for you.

We will look to cover dental treatment for both illnesses and/ or injuries (dependant on the cover level selected), providing the pet has had an annual dental check up by the vet each year. You also must follow any dental advice that you have been given. We also do not provide cover for routine or cosmetic dentistry ie: descaling and polishing.

For all our of policies, you are covered for injuries 24 hours after your policy has started. You also have a 14 day exclusion period for illnesses; therefore illness cover will start on day 15 of your policy.

Any injury or illness which occurred before the start of the policy, and any subsequent health issues directly relating to these.

No, we do not cover any treatment relating to either pregnancy or breeding.

Acupuncture, Herbal Medication prescribed by a veterinary practice, Homeopathy, Chiropractic Manipulation, Hydrotherapy and Osteopathy.

No, but you can claim for behavioural illness under Veterinary Fees.

Yes, although you may need to provide a letter from the vet stating an emergency consultation was essential.

It depends which of our policies you have purchased. If you have one of our Lifetime or Maximum Benefit policies, and provided there is no break in your policy cover, then you will still be able to claim for the treatment for as long as necessary, up to the monetary limits of your policy. If you have one of our Time-Limited policies you will only be able to claim for each condition for 12 months. After this period your pet can still be insured with us but we will exclude any pre-existing conditions from the policy and you will not be able to claim for these for the remainder of your pet’s life.

To give you the best value possible, the price of your pet cover is based on a number of factors, some external and some linked to your furry friend, like their age and breed. We also look at the price of veterinary fees and treatments in your area. 

To find out how much insuring your pet will cost, get a quick quote here. You can also find out more about the factors that affect the price of pet insurance in our full guide here.

Please see our auto renewal FAQs here.

FirstVet is a digital veterinary service that offers a dedicated 24 hour service, 365 days a year. Customers can benefit from free video consultations with these vets, giving you both advice and guidance on your pet before attending a practice and incurring veterinary costs.

It’s really simple – all you need to do is download the FirstVet App and register your pet/s. Click here to register.

If you later find that your chosen cover no longer suits your needs, we cannot downgrade your policy to a different level during the policy term or at renewal. Cancelling your policy and starting a new one means your pet won’t have continuous cover. Any past symptoms or conditions will be seen as pre-existing and won’t be covered. Additionally, you can’t claim for injuries in the first 24 hours or illnesses in the first 14 days of the new policy.