Frequently asked questions

Currently we only offer cover for domestic dogs and cats. Please also review our excluded breeds list for dog and cat breeds we do not cover here:

Excluded Dog Breeds: Akita; Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog; American Bandogge (Bandog); American Bully; American Foxhound; American Pit Bull Terriers; American Staffordshire Bull Terriers; Anatolian Shepherd Dog (Karabash); Australian Dingo; Bakharwal; Boerboel; Bucovina Shepherd Dog; Bully Kutta; Cane Corsos; Caucasian Ovcharka; Chinese Chongqing; Chow Chow; Dogo Argentino; Drever; Fila Brasileiro; Greek Harehound; Greek Shepherd / Greek sheepdog / Hellenikos Poimenikos; Gull Dong; Indian Pariah Dog; Irish Bull Terrier; Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier; Japanese Tosa; Kangal Shepherd Dog (Kangal); Karelian Bear Hound; Korean Jindo; Laizhou Hong; Northern Inuit Dog; Perro de Presa Canario (Canary Dog); Pit Bull Terriers; Pit Bull; Racoon Dog; Romanian Raven Shepherd Dog; Sabueso Español (Spanish Scenthound); Saint Miguel Cattle Dog; Shar Pei; Thai Ridgeback; Tibetan Mastiff; Wolf Hybrids; Wolves; any dog banned in Great Britain (this includes any ‘type’ defined in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, considered to match the description of a prohibited ‘type’; any breed crossed with these dogs; and any other breed or type added at a later date); any dog used for hunting, shooting, trade, or business; any dogs under 4 weeks old.

Excluded Cat Breeds: Asian Leopard Cat; Chausie; Keetso; any crossbreed of these cats; any cats under 4 weeks old.

Treatments covered include: Physiotherapy; Hydrotherapy; Chiropractic manipulation; Osteopathy; Acupuncture; Homeopathic or herbal medicines; Laser Therapy

The complementary treatment must be recommended by a vet and administered by a suitably qualified practitioner. Please see our current list of suitably qualified practitioners here: Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy/ National Association of Vet Physiotherapists; The Institute of Registered Veterinary and Animal Physiotherapists (IRVAP); The International Association of Animal Therapists; Canine Hydrotherapy Association International Vet Acupuncture Society (IVAS); The Association of British Vet Acupuncturists (ABVA); National Association of Registered Canine Hydrotherapists (NARCH)

Subject to terms and conditions in your policy documents.

This includes corrective treatment for Behavioural Conditions for your Pet. Your pet’s Behavioural Condition must be treated by a vet or a suitably qualified pet behaviourist/counsellor. Please see our current list of suitably qualified pet behaviourists/counsellors here: Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC); Canine and Feline Behaviour Association (CFBA); Certified Animal Behaviourist (CCAB); A qualified member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)

Subject to terms and conditions in your policy documents.

If you miss a payment for your policy we will try to get hold of you and ask that you pay any missed payments to keep your policy active. If you make a claim, we will need you to pay the missed payments before we can pay the claim. If we cannot reach you after 14 days, we will stop your cover and you will not be able to make claims. We will notify you by email that we have done this. If you pay the outstanding balance within another 10 days, we will then re-activate your cover as if no payments had been missed. If we have been unable to take payment after 24 days from the start date or any subsequent premium payment due date, your policy will be cancelled.

Pedigree: parents are of the same breed.

Cross: parents are of two different breeds.

Mixed: parents are of 3 or more different breeds.

We currently offer £1000; £2000; £3000 and £4000 per condition per year. There is no limit on the number of conditions you can claim for.

The Emergency Booster inlcudes:

Dog Walking Cover: We will cover the cost of a professional dog walker to walk your dog daily if you are hospitalized for more than 4 consecutive days.

Emergency Kennel/Cattery Cover: We will cover the cost of boarding your pet for the duration that you are hospitalized for more than 4 consecutive days.

Subject to terms and conditions in your policy documents.

The Travel Booster inlcudes:

-Holiday Cover - We will cover the cost of emergency vet treatment during a holiday to certain European Economic Area (EEA) qualifying countries.

-Holiday Cancellation Cover - We will cover the travel and accommodation expenses incurred by you if you have to cancel or cut your holiday short because your pet needs immediate life-saving surgery.

Subject to terms and conditions in your policy documents.

We only accept pets older than 4 weeks and don't discriminate against older pets.

We don't provide cover for claims occuring outside the UK (unless the Travel Booster optional cover is selected).

You need to select the Travel Booster optional cover for your pet to be covered in European countries specified under The Pet Travel Scheme.

If you are a new customer click 'Get a quote', enter details for the first pet and say 'Yes' when prompted to 'Add another pet' in the journey. If you are an existing customer and would like to add a new pet, simply complete the same sales journey. We will automatically add the new pet to your existing profile by using your email as a reference.

Any diagnosed or undiagnosed condition, related condition, bilateral condition or chronic condition which has happened or has shown clinical signs or symptoms in any form in the last 24 months before the policy start date or within the waiting period will not be covered.

Whether you have a cat or dog insurance policy, you must take reasonable steps to maintain your pet's health throughout the policy year and to prevent injury, illness and loss. Therefore you must arrange and pay for your pet to have an annual dental examination by a vet in order to prevent illness or injury.

Your cover will start on your selected start date and will be shown in your Certificate of Insurance.

Currently we only offer monthly Direct Debit payment functionality. There are no fees or extra costs to pay monthly.

If your selected start date is within 14 days of the date you took out the policy your first collection will occur 14 days later and will resume on the original selected start date day thereafter. If your policy start date is more than 14 days after you took out the policy your first collection date will be on the start date day you have selected. A payment schedule will be provided on your Certificate of Insurance and in your Customer Portal.

You can visit the 'Billing' section on your Customer Portal to see your next payment date. Your full payment schedule will also be illustrated in your Certificate of Insurance document, which is also available in your Customer Portal.

You can change your bank details by visiting your Customer Portal. Simply click 'More details', 'Billing' and then 'UPDATE BANK ACCOUNT'. Should you have multiple policies, you will need to update the bank details on each of them.

Yes, you can change your direct debit date by emailing our Customer Success team. We will then send you a new Certificate of Insurance indicating your updated payment schedule. This can also be viewed in the 'Billing' section of your Customer Portal.

Changes can be made by simply logging into your Customer Portal and requesting the necessary change. Some changes will result in a premium change in your policy, but we will notify you of this before making the change. The link to the Customer Portal is provided on the top right of your screen.

Yes, upgrades and downgrades are allowed during the term of the policy. Simply log into the Customer Portal and request the change. The change will be effective from the next month. The link to the Customer Portal is provided on the top right of your screen.

Please note that any condition, related condition, or bilateral condition which has happened or has shown clinical signs or symptoms of existing in any form prior to the increase in cover will not benefit from the increase in cover.

Yes, Boosters can be added or removed during the term of the policy. Simply log into the Customer Portal and request the change. The change will be effective from the next month. The link to the Customer Portal is provided on the top right of your screen.

Please note that any condition, related condition, or bilateral condition which has happened or has shown clinical signs or symptoms of existing in any form prior to the increase in cover will not benefit from the increase in cover.

We hope to encourage a long and healthy relationship with your pet. This is why we introduced a Body Condition Score, rewarding responsible pet ownership.

The Body Condition Score is determined using a known method of evaluating body composition using the appearance and feel of your pet to assess body condition. If the Body Condition Score indicates that the body condition of your Pet is in an ideal range you will qualify for a discount.

Simply log into the Customer Portal, select 'Change pet details' under the 'Pet Details' tab and select 'Submit Body Condition Score'. This will send you a digital body condition link that should be shared and completed by your vet. The vet can now assess your pet and complete the form digitally. Once completed we will automatically review the body condition score of your pet and apply the necessary discount to your policy effective from the next billing month.

Simply log into the Customer Portal and click on the 'Documents' tab for each of your pets to find the associated Certificate of Insurance, Policy Wording, IPID and TOBA.

Your policy is in force for 12 months providing you continue to pay your premium. Every 12 months your policy will renew automatically unless you instruct us to cancel your policy. We will contact you by email 27 days before your renewal date with the full details of your premium, excess, policy coverage and terms and conditions for the next policy year.

We might adjust your premium at renewal to accommodate for any change in risk at renewal. Our premiums are carefully calculated to ensure what you pay is fair and accurately reflects the likelihood of claiming. The age, breed, size and location of your pet are also some of the factors we'll take into consideration when calculating your premium. Please note that we always strive to keep our prices the same as what you would pay in the market for the same cover. We DO NOT penalise loyal customers.

The Customer Portal allows all policyholders to: view their policies, make any changes, submit and track claims.

The Customer Portal can be accessed from our website. Simply click on 'Login' found on the top right of your screen.

No, there's no need to set and remember a password. Simply use your registered email when logging in and we will send you a unique link to your registered email address. Open the email and click on the link (you can also copy the generated link into your browser). Please note for security reasons this link is only valid for a certain period of time. Always remember to use the latest link to access the portal as previous links won't work.

Depending on your email provider settings the email might end up in your Junk/Spam email folder. If you still don't receive an email after 5 minutes please inform us by sending an email to info@onlypawspetinsurance.co.uk.

The quickest way to make a claim is through your Customer Portal, which can be accessed on the top right of your screen. Once you have you logged into the Customer Portal simply navigate to the 'Claims' tab and select 'Submit Claim'. Choose the type of claim you are submitting and attach the requested information that follows.

Yes, all claims can be tracked by logging into your Customer Portal and navigating to the 'Claims' tab. The status of each claim is displayed for each of your submitted claims.

Currently we only offer direct payments to the policyholder.

We make the claiming process simpler and faster by sending you a unique digital claim form to share with your vet via email. No more paper claim forms to print, complete by hand, scan and send. In this way the process is simpler for you and better for the environment.

This is the amount you contribute to certain claims under this policy as specified in the policy wording and/or your Certificate of Insurance.

No, we aim to provide more out of pocket certainty and so have a fixed excess structure that only changes from £99 to £200 when your pet reaches 8 years of age.

Bilateral condition is any condition that can affect body parts of which your pet has more than one, such as ears, eyes, front and back legs and feet, cruciate ligaments, hips, shoulders and elbows and which can occur at different times. When applying the terms of this policy, any treatment for bilateral conditions will be considered as one condition, regardless of when the treatment occurred.

Related/associated condition means a condition that is either a recurring illness and/or injury or lump; or related to a previous illness and/or injury or lump; or caused by a previous illness and/or injury or lump. When applying the excess and the terms of this policy, any treatment for an related condition will be considered as one condition, regardless of when the treatment occurred.

You have 90 days from the date of treatment or from the date your pet passes away.

We understand losing a pet can be a very difficult time. In the sad event of your pet passing away we hope to make the claims process as straightforward as possible. In the process of submitting your claim on the Customer Portal, we will require you to upload the purchase receipt or rehoming document to confirm the amount you paid for your pet. We will get confirmation from the vet that the pet passed away if we haven’t already received a vet fees claim that confirms his/her loss.

You can monitor the progress of your claim with our claims tracking service in your Customer Portal. We are constantly making improvements but currently we aim to assess claims within 10 working days of receiving all the needed information.

Once you receive your full policy documents and you are not satisfied with the offering you have 14 days within which you can cancel the policy and receive a refund of any premium you have paid unless you claim. You can also cancel at any time after the 14-days and premium collections will cease immediately from that point onwards. If you wish to cancel your policy this can be done by contacting us by using the email info@onlypawspetinsurance.co.uk.

Should you wish to alter this policy or cancel it please contact us using the email address: info@onlypawspetinsurance.co.uk.

The quickest way to get matters resolved is to follow our complaints procedure which can be found on our website (https://www.onlypawspetinsurance.co.uk/complaints). Failing that you can always contact us at complaints@onlypawspetinsurance.co.uk.

We only offer the most comprehensive type of policies typically referred to as 'Reinstatement' or 'Lifetime' policies. If your pet develops a long-term illness like diabetes, you can claim year after year for his treatment, provided you accept renewal terms and renew your policy annually without a break in cover.

Yes, we will offer cover for pre-existing conditions as long as the condition, any related condition, or bilateral condition does not show any clinical signs or symptoms in any form in the last 24 months before the policy start date or within the waiting period.

  • Any accident, illness or condition which has happened or has clinical signs or symptoms in the last 24 months before taking the policy out.
  • Unless your pet was insured by another insurer up to the start date of your policy , any claims for illness displaying clinical signs or symptoms within 14 days or any accident or injury occurring within 5 days of the start date. Any cost exceeding the associated annual benefit limit.
  • Any out of hours veterinary fees, except where this is life saving for your pet.
  • Cosmetic, elective, routine or preventative treatments, examinations, vaccinations, spaying, castration, breeding and other claims as a result of any of these procedures.
  • Any costs relating to pregnancy or giving birth.
  • Cost of any food or supplements.
  • Cost of any take-home medication, complementary treatments and corrective behavioural treatments unless this optional coverage is added.
  • Dental or oral treatment not caused by accident but by illness unless the optional coverage is added.
  • Any costs relating to root canal treatments.
  • Any claim resulting from your pet passing on any disease, infection or virus to another animal or human including, but not limited to, Zoonotic Diseases.

For more information please refer to our Policy Wording and IPID.

Boosters are optional covers which you can select at an additional premium to enhance your cover.

Health Booster: Take-Home Medication Cover (pills and other medications to be administered outside the vet clinic), Complementary Treatment Cover and Corrective Behavioural Cover.

Dental Booster: Dental Cover related to illness.

Emergency Booster: Dog Walking Cover and Emergency Kennel/Cattery Cover.

Travel Booster: Holiday Cover and Holiday Cancellation Cover.

For more information please refer to our Policy Wording and IPID.

Yes. Unless your pet was insured by another insurer up to the start date of your policy, a period of 5 days from the start date for an injury that occurs or shows clinical signs or symptoms; or 14 days from the policy start date for all other sections of covers will apply.

Health Booster which specifically covers Take-Home Medication is often added by clients.

Take-Home Medication Cover covers the cost of medication administered outside the vet (medication taken home from the vet or ordered online).

Dental cover related to accidents is already included in your policy. The Dental Booster provides enhanced dental cover which covers dental claims related to illness. Subject to terms and conditions in your policy documents.