Frequently asked questions

If your policy number starts with SCR then all sections of your policy are underwritten by Burns and Wilcox Global Solutions Limited for and on behalf of SCOR UK Company Limited, 8th Floor, 30 St Mary Axe, London EC3A 8BF. Company number 03013489 and FCA Reference number: 309345.

If your policy number starts with COV then all sections of your policy are underwritten by Covea Insurance plc. Covea Insurance plc is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, number 202277.

Your pet needs to be at least 8 weeks old when the policy starts. We do not have any upper age limit on our existing lifetime policies, but we do not offer new policies for any pets over 12 years of age.

You have the option to select a start date up to 30 days ahead from when you complete the online application. When you complete the application, we will email your certificate of insurance, which will state the policy start date you selected.

From the start date of the policy, the first 14 days are your inception period, during this time you are not covered for any injury or accident for 2 days and you are not covered for any illness within the first 14 days of the policy year. During this time, you can cancel the policy at any time and no payment will be taken.

The policy excess is £199 on all our policies (increased to £250 for Third-Party Liability claim if this benefit is provided on your policy – please refer to your policy documents). This is the first amount of each unrelated claim for a new condition which is payable by you per condition, per policy year. Any excess payable by you will be deducted from the overall annual cover limit as stated on your certificate of insurance. 

If your pet is aged 4 years or older at the time of the claim, we ask you to contribute a co-insurance amount of 15% of the claim. This co-insurance increases to 25% from the age of 7 and 30% for pets aged 12 and over. This allows us to provide older pets lifetime cover without the monthly premiums costing the earth, so you contribute towards a claim if you need to make one and don’t pay over the odds if you don’t.

Here is an example of how this works for a pet aged 4 - 6:

• £500 approved claim
• You pay your excess of £199
• Balance of claim is £301
• We ask for a further 15%, which in this case would be £45.15
• The total claim settlement would be £255.85

Yes, the more furry friends the better! We can offer a multi-pet policy for any pets that have the same registered owner and live at the same address.

The great thing for you is that all multi-pet policies receive a 10% discount which is automatically applied at the time of the quote.

We can only offer multi-pet policies if all pets are added to the policy together when it's first taken out. After this, we cannot add new pets to an existing policy, but we can create a new policy under the same owner's details.

There are some breeds we are currently unable to insure along with any dogs that are registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act. For a full list of breeds that we do not offer cover for, along with any breed crossed with these dogs, please view our excluded breed list here.

Breed, size, age and location are factors that are taken into consideration when calculating your premium. The price of your insurance is assessed carefully to ensure what you pay is fair. Your premium is also a reflection of the probability of future claims.

The premium will increase each year at renewal as the pet gets older and vet costs go up. It might also increase due to changes in insurance premium tax or a re-evaluation of risk.

If a claim is made the premium could increase significantly at the next renewal.

There’s no limit on how much the premium could be.

You can take out a policy for your pet if they have had any pre-existing conditions, but cover will be excluded for these conditions.

We define a pre-existing condition as any condition, illness, injury or bilateral condition which occurred or first showed clinical signs prior to the Policy start date, whether diagnosed or not or existing in any form even if the diagnosis changes. This includes if the condition, illness, injury or bilateral condition has the same diagnoses or is caused by, relates to or results from a condition, illness or injury which occurred prior to the policy start date.

All exclusions are listed in the Policy Wording document. It is essential that you read this so you are aware of what your pet will and will not be covered for and you don’t have any nasty surprises late on.

Yes, your pet must be registered at a United Kingdom Veterinary Practice on the policy start date.

Yes. By law, all dog's in England over 8 weeks of age must have a microchip and cat's must have a microchip before they reach 20 weeks old.

Dental treatment is covered up to a maximum of £2,000 regardless of your policy's overall cover limit.

Any claims made for dental treatment will be deducted from your policy's overall cover limit and will be reinstated each year your policy renews.

No, there are no separate limits for these diagnostic procedures, all costs come from your chosen annual veterinary fee allowance.

Yes, complementary therapy is included in all lifetime pet cover policies, though a limit is applied which is determined by your policy's overall cover limit. These limits are:

• If your annual cover limit is £2,000 or £3,000, your annual limit for complementary therapy will be £500
• If your annual cover limit is £4,000, £6,000, or £10,000, your annual limit for complementary therapy will be £1,000

Any claims made for complementary therapy will be deducted from your policy's overall cover limit and will be reinstated each year your policy renews.

Please view our policy wording document for our terms regarding complementary therapy claims.

Any premiums quoted include 12% Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) where applicable and a £25 administration fee. Although the £25 administration fee forms part of the overall premium, it is charged in addition to the cost of the insurance. The fee represents our costs to administer your policy over the course of each policy year.

You can pay your premium either monthly or annually, and both options will be processed through GoCardless, our payment provider, via Direct Debit.

If you pay by monthly installments, your payment day will be determined by your policy's start date and cannot be changed. 

If your policy number starts with COV then all sections of your policy are underwritten by Covea Insurance plc. Covea Insurance plc is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, number 202277. 

If your policy number starts with SCR then All sections of your policy are underwritten by Burns and Wilcox Global Solutions Limited for and on behalf of SCOR UK Company Limited, 8th Floor, 30 St Mary Axe, London EC3A 8BF. Company number 03013489 and FCA Reference number: 309345.

We are sorry you haven’t received these. Your policy documents are automatically sent to you by email or letter immediately after you complete the online application. If you can’t find the email, please check your Junk or Spam folder as occasionally the email ends up there. If the email is not there, we may have an incorrect email address on the policy, so contact us on 020 3750 0022 and we can check this for you.

No problem. Email [email protected] with the following details and we will update your policy within 5 working days.

• First Name
• Last Name
• Policy number
• Current postcode
• Pet name
• Changes to be made

Moved house? New email address? No problem, just email [email protected] from the email we have registered on your policy with the following details:

• Full Name
• Policy number
• Current postcode
• Pet name
• Changes to be made

It is not possible to add another pet to an existing policy, but you can take out an additional policy. Please call one of our agents on 020 3750 0022 or you can get a quote here.

You can cancel your policy at any time during the period of insurance. If you wish to do so, please email us at [email protected] from the email we have registered to your policy. Please include the following information

• First Name
• Last Name
• Policy number
• Current postcode
• Pet name
• The reason for cancellation

Premium Credit Ltd customers

If your payments are collected by Premium Credit Ltd and you’d like to change your Direct Debit collection date or update your bank account details, please call one of our agents on 020 3750 0022.

GoCardless customers

If your payments are collected by GoCardless and you’d like to update your bank account details, please call one of our agents on 020 3750 0022.

Please note: we are unable to change your Direct Debit collection date until your policy is due for renewal. If you require further assistance, call us and we’ll be happy to discuss possible options with you.

If you decide you no longer want or need your policy and wish to cancel it within the first 14 days after the start date, you may cancel by calling our team on 020 3750 0022 or emailing [email protected]. In this scenario we will provide a full refund, provided you have not made or intend to make a claim under this insurance policy.

You can still cancel your policy at any time after the 14 day cooling off period. In this scenario, any refund will be dependant on the amount of time left on the policy and whether or not claims have been paid.

If you pay your premium by monthly instalments and you miss an instalment, you must pay the outstanding amount within 15 days of the date the instalment is due to be paid. If we do not receive your payment within these 15 days, your insurance will automatically stop and we will make no further claim payments.

If you have chosen to pay by either monthly or annual direct debit, your policy will automatically renew unless you tell us you would like to cancel the policy or cancel your direct debit. If you have previously paid by debit card, you will need to call us on 020 3750 0022 to process the renewal.

We will contact you either by email or post, depending on your preference, with your renewal premium up to 21 days prior to your renewal date.

We will write to you by letter or email up to 21 days before your policy is due for renewal. The letter/email will outline your new premium and advise of any changes to the policy that you should be aware of.

The premium will increase each year at renewal as the pet gets older and vet costs go up. It might also increase due to changes in insurance premium tax or a re-evaluation of risk.

If a claim is made the premium could increase significantly at the next renewal.

There’s no limit on how much the premium could be.

At renewal, you can change the level of cover that you have for your pets but this can only be changed to a lower level of cover. Once the cover level has been changed, this can't be changed back to any higher level of cover available. 

If the policy isn’t renewed, the cover will end and it might be difficult to find a new provider that will cover any health problems or medical conditions the pet has already suffered from.

Any premiums quoted include 12% Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) where applicable and a £25 administration fee. Although the £25 administration fee forms part of the overall premium, it is charged in addition to the cost of the insurance. The fee represents our costs to administer your policy over the course of each policy year.

You can pay your premium either monthly or annually. Annual payments will be processed through GoCardless, our payment provider.

Monthly Instalments are interest free and collected by our premium finance partner: Orchard Funding Limited. Your first payment will be collected on, or within 10 days of your policy renewing. The remaining collection dates will be confirmed via a payment schedule sent to you directly from Orchard, once your policy has renewed. You are required to sign a credit agreement that will be sent to you directly by Orchard, which will accompany your payment documents, and must be signed within 10 days for your policy to be valid.

If you pay by monthly instalments, your payment day will be determined by your policy's start date and cannot be changed.

If your policy number starts with COV then your claim is being processed by Covea Insurance plc  - to start a new claim, you will need to complete a claims form. This can be done by contacting the claims team either by telephone on 03300 242 493, email at [email protected] or post to Covea Insurance Plc, Pet Claims, A+B Mills, Dean Clough, Halifax, HX3 5AX. 

You can also download a PDF claims form HERE.

If your policy number starts with SCR then your claim is being processed by Trent Services (Administration) Ltd  – to start a new claim, you will need to complete a claims form. This can be done by contacting the claims team either by telephone on 01285 626 050, email at [email protected] or post to Trent Services (Administration) Ltd, Trent House, Love Lane, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 1XD.

You can also complete your claim for online HERE.

If we are settling the claim directly with the Vet, you will need to pay the Excess, plus any additional co-insurance upfront to the Veterinary practice when starting the claim. If we are settling the claim directly with you, we will pay you the claim amount minus the excess and co-insurance (if applicable).

You or your vet should send our claims handler your claim form no later than 90 days from the last date your pet received treatment or at the end of the period of insurance if the treatment has not finished by this time if this is the sooner.

The policy excess is £199 on all our policies (increased to £250 for Third-Party Liability claim if this benefit is provided on your policy – please refer to your policy documents). This is the first amount of each unrelated claim for a new condition which is payable by you per condition, per policy year. Any excess payable by you will be deducted from the overall annual cover limit as stated on your certificate of insurance.

If your pet is aged 4 years or older at the time of the claim, we ask you to contribute a co-insurance amount of 15% of the claim. This co-insurance increases to 25% from the age of 7 and 30% for pets aged 12 and over. This allows us to provide older pets lifetime cover without the monthly premiums costing the earth, so you contribute towards a claim if you need to make one and don’t pay over the odds if you don’t.

Here is an example of how this works for a pet aged 4 - 6:

• £500 approved claim
• You pay your excess of £199
• Balance of claim is £301
• We ask for a further 15%, which in this case would be £45.15
• The total claim settlement would be £255.85

Yes, our default procedure is to work with Vets directly, so you are not left out of pocket. However, this is dependent on the Vet and if they are happy to work with us directly. If they require you to pay upfront, we will then pay the claim settlement directly to you instead.

If your policy number starts with COV then your claim is being processed by Covea Insurance plc, please call 03300 242 493 and you will be able to ask any questions you may have.

If your policy number starts with SCR then your claim is being processed by Trent Services (Administration) Ltd, please call 01285 626 020 and you will be able to ask any questions you may have.

If a claim is made, the premium could increase significantly at the next renewal.

If you're unhappy with the sale or administration of your insurance policy, please contact Lifetime Pet Cover from which the insurance was purchased. If you have a complaint, we are happy to discuss this by phone, but it is always in your best interest to put your complaint in writing, either by email or by letter. We can then ensure that we fully understand your complaint & can work to best resolve it for you.

Emails can be sent to our customer service team at [email protected] or you can send a letter to Lifetime Pet Cover, The Old Dairy, Western Court, Bishops Sutton, United Kingdom, SO24 0AA. When you do this, please quote your policy number, which you can find on your Certificate of Insurance.

You can call our team on 020 3750 0022 between 9am and 5pm Monday - Friday.

If you are unhappy with the handling of a claim, please contact the relevant claims handler who processed your claim, as below.

If your policy number starts with COV, please contact Covea Insurance plc:

This can be done by contacting the claims team either by telephone on 03300 242 493, email at [email protected], or post to Covea Insurance Plc, Pet Claims, A+B Mills, Dean Clough, Halifax, HX3 5AX.

When you submit a complaint, please quote your policy number, which is on your Certificate of Insurance.

If your policy number starts with SCR, please contact Trent-Services (Administration) Ltd:

Trent-Services (Administration) Limited

Trent House

Love Lane

Cirencester

Gloucestershire

GL7 1XD

Alternatively, you can email them at [email protected] or call them on 01285 626050

If you're making a complaint, you must provide your insurance reference number/policy number, which you will find on your certificate of insurance. This ensure the complaint is logged against the correct account.

If your complaint is regarding a claim, please include your claim number which you will have received after submitting your claims form.

We begin processing and respond to each complaint within 1 working day. Depending on the nature of the complaint, we may find a satisfactory conclusion within this time, in which case you will be informed.

If no satisfactory conclusion is found within 1 working day, it will be escalated with the aim to be dealt with within 5 working days.

Complex complaints may take longer than 5 working days, in which case you will receive a holding letting detailing our findings and the next stages of the process.

If there is still no satisfactory conclusion within 4 weeks, you will be sent another holding letter.

After 8 weeks, if no satisfactory conclusion is reached, you will be sent a final letter including an Financial Ombudsman Service leaflet with details of how the complaint can be raised with the Financial Ombudsman Service.

If you're dissatisfied with our handling of and response to the complaint, you may be referred to the UK Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), depending on the nature of the complaint and whether it should properly be directed against us or another party.

You have the right to refer your complaint to the FOS, free of charge, but you must do so within six months of the date of our final response letter.

If you do not refer your complaint in time, the Ombudsman will not have our permission to consider your complaint and so will only be able to do so in very limited circumstances. For example, if the Ombudsman believes that the delay was as a result of exceptional circumstances.

Referring a complaint to the FOS is an alternative form of dispute resolution. It does not affect your right to take legal action.

You can contact the FOS by post, telephone, email, or via their website as per their details below:

Postal address:

Financial Ombudsman Service

Exchange Tower

London

E14 9SR

Telephone: 0800 023 4567

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://financial-ombudsman.org.uk/contact/