Frequently asked questions

Your insurer/underwriter for veterinary fees, complimentary therapy, and accidental death and death from illness is Bastion Insurance Company Limited (registration number C-37545) of Floor 4, Development House, St Anne Street, Floriana, Malta, FRN 9010. (Bastion Insurance Company Limited - FCA Registration No 446703)

Bastion Insurance Company Limited is authorised under the Insurance Business Act 1998 to conduct General Business of insurance by the Malta Financial Services Authority.

If Third Party Liability applies to your policy (please refer to your policy documents to confirm)

Your insurer/underwriter for third party liability will be Ageas Insurance Ltd, Ageas House, Hampshire Corporate Park, Templars Way, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO53 3YA. Registered in England and Wales No. 354568.

Ageas Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, Financial Services No. 202039.

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 8 years of age. We also have an age limit of 6 years for new policies for some dog breeds.

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 £110 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 £110
• Balance of claim is £390
• We ask for a further 15%, which in this case would be £58.50
• The total claim settlement would be £331.50

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.

All pre-existing conditions are excluded from cover. However, a condition will cease to be a pre-existing condition if:

• The condition has been treated and Your Pet has fully recovered, leaving no susceptibility to future problems or underlying weakness and since that point;
• Your Pet has not received any treatment for or in connection with the condition for a continuous period of 24 calendar months;
• There have been no symptoms or vet consultations relating to the condition for the previous 24 months.

Chronic Condition - Means any condition that continues indefinitely or cannot be cured or eradicated and that may recur or requires ongoing treatment.

If you are unsure whether your pet’s condition would be considered chronic, please call our team on 020 3750 0022 and we will do our best to advise you.

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. For this reason, we do not offer pet insurance for dogs that aren't microchipped.

This law does not apply to cats, therefore your cat can be insured by Lifetime Pet Cover if they don't have a microchip.

Dental treatment for accident only is covered up to your policy's annual cover limit.

If you are claiming for dental illness treatment, the following limits will be applied:

• If your annual cover limit is £2,000, £3,000, or £4,000 your annual limit for dental illness treatment will be £200
• If your annual cover limit is £6,000 your annual limit for dental illness treatment will be £500
• If your annual cover limit is £6,000 your annual limit for dental illness treatment will be £1,000

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.

If you are claiming for MRI scans, CT scans, or cruciate ligament treatment, the following limits will be applied:

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

Any claims made for MRI scans, CT scans, or cruciate ligament treatment will be deducted from your policy's overall cover limit and will be reinstated each year your policy renews.

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.

Your insurer/underwriter for veterinary fees, complimentary therapy, and accidental death and death from illness is Bastion Insurance Company Limited (registration number C-37545) of Floor 4, Development House, St Anne Street, Floriana, Malta, FRN 9010. (Bastion Insurance Company Limited - FCA Registration No 446703)

Bastion Insurance Company Limited is authorised under the Insurance Business Act 1998 to conduct General Business of insurance by the Malta Financial Services Authority.

If Third Party Liability applies to your policy (please refer to your policy documents to confirm)

Your insurer/underwriter for third party liability will be Ageas Insurance Ltd, Ageas House, Hampshire Corporate Park, Templars Way, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO53 3YA. Registered in England and Wales No. 354568.

Ageas Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, Financial Services No. 202039.

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

If you would like to change the date your direct debit is collected, or change the bank account it is coming out of, please call one of our agents: 020 3750 0022.

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.

Dental treatment for accident only is covered up to your policy's annual cover limit.

If you are claiming for dental illness treatment, the following limits will be applied:

• If your annual cover limit is £2,000, £3,000, or £4,000 your annual limit for dental illness treatment will be £200
• If your annual cover limit is £6,000 your annual limit for dental illness treatment will be £500
• If your annual cover limit is £6,000 your annual limit for dental illness treatment will be £1,000

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.

If you are claiming for MRI scans, CT scans, or cruciate ligament treatment, the following limits will be applied:

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

Any claims made for MRI scans, CT scans, or cruciate ligament treatment will be deducted from your policy's overall cover limit and will be reinstated each year your policy renews.

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.

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 21 days prior to your renewal date.

We will write to you by letter or email 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.

Your policy's cover level cannot be changed at any time, either mid term or at renewal. If you wish to change your cover level, you must cancel your existing policy and create a new one. If you choose to do this, any condition or illness that appeared within your existing policy will be classed as pre-existing and will be excluded from cover in your new policy.

This means it is very important that you carefully select the most appropriate cover level when you begin a new policy, so that you do not need to upgrade or downgrade in the future.

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.

To start a new claim, you will need to request a claims form. This can be done by contacting our 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​.

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).

To start a claim for third party liability, please contact Ageas Insurance Ltd via:

Tel: 0345 415 0495

Email: [email protected]

Write: Commercial Claims Team, Ageas House, Hampshire Corporate Park, Templars Way, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO53 3YA

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 £110 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 £110
• Balance of claim is £390
• We ask for a further 15%, which in this case would be £58.50
• The total claim settlement would be £331.50

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.

You can call our claims team on 01285 626 020 and they will be able to update you on your claim or answer any queries you may have.

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

Policy holders can claim for Complementary therapy or complementary treatment, including herbal or homeopathic medicine, so long as it is recommended and prescribed by your vet and the treatment is carried out by a qualified complementary therapist.*

All policies have an annual limit for complementary therapy 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.

* A qualified complementary therapist is a certified clinical animal behaviourist or a member of one of the following organisations: Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy, Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors, Bowen Technique Therapists, Canine and Feline Behaviour Association, Canine Hydrotherapy Association, McTimoney Animal Association, McTimoney Chiropractic Association, National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists, The International Association of Animal Therapists (UK), Institute of Registered Veterinary and Animal Physiotherapists, Association of British Veterinary Acupuncturists, British Veterinary Behaviour Association, National Association of Registered Canine Hydrotherapist or Institute of Registered Veterinary and Animal Physiotherapists.

Yes. If your pet passes away due to accident or illness whilst they are insured by Lifetime Pet Cover, you can claim the purchase price of your pet, up to a maximum of £500 for dogs and £100 for cats.

If you did not pay for your pet or cannot provide evidence of the purchase price, we will pay the market price instead, up to the aforementioned limits.

Exclusions apply and they can be found on page 11 of your policy wording document.

Dental treatment for accident only is covered up to your policy's annual cover limit.

If you are claiming for dental illness treatment, the following limits will be applied:

• If your annual cover limit is £2,000, £3,000, or £4,000 your annual limit for dental illness treatment will be £200
• If your annual cover limit is £6,000 your annual limit for dental illness treatment will be £500
• If your annual cover limit is £6,000 your annual limit for dental illness treatment will be £1,000

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.

If you are claiming for MRI scans, CT scans, or cruciate ligament treatment, the following limits will be applied:

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

Any claims made for MRI scans, CT scans, or cruciate ligament treatment will be deducted from your policy's overall cover limit and will be reinstated each year your policy renews.

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, Langham Suite, The King Centre, Main Road, Barleythorpe, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 7WD. 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 our claims handler, Trent-Services (Administration) Limit. Their postal address is:

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

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

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/