Frequently asked questions

Pet insurance helps cover the cost of vet care if your furry friend gets sick or injured. Whether they've had a little accident or come home with something unexpected, vet bills can add up fast. Our pet insurance is here to help ease that worry, covering things like accidents, illnesses or if your pet goes missing.

We currently offer Lifetime cover, the most comprehensive type of pet insurance. It's designed to give you peace of mind year after year, with cover at home or abroad, 24/7 vet assistance through Select & Protect Vet Assist, and up to £7,500 towards vet bills. While there are other types of cover out there, like Accident Only or Time-Limited, we focus on Lifetime cover because it offers complete protection for your pet.

Absolutely. Arranging separate pet insurance for your pets can take lots of time and effort, so we've made it easy to cover up to six pets on one household policy, with all your cover managed in one place.

We're here to help you care for your pet when it matters most. Our pet insurance typically includes cover for vet fees for accidents, illnesses and injuries, CT and MRI scans, prescription food if recommended by your vet, dental treatment for illness or injury, advertising and reward if your pet goes missing, loss due to illness or injury, and emergency repatriation if your pet needs to return home from abroad. For full details, including what's covered, what's not, and any limits or exclusions, please check our policy wording.

You can arrange a policy for your cat or dog before they are 8 weeks old, but their cover won't start until they reach 8 weeks. We insure cats until their tenth birthday and dogs until their eighth birthday. If you've already insured your pet with us before these milestones, cover can continue as they grow older.

We currently only cover cats and dogs. There are certain dog breeds that we're unable to insure, listed in full on our dog insurance page. All insurance policies have restrictions, so to find out more about our terms and conditions, including exclusions, excesses and limits, please take a look at our policy wording.

Yes. Select & Protect Vet Assist provides 24/7 access year round to qualified vet nurses and vets, available over the phone or via video. Using Vet Assist won't affect your premium and there's no excess to pay for this service. You'll get the Vet Assist number in your policy documents.

If you want to change your level of cover, you'll need to contact us. You can increase your level of cover only at renewal, but you can decrease your level of cover at any time.

You can make changes to your policy by contacting our team via Live Chat, emailing them at petservice@select-protect.co.uk, or phone them on 0333 034 8945. Our opening hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding Bank Holidays.

Yes, the policy does include some exclusions, such as:

• Pre-existing conditions, unless the pet hasn't had veterinary treatment or advice for them in the last 24 months
• Any illness which arises in the first 14 days after the start date of your policy
• Any injuries which your pet suffers in the first 48 hours after the start date of your policy
• Costs for any routine, preventative or elective treatment such as annual health check-ups, vaccinations, cleaning and descaling of teeth, spaying or neutering, routine removal of dew claws, grooming or nail clipping
• Costs resulting from breeding, pregnancy or delivery

You'll find a summary of the main exclusions in the Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) and policy summary, and the full list in our policy wording.

Yes, you can, but if the surgery is for a pre-existing condition, or related to that condition, you won't be covered for the costs associated with it. Likewise, if the surgery is something that made the pet uninsurable, you may no longer be able to get cover.

Unfortunately not. Routine care such as vaccinations, worming and other preventative treatments aren't covered under our policies. If you're ever in doubt, our policy wording outlines everything you need to know about your cover, including any cover limits.

If you're switching from another pet insurance provider and there's no gap in cover, there'll be no exclusion period for claims and your pet will be covered from your policy start date. For new policies, there's a 14 day exclusion period for illnesses and a 2 day exclusion period for accidental injuries from the policy start date.

A pre-existing condition means any health condition for which your pet has received treatment or medication in the 24 month period before the date of reoccurrence. We can cover conditions that haven't needed, or been recommended to have, any treatment in the 24 months before this date, even if the condition started before your policy began. If your vet recommends treatment for the condition during this period and it isn't carried out, we won't cover that condition.

Yes. Just like people, as your pet ages the chances of them needing medical treatment increases, meaning you're more likely to claim on your policy. This means your premiums may increase as your pet ages. To help us keep premiums as low as possible, when your dog turns 5 or your cat turns 7, a co-payment will apply to your policy from your next renewal date. The co-payment is 15% and is paid by you each time you make a claim, in addition to your standard excess. Full details can be found in our policy wording or your policy schedule.

You're free to choose any vet you like, we'll never limit you to a specific practice. If you've not registered with a practice yet, visit the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons database to find a vet near you.

If our service doesn't meet your expectations, we want to hear about it. If you have a complaint, please contact:

If your complaint is about the sale or administration of your policy
Post: Select & Protect Pet Insurance Complaints Team, 2nd Floor, Dencora Court, Tylers Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS1 2BB.
Email: petcomplaints@select-protect.co.uk
Phone: 0333 034 8945, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding Bank Holidays.

If your complaint is about how a claim was dealt with
Please contact Davies.
Email: Customer.Care@davies-group.com
Phone: 0345 030 8116, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding Bank Holidays.

If you are not happy with our final response, or if more than eight weeks have passed since we received your original complaint, you can take your complaint to the UK Financial Ombudsman Service for an independent review. This won't stop you from being able to take legal action. You must approach the Financial Ombudsman Service within six months of getting our final response to your complaint. We will remind you of the time limits in the final response.

Post: The Financial Ombudsman Service, Exchange Tower, London E14 9SR
Phone: 0300 123 9 123 or 0800 023 4567
Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk

Making a claim is easy. Head to our make a claim page and complete the online claim form, or give Davies, our claims administrator, a call on 0345 030 8116. If you need help, they will guide you through the process to get everything sorted.

That depends on your vet. Some are happy for us to pay them directly, while others may ask you to pay upfront and claim the cost back. Either way, keep all your receipts and documents handy. Complete the online claim form, including details of your pet's condition, the vet's details and what treatment payment is required for. Once your claim is submitted, the claims team will contact the treating vet for further details and process your claim.

Yes. Your vet can submit a vet fee claim on your behalf using the online claim form, or by contacting Davies on 0345 030 8116.

The excess is the amount you contribute towards a claim. For Lifetime policies, this is payable per condition, per year. You can find your exact excess amount in your policy schedule or certificate, or by logging into your online portal.

If you'd like to cancel, you can log into your online portal, get in touch with our team via Live Chat, email us at petservice@select-protect.co.uk, or call us on 0333 034 8945*, we'll help you through it. If you cancel within 14 days of the policy start date, or the date you received your policy documents, whichever is later, you're entitled to a full refund providing you haven't made, or intend to make, a claim. If we've paid a claim, there'll be no refund. If you cancel after the first 14 days, we'll cancel your policy and not collect future monthly payments. If you've had a claim during this policy year, we may deduct any outstanding monthly payments from your claim settlement. *Our opening hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding Bank Holidays.

We'll contact you before your policy is due to renew each year to confirm the price and any updated terms and conditions for the upcoming year. Please read all your policy documents carefully to ensure the cover still meets your needs and that your details, as well as your pet's, are accurate. If you'd like to make any changes or cancel your policy, just let us know before the renewal date. If you pay monthly by Direct Debit, your payments will continue using the bank details you've provided, and your policy will automatically renew unless you tell us otherwise.

Your premium may change due to a few factors, such as the age of your pet, claims you've made, the cost of vet's fees and re-evaluation of the risk. Prices are reviewed annually, and we'll let you know your new price, including what you paid last year, as a reference.

Your premium is paid by monthly Direct Debit, which is spread across the year at no extra cost. This is the only payment method we offer. You can set it up during your purchase journey online, or over the phone by calling 0333 034 8945, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding Bank Holidays.

Unfortunately, we're unable to change the date of the direct debits.

Your first payment will be taken around 5 working days after your selected policy start date, and your regular monthly payments will then be taken on this date each month.

Please call us on 0333 034 8945, and we can ensure that the payment is taken from the Direct Debit details saved on your policy. Our opening hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding Bank Holidays.

If you're finding things difficult financially, we're here to help. You might be able to change your cover level to reduce the cost of your policy. You're able to decrease your cover at any point, we don't charge any fees for this, though it can only be completed over the phone by calling 0333 034 8945. We want to make sure that you and your pet continue to have the right cover, so please don't struggle on alone, contact us to discuss the situation so we can find the best option for you. Our opening hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding Bank Holidays.