Pet insurance FAQs
Frequently asked pet insurance questions
When you take out a pet insurance policy, some features come as standard. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Vet fees/medical treatments cover
- Kennel and cattery fees (should your pet need to stay for recovery)
- Liability cover (dogs only)
- Advertising costs and rewards
It's important to check the small print when taking out a policy.
Exemptions usually include cover for routine check-ups, pre-existing medical conditions and behavioural problems.
Go to our pet insurance page to find out more about what MORE THAN pet insurance covers.
The price you pay is determined by many factors. Here are some of the key factors that affect the price for example the policy type, the type, and breed of your pet, and age. Get a quote here.
Some of the things you can do to reduce the cost of your pet insurance are:
- Opt for a higher excess: your premium is likely to decrease if you’re willing to pay a higher excess on any claim you make. But keep the excess affordable in case you have to pay it
- Take out multi-pet cover: MORE THAN offers a 10% discount if you insure more than one pet on a single policy.
We have four levels of pet insurance cover to choose from: Premier, Classic, Basic, and Accident only. You can find out more about our cover levels on our Pet Insurance page or when getting a quote.
Yes, your pet is covered but you cannot make a claim in the first 14 days of the policy start date for an illness or in the first 48 hours of the cover start date for accidents.
MORE THAN pet insurance includes cover for boarding your pet in a kennel or cattery if you need to go into hospital and are unable to look after them. There is a minimum number of days you need to be in hospital for to be able to claim. Excludes Accident Only cover.
Premier is our lifetime cover option for injuries and illnesses (including one-off and ongoing) up to your chosen vet fee limits, as long as you renew your policy each year and there’s no break in cover. Each year at renewal, we reinstate your vet fee limits.
Classic cover also covers ongoing and one off illnesses, which could go on for years until your chosen limit has been reached as long as you renew with no break in cover.
To discuss our different cover options, get a quote or get in touch.
You can still take out Accident Only, Basic, Classic or Premier cover with us if your pet has a pre-existing illness or receiving treatment after an accident, however that illness or accident will not be covered under the policy.
Providing these conditions were not noted before the policy was taken out or within the qualifying period and fall under the terms of the policy, then they should be covered. This does not apply however to Accident Only policies.
If you would like to find out more about a specific condition please get in touch.
We won't stop insuring your pet just because they're getting older. However, claims due to the death of your pet as a result of illness will be excluded once they have turned 9 years old.
Our policies do not provide cover for commercial breeding related conditions. This includes conditions related to pregnancy, giving birth and rearing puppies or kittens.
Commercial breeding means used for breeding more than two times in a pet's lifetime.
We insure a very wide range of dog breeds. If your dog's breed is on our breed list we will be able to provide cover.
You will not find any pedigree, cross, or mixed breed of any of the following as we do not insure them:
- Pit Bull
- Pit Bull type
- Japanese Tosa
- Fila Brazileiro
- Dogo Argentino
- American Bulldog
- Wolf or Wolf hybrid
If you have a cross or mixed breed dog, please check that all the mixes or both crosses are on our breed list. If you can't find them, please contact us to check whether we can cover your pet.
When you start a pet insurance quote online, our breed list shows the breeds of cats we insure. We insure most breeds of cat, so just type in the name of your cat's breed and we'll confirm whether we insure it.
If you have more than 1 pet, we'll give you 10% off each pet you insure with us on the same policy (discounts are applied consecutively). Find out more about our multi-pet discount.
You must have your dog vaccinated against distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirus. Your cat must be vaccinated against infectious enteritis, cat flu and feline leukaemia. If your pet is not vaccinated, we will not pay any claims that result from any of the above illnesses.
Different pet policies have different time and vet fees limits:
Accident Only
Help paying vet bills for accidents but not illnesses.
When you reach the vet fee limit or have had 12 months of treatment, you’ll no longer get help paying vet bills for that accident.
Basic
Help paying vet bills for accidents and short-term illnesses, but not for ongoing treatment.
When you reach the vet fee limit or have had 12 months of treatment, you’ll no longer get help paying vet bills for that accident or illness.
Classic
Help paying vet bills for short-term and ongoing treatment until the vet fee limit is used up for that accident or illness.
Once the vet fee limit is used up, you will no longer get help paying vet bills for that accident or illness.
Premier
Help paying vet bills for short-term and ongoing treatment until the vet fee limits are used up each year.
You can continue to claim for the same or new treatment each year, as the vet fee limits reinstate every time you renew.
You are covered for the cost of vet fees under your policy. But the amount you can claim depends on whether you have an Accident Only, Basic, Classic or Premier policy and is subject to the terms and conditions of your policy. For more information either read your policy schedule you were sent when you bought your policy or download your policy documents.
Vet fees include the cost of:
- an examination
- consultation
- advice
- tests
- x-rays
- surgery
- medication
- nursing care
- physiotherapy
- homeopathic and herbal medicine
These treatments and services must be provided by a vet or someone who works at a vets under the instruction of a vet.
At the moment, you can travel with your pet in Europe using a Pet Passport. You’ll be able to do this until the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December 2020. See our Brexit page for more information or visit the DEFRA website.
Please read your schedule carefully for details of how the excess applies to each of your pets.
For more information you can refer to the pet insurance policy wording. You can also get in touch with us.
As part of your policy you have 24 hour freephone access to vetfone. vetfone is staffed by qualified RCVS vet nurses and they can advise on all aspects of being a pet owner, from grooming, if your pet is unwell, feeding to behavioural advice. Find out more about vetfone.
If you bought your policy via a site such as Quidco/Topcashback - it can take up to six months to receive your cashback.
If you've not received your cashback after this period please contact the cashback website direct as our Customer Managers will not have access to the specific details of the offer.
If you bought your policy direct with us or on a comparison website using our cashback offer - we'll pay you cashback within 90 days of the start of your policy. If after 90 days you haven't received your cheque please e-mail enquiries@morethan.com using the subject line 'Cashback query'.
Make sure you include your name, address, policy number and contact details.
Have you started a quote but you’re not sure what your pet Insurance quote reference number is?
To find out what your quote reference number is, you can find it above your quote price. You won’t be committed to buy yet but you will be able to see your quote reference number. We will send you an email when you get a quote with the reference number on it.
If you still can't find your quote reference number, please get in touch.
If you pay monthly for your pet policy, you'll receive details of your payment schedule with your new policy welcome pack or with your last renewal pack.
Your payment schedule details how much you're paying over the year and your payment details. If you don't have either of these to hand and need a new copy, please get in touch.
Just tell us the details of the debit or credit card you want the payment to be taken from and the amount you want to pay.
Terms and conditions apply depending on how long the payment has been missed.
If you wish to split your payment over 12 months, you can amend your payment type to Direct Debit and enjoy no charges with 0% APR when paying monthly. Or if you want to amend your payment date, simply contact us.
If you pay annually it means you'll pay for your policy in one go and only have to pay once a year.
When you buy your policy we'll ask you for details of the account you want the payment to be taken from. You'll also be given the option to store these payment details to make it easier to pay for your renewal.
You'll always be sent details of your renewal a few weeks before the renewal date. You'll have the option to review your new policy and also to pay for the policy using different payment details. It is important there are no breaks in pet cover because your pet will no longer be covered for any pre-existing illness or treatment for an accident. You'll also be given the option to store these payment details (continuous payment authority) to make it easier to pay for your renewal.
Sorry, at the moment we do not offer an online account area for pet insurance customers.
To cancel your policy you'll need to get in touch with us.
If you’re thinking about changing your pet insurance provider, to try and get a better price, there are some things to consider fully before taking out a new policy.
There's usually an exclusion period when you can't make a claim after buying your policy. It means that if your pet needs treatment in this time period, you may not be covered for the treatment fees.
Many pet insurance policies don’t provide cover for ongoing treatment, which was caused by a previous illness or an accident (known as pre-existing conditions). So if you move to a new insurer and try to claim for a one-off or ongoing illness or accident your pet had before you took out their policy, you’ll probably find that they won’t cover you.
Postal paperwork usually takes between 7 to 10 working days, depending on the Royal Mail.
The credit or debit card payment is taken between 24 to 48 hours later and will appear as RSA on your bank statement.
Depending on your situation and what you need from your insurance, there may be ways we can help you manage your payments to make sure you don’t end up uninsured.
It’s important that you consider your options very carefully. For example, you may be able to reduce your level of cover.
This means your policy won’t provide the same level of cover as before, but your premiums may be more affordable on an ongoing basis. Our customers tend to consider this option when their circumstances make them unsure of their future financial situation. It also depends on what your cover needs are.
To talk to us about the options that might be available to you please call us on 0330 102 3638. For our opening hours please visit our contact us page. Please don’t cancel your payments without speaking to us first as we may be able to help.
Further guidance and support
If you have been financially affected by coronavirus please visit our coronavirus FAQs for more information.
There are also a number of organisations that offer free independent advice. For example, The Money Advice Service and National Debtline. These independent organisations offer tools and resources to support you if you are in financial difficulty. These include online budget planners, affordability calculators and information on support such as the Breathing Space scheme, which gives a 60 day period where debt cannot be pursued. This scheme can be used once in a 12 month period.
We show your previous year’s price on your renewal invite, along with your renewal price. This will help you to compare prices based on the same cover.
Like us, as pets get older, sadly they're more likely to get ill. In fact our claims data shows that the cost of looking after your pet's health doubles every four to five years. That's why your renewal price increases each year and your excess will increase when your pet turns nine, even if you haven't had to make a claim.
Unfortunately, once a pet has been taken ill, in general they're more likely to get ill again. That's why, if a claim is paid, the price you will pay next year can double.
It’s important you budget for renewal prices to increase as your pet gets older. How much they go up is different for everyone and depends on things like your pet’s breed, their age and health, and there is no limit to how much your renewal price can increase over time.
You may also have had an introductory discount that only applies to the first year of your new policy.
Please read your schedule carefully for details of how the excess applies to you and your pet.
If you made any changes to your policy during the year, the price shown may not match what you paid at the start of the year. That's because we've applied the cost of any changes you made to the whole year.
We’ve done this to allow you to make a like for like comparison with your renewal price. We've shown you the amount that you would’ve paid a year ago with the cover you have at the time you’re renewing your policy.
We’re showing your total price as we want you to be able to make an easy comparison. We show an annualised cost because your monthly instalments might’ve changed if you made a change to your policy during the year.
On your renewal invite we’ve told you:
- how much your annual price is if you choose to make a one-off payment,
- your monthly Direct Debit amount, and
- the total amount this will be across the whole year.
In your schedule, you’ll find a detailed breakdown of your price and what’s included in your policy, including any additional cover options you chose. This will help you compare your policy should you wish to shop around.
If you do, please be aware that some of our policy benefits may be available to our existing customers only, so it’s important that you consider this in your comparisons.
If your pet has been involved in a minor accident and you don't think their life is at risk or they are in a lot of pain, you can call vetfone at any time of day or night on 0800 072 8190 for further advice. If they advise you to see a vet, their staff can help to locate your nearest urgent treatment centre.
If you have hearing or speech difficulties you can use Relay UK via textphone by adding 18001 before dialling; or simply download the Relay UK App on your mobile or tablet.
If your pet has been involved in a more serious accident and you think their life may be at risk or they're in pain, you should see a vet as soon as possible.
If your pet has seen a vet and you would like to start making a claim you can download the pet claim form. We may be able to pay your vet directly.
For more advice you can also call one of our pet claims team.
If your dog or cat is microchipped, contact the microchipping company to see if they’ve been handed in anywhere. Contact your local animal rescue centres, ask your neighbours and put the word out on social media. Our pet insurance can help with advertising and reward money if your pet goes astray. Our lost and found cover is included on Classic and Premier and optional on Accident Only and Basic cover levels.
If your vet is happy for us to pay them direct then we are able to do so. You will need to let us know on the claim form.
We aim to process your claim as quickly as possible. Sometimes claims can take longer than expected if we require further information from you or your vet.
