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If you want your pet insurance cover to continue year after year, you’ll need to renew it – unless you decide to switch to another providerof course.
Often pet insurance renewal is an automatic process. Your insurer will write to you around 28 days before your pet insurance plan ends, tell you the renewal price and as long as you don’t cancel your renewal will just go ahead at the new price.
But renewal time is a good opportunity to consider your cover and whether there’s anything to change about your plan. Perhaps your personal circumstances have changed, or you want to adjust your cover level.
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Key terms in pet insurance renewal
Before you have a conversation with your pet insurer, make sure you understand these pet insurance renewal terms.
Renewal premium
This is the amount you'll pay for the next year’s cover. It may differ from your previous premium due to changes in your pet’s age, health status, or adjustments in plan terms. It’s more likely to go up over time rather than down, we’re afraid.
Cover limits
These are the maximum amounts the insurer will pay out for each element of cover.
The main one will be your vet fee limit. At ManyPets we offer lifetime pet insurance which means you’ll have a vet fee limit that refreshes each year when you renew. Some other providers do things differently and have limits, for example, on each condition.
You may have separate cover limits on different types of cover as well, for example the limit for behavioural treatment might be lower than your overall vet fee limit. There might be a limit on complementary therapies, a separate limit on lost and stolen cover and so on.
You should also check if these limits refresh upon renewal.
Exclusions
Certain conditions or treatments might be excluded from your plan.
Always review exclusions at renewal to understand what isn’t covered.
Pre-existing conditions
This is a really important one. Pre-existing conditions are health issues your pet had before the start of the plan and most pet insurers won’t cover them.
Check how your insurer defines and handles these conditions at renewal. If you have a lifetime plan and the condition occurred while you had cover, the condition should still be covered after renewal.
But it’s a different story if you have a time-limited plan or the condition happened before you had a plan with that provider. It might not be covered, so renewal is a good time to check.
Unlike most other insurers, we can cover conditions that ended more than two years before your policy start date. We also have our Standard Care Pre-existing plan.
Excess
The excess is the amount you contribute towards the cost of a claim.
Sometimes your excess can change at renewal time, especially if your pet has reached a certain age where your insurer asks for a higher excess.
Most pet insurance plans have a co-payment clause for older pets. It’s an additional contribution to the claim, typically 20% of the claim value, that you’ll need to pay. It helps to keep the overall plan cost affordable for older dogs and cats.
For example, at ManyPets, our customers agree to a 20% co-payment when your pet is seven or over at renewal. You pay this per claim.
Like fixed excesses, co-payments help to make the insurance price more affordable.
Our excess and co-payment guide explains more.
Plan terms and conditions
Always read your renewal letter to understand any changes in the terms and conditions of your plan.
Your insurer should be stating any significant changes to your cover prominently in the renewal notice, so do make sure you read it carefully and don’t just look at the price.
Tips for straightforward renewal
Review your plan as soon as you get your renewal notice – don’t leave it until the last minute.
Update your information –check that all the details in your plan are up to date, including any new health conditions or your address if you’ve moved house.
Compare and contrast – look at other plans on the market to make sure you’re still getting the best deal for your needs. If you’re tempted to switch, just make sure you’ve thought about how that will affect cover for pre-existing conditions.
Consider changing plan types – If your pet’s needs have changed you might want to consider asking your insurer if you can switch to a different plan that better suits your needs. For example, one with a lower or higher vet fee limit.
Check for discounts – are you making the most of your insurer’s offers? For example, at ManyPets, we have a multi-pet discount if you have two or more cats and dogs, and our MoneyBack option could allow you to get 20% of your premium back if you haven't needed to make a claim in your policy year. MoneyBack is available on most of our plans.
Ask questions – if you’re confused or worried about your renewal terms, get in touch with your insurer and ask them to explain.
How to switch to us
Get a quote
You'll need to get a quote first and see if our cover is right for your pet.
Cancel your existing plan
You must tell your current insurer you want to cancel. Each insurer has their own plans for this, and some may ask you to pay any remaining premium, fees and cancel your existing Direct Debit.
Start your new plan
You'll then start your new plan, but almost all insurers have a 14-day waiting period between plans before you can claim.
Remember: we won't enforce the 14-day waiting period if you've been with your current insurer for 12 or more consecutive months.
Renewals at ManyPets
We hope you’ll be happy with your renewal letter and we always try to avoid jargon and make it as easy to understand as possible.
If you’d like to change your cover level, add optional extras or need to tell us about changes in details, just log into your online account, or get in touch.
Learn more about our pet insurance.
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