If you need to make a claim on your pet insurance, you may need to pay an excess, a co-payment or both.
They work in different ways, so understanding the difference can help you know what to expect before you make a claim.
You can find the excess and co-payment that apply to your policy in your policy schedule. Your schedule is available in your customer account.
What is an excess?
An excess is the fixed amount you chose to pay towards each illness or injury when you first bought your pet insurance policy.
For example:
- if your accepted vet fees claim is £1,000
- and your excess is £100
- you’ll pay the first £100
The excess applies separately to each illness or injury. So, if your pet is treated for two unrelated conditions at the same time, each condition will have its own excess.
You’ll also need to pay the excess again if treatment for the same condition continues into a new period of insurance. For example, if your policy renews in March and your pet is still receiving treatment after the renewal date, a new excess will apply for the new period of insurance.
What is a co-payment?
A co-payment is the percentage of an accepted vet fees claim that you agree to pay after we take off your excess. You choose your co-payment when you buy your policy, and the percentage you select is shown on your policy schedule. A co-payment is optional, so you don’t have to choose one when you buy your policy.
For example, if your accepted claim is £1,000, your excess is £100 and your co-payment is 10%:
- we deduct the £100 excess first
- this leaves £900
- your 10% co-payment is worked out on the remaining £900
- you pay £90 as your co-payment
Co-payments only apply to vet fees claims.
What’s the difference between an excess and a co-payment?
Although both are amounts you contribute towards a claim, they’re worked out differently.
An excess is a fixed amount that you chose when you bought your policy. A co-payment is a percentage of the remaining claim amount after the excess has been deducted.
Using the example above:
- the accepted claim is £1,000
- your excess is £100
- your co-payment is 10% of the remaining £900, which is £90
- you pay £190 in total
- we pay the remaining £810
The amount we pay will still depend on your policy terms, cover limits and any costs that aren’t covered by your policy.
When do you pay your excess and co-payment?
If your claim is accepted, we’ll take off any excess and co-payment before making payment. If we pay you directly, you’ll need to pay the remaining amount to your vet yourself.
If we pay your vet directly, the excess and co-payment will stay outstanding on your vet bill, so you’ll pay those amounts directly to your vet.
What happens when your dog turns 9?
When you buy your policy, you choose the co-payment that suits you. However, once your dog reaches 9 years old, a mandatory 20% co-payment applies from your next renewal.
For example, if your dog turns 9 in January and your policy renews in March, the 20% co-payment will apply from your March renewal onwards. If you already chose a 20% co-payment when you bought your policy, it won’t increase any further.
Do excesses and co-payments apply to every claim?
No, co-payments only apply to vet fees claims. If you need to make a third-party liability claim for your dog, a separate excess applies. This is different from your vet fees excess, and there is no co-payment for third-party liability claims. Your policy schedule will show the amount that applies.
Check what applies to your policy
The excess and co-payment on your policy may be different from the examples above.
You can log in to your customer account to view your policy schedule and check the amounts that apply to yourpet insurance.
