FAQs
Find the answers to all our frequently asked questions below.
Popular Questions
Which animals do you insure?
Pets in a Pickle insure cats and dogs. Pick the pet insurance policy to suit their needs.
Do you have an age limit?
You can purchase pet insurance for your dog or cat as soon as they are over eight weeks old. There is no upper age limit, apart from death from illness cover. The upper age limit for death from illness cover is 6 years for a dog, and 8 years for a cat.
What if my pet has pre-existing conditions?
Do you cover working dogs?
Dogs used for working, trade, profession or business are not covered.
Do you cover the cost of neutering?
How are pedigree, crossbreed and mongrels defined?
A cat or dog is considered to be a pedigree if your pet has parents of the same breed. If your pet has parents of different breeds, it is considered to be a crossbreed. A mongrel (dog) or moggie (cat) is a pet with a mix of three or more breeds.
Is neutering and spaying covered by pet insurance?
Our Policies
Lifetime Cover
This cover provides a financial limit for all new accidents and illnesses, combined per year. When the financial limit has been reached, no further claims can be made until the policy is renewed at which point the financial limit is fully reinstated as long as your insurance policy remains in force with no breaks in cover and premiums are kept up to date.
12 Month Cover
What is Lifetime cover?
Lifetime cover means you can make continued claims for illnesses and injuries up to the maximum level of cover of vet’s fees covered by your insurance policy. This level of cover is reset at each renewal subject to the policy remaining in force and a renewal being offered. Take a look at the full selection of pet insurance policies.
Does the fixed excess need to be paid only once or every year for ongoing illness?
The fixed excess is payable per incident, per year. Additionally, if your pet is referred to another vet or practice in the same policy year, the fixed excess will apply for a second time for each illness or accident. There is a 10% variable excess payable for pets aged 6 years and above, in addition to the fixed excess.
Can I pay for my policy in instalments?
You can spread the cost of your annual pet insurance policy over the year by paying by Direct Debit (subject to status, 0% APR). Or, if you prefer, you can pay your premium in a lump sum by debit card or credit card.
What is a fixed excess and how much will this be?
What is a variable excess and how does this work?
Who underwrites the pet insurance policy?
Pets in a Pickle policies that incepted on or after 1st April 2024 are underwritten by Covea Insurance plc. Pets in a Pickle policies that incepted on or before 31st March 2024 are underwritten by West Bay Insurance Plc (previously named Zenith Insurance Plc).
Will I get to choose my vet?
Will routine treatment be covered?
Routine examinations and treatment are excluded from cover. (For example flea/tick treatment and worming).
What should I do if I need to cancel my policy?
You can cancel your policy at any time. If you want to cancel in the first 14 days, providing you have not made a claim you will receive a refund of your paid premium. If you want to cancel after this time, then you will be charged for the time your pet has been insured. If you have made a claim on your policy and you want to cancel then the full premium for the year will become due, unless the only claim in the current policy year is for the death or loss of your pet.
To cancel your policy, you can:
Call us on 0333 126 0001
Email us at: Customerqueries@petsinapickle.co.uk
Write to our Complaints Manager at:
Pets in a Pickle Pet Insurance, 2nd Floor, 5000 Lakeside, North Harbour,
Western Road,
Portsmouth O6 3EN
Documentation
How will I receive my documents?
To protect our environment, all documentation is sent via email. When your policy renews, your renewal notice, along with your schedule of insurance and policy wording will be emailed to you approximately 21 days before your renewal date. Should you require paper copies of your documents, contact us on 0330 126 0001.
What should I do if I do not receive my documentation?
If you do not receive your documentation, please check your spam or junk email, as sometimes internet security settings may divert them here. If they are not there, then call a member of the team on 0330 126 0001.
Claims Questions
How do I claim for vet bills?
Please see our claims page
How long does the claim process take?
On average, we typically aim to process claims within 4 weeks once all supporting information has been provided. However, we are currently experiencing delays. As a result, it may take longer than usual to process your claims. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Please rest assured that our team is working hard to speed up the process and improve our response times as soon as possible. We would like to thank you for your patience and understanding.
Complaints
What should I do if I want to submit a complaint?
We are committed to providing you with an exceptional level of service and customer care. We realise, however, that sometimes things can go wrong and there may be occasions when you feel that we have not provided the service you expect from us.
Full details on our complaint procedure are held in our Policy Documents, however the contact details to use in which to submit a complaint are:
Write to our Complaints Manager at:
Pets in a Pickle Pet Insurance
2nd Floor
5000 Lakeside
North Harbour
Western Rd
Portsmouth
PO6 3EN
Email us at: Customerqueries@petsinapickle.co.uk
Call us on 0333 126 0001