All about TrustedPals

(for humans)

All about TrustedPals

(for humans)

Pet insurance explained for humans

We know that pet insurance can seem a bit complicated at times, so we've put together some handy information here to make sure you’re up to speed with the details.

 
We also recommend that you take a good look at our full plan wordings, which you can find here:
And if you’d like to keep a copy of some of the key information on this page, you can download our useful guides:
We’ve broken down some of our plan wording here to provide helpful explanations – and we hope it makes getting to grips with what’s what a lot easier for you.
But if there’s any difference between what we’ve said here and what the plan wording says – the plan wording wins out.
Remember that our plan has exclusions too (meaning that there are certain things which aren’t covered).
Even if we say something’s covered below, exclusions in the plan wording still apply.
 
Alternative and holistic treatments
This refers to non-traditional therapies, like hydrotherapy or acupuncture. Our plans cover these types of treatment.
 
Chronic condition
This is an Illness or Injury which can be treated but not Cured. This type of condition could be covered, so long as it’s not a Pre-existing condition.
For example, if your pet injures a bone, is in some discomfort or pain, and the injury will never fully heal, your plan could cover the cost of prescription drugs to help relieve their pain, or physiotherapy to manage the condition.
 
Co-pay
Your co-pay is a contribution towards the cost of each claim you make. It’s based on a percentage. For example, if you had a 20% co-pay and no Deductible, and you made a $1,000 claim, you’d pay $200 towards the cost and your insurer would pick up the rest of the bill.
 
Covered veterinary expenses
This is the term we use to refer to all vet’s expenses that are covered by your plan (meaning they’re the expenses you can claim for).
 
Cured
It might seem like common sense, but we have to be really specific about what ‘cured’ means in terms of our plan.
It means that an Illness or Injury your pet had now has no effect on them, and they’ve been restored to normal health.
They don’t need any further treatment or help from a vet.
 
Deductible
Your deductible is a contribution towards the cost of each claim you make. The deductibles on our plans are annual, so if you had a $500 deductible and a 0% Co-pay, then made a $1,000 claim, you’d pay a $500 deductible on that claim.
If you then made another claim that year, no deductible would be taken from your claim’s value, as you’d already paid it.
 
Illness
A change in your pet’s health relating to a sickness or disease. That includes a sickness or disease that’s directly caused by your pet being pregnant (but breeding and pregnancy procedures aren’t covered by the plan).
 
Injury
By this, we mean physical harm to your pet’s body which you couldn’t have predicted. For example, if they run, accidentally fall down a set of stairs and hurt themselves, that’d be covered.
 
Limit
Your limit is the maximum amount you can claim for over the course of a plan year.
With TrustedPals, you can choose a limit of $4,000, $8,000 or $15,000 – or pick an unlimited plan, which means there’s no limit to the amount you can claim.
 
Pre-existing conditions
This is what we call any Illness or Injury your pet had before the plan was taken out.
We don’t cover these, or any Illness or Injury that develops as the result of a pre-existing condition. However, new conditions that don’t relate to any pre-existing conditions would be covered.
 
Veterinarian
Or just ‘vet’ for short. This means a properly licensed and registered professional who is actively practising in the state where your pet gets examined, or receives treatment.
But the vet can’t be you or a member of your immediate family (for example, your husband, wife, brother or sister), even if you (or they) are a fully licensed and registered vet.
 
Waiting period
This is how long your pet has to wait from the time the plan is bought, to the time their coverage starts. Our waiting period is just 14 days, which is one of the shortest in the industry!
However, there’s a 12-month waiting period for Illnesses or Injuries which relate to hip dysplasia or cruciate ligament injuries. So long as you renew the plan after the first year, and carry on renewing it, these conditions would be covered after the first year.
 
Wellness
Our wellness plan is optional. It covers your pet for things like preventive dental care (for example, teeth cleaning), a physical exam of your pet, or other treatment that takes care of their general wellbeing. You’ll get a budget of $750 a year to spend on treatments like these – so long as they’re recommended by a licensed vet.
 
Your ‘premium’ is the amount you pay us every month (or each year) for your pet’s plan. These are affected by a few different things, which we want to spell out so that you fully understand where the number comes from.
 
What we think about
Here are the key things we take into account when working out your premiums.
 
Your pet’s age
We’ll look at your pet’s age when working out how much their plan will cost. And when their plan renews, the premiums might increase – since they’re more likely to have off days as they get older.
However, we don’t put an age cap on our plans, meaning that so long as you keep renewing your plan and paying your premiums, your pet will be covered for life.
 
Where your pet lives
The cost of vet care is different depending on where you are. We assume that normally, you’ll be taking your pet to a vet close to home, so we work out your premiums based on our knowledge of the local costs.
Having said that, if you’re out on a road trip and your pet falls sick, or gets hurt, you can take them to see any suitably licensed vet near you at the time. And if you move home permanently, you need to tell us about the change and we might need to tweak your premiums to make sure they’re still covered.
 
Your pet’s breed
Some breeds are luckier than others, and are less prone to illnesses and injuries – this affects how much you’ll pay for your plan.
 
What we don’t think about
There are things which some other insurers use when working out how much to charge, which we don’t look at.
 
Your pet’s health
Unlike some other providers, we won’t make you take your pet for a medical exam before covering them, and their health at the time you get a quote won’t affect the price. But if they do have an illness or injury when the plan’s taken out, we call that a pre-existing condition – and we won’t cover that specific condition.
 
If your pet is a boy or a girl
They’re all good boys and good girls to us – we don’t change premiums based on this.
 
If your pet ever gets sick or injured, it’s important to know exactly how to make a claim, so they can get back on their paws as quickly as possible.
 
Our claims process is designed to be as quick and easy as possible – and it only takes a few minutes.
 
Here’s how it works
  1. Pay your vet like normal.
  2. Make sure to get your bill at the end of your appointment with the vet. You’ll need a digital copy, so ask your vet for one or take a photo.
  3. Make your claim by answering a few (simple) questions and uploading the digital copy of your bill.
  4. We’ll take care of the rest! We always aim to get back to you within 10 working days – and much sooner if possible.
  5.  
If your pet’s covered for something, it’s always worth claiming – even if it seems like a small amount. It all goes towards your annual deductible, which could mean you pay less for other claims later in the same year.
 
Even the smartest pets get a little lost sometimes. Maybe they’ve chased a car down the road and forgotten the way home, or escaped into the neighbor’s back garden.
 
No matter where their adventures take them, it’s important that they can always get back to you. That’s where the free TrustedPals tag comes in handy. There’s a special code on it that other humans can use to tell us they’ve found your pet, and guide them home.
 
Here’s how it works
1. Hook your TrustedPals tag onto your pet’s collar. Make sure it’s secure.
2. Your pet’s free to explore the world, showing off their tag as they  go.
3. If they get lost, other humans can use the unique code on the tag to tell us they’ve found you.
 
Then we’ll let you know what’s going on.