Why do you need to wait to claim from your pet insurance? Let’s jump into why waiting periods matter and why the wait is worth it!
If you’re a pet owner in 2024 (and plan on being one for many years to come) it would do you good to become well-acquainted with the ins and outs of pet insurance. The more you understand your pet insurance policy, the smoother the whole process becomes. Plus, you want to be able to enjoy your benefits as soon as they become available!
We care a lot about how well you understand your policy, which is why you can access your policy wording document and cover details from the palm of your hand using the Oneplan App (we’ll chat more about our app later on).
If you are still unclear, you can even use the app’s chat function to talk to someone from our claims team should you have any questions related to your cover or claims.
Discover: Is there a right time to get Pet Insurance?
Learning the Lingo
One thing that drives us nuts about the way most insurers speak about their policies and benefits is that they make the whole thing SO much more confusing than it needs to be! We believe that your insurance needs to be exactly that: yours.
That means you’re the one who needs to understand the ins and outs, and we’re the ones who need to get you up to speed. At Oneplan, we don’t like complicated. We like simple, we like easy, and we like our clients to know exactly what’s cracking. So, let’s break down the two main terms we’ll be talking about when it comes to waiting periods and pet insurance:
Inception date
Your inception date is the very first day that your pet insurance kicks in (what a fantastic day, indeed). Your inception date will start after the first successful premium payment and will always fall on the first day of the month to make things easy.
Waiting period
Waiting periods always have been and always will be a standard part of any insurance policy. Waiting periods are easy enough to understand; it is the agreed-upon amount of days that need to pass before you can claim for a certain event or service. Your insurer should be able to walk you through the exact waiting periods for each policy before you sign.
You may be wondering, why do waiting periods exist? Surely you should be able to jump right into your pet’s healthcare? No, and for good reason. Insurance is a risk game, and whilst we protect you from the risks out there, we also need to protect ourselves. Waiting periods prevent people from trying to dupe the system so we can continue to protect our clients.
Related: The price of not having pet insurance: can you afford it?
Oneplan Waiting Periods
With Oneplan Pet Insurance, our waiting periods are as follows:
- Casualty (Pawsualty for Pets – for when they visit the vet but are not admitted): 30 days
- Pet Med Savings (the Routine Care they need to stay healthy): 30 days
- Excess Buster Add On (pay zero excess on claims): Immediate
- Diagnostic Booster (added cover for diagnostic procedures): 60 days
- Kennel cover (for when you are sick, and they need a safe place to stay): 60 days
- Hospital Admission for Illnesses: 60 days
- Hospital Admission for Accidents: Immediate
We know that when life happens, it happens fast, and we don’t think there should be any waiting around! If your four-legged friend gets into an accident that causes physical damage which requires immediate medical attention, consider it covered. Even if your pet gets into an accident the day after you have become a Oneplan Family member, you will be covered under the terms and conditions of your policy.
Claiming with Oneplan Pet Insurance
Because we really value keeping you in the loop, we would like to make sure you are aware of your waiting periods before you claim. If you claim for something before your waiting period is over, your claim is going to get rejected which doesn’t look too great on your insurance history. Aside from the scary reminder, claiming has really never been easier. You can make claims for visits to the vet, routine care, and illnesses all through your Oneplan App.
Once you have loaded your claim, we will load funds onto your Onecard (a transactional card you will receive as soon as you become a part of the family) and pay you BEFORE you see the vet. If you need more proof regarding how simple our claiming system is, watch this quick video on how to claim for your pet using the Oneplan App.
Your Pet Insurance Family,
Oneplan
