If there’s one thing you should know about our pet insurance, it’s that we do everything we can to make sure our policies are easy to understand. Here’s what you need to know about our waiting periods.
So, you just found out that your precious Fluffy qualifies for pet insurance. You’ve chosen a pet insurance plan you are happy with and have a quote that fits your budget, along with your plan that provides cover for all his healthcare needs. Kudos to you.
But now you have found out that there are standard waiting periods that apply for your newly enrolled pet. What benefits in your plan do they apply to, and why do you even have waiting periods in the first place? Let’s break it down for you.
Discover: 9 Smart Ways to Save Money on Vet Costs in South Africa
What is a waiting period?
A waiting period is a specific amount of time that has to pass before you can claim for a specific event. Certain events have specific waiting periods. For example, vet visit cover will have a different waiting period compared to cover for vet bills related to pre-existing conditions – oh yeah, we cover those too!
Your waiting period starts on the inception date of your policy and will apply to certain conditions and claims. Whilst the length of your waiting periods will vary depending on your insurer, it is standard for all insurers to include waiting periods.
Why do pet insurers have waiting periods in place?
There are a number of reasons as to why pet insurers will not let you claim straight away for certain events. The biggest reason is to prevent people from only taking out pet insurance because their pet is ill.
For example, if you notice something is wrong with Fluffy, which makes you decide to purchase a pet insurance policy for this reason alone to help cover the costs of vet bills, waiting periods in place will stop this from happening.
Waiting periods ensure there is no fraud involved when pets are enrolled into a new insurance policy and helps your insurance provider to know that you are not solely enrolling your pet because they are sick, injured or have a pre-existing condition.
How are waiting periods affected if I change policies?
There are a number of reasons as to why you might decide to switch pet insurance policies. Maybe you are wanting to change from comprehensive pet cover to a more basic policy to cut costs, or maybe you are wanting to move to a new insurer. Depending on the policy change (whether changing plans or changing insurers), certain waiting periods will apply.
Related: Can I transfer my pet insurance policy to a new owner?
If you change plans with your current insurer, and want to upgrade or downgrade your plan, then new waiting periods will apply for additional cover and increase in cover from the effective date of the amendment. The same goes for switching insurers, each insurer has their own specific waiting periods in place that will apply to your new policy.
Always know what you are covered for (and what you are not)
Make sure you always know what your pet is covered for and what they are not. Read through your policy and find out what the specific exclusions are. This way you know exactly what you can claim for. It’s also a good idea to find out how to claim and how long it takes for your pet insurer to reimburse your claim.
If you have routine care or vet visit cover included in your plan with Oneplan Pet Insurance, then we will front you with the cash you need BEFORE you visit your vet using our transactional Oneplan Claim Card (sent to you when you become a part of a pawsome Oneplan family).
What are Oneplan’s waiting periods?
Vet visits: 30 days
Routine Care: 30 days
Kennel Cover: 60 days
Accident Cover: None
Illness Cover: 60 days
Burial & Cremation: 12 months
The great thing about us is that you can access your policy wording document and cover details from the palm of your hand using the Oneplan App. 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.
Read next: 9 Most Common Pet Insurance Claims and What They Cost
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