Pet insurance is an expensive business. In fact in my family, our fluffy family members are as expensive to insure as our cars.

And it seems that the Walker family is not alone in facing high bills for our moggies and pooches.

In fact, complaints about pet insurance are up by almost 40% according to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Apparently a lot of this is down to the recent trend for vets to offer acupuncture and hydrotherapy for rheumatism and arthritis... and many insurers aren’t paying up for these treatments.

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How to make sure your pet is covered

So, to help make sure that if your furry friend gets into difficulty you will definitely get the payout you deserve, here are my top tips to getting the payout you've paid your premiums for.

  • Read the policy - Insurance policies are among the dullest passages of text in the universe, but it is worth carefully reading through the small print of your policy.

    It should always tell you what sorts of treatments are covered, for how long, and what sort of excess you will be expected to pay.

  • Don’t trip up over minor points of order - Whenever you take your pet to the vet’s make sure you know the process needed to ensure a smooth insurance claim.

    For example, many policies will allow you to cover multiple bills for the same condition under one claim, but not always.

    So if you’re going to be faced with lots of trips to the vet, make sure you won’t have to pay the excess for every trip.

  • If you can, pay by credit card - Paying for vet’s bills by credit card gives you more security if the cost of the treatment spirals quickly – especially if your insurance providers drag their heels when paying out

  • If you’re unsure, make a phone call! - A trip to the vet’s is not a test – you’re not going to be expected to know the fine details of your cover by heart.

    So if you’re unsure, call the insurance company before you agree to any treatments for your pets.

  • Take it to the ombudsman - If you go through with your pet insurance claim and it is rejected, you don’t have to give up there.

    If it has been eight weeks since you first made the claim, or you have an official letter from your insurance company stating that they are refusing to pay out, you can take the matter up with the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Let James help you complain @resolvercouk and via resolver.co.uk