Frequently Asked Questions

In general, your premium is based on your pet’s age, your pet’s breed, and where your pet lives. Some other factors that impact your premium are the plan you choose, if you have included preventative care coverage or not, and the discounts for which you are eligible.

You can view our sample policy here: https://www.spotpetinsurance.ca/sample-policy/

There’s no Open Enrollment period, you can buy and drop pet insurance at any time.  Your pet must be at least 8 weeks old in order to enroll in a pet insurance plan from Spot.

A deductible is the once-a-year amount in eligible veterinary fees that you are responsible for satisfying (paying to your vet and submitting as a claim) before reimbursement under your policy can be provided. Because our plan’s deductibles are annual, you only need to satisfy the deductible once per term, and only if you submit an eligible claim. It is not an extra charge.

The Routine or Advanced wellness riders can only be added to an Accident & Illness plan – it cannot be purchased on it’s own or added to an Accident plan. If you would like to add wellness to your existing Illness & Accident plan, you can do so at your next annual renewal.

You can enroll puppies as young as 8 weeks of age and adult pooches up to 10 years old. Kittens may be enrolled as young as 8 weeks of age and cats up to 12 years old. Once your pet is enrolled, they can stay on their Spot policy for life.

Dogs 12 and over and cats 13 and older can be enrolled in an Accident policy.

In cases where you don't know your pet's age, please estimate based on available medical records, shelter or rescue documentation.

A pet’s illness or accident is considered pre-existing if the condition was onset before the pet insurance policy coverage effective dates, or during a waiting period. This means if the first signs or symptoms of a condition showed up before coverage started, it would be considered pre-existing to coverage, even if it was not formally diagnosed. The most common reason why an illness or an accident is not covered by any pet insurance provider is if the condition was present before coverage started. For coverage to be available with almost all types of insurance, the problem must be new and unexpected.

For example, if typical symptoms of allergies (itchy skin, ear infections) were present before the coverage was effective or appeared within the waiting period of the policy, the allergies and related conditions, such as itchy paws and pyoderma, would be pre-existing to coverage.

Pet insurance can put money back in your pocket for veterinary costs needed to diagnose, treat, and manage an eligible condition. Exams and rechecks, x-rays, ultra-sounds, bloodwork, surgeries, stitches, medication, and prescriptions, and even prescription diets are all examples of costs that can be claimed for if they are used to treat or diagnose a covered condition.

Because Spot Pet Insurance coverage can apply to so many different treatments for accident and illnesses, the easiest way to understand our policies is by knowing what is not covered. The most common types of conditions not covered are pre-existing conditions, elective and routine treatments, dental, and reproductive treatments, or conditions.

A complete list of exclusions can be found in our sample policy documents.

An accident is a situation where an external influence causes harm to your pet. Examples of accidents are falls from a height, cuts, blunt force trauma, and poisoning.

An illness is a situation where some part of your pet’s body is not functioning properly or has not developed normally. This could include things like vomiting and diarrhoea, skin disease, diabetes, or arthritis.

An emergency is any situation in which your pet needs immediate medical attention. Emergencies can occur because of a severe or sudden illness, like a seizure or bloat, or they can occur because of an accident or trauma.

Many accidents are emergencies, but not all emergencies are accidents. Many sudden-onset illnesses originate from a problem within the body and require emergency care.

Pet insurance is a type of coverage that helps offset the cost of veterinary care for your pet. It can help in covering vet expenses related to accidents, illnesses, and preventive care. By having pet insurance, you can protect your pet's health and potentially avoid significant financial burdens in case of unexpected medical needs.

We do offer a few discounts, however, specific products, features, coverage limits, rates, and discounts vary by province. Call and speak with one of our Advisors to find out if a discount can be applied to your policy premium.

Waiting periods are a predetermined amount of time that must pass before coverage becomes effective and available for any new accident or illness. There is no coverage available for conditions that first appear before waiting periods have ended. To help you keep track of these specific calendar dates, we provide these to you during the checkout process and print them in your policy documents.

Medical records are the veterinarian's detailed examination notes written during your pet’s examinations, also known as "chart notes" or "SOAP" notes. These records will indicate your pet's condition, veterinary observations, diagnostic tests, treatment plans, and other information crucial in managing your pets' health.

If your pet was adopted, we ask for a copy of all documents provided by the adoption facility, as these often include important medical information. It’s also great to submit a completed copy of our Health Checklist, found here

If you don’t have any medical history available for your pet, you must see a veterinarian within the first 30 days of your policy for a complete health check-up, and submit a completed Health Checklist, along with the medical records from the visit.

If you do not know the exact date of birth of your pet, please use your best estimate based on your pet’s medical records or shelter/rescue documentation. Your pet’s correct age may be validated when reviewing your pet’s medical records. Spot offers puppy insurance and kitten insurance for young pets.

A pet’s illness or accident is considered pre-existing if the condition was onset before the policy coverage effective dates, or during a waiting period. This means if the first signs or symptoms of a condition showed up before coverage started, it would be considered pre-existing to coverage, even if it was not formally diagnosed. The most common reason why an illness or an accident is not covered by any pet insurance provider is if the condition was present before coverage started. For coverage to be available with almost all types of insurance, the problem must be new and unexpected.

For example, if typical symptoms of allergies (itchy skin, ear infections) were present before the coverage was effective or appeared within the waiting period of the policy, the allergies and related conditions, such as itchy paws and pyoderma, would be pre-existing to coverage.

Additional Benefit coverage limits are independent of your Accident or Illness and Accident policy., If you use all your annual coverage and need to make a claim under an Additional Benefits coverage, you can do so!

Additional Benefits are a group of special situations, like if your pet goes missing or needs to be boarded during an emergency, that we can help you out with. These benefits are provided over and above the annual limits of your regular policy. Learn more about your Additional Benefits by reviewing your policy, or view our sample policy here.

You can enroll puppies as young as 8 weeks of age and adult pooches up to 10 years old. Kittens may be enrolled as young as 8 weeks of age and cats up to 12 years old. Once your pet is enrolled, they can stay on their Spot policy for life.

Dogs 12 and over and cats 13 and older can be enrolled in an Accident policy.

In cases where you don't know your pet's age, please estimate based on available medical records, shelter or rescue documentation.

Most Spot Pet Insurance programs don’t offer dental coverage. For full details about what types of dental treatments can and cannot be covered, please review the terms and conditions of your plan.

Routine and preventative care treatments, such as annual wellness check-ups, vaccines or other treatments such as spaying and neutering or dental cleanings are not part of regular Accident & Illness plan coverage and are not available with an Accident plan’s coverage.

If you are interested in adding on this type of coverage for a little bit more each month, call to learn more about our optional wellness riders, available to add on to most Accident & Illness policies.

Veterinary costs from the treatment of eligible conditions leading to the end of your pet’s life can be submitted under your Accident or Illness and Accident coverage. Under your plan there are Additional Benefits for Euthanasia and Cremation – You can log into your portal account at members.spotpetinsurance.ca to review your plan’s coverage limits for Additional Benefits. Optional memorial items such as paw prints or urns are not included in your plan’s coverage.

‘Named peril’ applies when coverage is available for a specific list of conditions or treatments. For Spot Pet Insurance programs, ‘named peril’ coverage refers to a list of 10 common illnesses.

Uniquely, Spot plan’s offer these named peril illnesses coverage on the 3rd day of coverage, where many other providers don’t offer any illness coverage until a 14 or 30 day waiting period has passed! It’s one of the ways we are here for you and your pet.

Yes. If you need to cancel your claim request for any reason, please contact our team.

With pet insurance, you pay your vet bill as you normally would, and then you submit your claim to get reimbursed for eligible expenses, based on the parameters of your coverage.

If you disagree with the outcome of a claim, you can submit a Reassessment Request. Please complete a Reassessment Request form and submitting new or additional information or documentation to support your request.

Examples of additional information or documentation are your pet’s complete medical records if not previously submitted, lab or test results, and a statement from your vet that includes details about the reason for reassessing the claim. Reassessment Request forms must be submitted within 90 days from the date on your claim’s Explanation of Benefits letter.

When a premium payment does not go through successfully, we will send you an email letting you know. If you know you’ve missed a payment please give us a call at 1-888-501-7768, or log in to your account at https://members.spotpetinsurance.ca/ to update your payment details. Premiums must be kept up to date for your policy to remain active.

If your pet goes to live with a different owner, continuous coverage may be available. There are rules that we must follow when transferring your insurance policy to another owner, and certain restrictions may apply. Please give us a call at 1-888-501-7768 to get the process started.

You can change your policy, but timing is everything! The best time to make changes to your policy is during your renewal period: the 60 days leading up to your policy anniversary, also known as your annual renewal date. You must call us at 1-888-501-7768 to make policy changes.  

We want to make sure you fully understand how the change will affect your pet’s coverage.  Any change is subject to underwriting and our approval, and certain changes may result in a new enrollment, with new waiting periods.

To learn more and to make changes to your pet’s plan, contact us Monday – Thursday 8 am-9 pm EST and Friday 8 am-7 pm EST at 1-888-501-7768.

These necessary increases provide you the opportunity to get help offering your pet the best medical treatment options available for eligible conditions.

Additionally, your premium will be affected by your pet’s age each year, as the risk for more costly claims grows higher. Your premium will not increase due to filing a claim.

Your policy will renew automatically every 12 months on your policy’s anniversary date unless you call us to cancel. We will contact you before your policy renews with full details about next year's premium, deductible, your share, and any other changes to your policy.

We would love to welcome your additional pets to the Spot family! Each pet must have their own individual policy. Enroll additional fur babies by following the ‘Add a new pet’ function at https://members.spotpetinsurance.ca/ or by calling us at 1-888-501-7768.

You can take your pet to any licensed veterinarian in Canada or when traveling in the United States— even specialists and emergency care providers. Spot Pet Insurance programs reimburse in Canadian dollars the cost of care from a licensed veterinarian in the US should something happen while you are traveling- currencies will not be exchanged.

To process a claim, we look at your pet’s condition, the onset and treatment dates, and your closed invoices. Sometimes, we need your pet’s updated medical records to understand the case better. When you help us collect this information, we can get your claim done faster.

Claims are put on hold if we are missing information or need some more details from you – if this happens, we will send you an email to tell you what it is we are looking for! If you need some further assistance on understanding what is missing, please give our team a call during business hours at 1-888-501-7768.

Every claim goes through a few steps in the assessment process. Here is a helpful guide to explain what your current claim status means.

Your payments are processed automatically using the payment method and frequency we have on file. We accept Visa and Mastercard credit cards, or direct debit payments from a checking account!

If you already have a policy with us, your policy will tell you how long you have from the date on the invoice to submit a claim to us! You can log in to your Portal Account to view your policy documents. 

Spot Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 allow 180 days from treatment to submit a claim to us. Please note that if your claim is submitted on your behalf by your veterinary clinic, you are responsible to ensure it is submitted within the eligible time frame.