FAQ

Insurance

How do pet insurance waiting periods work?

1 Sept 2023

A waiting period ⏱️ is the period of time you'll need to wait for your pet's cover to begin after their plan starts.

Fetch Pet insurance waiting periods

At Fetch, we have specific waiting periods for different types of cover:

  • Injuries (e.g., a broken leg from a fall or a cut paw): 48 hours

  • Illnesses (e.g., a tumor or kidney disease): 30 days

  • Specific Conditions (Cruciate Ligaments, Patellar Luxation, Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia, BOAS, Cherry Eye): 90 days

Skip waiting periods with Fetch ⏭️

Fetch allows you to skip the waiting periods through a simple in-app process. 📲 After signing up, follow the instructions so we can check your pet looks healthy. If everything checks out, we can skip the waiting periods for your pet. ✅ We typically complete this review within 1 working day.

In the cover section of your app, you can see the countdown of waiting periods and when they’re skipped.

Fast Claims and pre-existing condition checks 👩‍⚕️

Waiting periods are separate from checks for pre-existing conditions. These conditions might still be excluded as a pet could appear healthy but have underlying or ongoing issues.

Fetch offers an upfront check for pre-existing conditions. After signing up, let us know your vet's details in the app. We’ll contact them for your pet's records and inform you of any pre-existing conditions that aren’t covered. This process usually takes a few weeks depending on when we hear back from your vets.