Pet travel insurance & holiday cover
Protecting your pet abroad
Provided by Pinnacle Insurance plc
Relax and unwind – we’ve got you covered
Whether you’re sightseeing with your Siamese cat or enjoying a beach break with your Beagle, our holiday cover will help make travelling with your pet easier.
We’ll provide:
- Cover for overseas vet fees
- Help with quarantine costs due to illness or misplaced travel documents
- Cover for additional accommodation bills if your pet is lost or too ill to return as scheduled
- Help with replacement travel documents for your pet, if they’re lost or stolen
What you’re covered for
We’ll cover costs in any country included in the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS)* – up to the limits set out below and in your certificate of insurance.
Holiday cover for pets
| Benefit | Time limited £3,000 | Lifetime £2,500 | Lifetime £5,000 | Lifetime £7,500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas vet fees NB this forms part of the overall vet fee allowance per year |
£3,000 | £2,500 | £5,000 | £7,500 |
| Quarantine costs | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,500 | £1,500 |
| Loss of pet travel documents | £250 | £250 | £250 | £250 |
| Emergency expenses abroad | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,500 | £1,500 |
Please note that we won't cover the cost of any pre-existing conditions and that terms, conditions, excesses, exclusions and limitations apply. You can find out more about the terms of our cover in our policy documents or your personalised Certificate of Insurance.
The benefits of our pet holiday cover
We’ve included a wide range of benefits in our holiday cover for pets.
Our insurance covers your pets for 90 days abroad each year. They’re insured anywhere, so long as they’re in a country named in the PETS (England) Order 1999*, and you comply with all its rules including those on passports, microchipping and vaccinations.
Overseas vet fees
Overseas vet treatment is simply an extension of your standard vet fees cover – so all the same treatments are covered and any payment is part of your total maximum benefit for vet fees.
As long as the treatment is carried out by a veterinary surgeon registered and working in a country covered by the PETS, we’ll reimburse you the cost of treatments.
Quarantine costs
Our cover will help meet quarantine costs because of an illness your pet suffers from while abroad, or because your pet’s travel documents get lost or stolen.
Loss of travel documents
If your pet’s travel documents are lost, stolen or destroyed while you’re away, we can help. Our cover will pay £250 towards getting replacement documents.
Emergency expenses abroad
Our emergency expenses abroad benefit covers you while you’re in any country covered by PETS*.
We’ll pay up to the limits set out in your policy for:
- Additional accommodation and homeward travel costs if your pet needs emergency vet treatment and you miss your scheduled departure back home
- Additional travel and accommodation costs and expenses when trying to find pets that have gone missing while abroad, before your scheduled return home
- Getting your pet back home if your cat or dog dies during your trip
- Additional accommodation costs you have to pay while waiting for replacement pet travel documents if the originals are lost, stolen or destroyed
- Additional travel costs to get back home if getting the replacement travel documents for your pet means you miss your scheduled departure
There are some things we don’t cover
In order to keep our insurance fair and as affordable as possible, our pet holiday cover won’t cover costs for:
- Claims while in countries not covered by PETS* or that occur because you have not complied with the scheme’s requirements
- Treatment without an official receipt that shows the vet’s address and phone number
- Illnesses, injuries and/or symptoms you knew about before travelling
- Faulty microchips you knew about before going on holiday
- Treatment abroad unless a vet has agreed your pet is too ill to travel home on the scheduled date
- Costs from trips made to get treatment abroad
- More than 14 days extra accommodation or more than £30 for each day’s board
- Any replacement pet travel documents if they were lost, stolen or destroyed before your trip
- Replacement pet travel documents if you don’t report their loss, theft or destruction to the vet that issued them within 24 hours
Your policy documents set out our holiday cover in full.
Need vet advice while you’re abroad?
If you’re abroad and your pet starts to seem off or unwell, you can always speak to a vet nurse using Sainsbury’s Bank 24/7 Vet Assistance.
They’re on hand, day and night, to help with any non-emergency queries about your pet’s health and wellbeing – wherever you are in the world.
Make a claim
If you’re in a country covered by the PETS, please give us a call on 0344 543 1032 to make a claim. Alternatively, log in to My Pet Portal.
We’re here Monday to Friday, 8am–6pm and Saturday, 9am–1pm. Calls are charged at local rates from landlines and mobiles and may be monitored and recorded.
You’ll need to provide:
- Evidence from the treating vet that your pet was too ill to travel home as scheduled when claiming for additional accommodation and repatriation costs
- Evidence your dog was microchipped before going abroad
- Receipts and bills for all the expenses claimed
Make a claim for overseas vet fees
When you make a claim for overseas vet fees, you’ll need to provide us with:
- A receipt endorsed with the address and telephone number of the veterinary surgery who provided the treatment
- A copy of your pet’s passport
- A copy of veterinary notes from the treating vet
It’s a good idea to make sure your vet is happy to provide these details before they treat your pet.
What is the Pet Travel Scheme?
The Pet Travel Scheme, also known as PETS*, is a scheme set up to make it easier and safer to travel abroad with pets.
Designed to stop the spread of rabies and other diseases, PETS allows you to take your pet in and out of specific countries without quarantine. This is as long as you meet certain criteria, for example, having the right documentation, identification and vaccinations.
With our cover for overseas vet treatment, you’ll be insured for a maximum of one year while in any of the countries included in the PETS, as long as you meet all the requirements.
Helpful pet guides
Looking for some light holiday reading? Check out our handy guides for you and your pet.
Pet health and wellbeing
Keep your pet healthy and happy – at home or abroad
Pets and holidays
All you need to think about when taking your pet on holiday
United Kingdom of Cats and Dogs
Find out how pet ownership in your area compares to the rest of the nation
Any questions?
If you’ve got a question about veterinary fees or travelling abroad with your pet, we might just have the answer.
Ready to protect your pet?
If you want pet insurance that helps covers the cost of vet fees abroad, you’re in the right place. Double check our policy documents to make sure you’re happy with the terms of our cover – then get going with your quote.
Terms and conditions
Important information
Sainsbury's Bank plc, Registered Office, 33 Holborn, London EC1N 2HT (registered in England and Wales, no. 3279730) is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (register no. 184514). Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd is an appointed representative of Sainsbury's Bank plc.
Sainsbury's Bank plc acts as an introducer to Pinnacle Insurance plc who is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (register number 110866). Registered Office: Pinnacle House, A1 Barnet Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 2XX. Sainsbury’s Bank plc and Pinnacle Insurance plc are not part of the same corporate group.