Pet owners who have pet insurance policies underwritten by The RSA Group will find that in future if their pet needs to be treated by a referral vet other than for emergency treatment, they will have to pay an additional charge if they are referred to a vet which is not part of the RSA Preferred Referral Network.
Pet insurance companies which are underwritten by RSA include More Than, Tesco, John Lewis, Homebase, M&S and Argos.
The Preferred Referral Network was launched on 16 December and currently comprises 27 practices. (Although this list is on the More Than website it is common for all pet insurances companies underwritten by The RSA Group.
The RSA Group say that they are currently in discussions with a number of other referral practices who have expressed an interest in joining the network.
It is important to be aware though that pet insurance policies are governed by the policy terms which are issued to the policyholder. So if pet owners (or their vets) wish to use a referral centre which is not part of the network, pet owners should check their documentation to find out whether additional charges will apply.
More Than & Tesco
At the present time the only pet insurance companies that we are aware have amended their documentation are More Than and Tesco which both now included the clause “If a referral vet from outside our network is chosen, you will need to pay £200 of the referral vet bill yourself. This amount is in addition to your policy excess”. The RSA Group say that they will be informing customers of these changes when they take out a new policy or renew their existing policy.
Other RSA Policies
As far as we are aware the other pet insurance companies which are underwritten by The RSA Group have not yet updated any policy documentation to require pet owners to pay an additional charge if they use vets which are not part of the RSA Preferred Referral Network.
Referral Helplines
More Than and Tesco have set up referral helplines for their policyholders if they have questions regarding the Network or about their terms and conditions.
More Than 0330 100 6445
Tesco 0330 100 6460
More Information
RSA Press Release – 27 Practices Sign Up to RSA’s Preferred Referral Network
BVA & BSAVA Response – 18 December 2015