FAO AXA Customers

Date posted: November 27, 2014

AXA & Swiftcover recently wrote to their pet insurance customers to advise that an agreement has been reached to transfer all current policyholders to NCI.

We are delighted to welcome you, and are committed to continuing to offer you market leading pet insurance products and high levels of customer service.

The commencement date for this business transfer is 1st September 2014, policyholders due for renewal before September 1st will continue to be covered under their existing policy until next renewal and should talk to AXA/Swiftcover about any queries or to make a claim.

What happens now?

There’s no change to your current AXA/Swiftcover pet insurance – your pet is still covered with them until your renewal date.

What will happen in future?

Before your current policy is due to expire, we will send you a letter explaining how to continue to receive cover for your pet from NCI.
As part of our agreement with AXA, we will continue to cover any of your pet’s ongoing illnesses and all conditions which have previously been treated under your AXA or Swiftcover policy, subject to the terms and conditions of the policy wording*.

As part of the transfer process we are developing a new product, which closely matches the levels of cover that you currently receive from AXA. This new product (Life Plus) isn’t currently available online, therefore if you carried out a quote now it wouldn’t be a fair representation of the product we will be providing for you.

Please see below the benefits table for the Life Plus policy.

Download Life Plus Cover – Policy Wording

If you have any further questions please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions below, or contact our customer service team on 01423 535 058 or 01423 535 057.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it true that AXA Insurance is pulling out of the pet insurance market?
Yes: After a strategic review of their business lines, AXA have decided to no longer offer pet insurance through AXA Direct or Swiftcover, and will be focusing on their core product lines of Home, Motor and Travel.

What will happen if I currently have an insurance policy with AXA?
AXA will continue to provide cover for existing customers until their renewal date.

What will happen once my policy is due to renew?
NCI have negotiated an agreement with AXA to provide existing AXA customers with similar levels of cover of pet insurance. AXA will be contacting customers individually before their renewal date is due with more information on how to have their policies transferred to us. NCI will also write to AXA customers before the expiry of their pet insurance policies with an invitation to continue cover.

Will I be charged to move to the new insurer?
There will be no charges to move to the new insurer; however, customers may see a change in their policy premium once they come to their renewal.

What will happen if my pet has pre-existing medical conditions?
As part of the agreement we’re covering pets with pre-existing medical conditions, in accordance with the policy terms and conditions.

Am I covered if my pet has shown clinical signs of an injury or illness whilst I held insurance cover with AXA, but I didn’t claim for this treatment?
Yes, you are covered; please be assured that we will continue to provide insurance cover for any and all conditions that have either been identified or previously claimed for, whilst you held pet insurance cover with AXA; providing that there has been no break in insurance cover.

Please note: any conditions which were either noted or treated prior to the inception of your pet insurance cover with AXA, will not be covered by NCI.

What do I need to do if I need to make a claim?
If you need to make a claim before your renewal is due then please follow the current claims process, which is in your policy wording. The AXA Pet Claims Line is 0845 900 4145*

*call charges may vary depending on your service provider

Full details of how to claim under the new NCI policy will be included within your policy documents

Do I still have to pay the rest of my premium if my pet dies?
In the event of a claim for death, if you are paying your premium in installments, we will not continue to collect any additional payments and your direct debit will be cancelled. In the event where you have paid your policy in full, we will look to calculate how much money you are owed and look to refund the difference.

For example: if you paid £500 for the year up front and your pet died after 6 months, we would look to refund £250.

Will my premium increase when I receive my renewal?
Whilst we can’t comment on individual premiums, we can confirm that the premiums being offered to our pet insurance customers are not to force them to exit, but to balance performance.

When deciding what premium to charge people we examine the claims history and the wellbeing of the pet. Prices are generated from complex models which consider a number of factors such as the pet’s breed, age, gender and the postcode. Unfortunately over the past few years the industry has seen a rise in the cost of the vets’ bills which is mainly due to improvements and advancements in veterinary medicine and procedures. The volume of claims has also increased significantly, which has affected the price of all of our customers’ policies.

What will happen if my claim is ongoing after customers are transferred to the new insurer?
You will still be able to contact the AXA claims team and the claims handler will be able help you with your existing claim. Once customers are transferred to NCI then any new claims will need to be notified to our claims team by calling 01423 535 057. Full details of our claims service will be included in the terms and conditions of your new policy document.

Who is Close Brothers Premium Finance?
Close Premium Finance is part of the Close Brothers Group, the largest independent merchant banking group in the UK. With over 35 years’ experience in the industry, they’re a pioneering provider of premium finance providing expert support and service to over 3,000 brokers across the UK and Ireland.

We offer monthly payments with 0% APR on our pet insurance policies to help customers spread the cost of payments throughout the year.

Close Premium Finance provide finance in the form of a loan agreement so you don’t have to pay for your insurance premium in one go, making your money more manageable.

We do the majority of the work for you when setting this up; all you need to do is return the signed Running Account Credit Agreement which will be posted to you when you renew your policy. Alternatively Close Brother Premium Finance has an online area on their site where customers can sign the agreement electronically, details of this are on their welcome letter.

Why am I receiving a letter from Close Brothers Premium Finance before I’ve had my renewal documents?
We’ve noticed that in some instances customers are receiving communication from Close Premium Finance before they’ve received a renewal invite from ourselves, we’ve changed this process so you’ll now receive your renewal invitation letter first.

If at any stage prior to the renewal date you choose not to accept our renewal quotation, or would prefer to pay for the policy in full, please contact our advisors who will be pleased to arrange this for you.

Why have you automatically renewed the policy I held with AXA?
We are very conscious that insurance of a beloved pet needs to be in place. This is why we automatically renew pet cover so there are no breaks in cover as this could potentially cause great anguish and cost for a customer if their pet falls ill during a lapse in insurance cover. We are committed to ensuring treatment is available if a pet requires it. We believe this system is the one that gives most security to owners and their pets.

Existing direct debits were automatically transferred to NCI from AXA to ensure continuity of pet insurance coverage. If a customer does not want the direct debit offered by NCI via the Close Brothers credit agreement then we can offer a full payment option or they can choose to lapse their policy.

Why have you taken money from my account when I haven’t signed a renewal agreement?
We’re sending letters to all Axa pet insurance customers advising them of changes to their insurance policies and the premiums. To avoid any break in cover the policy automatically renews and payments will commence on the stated dates in the letter.

The policyholders usually have 19-21 days to advise us if they want to cancel the policy. If they do this then no monies will be taken from their bank accounts. If we do take the first renewal instalment and the customer then contacts us to advise they don’t want to renew they will receive a full refund of the payment. If bank fees have been incurred we will take each case on its merits and come to a satisfactory conclusion. There have been a minority of instances where customers have cancelled their renewal and payment has been taken and a full refund and associated bank fees were paid.

NCI has built its company on good service and loyal customers with over 90% of existing pet customers renewing their policies.

Full details of the terms and conditions will be included in your renewal quotation. This will be provided once we’ve received your personal, pet and claims details from AXA. The letter you’ll be sent before your renewal date will explain how easy it is to do this, and how you can choose to continue your pet’s cover with us.