How To Easily Cancel Your Nationwide Pet Insurance Policy
Pet insurance can give pet owners like you and me peace of mind, knowing that it will help cover expensive vet bills for your furry family member. But we all know situations can change. Perhaps you adopted a healthy pet and no longer feel coverage is needed. Or maybe financial changes have made paying those monthly premiums more difficult. Whatever the reason, you’ve decided it’s time to cancel your Nationwide pet insurance. But how exactly do you go about cancelling your Nationwide policy?
The process is actually straightforward – you just need to directly contact Nationwide to request cancellation in writing. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover all the key steps to smoothly and easily cancel your Nationwide pet insurance policy.
We’ll discuss important considerations beforehand like understanding cancellation terms in your policy. I’ll outline what to expect after you cancel coverage, including if you’ll get a refund. And you’ll find answers to common questions like whether cancelling one pet’s insurance impacts your ability to maintain other Nationwide policies.
By the end, you’ll have all the information needed to painlessly handle cancelling Nationwide pet insurance when the time comes. Let’s get started!
When Should You Consider Cancelling Nationwide Pet Insurance?
Before we dive into the “how”, let’s first discuss the “when” and “why” of cancelling a Nationwide policy. There are a few common scenarios that may lead pet parents to cancel their pet’s medical insurance:
Financial Changes Making Premiums Difficult to Pay
Let’s face it – additional expenses pop up all the time. If you lose your job, take a pay cut, or have a major life event like having a baby, the monthly or annual premiums to maintain pet insurance may no longer fit comfortably in your budget.
When such financial changes occur, re-evaluating recurring expenses like Nationwide pet insurance is a wise financial move. Finding ways to cut back spending helps free up funds to put towards more essential costs.
Your Pet’s Health Dramatically Improves
For pets adopted later in life or with chronic health conditions present from a young age, medical issues needing insurance coverage are more likely. But for some pets, it may be months or years before they need any significant veterinary care.
If your formerly sick pet now enjoys stable health with just routine wellness visits, insurance may become less of a necessity than it once was. As healthy years go by, reassessing the value of maintaining your policy can be reasonable.
Dissatisfaction With Nationwide’s Services
Let’s be honest – insurance companies don’t always make having a policy fun or easy. Issues like repeated claim denials, extremely slow reimbursement turnaround times, or poor customer service may rightly frustrate pet parents dealing with vet bill headaches.
If you feel frequently dissatisfied with Nationwide’s services, cancelling to switch to a new insurance provider may offer a refreshing change. Just be sure to compare policy coverages, exclusions, and pricing carefully beforehand.
Pre-Existing Condition Making Coverage Less Useful
This scenario is perhaps the trickiest. Nationwide pet insurance policies generally exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions. This includes illnesses or injuries your pet had before enrollment, as shown in their veterinary medical history.
But what about conditions your pet develops later on DURING your active policy period – are those still covered if you continue paying premiums? Generally yes…unless you happen to cancel your Nationwide insurance first.
Here’s why: Let’s say your pet tears his cruciate ligament and needs knee surgery while insured by Nationwide. They cover the multi-thousand dollar claim, minus your deductible and coinsurance. But a few months later, you cancel the policy because your work situation changed.
A year after that, your dog again injures the same knee. If you obtain a brand NEW Nationwide policy, his earlier cruciate ligament issue would now be considered “pre-existing” when underwriting the new policy. Result? No coverage for the repeat injury.
For this reason, be very cautious about cancelling an existing Nationwide policy if your pet develops ANY new health conditions while enrolled – those may be excluded as pre-existing later!
How Does Cancelling Your Nationwide Pet Insurance Actually Work?
So now that we’ve covered some common cancellation scenarios, let’s get into the logistics – how do you actually CANCEL your Nationwide coverage?
Cancelling requires directly notifying Nationwide via phone, email, or written letter. Unlike some other recurring payments, you can’t simply “unsubscribe” from a pet insurance policy. The insurer needs awareness to formally close out your coverage, process any last claims, and prevent further premium charges.
Here are some high-level steps to expect:
Carefully Review Your Policy Documents
Before contacting Nationwide, take time to thoroughly read through your policy paperwork. Understand key elements like:
- Coverage inclusions, exclusions and limits
- Annual or policy period maximums
- Coinsurance percentages and deductibles
- Waiting periods for illnesses, orthopedic issues, etc
- Terms around cancelling mid-policy
Reading the fine print ensures no unwanted surprises pop up when you go to cancel. You’ll also better understand impacts to existing conditions or claims.
Formally Request Cancellation with Nationwide
Once cancellation is confirmed as the right path, you need to directly state your intent to cancel to Nationwide.
Most insurers require this request be made either over the phone OR submitted in formal written correspondence like a mailed letter or email. Simply not paying the next bill often won’t suffice.
When you contact them, have the following information ready:
- Your policy number
- Pet’s name associated with the policy
- Your name & contact info
- Reason for requesting cancellation
Save records of this correspondence and be certain to get written cancellation confirmation from Nationwide for your records.
Understand Refunds, Remaining Claims, and Cancellation Fees
Depending on WHEN exactly you cancel your active policy, a few financial considerations come into play:
- Premium Refunds: If cancelling mid-policy, you may receive a prorated refund for the unused portion. But not all plans include refunds, so check paperwork.
- Remaining Claims Processing: Any outstanding claims with treatment dates PRIOR to cancellation date will still process. But not afterwards.
- Cancellation and Other Fees: Review if Nationwide charges direct fees for policy cancellation. Also understand how late payments or policy lapses may impact final premium refund eligibility.
Getting clarity in these areas ensures you cancel Nationwide coverage safely, tying up financial loose ends.
Step-By-Step Guide Walkthrough: How To Cancel Your Nationwide Pet Insurance
You now understand the key WHYS and WHATS of cancelling Nationwide. Let’s outline the step-by step HOW:
Step 1: Contact Nationwide Customer Service
Locate the customer service phone number on your Nationwide insurance documents or on their website at petinsurance.com. Call to speak with a representative about cancelling your pet’s policy.
Provide your name, pet’s name, policy number, and reason for wanting to cancel when prompted. Record details about the call for future reference if needed.
Step 2: Submit Written Notification of Cancellation
During your call, Nationwide will likely require you ALSO formally request cancellation in writing as official notice. This is common practice for insurers when closing policies.
Draft a letter or email clearly stating your intent to cancel insurance for your pet [Pet Name]. Identify the policy number to be cancelled. And specify the requested date of cancellation – I recommend at least 5 days out to allow for mail & processing time.
Step 3: Receive and Review Cancellation Confirmation
Watch your mailbox and email for written confirmation from Nationwide announcing they have processed cancellation of your pet insurance policy.
Carefully review cancellation terms like if/when a partial premium refund will be issued and impacts to recent or pending claims.
Step 4: Update Pet Healthcare Planning
With insurance ending, take time to proactively budget for pet medical costs. Speak with your veterinarian to project wellness visit expenses like vaccines. And discuss setting aside a “pet emergency fund” for unexpected issues down the road.
If your financial situation improves later, also ask your vet to document your pet’s health history carefully NOW in case new conditions must be declared pre-existing later when re-applying for pet insurance.
Step 5: Consider Supplemental Options Like Pet Assure
While traditional insurance didn’t suit your needs right now, alternatives like Pet Assure can offset some costs. Their network provides 25% discounts on all in-house vet services at thousands of locations nationwide.
Plans start as low as $10/month with no deductibles, claim forms, or pre-existing condition limits. Coupling this with a dedicated pet medical fund can still help take the “ouch” out of vet visits post-insurance.
What Actually Happens AFTER You Cancel Nationwide Insurance?
Cancelling your pet’s coverage doesn’t mean you love your furry companion any less or that being a responsible pet parent goes out the window. But it DOES have some ripple effects you’ll want to be aware of when planning for life after insurance:
No More Premium Charges
The most obvious change once your Nationwide cancellation goes through is that those monthly or annual premium charges will stop. No more seeing that $50+ bill payment notification pop up like clockwork!
For policyholders struggling financially or with tight budgets, this elimination of recurring premiums offers welcome relief. Just be sure you’ve prepared an alternative pet healthcare savings plan for when unexpected vet expenses still inevitably come up down the road.
Current/Pending Claims Will Process Under Old Terms…But New Ones Won’t
According to Nationwide’s policy documents, any covered conditions or related medical bills you submit claims for that fall BEFORE the cancellation date will still process for payment just like normal (after the waiting period and deductible are met of course!).
But for anything with date of services falling AFTER cancellation goes into effect? No soup for you! Those expenses will now be fully out-of-pocket since pet insurance is no longer active.
So in summary – existing claims are fine but new issues post-cancellation are uncovered and expensive!
You May Receive a Partial Premium Refund
Since pet insurance billing works differently than say annual car insurance, if you cancel mid-policy you often get back a BIT of that money you already laid out. Nationwide determines precise pro-rated refunds based on the unused number of days left before the paid coverage period would expire.
But unfortunately not all Nationwide plans even allow cancellation refunds automatically. Definitely check your specific policy documents beforehand so you know if you’ll recoup any premium costs when cancelling. Don’t assume you will without reading the fine print!
And particularly if finances are tight leading to the cancellation, getting even a small amount of premium dollars back immediately can help recover funds now freed up to pay for pressing bills instead.
Your Pet Is Ineligible for Renewal Discounts Down the Road
In most cases with Nationwide, cancelling a pet insurance policy means you lose certain “loyalty perks” should you reenroll that pet later on. Multi-pet households take note!
Two big ones I see are renewal rate guarantees and accident forgiveness benefits that extend to pets continuously insured for years. Breaks in coverage generally reset the clock regarding years needed to unlock discounts and protections.
While not always an immediate financial issue, losing access to loyalty rewards can really add up over multiple pet lifespans. For young and healthy pets expected to live 10+ more years, keep costs in mind before freely stopping-and-starting insurance repeatedly.
Pre-Existing Condition Limits May Apply If You Reenroll Post-Cancellation
And arguably the BIGGEST “gotcha” when cancelling then re-applying for pet insurance revolves around pre-existing condition exclusions…
Because that cruciate tear from last year? Or early detected cancer diagnosis? If you cancel existing Nationwide coverage, those conditions likely become complicating factors later.
Insurers don’t want to only collect premiums from “bad risk” pets with known illnesses down the line. So should you reapply for coverage in coming years, recently developed conditions may be declared pre-existing and excluded from any new Nationwide policies. Leaving them 100% out-of-pocket despite having had insurance earlier.
Obviously this involves assessing your pet’s unique health factors and coverage needs. But definitely proceed very carefully before freely cancelling then re-enrolling insurance later expecting full protection on illnesses acquired in between. That absolutely may not be the case depending on condition details written into medical history while previously uninsured.
Wait, Will Nationwide Actually Charge Me Fees For Cancelling My Pet Insurance?
Unlike that super messy cable company cancellation process, pet insurers like Nationwide typically DON’T slap on direct cancellation penalties just for ending a policy (although they don’t make it very easy or fun either!).
However, dig deeper into the fine print and you find other creative ways you may forfeit money:
- Cancelling mid-policy when not eligible for partial premium refunds
- Letting policies lapse with unpaid premiums past grace periods
- Losing loyalty discounts and renewal rate locks cancelling then re-enrolling
So while no explicit cancellation fee may be charged, it can still be costly long-term if you change insurers repeatedly. Just know what you may give up canceling at certain times before pulling the plug.
Have More Questions? Here Are Answers to Common Nationwide Cancellation Questions:
Let’s wrap up with fast answers to some frequent questions about cancelling Nationwide policies:
How Soon After I Enroll Can I Cancel My Nationwide Insurance?
Good news – Nationwide does NOT require keeping the policy active for any minimum set duration upon initial enrollment. You can literally request cancellation effective a mere day after first signing up if needed.
So no worries about being locked into the insurance for half a year or anything like some gym memberships try pulling!
If I Cancel My Cat’s Insurance Policy, Does My Dog’s Coverage Stay Active?
Yes, you can cancel individual pet insurance policies within a multi-pet household and any others remain completely unaffected.
Nationwide (and most insurers) issue separate policies tied to each individually enrolled pet. So Fido’s coverage continues on as normal if you choose to just remove Garfield’s plan from the pack.
Is It Difficult to Reapply for Nationwide Pet Insurance Post-Cancellation?
While the application process itself when re-enrolling a formerly covered pet with Nationwide is relatively simple, keep in mind newly diagnosed conditions in the uninsured gap period may now be excluded.
So while not logistically difficult, reactivating insurance for pets with any recently uncovered illnesses often provides far less generous protection than before cancellation. Review these considerations carefully based on your pet’s health history and needs.
Key Takeaways: Cancelling Your Nationwide Pet Insurance Policy is Simple!
And there you have it – with this comprehensive guide’s help, you should now be fully equipped to smoothly handle cancelling your Nationwide pet insurance policy.
The steps themselves are quick and painless. Reach out to their customer service line by phone or through written correspondence like email or mailed letter. Provide your account specifics and confirmation that you wish to close out your pet’s policy effective on X future cancellation date.
And moving forward, be sure you understand impacts to active claims reimbursement at cancellation, possibilities of partial premium refunds being issued, and especially how coverage may be limited if you later choose to reapply after pet diagnosis and treatment interruptions.
While disenrolling from Nationwide policies is highly doable, carefully proceed in a way that ensures continuity of care for your fur baby even without the support of insurance behind you. Here’s to many happy healthy years together ahead!
