The CMA’s pet care plan rules cover what a veterinary health or wellness plan includes, its monthly and annual costs, standalone prices, cancellation terms and savings claims. Annual plans that automatically renew also need a reminder before renewal. Read the CMA’s pet care plan guidance.
PetsApp’s wellness plan tools help practices define plans and entitlements, set prices and manage members. Use this guide to review the information owners see on your website, during sign-up and at renewal.
Put the essential information together
Our CMA compliance overview explains how health plans fit into the wider reforms and timetable.
Article 9 of the CMA’s 2026 Order covers pet care plans. It requires information on inclusions, quantities, availability periods, monthly and annual costs, standalone prices and cancellation terms. Annual plans that renew automatically also require a reminder before renewal. Check Article 3 for the applicable compliance dates. Read the Order.
Start your review with one plan. Ask a colleague to read the public page and explain what they would receive over a year. Any questions they cannot answer are useful prompts for improving the information.
Describe benefits in terms an owner can use
“Preventative care included” leaves room for interpretation. A more useful description names the care, explains how often it is available and makes relevant limits clear.
Use the same descriptions during sign-up and in your team’s reference material. If an owner asks whether a particular appointment is included, reception should be able to find the answer quickly.
PetsApp’s wellness plan tools let practices define plans, prices and entitlements, set renewal periods and provide terms and conditions. Review those settings alongside your public information so the offer described to owners matches the plan your team manages.
Explain the basis of savings
A public PetsApp plan example
The public plan page below shows Waggle Care Plus at £25 per month, lists the included benefits and displays an estimated annual saving of £320 with its assumptions alongside it. At £25 per month, twelve monthly payments total £300. These amounts describe this example plan, not a saving every pet owner should expect.
The savings explanation identifies the clinic comparison, usage assumptions and excluded benefits. The benefit descriptions also explain which care is included and which additional services are charged separately.
PetsApp’s savings feature will calculate the comparison automatically when it goes live. Practices still need to check the configured benefits, source prices and disclosure against their actual plan terms and the CMA rules.
Review the calculation and the disclosure together
The CMA’s illustrative plan shows a comparison with buying care separately, identifies one-off benefits and displays a comparison excluding those one-off services with equal prominence. It also shows monthly and annual costs alongside a summary of renewal and cancellation terms. See the CMA’s pet care plan example.
For your own review, write down the assumptions behind each comparison. Which clinic’s prices did you use? Which pet does the example describe? How much care does it assume the owner uses?
Keep the calculation with the wording it supports. That makes it easier to review a website headline, leaflet or email when an underlying price changes. Check general statements about saving money as well as specific pound amounts against Article 9.
Avoid treating a discount as though the discounted service is included without further payment. Ask somebody unfamiliar with the plan to explain the difference back to you.
Review parasite treatment information separately
Plans that include parasite treatment need a closer review under Article 9(4), including links to the parasiticide price list and information about appropriate treatment. Work through that provision with the clinical team so the plan’s explanation reflects the care you provide. See the CMA’s explanatory note.
From an owner’s perspective, the practical question is straightforward: what is included for my pet, and who should I speak to about what is appropriate? Make that route easy to find.
Give renewals their own review
Payments, annual renewals and treatment reminders serve different purposes. Check the member’s renewal date and the message you intend to send before that date.
PetsApp provides member and renewal information that can support this review. Agree who checks the renewal audience, approves the message and verifies that it was sent. If members have transferred from another provider, include a check of their original dates.
Read the renewal message as an owner. Does it explain the next step, point to the relevant terms and provide a clear way to ask a question? Test it with a staff account before using it for members.
Make price changes a shared task
When a standalone fee changes, revisit the plan information and any comparison that uses it. When a plan changes, check your public page, sign-up information and staff guidance together.
Link that review to your price-list workflow and appointment communications, so owners encounter consistent information throughout their relationship with the practice.
Book a demo to discuss managing wellness plans with PetsApp.
Reviewed against CMA publications on 9 November 2026. Practices should check their plan information and communications against the full Order.
