Continuous cover means ensuring there is no break in cover between your 4 weeks free cover and the annual policy you purchase to continue your pets protection. As long as you purchase the annual policy before your free cover expires then the cover is continuous. If you allow the free cover to end before purchasing a policy it will be underwritten as a new policy. That means that any signs of illness or injury prior to you purchasing a policy will be considered as pre-existing and are unlikely to be covered on the policy. What’s more unless you have continuous cover you will have a 14 day deferment period on your new policy, which means any illness that shows clinical signs in the first 14 days will not be covered. As long as you purchase a policy before your free cover ends you will have continuous cover, conditions which arise during the free cover period will not be considered as pre-existing and you will have no deferment period for illness on the policy you purchase.