In this independent review, we look at Animal Friends' pet insurance including the types of policy available, the level of cover on offer and how much it costs. We also compare Animal Friends to alternatives like Petgevity* and Scratch & Patch.
We recommend that you read the review in full however you can jump to specific sections of the article using the following links:
- What is Animal Friends pet insurance?
- Animal Friends pet insurance features
- What does Animal Friends pet insurance cover?
- Animal Friends pet insurance exclusions
- Animal Friends policy types
- How much does Animal Friends pet insurance cost?
- Animal Friends pet insurance policy excess
- How to make a claim on Animal Friends pet insurance
- Is Animal Friends pet insurance regulated?
- Animal Friends pet insurance customer reviews
- Animal Friends alternatives
- Animal Friends pros and cons
- Summary
What is Animal Friends pet insurance?
Animal Friends pet insurance was founded in 1998 by Elaine Fairfax. Elaine founded Animal Friends with the purpose of helping animals not only through pet insurance but by donating to multiple animal welfare charities at the same time. Animal Friends Insurance is now underwritten by Pinnacle Insurance Plc, policies that started before 27th February 2025 are underwritten by Red Sands Insurance Company (Europe) Ltd. Pinnacle Insurance Plc also underwrite the insurance for Tesco Pet Insurance.
To date, Animal Friends pet insurance insures over 1 million UK pets and has donated over £9.4 million to over 830 charities worldwide. Animal Friends won best pet insurance at the Personal Finance Awards 2024/25 and defaqto pet insurer of the year 2024/25.
Animal Friends pet insurance key features
Below is an overview of Animal Friends' policy features:
- Multiple policy types
- Policies for cats, dogs and horses
- Free 24/7 vet video calls with Joii
- Animal welfare donations with every policy
- Online claims portal for vets
- Can pay your claim directly to your vet
- Keep track of your pet's microchip number on your account
- Refer a friend and you both get a £25 voucher (excludes Accident Only policies)
- Compulsory 20% co-payment once your cat turns 10 and your dog turns 8
What does Animal Friends pet insurance cover?
Animal Friends offers a variety of policies with different levels of cover depending on the pet you decide to insure. You can read more about the different policy types they offer further down the article.
Lifetime cover
The most comprehensive policy type, lifetime pet insurance offers the best protection as it covers your pet for the duration of its life. Animal Friends offers two lifetime policy types with different levels of cover: Annual limit, with cover up to £18,000 per year or Annual condition limit, with cover up to £6,000 per condition per year. Its Annual limit lifetime policy provides cover up to the agreed amount each year and once that limit is reached the remaining treatment will need to be self-funded until the annual limit renews. Its Annual condition limit lifetime cover provides veterinary fee cover up to the agreed amount per condition per year, once the condition limit is reached the remaining treatment amount will need to be self-funded until the annual condition limit renews.
For more information on lifetime pet insurance, read our article 'Lifetime pet insurance explained'.
Maximum Benefit
This cover will insure your pet for a set amount per condition with no time limit. However, once the veterinary fee limit is reached it does not renew and any additional claims for the same condition will need to be self-funded. Animal Friends offers 3 different types of Maximum Benefit policies with a maximum lifetime condition limit of £4,000.
For more information on maximum benefit pet insurance, read our article 'Maximum benefit pet insurance explained'.
Time-limited
Time-Limited policies with Animal Friends provide cover for your pet for 12 months from the onset of the condition or until the policy limit is reached, whichever comes first. Animal Friend's also impose an annual limit on how much you can claim. There are 3 different time-limited policies with Animal Friends with vet cover of up to £4,000 per condition and up to an annual policy limit of £10,000.
Read our article 'Time-limited pet insurance explained' for more information on time-limited pet insurance.
Accident-only
This is the most basic level of cover and offers protection in case your pet needs veterinary care due to an accident. There is an annual accident claim limit of £2,500 per accident with a lifetime limit of £15,000.
For more information on accident-only pet insurance, read our article 'Accident-only pet insurance explained'.
Horse time-limited insurance
Animal Friends' horse time-limited insurance is available for horses aged 12 months to 40 years old. Cover is provided for 12 months or until the vet fee limit is reached. There are 3 different vet fee limits, they are £3,000, £5,000 and £7,000 and 3 excess options; £199, £249 and £499. For full details on this policy visit the Animal Friends' website.
Animal Friends pet insurance exclusions
In this section of the Animal Friends pet insurance review, we highlight some of the key exclusions in an Animal Friends pet insurance policy. It is important that you read each policy carefully to ensure you fully understand the terms and conditions before opening the policy and making a claim.
Animal Friends will not cover:
Animal Friends policy types
Animal Friends has a variety of policies to choose from. Below we compare the different policies available for cats and dogs and in each comparison table, we summarise the key points for each policy. For more information on Animal Friends' Horse insurance visit the Animal Friends website.
Lifetime Policies
Animal Friends Lifetime Policies provide the most extensive cover among all of the policies on offer. There are two types of Animal friends' Lifetime policies:
- Annual Limit (Lifetime £1,000, £2,000, £3,000, £4,000, £5,000, £10,000 and £18,000) - You can claim as many times as you like in a year for an unlimited amount of conditions but you can only claim up until your maximum policy limit for the year. The limit will then renew each year when you renew your policy.
- Annual Condition Limit (Super, Superior, Superior Plus and Prestige) - You can claim as many times as you like in the year up to the limit for each condition. The condition limit will then renew each year when you renew your policy.
Animal Friends Annual Limit Lifetime policies
Scroll to the right to view the full table
| Lifetime £1,000 |
Lifetime £2,000 | Lifetime £3,000 | Lifetime £4,000 |
Lifetime £5,000 |
Lifetime £10,000 |
Lifetime £18,000 |
|
| Cover Type | Annual limit | Annual limit | Annual limit | Annual limit | Annual limit | Annual limit | Annual limit |
| Excess | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 |
£69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 |
| Compulsory co-payment | 20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 | 20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 | 20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 | 20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 | 20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 | 20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 | 20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 |
| Annual Policy limit | £1,000 | £2,000 | £3,000 | £4,000 | £5,000 | £10,000 | £18,000 |
| Public liability | £2m | £2m | £2m | £2m | £2m | £2m | £2m |
| Loss & theft | £600 | £600 | £600 | £600 | £1,200 | £2,000 | £3,000 |
| Advertising and reward | £200 | £200 | £200 | £200 | £200 | £200 | £200 |
| Dental cover | No | Accident only | Accident only | Yes (up to £1,000 - terms apply) | Yes (up to £1,000 - terms apply) | Yes (up to £3,000 - terms apply) | Yes (up to £3,000 - terms apply) |
| Death of pet cover¹ | £600 | £600 | £600 | £600 | £1,200 | £2,000 | £3,000 |
| Cremation or burial | No | No | No | No | No | £200 | £200 |
| Hospitalisation cover | £600 | £600 | £600 | £600 | £1,200 | £1,500 | £1,500 |
| Emergency vet fees abroad | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,500 | £2,500 |
| Holiday cancellation cover | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £2,000 | £2,500 | £2,500 |
¹Dogs over 8 years and 1 day old and cats over 10 years and 1 day old will only receive death of pet cover due to accident not illness
Animal Friends Annual Condition Limit Lifetime policies
| Super | Superior | Superior Plus | Prestige | |
| Cover Type | Annual Condition limit | Annual Condition limit | Annual Condition limit | Annual Condition limit |
| Excess | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 |
| Compulsory co-payment | 20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 |
20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 |
20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 |
20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 |
| Annual Condition limit | £1,000 | £2,000 | £4,000 | £6,000 |
| Lifetime condition limit | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Public liability | £2m | £2m | £2m | £2m |
| Loss & theft | £500 | £750 | £1,000 | £1,500 |
| Advertising and reward | £200 | £200 | £200 | £200 |
| Dental cover | No | Accident only | Yes (up to £1,000, terms apply) | Yes (up to £1,000, terms apply) |
| Death of pet cover¹ | £500 | £750 | £1,000 | £1,500 |
| Cremation or burial | No | No | No | No |
| Hospital cover | £500 | £750 | £1,000 | £1,500 |
| Emergency vet fees abroad | £1,500 | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 |
| Holiday cancellation cover | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,500 | £2,500 |
¹Dogs over 8 years and 1 day old and cats over 10 years and 1 day old will only receive death of pet cover due to accident not illness
Maximum Benefit policies
Maximum benefit pet insurance policies insure your pet for a set amount for the duration of the policy. For example, if your pet is insured for £1,000 you can only claim up to £1,000 in total for each condition or treatment your pet receives. Once the limit has been met you will have to fund the remaining treatment. There is no time limit on this policy, however, if you meet the condition limit in the first year of the policy the cover amount does not renew so you will no longer be covered for any veterinary fees for that particular condition. Animal Friends has three maximum benefit policies to choose from.
Animal Friends Maximum Benefit policies
| Max Value | Max Plus | Max Extra | |
| Cover Type | Maximum benefit | Maximum benefit | Maximum benefit |
| Excess | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 |
| Compulsory co-payment | 20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 |
20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 |
20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 |
| Limit per condition | £1,000 | £2,000 | £4,000 |
| Public liability | £2m | £2m | £2m |
| Loss & theft | £500 | £750 | £1,000 |
| Advertising and reward | £200 | £200 | £200 |
| Dental cover | No | Accident only | Yes (up to £1,000, terms apply) |
| Death of pet cover¹ | £500 | £750 | £1,000 |
| Cremation or burial | No | No | No |
| Hospital cover | £500 | £750 | £1,000 |
| Emergency vet fees abroad | £1,500 | £2,000 | £2,000 |
| Holiday cancellation | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,500 |
¹Dogs over 8 years and 1 day old and cats over 10 years and 1 day old will only receive death of pet cover due to accident not illness
Time-Limited policies
Animal Friends Time-limited pet insurance covers your pet for veterinary treatment for 12 months from the onset of the condition or until the limit is reached. You can claim for more than one condition in a policy year however the policy has an annual limit so you would need to check this for each individual policy. The annual limits do renew each year, however, you will no longer be covered for any conditions that you have previously claimed for.
Animal Friends Time-limited policies
| Basic Plus | Prime | Prime Plus | |
| Cover Type | Time-Limited | Time-Limited | Time-Limited |
| Excess | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 |
| Compulsory co-payment | 20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 |
20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 |
20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 |
| Annual limit per condition | £1,000 | £2,000 | £4,000 |
| Annual policy limit | £4,000 | £7,000 | £10,000 |
| Public liability | £2m | £2m | £2m |
| Loss & theft | £500 | £750 | £1,000 |
| Advertising and reward | £200 | £200 | £200 |
| Dental cover | No | Accident only | Yes (up to £1,000 - terms apply) |
| Death of pet cover¹ | £500 | £750 | £1,000 |
| Cremation or burial | No | No | No |
| Hospital cover | £500 | £750 | £1,000 |
| Emergency vet fees abroad | £750 | £1,000 | £1,500 |
| Holiday cancellation | No | £1,000 | £1,500 |
¹Dogs over 8 years and 1 day old and cats over 10 years and 1 day old will only receive death of pet cover due to accident not illness
Accident-only Policies
An Animal Friends Accident-only policy covers your pet for veterinary treatment for injuries and complications sustained as a result of an accident. With this policy you can claim for more than one accident a year up until the condition limit (£2,500) for each accident, this limit then renews annually, as long as you keep your policy. The policy has a lifetime limit of £15,000 which means you can continue to claim for each accident until the lifetime limit is reached, but you cannot claim more than £2,500 per year for each accident.
Animal Friends Accident-only policies
| Accident-only | |
| Cover Type | Accident-only |
| Excess | £69/ £99/ £159/ £199/ £249 |
| Compulsory co-payment | 20% for dogs over 8 and cats over 10 |
| Annual Condition limit | £2,500 |
| Lifetime condition limit | £15,000 |
| Public liability | No |
| Loss & theft | No |
| Dental cover | Yes (accident only) |
| Death of pet cover | No |
| Cremation or burial | No |
| Hospital cover | No |
| Emergency vet fees abroad | No |
| Holiday cancellation | No |
How much does Animal Friends pet insurance cost?
In the below tables, we have included examples of the cost of pet insurance for each of the Animal Friends pet insurance policies for both cats and dogs. The actual cost of your pet insurance will vary depending on the age, type and breed of your pet as well as where you are located. For more information on what affects the cost of pet insurance read our article '7 factors that affect the cost of pet insurance'. Animal Friends also adds a co-payment of at least 20% to any claims made when your dog turns 8 years old and your cat turns 10 years old.
The cost of Animal Friends pet insurance
The below quotes are based on a 1-year-old mixed breed dog and cat that lives in the South East and has no underlying health conditions. The policy quotes are based on an excess of £99.
| Policy Type | Policy Name | Vet fee cover | Monthly Cost for 1-year-old dog | Monthly Cost for 1-year-old cat |
| Lifetime Annual Condition Limit | Prestige | £6,000 | £32.44 | £29.02 |
| Lifetime Annual Condition Limit | Superior Plus | £4,000 | £25.37 | £22.12 |
| Lifetime Annual Condition Limit | Superior | £2,000 | £16.91 | £15.98 |
| Lifetime Annual Condition Limit | Super | £1,000 | £8.62 | £9.95 |
| Lifetime Annual Policy Limit | Lifetime £18,000 | £18,000 | £52.75 | £57.41 |
| Lifetime Annual Policy Limit | Lifetime £10,000 | £10,000 | £41.08 | £40.75 |
| Lifetime Annual Policy Limit | Lifetime £5,000 | £5,000 | £19.29 | £21.95 |
| Lifetime Annual Policy Limit | Lifetime £4,000 | £4,000 | £18.85 | £19.04 |
| Lifetime Annual Policy Limit | Lifetime £3,000 | £3,000 | £12.85 | £15.18 |
| Lifetime Annual Policy Limit | Lifetime £2,000 | £2,000 | £11.63 | £13.74 |
| Lifetime Annual Policy Limit | Lifetime £1,000 | £1,000 | £6.36 | £8.74 |
| Maximum Benefit | Max Extra | £4,000 | £21.37 | £19.30 |
| Maximum Benefit | Max Plus | £2,000 | £13.57 | £12.63 |
| Maximum Benefit | Max Value | £1,000 | £8.39 | £8.64 |
| Time-Limited | Prime Plus | £4,000 | £16.86 | £13.92 |
| Time-Limited | Prime | £2,000 | £10.57 | £10.66 |
| Time-Limited | Basic Plus | £1,000 | £7.22 | £8.10 |
| Accident-only | Accident-only | £2,500 | £3.98 | £3.53 |
(Quotes correct as of 16/03/26 and based on an excess of £99 - other excess options are available)
Animal Friends policy excess
The excess is the amount that you are expected to pay in the event of a claim on your pet insurance. There is a choice of £69, £99, £159, £199 and £249 as your policy excess with Animal Friends. The policy excess is payable per condition/accident per policy year on the Accident Only and lifetime insurance policies. On its Maximum Benefit and Time-Limited policies, the excess is only payable once per condition
You may also be required to make a co-payment of 20% in addition to the policy excess once your pet reaches a certain age. For dogs, this is 8 years old and for cats, this is from the age of 10. The co-payment is a percentage contribution to the cost of the claim in addition to the policy excess. For example, if you make a claim for £1,000 and you have an excess of £199, you will have to pay the fixed excess of £199 and then 20% of £801 (the remaining claim) which is £160.20, so your total contribution towards this £1,000 claim will be £359.20.
How to make a claim on Animal Friends pet insurance
With Animal Friends you can:
- Claim Veterinary fees - for treatment for an illness or injury
- Get a pre-authorisation - ask Animal Friends to confirm the claim or cost of any treatment before it goes ahead
- Repeat medication - claim for any repeat medication for any ongoing health conditions
Veterinary fee claims and pre-authorisation requests can be submitted online by your veterinary practice via the online claim system ‘Pawtal’. No paperwork is required for the online portal and as the vet makes the claim online it can make the process quicker. Animal Friends says it aims to assess claims submitted via the online Pawtal within 2 working days. If your vet can not claim for their fees on your behalf, you can download a paper claim form on the Animal Friends website.
For claims for repeat medication, you can submit a claim online through your Animal Friends account or you can download a claim form from the website.
Pre-authorisations can again be submitted by your vet via the "Pawtal" or you download a paper claim form via the Animal Friends website.
For all claims if you have downloaded the form to complete, they can be emailed to claimform@animalfriends.co.uk or sent to: Animal Friends House, 1 The Crescent, Sun Rise Way, Amesbury, Wiltshire, SP4 7QA.
There is no time limit to claim back your vet fees.
Is Animal Friends pet insurance regulated?
Animal Friends is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority which means it has to comply with strict UK regulations.
If you have a complaint about Animal Friends pet insurance you can take it further with the Financial Ombudsman Service, however, you will need to contact Animal Friends with your complaint first.
Animal Friends pet insurance customer reviews
Animal Friends pet insurance is rated as ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot with a score of 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 49,500 reviews. 79% of customers rated the provider as ‘Excellent’ citing no delays in claims with prompt payment and great customer service. 9% of customers rated the provider as ‘Bad’ complaining of issues when paying out claims and high premium increases upon renewal.
Alternatives to Animal Friends pet insurance
It is always best to shop around when purchasing pet insurance in order to understand the levels of cover available and to find the best cover for your pet. One easy way to shop around for pet insurance is via a comparison site such as MoneySuperMarket*. Comparison sites allow you to compare multiple providers at once to get the best rate for your pet. One thing to consider though is that not all comparison sites are whole of market and you may get a better deal elsewhere.
Two alternatives to Animal Friends are Petgevity* and Scratch & Patch.
Petgevity
Petgevity* pet insurance specialises in lifetime insurance and only offers annual limit lifetime insurance with vet fee cover from £2,000 up to £15,000 per year. Like Animal Friends there is no upper age limit for taking out new policies, however unlike Animal Friends, Petgevity give the option to pay no excess as well as an optional co-payment of either 10%, 20% or 30% as a way of reducing your premiums. They also offer cover for pre-existing conditions and a multi-pet discount. More information can be found in our independent Petgevity pet insurance review
Scratch & Patch
Scratch & Patch is another provider that offers a wide range of pet insurance policies. Like Animal Friends and Petgevity they don't impose an upper age limit when taking out a new insurance policy. However when your pet ages, the amount of excess you will be required to pay towards a claim increases. This is a fixed excess and comes into effect when your dog turns 8 and your cat 10. There is no compulsory co-payment but you can choose to have a 20% co-payment to help reduce your premium. Scratch & Patch offer an attractive 20% multi-pet discount, so may be worth considering if you are looking to insure more than one pet, but like Animal Friends they do not offer cover for pre-existing conditions. Find out more in our Scratch & Patch insurance review.
Animal Friends vs Petgevity & Scratch & Patch
| Animal Friends | Petgevity* | Scratch & Patch | |
| Policies offered | Accident-only, time-limited, maximum benefit, annual condition lifetime and annual limit lifetime | Lifetime (annual limit) | Accident-only, time-limited, maximum benefit and annual limit lifetime |
| Option to pay no excess | No | Yes | No |
| Covers pre-existing conditions | No | No | No |
| Covers older pets | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Offers vet video calls | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Compulsory co-payment | 20% when dog turns 8 and cat turns 10 | No | No |
| Offers multi-pet discount | No | Yes | Yes |
| Trustpilot score | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 | 4.5/5 |
| More information | Petgevity pet insurance review | Scratch & Patch pet insurance review |
Animal Friends pet insurance pros and cons
Animal Friends Pros
- Wide range of policies to choose from
- Good veterinary fee cover
- Donates money to animal welfare charities
- Free 24/7 vet video calls
- No upper age limit
Animal Friends Cons
- No multi-pet discount
- Co-payment payable on dogs over 8 and cats over 10
- Does not cover pre-existing conditions
Summary
Animal Friends has a great choice of pet insurance policies meaning you are bound to find one that suits your needs. There is a good choice of excess options as well which allows you to tailor the policy to your circumstances. The insurance premiums are competitive, however it is worth noting the compulsory 20% co-payment once your cat is 10 years old and your dog 8 years old and there is no multi-pet discount. Animal Friends do not offer insurance for pre-existing conditions and if this is something you need you may find our article 'Best pet insurance for pre-existing conditions'.
As with all pet insurance policies it is advisable to shop around to ensure you are getting the best cover for your pet and it is imperative you read the small print to fully understand what is covered in your policy. Our article, 'Best pet insurance in the UK in 2026' compares some of the best pet insurance providers in the UK.
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