In this independent review, we take a look at Healthy Pets pet insurance including the types of policies on offer, the level of cover you can expect, the estimated premium costs and customer reviews.
We also compare Healthy Pets to alternatives like Petsure* and the PDSA to help you understand your options and make the best choice for your pet.
What is Healthy Pets pet insurance?
Healthy Pets was founded in 1996 by dog lover Mark Effenberg who saw a gap in the pet insurance market when he realised that pet insurance companies didn't seem to understand the special bond that exists between pets and their owners. Healthy Pets was launched in an effort to change this and it's been going strong ever since with Trustpilot score of 4.4 out of 5.0 based on more than 2,600 reviews.
Key features
- Pet insurance for puppies and kittens from 5 weeks old
- Lifelong insurance as long as you keep renewing your policy
- Vet fees covered up to £7,500 depending on your policy of choice
- Vet fees paid directly to your vet on your behalf
- A range of policies from lifetime to accident only to suit all budgets
- High Trustpilot reviews with an overall score of "Excellent"
- Award-winning insurer including Feefo's Platinum Trusted Service Award for 2021
- An insurance company which has been around for more than 25 years
What does Healthy Pets pet insurance cover?
Healthy Pets offers a range of policies to suit different people's needs and budgets. You can pick from Lifetime, Maximum Benefit, and Accident Only cover. There are different levels of cover for each policy.
Healthy Pets Lifetime policies
Healthy Pets' lifetime policies are the most comprehensive policies on offer. They cover all new conditions up to £4,250 per year depending on the level of cover you've selected. When you renew the policy, you can continue claiming for conditions that have occurred during the policy term.
Healthy Pets Maximum Benefit policies
Healthy Pets' Maximum Benefit policies cover new conditions up to a specific limit. There is no time limit to claim, but once you have exhausted your allowance for a particular condition, it is then deemed "pre-existing" and you will not be able to claim for it again when you renew.
Healthy Pets Accident Only policies
Healthy Pets' Accident Only policies do not cover illness-related expenses or additional expenses like boarding kennel fees or holiday cancellations. Instead, they focus on providing a no-frills policy that offers £1,000 worth of cover for accidents.
Here's an overview of all the policies on offer through Healthy Pets.
- Lifetime Extra - Covers all new conditions up to a specific limit. When the policy is renewed, the limit is renewed too and you can claim for the same condition plus any new conditions. Vet fees up to £2,000.
- Lifetime Premier - Covers all new conditions up to a specific limit. When the policy is renewed, the limit is renewed too and you can claim for the same condition plus any new conditions. Vet fees up to £4,250.
- Maximum Benefit Bronze - Covers all new conditions up to a certain limit, but once the limit is reached, the condition will be considered "pre-existing" and you won't be covered again after you renew. Vet fees up to £1,000.
- Maximum Benefit Silver - Covers all new conditions up to a certain limit, but once the limit is reached, the condition will be considered "pre-existing" and you won't be covered again after you renew. Vet fees up to £4,250.
- Maximum Benefit Gold - Covers all new conditions up to a certain limit, but once the limit is reached, the condition will be considered "pre-existing" and you won't be covered again after you renew. Vet fees up to £7,500.
- Accident Only - Covers vet fees for sudden or unexpected injuries only. Vet fees up to £1,000 per incident.
The table below sums up the differences between the policies above in more detail to help you make a decision about which features are important to you. We discuss the cost of these policies in more detail below, but generally, accident-only policies are the cheapest. In contrast, the Lifetime Premier policy costs the most as it offers the most comprehensive cover.
| Accident Only | Max Benefit Bronze | Max Benefit Silver | Max Benefit Gold | Lifetime Extra | Lifetime Premier | |
| Accident cover |  |
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| Illness cover |  |
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| Vets fees limit | £1,000 | £1,000 | £4,250 | £7,500 | £2,000 | £4,250 |
| Lifetime cover for new conditions | |
^ |
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| Death due to illness | |
|
£500 | £1,000 | £500 | £1,000 |
| Death due to accident | |
|
£500 | £1,000 | £500 | £1,000 |
| Theft or straying cover | |
|
£500 | £1,000 | £500 | £1,000 |
| Boarding kennel fees | |
|
£500 | £1,000 | £500 | £1,000 |
| Holiday cancellation | |
|
£500 | £2,000 | £500 | £2,000 |
| Cover for pre-existing conditions | |
|
|
|
|
|
^All Max Benefit policies will cover new conditions up to the limit in your policy schedule. Once this is reached, the condition will be considered "pre-existing" and you won't be covered again after you renew.
What is Healthy Pets' pre-existing conditions policy?
Healthy Pets won't cover your pets for pre-existing conditions. If your pet has received treatment, medication, or advice for specific symptoms before the policy came into force, then these symptoms and conditions will be excluded at the start of your policy. If you are looking for a policy which could offer cover for pre-existing conditions for your pet, you should take a look at Petsure*.
Healthy Pets insurance policy exclusions
Healthy Pets' pet insurance policies come with several general exclusions. These include, but are not limited to:
Any pre-existing conditions
Any costs for the cremation or burial of your pet
The first £250 of any third party liability claims
Any claims for accidents that occur within the first 48 hours of the policy starting
Any claims for illness occurring within the first 10 days of the policy starting
Some policies, such as Accident Only, come with additional exclusions so it's worth checking the policy wording carefully before deciding whether it's the right cover level for you.
Can pets be refused cover with Healthy Pets?
Certain pets can't be insured through Healthy Pets. This includes pets that have carried out commercial guard work or security work, as well as pets that have been used in racing. Pets with aggressive tendencies and those with pending third-party prosecutions against them also can't be insured via Healthy Pets.
There is also an upper age limit which means your older pets might struggle to get pet insurance with Healthy Pets unless they already have a policy. Dogs over the age of 10 can't get insurance with Healthy Pets for the first time. Similarly, cats over the age of 12 may need to look elsewhere as well. If you need cover for an older pet, you should take a look at Petsure* which doesn't have an upper age limit for pet insurance and covers pets of all ages.
How much does a policy with Healthy Pets cost?
Pet insurance costs vary depending on the type of pet you have, your pet's age, and your pet's medical history among other factors. The type of policy you choose will have an impact on costs too. To give you an idea of how much a Healthy Pets policy costs, we've included some quotes we obtained via the website below. You can get your own quote via the Healthy Pets website too.
The cost of Healthy Pets cover for a 6-year-old dog
The quotes below are for a small 6-year-old cross-breed male dog with no underlying health conditions. The dog is neutered. However, Healthy Pets doesn't cover pre-existing conditions anyway.
| Policy Type | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
| Lifetime Extra | £15.90 | £190.74 |
| Lifetime Premier | £27.30 | £327.58 |
| Maximum Benefit Bronze | £15.78 | £189.36 |
| Maximum Benefit Silver | £23.36 | £280.27 |
| Maximum Benefit Gold | £33.87 | £406.40 |
| Accident Only | £7.29 | £87.53 |
The figures above are accurate as of May 8, 2024
The cost of Healthy Pets cover for a 6-year-old cat
The quotes below are for a 6-year-old mixed-breed cat with no underlying health conditions. The cat is neutered. Healthy Pets doesn't cover pre-existing conditions so this isn't included in the illustrative quote.
| Policy Type | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
| Lifetime Extra | £13.25 | £159.01 |
| Lifetime Premier | £25.21 | £302.56 |
| Maximum Benefit Bronze | £13.09 | £157.09 |
| Maximum Benefit Silver | £19.53 | £234.36 |
| Maximum Benefit Gold | £34.34 | £412.12 |
| Accident Only | £9.48 | £113.72 |
The figures above are accurate as of May 8, 2024
How do I make a claim with Healthy Pets?
To make a claim with Healthy Pets, simply head to the Existing Clients section on the website and follow the steps below:
- Select "Make a Claim"
- Fill out the claims request form on the website including your policy number
- Wait to receive an email with the claims form
- Fill out the claims form with the requested information
- Return the form as per the instructions
Once the completed form is submitted, Healthy Pets aims to decide on your claim within 10 working days. However, you don't need to let them know before your pet receives treatment and can submit the form after the treatment takes place. Also, Healthy Pets can pay out your claim to the vet directly if preferred.
Healthy Pets customer reviews
Healthy Pets currently scores 4.4 out of 5.0 on independent review site Trustpilot, based on more than 2,600 reviews. Approximately 77% of reviewers have rated Healthy Pets "Excellent" while 8% have rated it "Bad". Reviewers who gave Healthy Pets high scores raved about its excellent customer service team where issues were resolved promptly. However, some reviewers rating it poorly complained about the company's slow claims process and their policy to claim unpaid premiums if a pet dies during a year where a claim has been made.
Alternatives to Healthy Pets
If you aren't sure Healthy Pets is right for you, it might be worth considering alternatives like Petsure* and the PDSA. We take a look at these Healthy Pets alternatives below.
Petsure
While Petsure* is new to the pet insurance market, it offers policies for pre-existing conditions with no compulsory excess and no upper age limit for cover, unlike Healthy Pets. As such, if your pet needs cover for a pre-existing condition or is on the older end, Petsure could be a good option. Petsure is also more highly rated than Healthy Pets with a 4.7 out of 5.0 rating on Trustpilot. However, if you're looking for a time-limited policy, Petsure won't be able to help as their primary focus is on lifetime pet insurance.
PDSA
For those looking for a more established pet insurance provider, the PDSA offers competitive time-limited policies with a charitable contribution with every policy taken out. Like Healthy Pets, it is a well-established brand having been around for more than 100 years. Their Lifetime £8,000 policy has a 5* Defaqto rating and it has an overall score of 4.5 out of 5.0 on Trustpilot too. Unlike Healthy Pets, however, it offers a 24/7 vet helpline via Petcall. Check out our independent PDSA review here if you think this might be the right insurer for you.
Below, we compare the three pet insurance companies to help you decide which one fits your needs better.
Healthy Pets vs Petsure vs PDSA
| Healthy Pets | Petsure* | PDSA | |
| Offers lifetime policies | |
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| Offers time-limited policies | ^ |
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| No compulsory excess | |
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| Covers pre-existing conditions | |
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| No upper age limit for cover | |
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| Offers vet video calls | |
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| Trustpilot score | 4.4 out of 5.0 based on 2,500+ reviews | 4.7 out of 5.0 based on 3,000+ reviews | 4.5 out of 5.0 based on 850+ reviews |
^Healthy Pets offer Maximum Benefit policies instead of time-limited policies which means that cover for a specific condition ends when the stipulated vet fee allowance is reached. As such, there is no time limit for claiming for a condition.
Healthy Pets pros and cons
Below, we sum up some of the pros and cons of taking out a policy through Healthy Pets.
Healthy Pets pros
- Insures pets from 5 weeks old with puppy and kitten insurance
- High Trustpilot reviews (4.4 out of 5.0)
- A variety of policies to choose from
Healthy Pets cons
- No cover available for pre-existing conditions
- No vet video call service
- Upper age limit for pet cover
Summary
Healthy Pets is a well-established pet insurance brand with more than 25 years of experience in insuring cats and dogs. It has an Excellent Trustpilot score and offers a variety of different policies designed to suit all budgets and needs. So whether you're looking for accident-only cover for a particularly accident-prone pet or the reassurance of a more comprehensive lifetime cover, you're likely to find options that work for you with Healthy Pets.
However, Healthy Pets won't cover older pets or offer cover for pre-existing conditions which might be a dealbreaker for some. If you're concerned about this, you might want to check out Petsure* instead. Other alternatives include the PDSA which is another well-established brand with a similar offering to Healthy Pets.
If a link has an * beside it this means that it is an affiliated link. If you go via the link, Money to the Masses may receive a small fee which helps keep Money to the Masses free to use. The following link can be used if you do not wish to help Money to the Masses or take advantage of any exclusive offers - Petsure
