In this independent review, we look at Marks and Spencer's pet insurance including its key features, the policies it offers and how much it costs. We also compare M&S pet insurance to other pet insurance providers, Animal Friends and Many Pets* to see how it compares. We recommend that you read the review in full, however, if you wanted to jump to sections of the article you can do so via the following links.
- What is M&S pet insurance?
- M&S pet insurance features
- What does M&S pet insurance cover?
- M&S pet insurance policy exclusions
- M&S pet insurance policies
- How much does M&S pet insurance cost?
- How to make a claim with M&S pet insurance
- M&S pet insurance customer reviews
- Alternatives to M&S pet insurance
- M&S pet insurance pros and cons
- Summary
What is M&S pet insurance?
M&S Bank was launched in 1985 under the name St Michael Financial Services, launching M&S personal loans in 1989, the first of its financial products. It later launched its pet and travel insurance in 2002 and now offers a host of other financial products including current accounts, home and car insurance, credit cards and savings accounts.
Marks and Spencer's pet insurance is underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance plc who also underwrite Tesco Bank and John Lewis pet insurance premiums.
M&S pet insurance features
- Up to £50 M&S voucher for new customers for each pet you insure (excludes Essential policies)
- 15% online discount for new customers
- 24-hour free vet helpline with vetfone
- Insurance for dogs and cats
- Lifetime and Time-limited pet insurance policies
- 10% multi-pet discount
What does M&S pet insurance cover?
Marks and Spencer Bank has three different types of pet insurance policies and each one offers a different level of cover. The most comprehensive insurance policy offered is the M&S Premier policy which is an annual limit lifetime pet insurance policy. The M&S Standard cover is also an annual limit lifetime pet insurance policy and the M&S Essential cover is a time-limited pet insurance policy. We explain each policy type in more detail below:
M&S Premier/Plus - lifetime pet insurance policy
This is the most comprehensive pet insurance policy with M&S Bank as it is a lifetime pet insurance policy that offers the most vet fee cover for your pet. Lifetime pet insurance usually insures your pet for lifelong and chronic conditions and this type of lifetime policy is an Annual Limit lifetime policy which means your pet is insured for a maximum vet fee limit per year which then renews annually. For example, your pet will be insured for £10,000 each policy year for all conditions. That means you can claim more than once in a policy year up until the vet fee limit, once this has been reached any further treatment that year would need to be self-funded. These limits are then renewed the following policy year.
M&S Standard - lifetime pet insurance policy
The M&S Standard pet insurance policy is also an annual limit lifetime policy with a maximum vet fee limit of £4,000, however, this particular policy restricts you to claim a maximum of £1,000 for each illness or condition per policy year. This means that if you exceed the £1,000 limit for a particular condition any further treatment that year would need to be self-funded. You can then only claim a total of £4,000 in vet fees in one policy year. These limits are then renewed the following policy year.
For more information on lifetime pet insurance, read our article 'Lifetime pet insurance explained'.
M&S Essential - time-limited pet insurance policy
Time-limited pet insurance insures your pet for a maximum amount per condition, but the condition is only covered for a period of 12 months from the first date of treatment or until the condition limit has been reached, whichever comes first. The M&S Essential pet insurance policy insures your pet for up to £3,000 per illness or injury or for 12 months from the first date of treatment, whichever comes first.
For more information on time-limited pet insurance and how it works, read our article 'Time-limited pet insurance explained'.
M&S pet insurance policies
M&S has four pet insurance policies to choose from with various levels of veterinary fee cover. We highlight the key components of each pet insurance type in the below table. To find out how much each policy costs, jump to the How much does M&S pet insurance cost? section of the article.
M&S pet insurance policy comparison table
| M&S Essential | M&S Standard | M&S Plus | M&S Premier | |
| Policy type | Time-limited | Annual limit lifetime | Annual limit lifetime | Annual limit lifetime |
| Maximum vet fee cover per policy year | £3,000 | £4,000 | £2,000/ £3,000 | £5,000/ £7,000/ £10,000 |
| Maximum vet fee cover per illness/injury | £3,000 | £1,000 | £2,000 or £3,000 depending on your policy | £5,000, £7,000 or £10,00 depending on your policy |
| Complementary treatment^ | £500 | £500 | £500 | £1,000 |
|
Dental cover (injury and illness)
|
Injury only | Injury & illness | Injury & illness | Injury & illness |
|
Death from illness/injury cover^^
|
£600 | £600 | £600 | £1,500 |
|
Cremation & Euthanasia
|
£100 | £100 | £100 | £200 |
|
Advertising & Reward
|
£600 each | £600 each | £600 each | £1,250 for advertising and £750 for reward |
| Loss or Theft | £600 | £600 | £600 | £1,500 |
|
Emergency boarding
|
Not covered | £600 | £600 | £750 |
| Vet fee abroad | Not covered | Not covered | Not covered | £2,000 (max 3 trips) |
|
Holiday Cancellation
|
Not covered | Not covered | Not covered | £3,000 |
| Third-party liability | £1m | £1m | £1m | £2m |
^Complementary treatment includes treatment such as physiotherapy and hydrotherapy
^^Pets will not be covered for death from an illness if they are over the age of 9
M&S pet insurance policy exclusions
In this section, we share some exclusions that apply to an M&S pet insurance policy. It is not an extensive list so you must ensure that you check all policy documents carefully before opening a policy so that you know exactly what your pet is covered for.
An M&S Bank pet insurance policy will not pay out claims for the following:
- Pre-existing conditions
- Any illness or injury within the first 14 days of the policy
- Fraudulent claims
- Distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirus in dogs and infectious enteritis, cat flu and feline leukaemia in cats if your pet has not received vaccinations for these illnesses
- Claims for pets younger than 8 weeks old
- Deliberate acts caused by you or your family
- Dogs trained to attack
- Pets used for commercial breeding (bred from more than twice in their lifetime) or for monetary gain
- Putting your pet to sleep if your pet was found to be worrying livestock
- Death due to pregnancy or birth
- Dogs registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
If you have a change in your personal circumstances you must notify M&S Bank within 30 days otherwise you could see an increase in your premiums or a claim not being paid or partially paid or your policy being cancelled. Changes of circumstance include a change of address or your pet being neutered or spayed.
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How much does M&S pet insurance cost?
In this section of the review, we compare the cost of the M&S Bank pet insurance policies. The following quotes are based on a 1-year-old mixed breed cat and dog with no underlying health conditions and living in a South East postcode. For the purpose of the quotes, the monthly costs are based on a £100 excess fee amount.
The cost of your pet insurance is likely to vary depending on the type, age and breed of your pet. Where you live is also likely to affect the cost of your pet insurance as well as if you have previously made a claim. For more information on what affects the cost of pet insurance read our article '7 factors that affect the cost of pet insurance'.
M&S pet insurance also includes an introductory 15% discount for the first year of your premium so you should anticipate a premium increase the following year. When getting a pet insurance quote with M&S it draws your attention to reasons as to why your pet insurance premium will increase if you renew, and states that 'claims data that shows the cost of looking after your pet's health doubles every four to five years and that 'if a claim is paid, the price you will pay next year can double'.
M&S pet insurance is underwritten by Royal and Sun Alliance plc which also underwrites Tesco Bank pet insurance whose customer reviews complain of hefty renewal price increases so this may be something to consider when shopping around for the best deal.
A cost comparison of M&S Bank pet insurance policies
| M&S Essential | M&S Standard | M&S Plus | M&S Plus | M&S Premier | M&S Premier | M&S Premier | |
| Policy type | Time-limited | Annual limit lifetime | Annual limit lifetime | Annual limit lifetime | Annual limit lifetime | Annual limit lifetime | Annual limit lifetime |
| Excess^ | £100 | £100 | £100 | £100 | £100 | £100 | £100 |
| Maximum vet fee cover |
£3,000 per condition for up to 12 months
|
£4,000 per policy year (£1,000 per condition) | £2,000 per policy year | £3,000 per policy year | £5,000 per policy year | £7,000 per policy year | £10,000 per policy year |
| Monthly cost dog | £16.12 | £12.61 | £15.19 | £19.53 | £24.70 | £28.09 | £31.16 |
| Monthly cost cat | £14.98 | £12.54 | £15.16 | £19.87 | £22.02 | £24.00 | £26.44 |
^For the purpose of the quote the excess fee is £100 - other options for a pet under 9 include £50, £125 and £150
(Quotes correct as of 25/09/24)
M&S Bank pet insurance policy excess
An excess is a compulsory fee that is payable when you make a claim. The excess on your policy is your contribution towards the cost of the veterinary fees and will be taken from the total vet fee claim amount before it is paid. M&S offers a choice between four fixed excess fees of £50, £100, £125 or £150 for pets under the age of 9. The excess increases for pets over the age of 9 by £100 so will be either £150, £200, £225 or £250. Third-party liability claims have an excess of £250 for any claim concerning the loss or damage to property. The excess for holiday cancellation is £50.
The excess on an M&S Essential policy is payable once per condition and the excess on an M&S Standard, Plus and Premier policy is payable once per condition per policy year.
How to make a claim with M&S pet insurance
To make a claim you can use the online claim portal to download a form. Once you have completed the form you need to email it along with your supporting documents (vet bill, medical notes etc) to [email protected]. Your vet can also submit a claim on your behalf and M&S will either pay you or your vet directly. You can also call the RSA claims team on 0800 980 8750 and you will need to have your policy number handy.
The claims form must be returned within 60 days of the first vet treatment. If your pet is expected to need ongoing treatment you should send your claim form with relevant information and receipts within the first 60 days and then submit claims for the ongoing treatments every 3-6 months.
M&S pet insurance customer reviews
Marks & Spencer pet insurance has very few reviews on independent review website Trustpilot and from the few reviews it has received, customers warn of high renewal premiums. In addition, M&S pet insurance was rated 1.9 out of 5.0 from 175 reviews on the independent review site Review Centre, however the latest review published was in September 2023. As with all pet insurance policies, you should ensure you do your research to ensure you find the policy that is best for you. To help find the best pet insurance for your pet, read our article 'The best pet insurance in the UK - 2024'.
Alternatives to M&S pet insurance
In this section of the review, we compare M&S pet insurance to other providers. As M&S pet insurance is underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance plc we have compared it to Tesco pet insurance as it is underwritten by the same insurer. We also compare it to two other leading pet insurance providers; ManyPets* and Animal Friends.
If you want to easily compare a range of pet insurance providers you can do so using comparison sites such as Quotezone* and MoneySuperMarket*. One thing to consider, however, is that despite comparing a large majority of pet insurance providers, comparison sites are not usually whole of market so you may not be getting the best deal.
M&S pet insurance vs Tesco pet insurance
M&S and Tesco's pet insurance policies are both underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance plc which means that any claim you may need to make will be dealt with by the same insurance company. M&S pet insurance offers two policy types; time-limited policy and lifetime, in comparison to a choice between three policy types with Tesco Bank. Tesco Bank offers Time-limited, Maximum Benefit and Lifetime pet insurance with up to £10,000 in vet fee cover depending on the type of policy you choose. A key difference is that Marks & Spencer's Standard lifetime pet insurance policy has a maximum condition claim limit of £1,000 each policy year and Tesco Bank does not have a condition claim limit on any of its lifetime pet insurance policies.
Tesco Bank pet insurance offers £2m of third-party liability cover across all policies in comparison to M&S which offers £1m on its Essential, Standard and Plus policies and £2m on its Premier pet insurance policy. Both providers will cover your pet up to the age of 9 should it die due to illness and you also have access to the free 24/7 vet helpline with Vetfone with both providers. Tesco offers a discount for Clubcard members and M&S has a 15% discount on new policies. Despite the enticing introductory rates, remember that your vet fees will almost certainly increase the following year when it comes to renewing because of this.
A comparison between M&S and Tesco pet insurance
| M&S Premier | Tesco Premier | |
| Policy type | Annual limit lifetime |
Annual limit lifetime
|
| Maximum vet fee cover per policy year | £10,000 | £10,000 |
| Excess | £100 | £120 |
| Complementary treatment such as hydrotherapy | £1,000 | £1,000 |
|
Dental cover (injury and illness)
|
Injury & illness | Injury & illness |
| Death from illness/injury cover^ | £1,500 | £1,500 |
| Cremation & Euthanasia | £200 | £200 |
| Advertising | £1,250 | £1,000 |
| Reward | £750 | £200 |
| Loss or Theft | £1,500 | £1,500 |
| Emergency boarding | £750 | £1,000 |
| Holiday Cancellation | £3,000 | £5,000 |
| Third-party liability | £2m | £2m |
| Monthly cost dog | £31.16 | £30.48 |
| Monthly cost cat | £26.44 | £26.55 |
^ For pets aged up to 9 years old
(Quotes correct as of 25/09/24)
M&S vs ManyPets vs Animal Friends
In this section of the review, we compare M&S pet insurance to ManyPets* and Animal Friends. We have compared the most comprehensive lifetime pet insurance policy with each of the providers and the quotes are based on 1-year-old cat and dog with no underlying health conditions and living in a South East postcode.
A comparison between M&S, ManyPets and Animal Friends pet insurance
| M&S Premier | ManyPets* | Animal Friends | |
| Policy name | Premier | Complete | Lifetime £18,000 |
| Policy type | Annual limit lifetime pet insurance |
Annual limit lifetime pet insurance
|
Annual limit lifetime pet insurance |
| Excess | £100 | £99 | £99 |
| Maximum vet fee cover | £10,000 per policy year | £15,000 per policy year |
£18,000 per policy year
|
| Loss & Theft | £1,500 | £6,000 | £3,000 |
| Death due to illness | £1,500 | £6,000 | £3,000 |
| Cremation & Euthanasia | £200 | £300 | £200 |
| Third-party liability | £2m | £2m | £2m |
| Vet video calls | 24hr phone line | Yes | Yes |
| Monthly cost dog | £31.16 | £42.78 | £56.56 |
| Monthly cost cat | £26.44 | £33.68 | £55.35 |
| More information | ManyPets pet insurance review | Animal Friends pet insurance review |
(Quotes correct as of 25/09/24)
M&S pet insurance pros & cons
M&S pet insurance pros
- Multi-pet discount
- 15% introductory online discount
- Up to £50 M&S voucher for new customers for each pet you insure (excludes Essential policies)
- Up to £10,000 of vet fee cover depending on the policy you choose
- Free 24/7 vet helpline
M&S pet insurance cons
- Does not pay for the death of your pet due to illness (if over the age of 9)
- £1,000 annual vet fee claim limit per condition on the M&S Standard policy
- Does not cover pre-existing conditions
- Poor record in terms of online customer reviews
Summary
Overall M&S pet insurance offers good incentives to encourage you to take out a pet insurance policy however you must bear in mind that you are likely to see a jump in your premium when it comes to renewing. Unlike many other pet insurance providers it doesn't offer a 24hr video vet service but it does have a phone line you can make use of, however all of it's policies except the "Essential" offers dental cover for both illness and injury which isn't often seen from other providers. As with all pet insurance policies I would encourage you to shop around as there may be the opportunity to get more for your money with other pet insurance providers. To compare some of the best pet insurance providers read our article, 'Best pet insurance for pets in the UK - 2024'.
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 - ManyPets, MoneySuperMarket, Quotezone
