In this independent review, we look at Petplan’s pet insurance policies for cats and dogs including the types of policy available, the level of cover on offer and how much it costs. For more information on Petplan's pet insurance for horses visit Petplan's website.
You can jump to specific sections of the article using the following links:
- What is Petplan pet insurance?
- Petplan pet insurance features
- What does Petplan pet insurance cover?
- Petplan pet insurance exclusions
- Petplan policy types
- How much does Petplan pet insurance cost?
- How to make a claim with Petplan pet insurance
- Petplan customer reviews
- Alternatives to Petplan pet insurance
- Petplan pet insurance pros and cons
- Summary
What is Petplan pet insurance?
Petplan has been insuring pets for over 40 years and is one of the most popular pet insurance providers in the UK, with over 1.3 million pets insured to date. Petplan claims it can offer extensive cover for pets with over 97% of claims being paid and over 90% of customers renewing their policies each year.
Petplan was voted ‘Most Trusted Pet Insurance Provider’ at the Moneywise customer service awards in 2017 and has a 2023 defaqto rating of 5 stars. Petplan is underwritten by Allianz Insurance plc and is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Petplan key pet insurance features
Below is an overview of Petplan's policy key features:
- Two pet insurance policy types to choose from
- Pet insurance for dogs, cats and rabbits
- Equine, exotic pet and pet business insurance policies
- Petplan can pay your vet directly
- £12 multi-pet discount per pet per year
- No penalty for making a claim
- 10% online discount for the first year of insurance
- Online portal
What does Petplan pet insurance cover?
Petplan has two main pet insurance policies, 12-month cover and Covered for Life and offers cover for dogs and cats. You can also get rabbit insurance but this is only available as lifetime cover. For more information on what each policy covers click here.
Petplan's Lifetime cover
Lifetime pet insurance is the most comprehensive cover for your pet. Petplan offers three lifetime cover levels under its Covered For Life plan; with cover for your pet for up to £12,000 per policy year. This limit then renews annually and any conditions you have claimed for will be covered for the duration of your pet’s lifetime as long as you renew your policy each year.
Petplan's Time-Limited cover
Time-limited pet insurance covers your pet for a set amount or a set period of time, whichever comes first. Petplan's Essential plan offers cover for up to £3,000 of veterinary fees per condition for 12 months from when the condition was first noticed. After the 12-month period, the condition is no longer covered but any new conditions can still be claimed for.
Petplan only offers two types of pet insurance but these are not the only types of pet insurance available. For more information on the different types of pet insurance read our article 'What are the different types of pet insurance?'
Petplan pet insurance exclusions
Below we list the exclusions not covered by a Petplan pet insurance policy. This list is not extensive and you can find the full list of exclusions in the policy documents. 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.
Petplan does not offer cover for the following:
Pre-existing conditions
Any illness that starts within 14 days of opening the policy
Cremation or burial
Pregnancy
Pets used for breeding purposes
Routine care such as vaccinations and worming etc
Petplan policy types
Petplan offers a choice between Lifetime policies or a Time-limited policy. Lifetime pet insurance is the most comprehensive pet insurance policy available as your pet is covered for illnesses and injuries it sustains for the duration of its life. Time-limited pet insurance will cover vet fees up to a certain amount or for a certain period of time.
You can insure your cat, dog or rabbit with a Petplan policy from 6 weeks old but there are some restrictions if you want to insure an older pet with a new Petplan policy. For new Petplan Covered for Life policies, you can only insure cats up to the age of 10, dogs up to the age of 8 (5 for some breeds) and rabbits up to the age of 5. There is no upper age limit on Petplan's time-limited Essential policy, but this is only available for cats and dogs.
Petplan only offers lifetime and time-limited pet insurance however there are alternatives and you can find out more information in our article 'What are the different types of pet insurance?'
The below comparison table compares the key differences between the Petplan policies.
Petplan policies for cats and dogs
| Covered for Life (£12,000) | Covered for Life (£7,000) | Covered for Life (£4,000) | Essential Plan (£3,000) | |
| Cover Type | Annual limit lifetime | Annual limit lifetime | Annual limit lifetime | Time-limited |
| Excess | £110 for dogs £95 for cats |
£110 for dogs £95 for cats |
£110 for dogs £95 for cats |
£85 for dogs £75 for cats |
| Veterinary fee cover | £12,000 per year | £7,000 per year | £4,000 per year | £3,000 per condition for 12 months |
| Complementary treatment cover | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 | £500 per condition for 12 months |
| Third-Party liability (dogs only) | £2million | £2million | £2million | £2million |
| Death from illness/injury | £3,000 (optional) | £3,000 (optional) | £3,000 (optional) | £3,000 (optional) |
| Missing pet | £3,000 | £3,000 | £3,000 | £3,000 |
| Advertising and reward | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 |
| Boarding fees | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 |
| Holiday cancellation | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 |
| Pet bereavement helpline |  |
|
|
|
| Legal helpline | |
|
|
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Petplan policies for rabbits
| Covered for Life | |
| Cover Type | Annual limit lifetime |
| Excess | £65 for rabbits |
| Veterinary fee cover | £2,000 per year |
| Complementary treatment cover | £750 |
| Boarding fees | £250 per policy year |
| Missing pet | £250 per policy year |
| Behavioural conditions |  |
| Congenital, hereditary and dental cover | |
How much does Petplan pet insurance cost?
In the table below we have included examples of the cost of pet insurance for each of the Petplan pet insurance policies for both cats and dogs. The quotes are based on a 1-year-old mixed breed dog and 1-year-old moggy cat that live in the South East and have no underlying health conditions. The actual cost of your pet insurance will vary depending on the type, age and breed of your pet as well as where you live.
Petplan policy cost for cats and dogs
| Essential | Covered for Life (£4,000) | Covered for Life (£7,000) | Covered for Life (£12,000) | |
| Excess for veterinary fee | £85 for dogs £75 for cats |
£110 for dogs £95 for cats |
£110 for dogs £95 for cats |
£110 for dogs £95 for cats |
| Monthly cost for a Cat | £15.22 | £21.02 | £24.03 | £35.43 |
| Monthly cost for a Dog | £27.83 | £45.80 | £54.16 | £75.32 |
(Quotes correct as of 26/09/23)
Petplan policy cost for rabbits
The following quotes are based on a 1-year-old crossbreed rabbit with no underlying health conditions and living in a South East postcode.
| Covered for Life | |
| Excess for veterinary fee | £65 |
| Veterinary fee cover | £2,000 |
| Monthly cost for a Rabbit | £21.74 |
(Quote correct as of 26/09/23)
Petplan policy excess
The veterinary fee policy excess on your Petplan pet insurance will vary depending on the age and type of pet you have, as well as the policy you choose. For example, the policy excess is £110 for dogs, £95 for cats and £65 for rabbits on a Covered for Life policy. The policy excess is lower on Petplan's Essential policy at £85 for dogs and £75 for cats.
Petplan also adds a 20% co-payment on top of the excess amount when your pet turns 10 years old (7 years for certain breeds) on a lifetime policy and 8 years old (5 years old for some breeds) on an essential policy.
How to make a claim with Petplan pet insurance
Making a claim with Petplan is quick and easy. The easiest way to claim for any veterinary treatment is via your vet. Your veterinary practice can submit a claim online and Petplan will pay your vet directly if your vet is happy to receive payment this way. If you are unable to claim for treatment through your vet, you can fill out the online claims form on the Petplan website.
Petplan says it will pay 90% of claims within 5 working days once your claim has been received by Petplan from the vet. You have 12 months after the date your pet has started to receive treatment to submit a claim.
Petplan customer reviews
Petplan has a rating of 'Excellent' on Trustpilot with a score of 4.7 out of 5.0 stars from over 14,000 reviews. 87% of customers rated it as 'Excellent' citing a friendly and professional service and no problems when it comes to paying out claims. 9% rated it as 'Bad' with problems with automatic renewals and insurance premium increases.
Alternatives to Petplan pet insurance
When it comes to pet insurance it is best to shop around for the best deal and see the different levels of cover available to find the best cover for your pet. In the comparison table below we have compared the most comprehensive Petplan policy to the most comprehensive Agria* and ManyPets* policy. The policies are based on a 1-year-old dog (medium-sized mongrel) that lives in the South East with no underlying health conditions.
Another way to compare pet insurance policies is via a comparison website such as Quotezone*, Compare the Market* and MoneySuperMarket* as this allows you to compare multiple policies at once to find the best cover for your pet. One thing to consider, however, is that not all comparison sites are whole of market, which means you may get a better deal from another insurer that is not on the comparison site, such as Direct Line.
Petplan vs Agria vs ManyPets
| PetPlan | Agria |
ManyPets
|
|
| Excess | £110 for dogs | £105 + 10% of each claim |
£99
|
| Cost | £75.32 | £56.47 | £41.46 |
| Vet fee cover | £12,000 per year | £12,500 per year |
£15,000 per year
|
| Public liability | £2million | £3million | £2million |
| Loss & theft | £3,000 | £1,500 (advertising costs only) | £6,000 |
| Death of pet cover (if pet dies through illness or injury) | £3,000 (optional extra) | £2,500 (optional extra) | £6,000 |
| Trustpilot score | 4.7/5 | 4.7/5 | 3.7/5 |
(The quotes are correct as of 26/09/23)
Petplan pet insurance pros and cons
Pros of Petplan insurance
- Comprehensive cover
- Pays out claims quickly
- No penalty for claiming
- Multi-pet discount
Cons of Petplan insurance
- Only offers lifetime and time-limited policies
- 20% co-payment when pet reaches a certain age
- No cover for pre-existing conditions
Summary
Overall Petplan provides good insurance cover for your pet but it is more expensive than the majority of its competitors, as highlighted in the above comparison table. How much you pay for your pet insurance premium does however depend on the age, type and breed of your pet.
Petplan states on its website that it has a 90% claim payout which is encouraging if you are worried about a claim being accepted. Petplan is also a well-known pet insurance provider that pays your vet directly so you may not even have to pay out for any veterinary treatment at all. As with all pet insurance policies it is advisable to shop around to ensure you are getting the best cover for your pet.
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 - ManyPets, Agria, MoneySuperMarket, Compare the Market, Quotezone
