In this independent review, we look at Petplan’s pet insurance policies for cats, dogs and rabbits including the types of policy available, the level of cover on offer and how much it costs. We also look at how much it costs and how it compares to other pet insurance providers including ManyPets* and Waggel*.
We recommend that you read the review in full, however, you can navigate to certain sections of the article via 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
Find the right Pet Insurance for you
Our partner Quotezone will compare quotes from over 15 UK pet insurance providers
- You could pay from £3.35 per month**
What is Petplan pet insurance?
Petplan has been insuring pets for over 45 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 that 90% of their customers renew each year. They have donated £38 million to animal charities in the last 20 years.
In January 2024, Petplan's "Covered For Life" cat and dog insurance were awarded a Which? Best Buy award and the "Covered For Life" policy also has a 5 star defaqto rating. 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
- Free vet, behaviour and nutrition video chat
What does Petplan pet insurance cover?
Petplan has two main pet insurance policies for cats and dogs, a time-limited policy called Essential and lifetime cover known as Covered For Life. You can also get lifetime insurance for rabbits and this is called Rabbit Plan. More information on what each policy covers can be found in the Petplan policy types section. Petplan also offer equine insurance and you can find more information about this on the Petplan website.
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 a choice of cover for your pet of £4,000, £7,000 or £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 your vet starts treatment. 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 to read your policy documents carefully so you are aware of what your pet is covered for.
Petplan does not offer cover for the following:
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 Petplan Covered for Life policies, you will not be able to take out a new policy if your cat is 10 or over or if your dog is 8 or over, (for some dog breeds they can't be older than 5). The rabbit insurance policy can be started for 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, more information on the alternative types of insurance can be found in our article 'What is 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 | |
| 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) | £2 million | £2 million | £2 million | £2 million |
| 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 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Petplan policies for rabbits
| Covered for Life | |
| Cover Type | Annual limit lifetime |
| Excess | £65 for rabbits |
| Veterinary fee cover | £4,000 per year |
| Complementary treatment cover | £750 |
| Boarding fees | £250 |
| Missing pet | £250 |
Petplan also offers equine insurance policies, insurance for exotic pets and pet business insurance.
Find the right Pet Insurance for you
Our partner Quotezone will compare quotes from over 15 UK pet insurance providers
- You could pay from £3.35 per month**
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. For more information on what affects the cost of pet insurance read our article '7 factors that affect the cost of pet insurance'.
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 | £15.97 | £22.05 | £25.21 | £37.18 |
| Monthly cost for a dog | £23.90 | £34.89 | £41.25 | £57.21 |
(Quotes correct as of 09/10/24)
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 | £4,000 |
| Monthly cost for a Rabbit | £24.01 |
(Quote correct as of 09/10/24)
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 dog breeds) on a Covered for Life policy and 8 years old (5 years old for some dog breeds) on an Essential policy. The 20% co-payment on the rabbit insurance is added when your rabbit turns 7.
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. There is also the option to submit a claim via email or post. You just need to download the claim form and email it to claims@petplan.co.uk or send it to Peplan, PO Box 223, Huddersfield, HD8 1FR.
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 17,000 reviews. 88% of customers rated it as 'Excellent' citing a friendly and professional service and no problems when it comes to paying out claims. 8% rated it as 'Bad' complaining of insurance premium increases and issues with claims.
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 Waggel* and ManyPets* policy. The policies are based on a 1-year-old dog (medium-sized mongrel) and 1-year-old moggy cat that live in the South East with no underlying health conditions.
Another way to compare pet insurance policies is via a comparison website such as Quotezone* 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 Waggel vs ManyPets
| PetPlan | Waggel* | ManyPets* | |
| Excess | £110 for dogs
£95 for cats |
£100 |
£99
|
| Monthly cost for 1-year-old dog | £58.04 | £45.08 | £42.35 |
| Monthly cost for 1-year-old cat | £38.50 | £42.96 | £33.01 |
| Vet fee cover | £12,000 per year | £15,000 per year |
£15,000 per year
|
| Public liability | £2 million | £2 million | £2 million |
| Loss & theft | £3,000 | £1,000 | £6,000 |
| Death of pet cover (if pet dies through illness or injury) | £3,000 (optional extra)^ |
£1,000 | £6,000 |
| Trustpilot score | 4.7/5 | 4.5/5 | 4.0/5 |
| More information | Waggel pet insurance review | ManyPets pet insurance review |
(The quotes are correct as of 09/10/24) ^included in quote for comparison purposes
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
- Cost of premiums can be high compared to other providers
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. Our article, 'Best pet insurance in the UK' compares some of the best pet insurance providers in the UK.
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, Waggel, MoneySuperMarket, Quotezone