Pet insurance is an insurance policy that can cover the cost of any veterinary treatment should your pet fall ill or get injured. In this review, we will be looking at The Insurance Emporium's pet insurance policies including the key features, the different policies and how much they cost. We also look at alternative providers, Many Pets* and Animal Friends to see how The Insurance Emporium pet insurance compares.
We recommend you read the review in full however you can skip to sections of the review using the following links:
- Who is The Insurance Emporium?
- The Insurance Emporium key features
- What does The Insurance Emporium cover?
- The Insurance Emporium policy types
- The Insurance Emporium policy exclusions
- How much does The Insurance Emporium pet insurance cost?
- The Insurance Emporium pet insurance policy excess
- How to make a claim with The Insurance Emporium
- The Insurance Emporium customer reviews
- Alternatives to The Insurance Emporium
- The Insurance Emporium pros and cons
- Summary
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What is The Insurance Emporium?
The Insurance Emporium is a trading name of the Equine & Livestock Insurance Company Limited which also trades under E&L insurance, Kamkit, www.insurance4mycaravan.co.uk and www.my-weddinginsurance.co.uk. Equine and Livestock Insurance Company Limited has been offering multiple insurances for over 70 years and prides itself in offering 'first-class service to our valued customers.'
The Insurance Emporium offers a range of insurance policies including caravan, equine, wedding and pet insurance. It offers a range of pet insurance policies for cats and dogs, as well as senior policies for older pets. They were voted Pet Insurance Provider of the year in the 2023 Moneyfacts consumer awards and their Lifetime Gold pet insurance has been awarded a 5 Star Rating from Defaqto for the past 5 years. The Insurance Emporium offers all levels of dog and cat insurance which we cover in more detail below.
The Insurance Emporium key features
- Dog and Cat insurance
- Insurance for senior pets
- Equine insurance
- 20% introductory discount
- 10% multi-pet discount
- My Emporium customer portal to access your policy documents online
What does The Insurance Emporium cover?
The Insurance Emporium offers a range of pet cover, including:
Public Liability Only (dogs only)
The Insurance Emporium's Public Liability Only insurance protects you financially up to £1.5 million if your dog should cause damage to property or harm another individual. It does not provide vet fee cover for veterinary treatment due to illness or injury. You have the option to pay lunar monthly (every 28 days) or annually and the amount of cover differs depending which option you choose.
Accident-only
The Insurance Emporium's accident-only pet insurance covers the cost of veterinary treatment up to £3,000 per injury your pet sustains as a result of an accident. It does not cover the cost of treatment due to illness. You have the option to pay lunar monthly (every 28 days) or annually and the amount of vet fee cover differs depending which option you choose.
To find out more about accident-only pet insurance and how it works, read our article 'Accident-only pet insurance explained'.
Time-limited
The Insurance Emporium's time-limited pet insurance covers the cost of veterinary treatment up to £6,000 per illness or injury up until the set limit or for a set period of time (365 days from the date the condition, illness or injury first showed clinical signs). For example, your pet will be insured up to £6,000 per condition for a period of 365 days or up until the £6,000 limit is reached. The Insurance Emporium has three time-limited pet insurance policies Bronze, Silver and Gold with the option to pay lunar monthly (every 28 days) or annually. The policy features differ slightly depending which option you choose.
To find out more about time-limited pet insurance and how it works, read our article 'Time-limited pet insurance explained'.
Maximum Benefit
The Insurance Emporium's maximum benefit pet insurance covers the cost of veterinary treatment up to £7,500 per illness or injury. For example, your pet will be insured for up to £7,500 per condition for the duration of the policy or until the limit is reached. The Insurance Emporium has three maximum benefit pet insurance policies ranging from Bronze, Silver and Gold with the option to pay lunar monthly (every 28 days) or annually. The policy features differ slightly depending which option you choose.
You can find out more about maximum benefit pet insurance in our article, 'Maximum benefit pet insurance explained'.
Lifetime
Insurance Emporium's offers two types of lifetime pet insurance; annual limit and annual condition limit. Annual limit lifetime pet insurance covers your pet for a set amount per year and the cover then renews annually, even if you have made a claim. Annual condition limit lifetime pet insurance covers your pet for a set amount per condition per year. The level of veterinary fee cover then renews again the following policy year, even if you have made a claim.
Insurance Emporium's annual condition limit lifetime insurance covers the cost of veterinary treatment up to an annual amount of £8,000 per illness or injury. So your pet will be insured for up to £8,000 per condition per year and the limit will renew each year for the duration of the policy. Alternatively, you can also get annual limit lifetime pet insurance with cover up to £6,000 per year. This means that you can claim for multiple conditions until the £6,000 limit is met, after this you will need to self-fund any additional treatment until the limit renews the following year.
The Insurance Emporium has seven lifetime pet insurance policies ranging from Bronze to Palladium with the option to pay Lunar monthly (every 28 days) or annually. There is also an option for annual policies with monthly payments and the policy features differ slightly depending which option you choose.
To find out more about lifetime pet insurance, read our article 'Lifetime pet insurance explained'.
The Insurance Emporium policy types
The Insurance Emporium has 15 pet insurance policies to choose from and in the below comparison tables, we summarise the level of cover you can expect from the varying Insurance Emporium pet insurance policies. If you choose to pay your premium annually there is a lower level of vet fee cover for each of the policies. For example, the Lifetime Gold policy chosen to be paid lunar monthly has £8,000 of vet fee cover but if you choose an annual policy there is only £6,500 of vet fee cover. The amount of cover for public liability also reduces to £1 million from £1.5 million.
A comparison of The Insurance Emporium pet insurance policies
The following tables illustrate the different types of policies The Insurance Emporium offers and how the cover differs depending on whether you choose to pay your premium lunar monthly (every 28 days) or annually. The insurance product information for each policy states that you can pay for each policy either lunar monthly, monthly or annually however this is not clear on the website or when obtaining quotes except for the Lifetime Copper, Zinc, Titanium and Palladium policies.
The Insurance Emporium lifetime pet insurance policy comparison
(scroll for full table)
| Vet fee cover | Death of pet |
Boarding fee cover | Holiday cancellation cover | Loss or theft |
Advertising & reward | Accidental damage | Personal accident | Third -party liability | |
| Lifetime Bronze^ | £2,500 per condition | £1,000 | £750 | £1,250 | £1,000 | £750 | £700 | £150 | £1.5m |
| Lifetime Silver^ | £5,000 per condition | £1,250 | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,250 | £800 | £750 | £200 | £1.5m |
| Lifetime Gold^ | £8,000 per condition | £1,500 | £1,250 | £1,750 | £1,500 | £850 | £800 | £250 | £1.5m |
| Lifetime Bronze (annual)^^ | £2,000 per condition | £750 | £500 | £1,000 | £750 | £600 | £500 | £100 | £1m |
| Lifetime Silver (annual)^^ | £4,500 per condition | £1,000 | £750 | £1,250 | £1,000 | £650 | £600 | £150 | £1m |
| Lifetime Gold (annual)^^ | £6,500 per condition | £1,250 | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,250 | £700 | £650 | £200 | £1m |
| Lifetime Copper^^^ | £2,000 per year | £750 | £500 | £750 | £750 | £500 | £500 | x | £1m |
| Lifetime Zinc^^^ | £3,000 per year | £750 | £500 | £750 | £750 | £500 | £500 | x | £1m |
| Lifetime Titanium^^^ | £4,000 per year | £750 | £500 | £750 | £750 | £500 | £500 | x | £1m |
| Lifetime Palladium^^^ | £6,000 per year | £750 | £500 | £750 | £750 | £500 | £500 | x | £1m |
^Premium is paid Lunar monthly (every 28 days) and cover renews every 28 days
^^Annual premium and cover renews annually
^^^ Annual premium which can be paid monthly or annually and cover renews annually
The Insurance Emporium maximum benefit pet insurance policy comparison
(scroll for full table)
| Vet fee cover | Death of pet |
Boarding fee cover | Holiday cancellation cover | Loss or theft |
Advertising & reward | Accidental damage | Personal accident | Third -party liability | |
| Maximum benefit Bronze^ | £2,000 per condition | £1,000 | £750 | £1,250 | £1,000 | £750 | £700 | £150 | £1.5m |
| Maximum benefit Silver^ | £4,500 per condition | £1,250 | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,250 | £800 | £750 | £200 | £1.5m |
| Maximum benefit Gold^ | £7,500 per condition | £1,500 | £1,250 | £1,750 | £1,500 | £850 | £800 | £250 | £1.5m |
| Maximum benefit Bronze (annual)^^ | £1,500 per condition | £750 | £500 | £1,000 | £750 | £600 | £500 | £100 | £1m |
| Maximum benefit Silver (annual) ^^ | £4,000 per condition | £1,000 | £750 | £1,250 | £1,000 | £650 | £600 | £150 | £1m |
| Maximum benefit Gold (annual)^^ | £6,000 per condition | £1,250 | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,250 | £700 | £650 | £200 | £1m |
^Premium is paid Lunar monthly (every 28 days)
^^Premium is paid annually
The Insurance Emporium time-limited pet insurance policy comparison
(scroll for full table)
| Vet fee cover | Death of pet |
Boarding fee cover | Holiday cancellation cover | Loss or theft |
Advertising & reward | Accidental damage | Personal accident | Third -party liability | |
| Time-Limited Bronze^ | £1,500 per condition | £1,000 | £750 | £1,250 | £1,000 | £750 | £700 | £150 | £1.5m |
| Time-Limited Silver^ | £4,000 per condition | £1,250 | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,250 | £800 | £750 | £200 | £1.5m |
| Time-Limited Gold^ | £6,000 per condition | £1,500 | £1,250 | £1,750 | £1,500 | £850 | £800 | £250 | £1.5m |
| Time-Limited Bronze (annual)^^ |
£1,000 per condition | £750 | £500 | £1,000 | £750 | £600 | £500 | £100 | £1m |
| Time-Limited Silver (annual)^^ |
£3,500 per condition | £1,000 | £750 | £1,250 | £1,000 | £650 | £600 | £150 | £1m |
| Time-Limited Gold (annual)^^ |
£5,000 per condition | £1,250 | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,250 | £700 | £650 | £200 | £1m |
^Premium is paid Lunar monthly (every 28 days)
^^Premium is paid annually
The Insurance Emporium accident-only and liability-only pet insurance policy comparison
(scroll for full table)
| Vet fee cover | Death of pet |
Boarding fee cover | Holiday cancellation cover | Loss or theft |
Advertising & reward | Accidental damage | Personal accident | Third -party liability | |
| Accident-Only^ | £3,000 per injury | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Accident-Only (annual)^^ | £2,500 per injury | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Public Liability Only^ | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | £1.5m |
| Public Liability Only (annual)^^ | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | £1m |
^Premium is paid Lunar monthly (every 28 days)
^^Premium is paid annually
Optional benefits
You can choose additional benefits to enhance your policy and these can be added to your policy when you fill out the details for an online quote. They cannot be added to the Public Liability, Accident Only and the Lifetime Copper, Zinc, Titanium and Palladium policies. The additional benefits you can choose to add to your policy, at a small additional cost, are as follows:
European cover
Up to 100 days of cover for vet fees, death, straying or theft in Europe. Up to £1,000 of quarantine cover and replacement pet travel documents and up to £500 pet repatriation costs.
Euthanasia and cremation
Up to £200 towards the cost of euthanasia and cremation of your pet if they are ill or injured if your pet is under the age of 8 years old.
The Insurance Emporium policy exclusions
In the following section, we list the most common exclusions in The Insurance Emporium pet insurance policies. This is not a definitive list of exclusions and you will need to check the policy documents carefully before taking out any pet insurance policy.
The Insurance Emporium will not pay out a claim for the following:
- The policy excess
- Pre-existing conditions
- Any illness or condition that started in the first 14 days of your policy
- Any cost of treatment not evidenced by a receipt or invoice
- Death that occurs more than a year after the first signs of the condition
- Pet theft where there are no signs of forcible or violent entry
- Pets used in any trade or business
- Certain breeds of dogs, the full list of excluded breeds is on their website
Find the right Pet Insurance for you
Our partner Quotezone will compare cheap quotes from over 15 UK pet insurance providers
- You could pay from £2.56 per month**
How much does The Insurance Emporium pet insurance cost?
We have gathered quotes for pet insurance for a 1-year-old dog (medium-sized mongrel) and cat (moggy) with no underlying health conditions and living in a South East postcode. How much you pay for your pet insurance policy can vary depending on a number of factors including the breed of pet you insure and 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'.
The |nsurance Emporium Annual Condition Limit Lifetime policy cost comparison
| 1-year-old dog | 1-year-old cat | |
| Excess | £135^ | £145^ |
| Lifetime Bronze | £13.16 per lunar month | £8.97 per lunar month |
| Lifetime Silver | £17.42 per lunar month | £13.16 per lunar month |
| Lifetime Gold | £20.12 per lunar month | £14.93 per lunar month |
| Lifetime Bronze Annual | £131.58 | £89.71 |
| Lifetime Silver Annual | £174.18 | £131.62 |
| Lifetime Gold Annual | £201.22 | £149.26 |
(Quotes correct as of 21/03/24)
^These policies have an additional 5% co-payment of the remaining vet fees up to £20,000 and 15% thereafter for pets under 8. For any senior pet policy, a 15% co-payment is required in addition to the excess amount.
The |nsurance Emporium Annual Limit Lifetime policy cost comparison
These policies have the option to pay annually or monthly with no difference in the cover provided
| 1-year-old dog (monthly cost) | 1-year-old cat (monthly cost) | |
| Excess | £150 | £150 |
| Lifetime Copper | £10.13 | £6.91 |
| Lifetime Zinc | £11.77 | £8.52 |
| Lifetime Titanium | £13.41 | £10.13 |
| Lifetime Palladium | £15.48 | £11.49 |
(Quotes correct as of 21/03/24)
The |nsurance Emporium Maximum Benefit policy cost comparison
| 1-year-old dog | 1-year-old cat | |
| Excess | £125 | £125 |
| Maximum Benefit Bronze | £10.19 per lunar month | £7.43 per lunar month |
| Maximum Benefit Silver | £15.53 per lunar month | £9.38 per lunar month |
| Maximum Benefit Gold | £18.07 per lunar month | £12.98 per lunar month |
| Maximum Benefit Annual | £101.92 | £74.35 |
| Maximum Benefit Annual | £155.30 | £93.81 |
| Maximum Benefit Annual | £180.70 | £129.80 |
(Quotes correct as of 21/03/24)
The |nsurance Emporium Time Limited policy cost comparison
| 1-year-old dog | 1-year-old cat | |
| Excess | £125 | £125 |
| Time Limited Bronze | £7.63 per lunar month | £5.69 per lunar month |
| Time Limited Silver | £13.73 per lunar month | £7.61 per lunar month |
| Time Limited Gold | £15.83 per lunar month | £10.48 per lunar month |
| Time Limited Annual | £76.28 | £56.90 |
| Time Limited Annual | £137.29 | £76.08 |
| Time Limited Annual | £158.30 | £104.80 |
(Quotes correct as of 21/03/24)
The |nsurance Emporium Accident only policy cost comparison
| 1-year-old dog | 1-year-old cat | |
| Excess | £75 | £75 |
| Accident only | £5.34 per lunar month | £4.26 |
| Accident only Annual | £53.33 | £42.65 |
(Quotes correct as of 21/03/24)
The |nsurance Emporium Public Liability policy cost comparison
| 1-year-old dog | 1-year-old cat | |
| Excess | £250 | Not available |
| Public Liability | £4.54 | Not available |
| Public Liability Annual | £45.42 | Not available |
(Quotes correct as of 21/03/24)
The Insurance Emporium policy excess
The Insurance Emporium has a policy excess that is payable when you make a claim and is subject to change each year along with the premium. The policy excess varies depending on the policy you pick, the level of cover you choose and the type and breed of your pet. An example of the policy excesses can be seen in the above table, but these are based on mixed-breed dogs and cats and so may vary depending on the breed.
The Insurance Emporium's lifetime Bronze, Silver and Gold policies have a percentage co-payment payable in addition to the policy excess. A co-payment is a percentage contribution towards the vet fees when you make a claim. For pets under the age of 8 this is 5% of the veterinary fees up until the total amount of fees claimed reaches £20,000, a 15% co-payment is required thereafter.
For pets over the age of 8, a co-payment of 15% is required on the Accident only, Time Limited and Maximum Benefit policies. For the Lifetime Copper, Zinc, Titanium and Palladium policies the co-payment is 20% and the Lifetime Bronze, Silver and Gold policies have a 15% co-payment of the veterinary fees up until the total amount of fees claimed reaches £20,000, then a 25% co-payment is required.
There is no excess on the policy unless you are claiming for veterinary fees, so if you are claiming for loss or theft of your pet no excess is payable.
How to make a claim with The Insurance Emporium
If you want to claim on your Insurance Emporium pet policy you can do so via your 'My Emporium' account on the website. All you need to do is download the claims form and send it via the following methods:
- Email: [email protected]
- Fax: 03300 242 971
- Post: The Insurance Emporium, Thorpe Underwood Hall, Ouseburn, York, YO26 9SS.
You should receive acknowledgement of your claim within 2 working days and then your claim will be assessed and dealt with as quickly as possible. Your claim will be paid via BACS transfer if the details are held on file, if not, your claim will be paid by cheque which will take longer.
The Insurance Emporium customer reviews
The Insurance Emporium has a Trustpilot rating of 4.4 out of 5.0 stars from over 7,000 reviews. 76% of customers have rated it as 'Excellent' citing a quick and hassle-free claims process as well as great customer service. 9% rated it as 'Bad' with customers complaining about lack of clarity within the policy documentation which resulted in claims not being paid out.
Alternatives to The Insurance Emporium pet insurance
In this section of the review, we have compared The Insurance Emporium's Lifetime Gold policy to ManyPets* Complete policy and Animal Friends Lifetime Prestige policy. The quotes are based on a 1-year-old mixed breed medium-sized dog and a 1-year-old moggy with no underlying health conditions and living in a South East postcode.
If you want to compare pet insurance policies for a range of pet insurance providers you may wish to use a comparison site such as Quotezone* or MoneySuperMarket*. This will allow you to compare the cost of a range of providers to find the best deal for you and your pet. One thing to consider, however, is that not all comparison sites are whole of market so you may find a better deal elsewhere.
If you would like to find out more about the pet insurance policies mentioned, read our reviews:
The Insurance Emporium vs ManyPets vs Animal Friends
| The Insurance Emporium | ManyPets* | Animal Friends | |
| Policy Name | Lifetime Palladium | Complete 15K | Lifetime £18,000 |
| Excess | £150 | £160 | £159 |
| 1-year-old dog (monthly cost) | £15.48 | £39.66 | £42.24 |
| 1-year-old cat (monthly cost) | £11.49 | £27.83 | £35.65 |
| Vet fee cover | £6,000 per year |
£15,000 per year |
£18,000
per year
|
| Public liability | £1 million | £2 million | £2 million |
| Loss & theft | £750 | £6,000 | £3,000 |
| Death of pet cover (if pet dies through illness or injury) | £750 | £6,000 | £3,000 |
| Vet video calls |  |
 |
|
| Trustpilot score | 4.4 out of 5.0 | 3.9 out of 5.0 | 4.5 out of 5.0 |
(Quotes correct as of 21/03/24)
The Insurance Emporium pros and cons
The Insurance Emporium pet insurance pros
- Multiple policies to choose from
- Up to £8,000 vet fee cover
- 20% introductory discount
- 10% multi-pet discount
- Insurance for senior pets
The Insurance Emporium pet insurance cons
- No online claims process
- A 5% co-payment is required in addition to an excess amount on Lifetime Bronze, Silver and Gold policies (15% for pets over 8)
- For pets over 8 years old, a 15% co-payment is required on accident-only, time limited, maximum benefit and annual condition limit lifetime policies and a 20% co-payment is required for annual limit lifetime policies in addition to the excess
- Does not pay out for death or euthanasia if your pet is over the age of 8 and dies from an illness or injury
Summary
The Insurance Emporium has a vast range of pet insurance policies to choose from so it is likely you will find a policy to suit your needs. You can also choose to add additional extras to your policy such as cover for euthanasia and cremation or cover when travelling to Europe. For the range of cover, the cost of the monthly premiums is competitive in comparison to other providers. There is, however, a compulsory co-payment on some lifetime pet insurance policies (and all policies for pets over 8) which means that you have to pay a percentage of the vet fees in addition to the excess on the policy.
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, MoneySuperMarket, Quotezone
