PetPlan is the UK’s leading provider of pet insurance, insuring 1.3 million pets in the UK. They provide cover for dogs, cats, rabbits and horses.
They’re recommended by the Supervet, Noel Fitzpatrick and have won several awards for their cover. Still, read our review (and other PetPlan reviews) to make sure they’re the right company for you. You can also see where they came on our list of best pet insurers.
- UK’s leading pet insurer
- 97% of claims paid
- Up to £12,000/yr vet fee cover
- Cover pets from 6 weeks old
- £12 multi-pet discount
- 10% online discount
Get a Quote
What Does PetPlan Cover?
PetPlan offer two types of pet insurance policy;
- Time-limited (Essential), and
- Lifetime (Classic, Classic + and Ultimate)
That said, they only offer lifetime policies for rabbits. Also, equine insurance has its own rules and policies.
| Essential | Classic | Classic + | Ultimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vet Fees | £3,000 | £4,000 | £7,000 | £12,000 |
| Complimentary Treatment | £500 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £2,000 |
| Third-Party Liability | £1 million | £2 million | £2 million | £3 million |
| Death From Illness/Injury | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,500 | £2,000 |
| Boarding Fees | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,500 | £2,000 |
| Advertise/Reward For Missing Pet | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,500 | £2,000 |
| Loss by Theft or Straying | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,500 | £2,000 |
| Holiday Cancellation | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,500 | £2,000 |
| Quarantine Expenses | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,500 | £1,500 |
| Emergency Repatriation | £500 | £500 | £500 | £500 |
| Multi-Pet Discount (Per Pet, Per Year) | £12 | £12 | £12 | £12 |
| Pet Owner Support Package | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Pet Bereavement Helpline | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Legal Helpline | – | – | – | ✔ |
If you’re not sure how much cover you need, have a chat with your vet. They will be able to let you know how much treatment is likely to cost if your pet ever needs it.
PetPlan says they pay 97% of claims (figures from 2019). That breaks down to;
- 98% of 883,000 covered for life plan claims (98% dog, 98% cat, 97% rabbit), and
- 89% of the 90,000 Essential plan claims (dog 89%, cat 89%)
On top of that, they also say they have paid 90% of those claims within 5 days of receipt. If you prefer, they can pay your vet direct.
What Does PetPlan NOT Cover?
It’s one thing to know what your pet insurance covers. It’s even more important to know what it doesn’t cover. That way, you’ll not get a nasty shock when you try to claim.
With that said, this is what PetPlan doesn’t cover;
- Pre-existing conditions – any illness or injury (or signs of them) your pet has suffered before starting a policy.
- Your first 14 days – any illness that occurs within the first 14 of your policy start date.
- Routine treatments – like worming and flea treatments etc.
- Preventative treatments – like vaccinations.
- Older pets – dogs over 8 (some over 5), cats over 10 years and rabbits over 5 years aren’t eligible for lifetime pet policies. (This is for new policies. If your pet reaches these ages while they’re covered, the cover will continue).
- Pregnancy and breeding.
- Euthanasia or cremation.
For more information about PetPlan’s policies, you can read their policy documents here:
- Lifetime Policy Documents
- Time-Limited Policy Documents
- UK’s leading pet insurer
- 97% of claims paid
- Up to £12,000/yr vet fee cover
- Cover pets from 6 weeks old
- £12 multi-pet discount
- 10% online discount
Get a Quote
How Much Does PetPlan Cost?
PetPlan aren’t cheap. In fact, they’re among the most expensive pet insurers. How much you’ll pay depends on;
- Your pets breeds
- Their medical history
- Their age
- Where you live, etc
We based our dog and cat quotes on 2-year-old, mixed breeds as they’re the most common. Our rabbit was a one-year-old mixed breed. They’re all healthy and all live in Lincoln as that’s where Pet Checkers is based.
| Essential | Classic | Classic + | Ultimate | Rabbit Plan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dog | £19.04 | £23.65 | £28.76 | £39.05 | – |
| Cat | £10.10 | £13.58 | £15.52 | £21.78 | – |
| Rabbit | – | – | – | – | £12.32 |
These are the monthly costs and have 10% online discount added.
How Much is PetPlan Excess?
PetPlans’ excess is more expensive than other pet insurers. They charge £85 on their time-limited policies and £110 on their lifetime policies. If your pet needs complementary therapy, they’ll charge you £75. For public liability, you’ll need to fork out £250.
Once your pet reaches 10 years old, you’ll have to pay your excess, plus 20% of your claim. For breeds with a higher risk of health issues, this change happens when the animal reaches 7 years old.
- UK’s leading pet insurer
- 97% of claims paid
- Up to £12,000/yr vet fee cover
- Cover pets from 6 weeks old
- £12 multi-pet discount
- 10% online discount
Get a Quote
How Industry Experts Rate PetPlan
Defaqto and Which? have rated PetPlan as one of the UK, best pet insurance companies.
Which? use a percentage scoring system and Defaqto use a 5 star system. This is how they score PetPlan.
| Essential | Classic | Classic+ | Ultimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Which? | 66% | 66% | 66% | 66% |
| Defaqto | 3* | 5* | 5* | 5* |
They have also won numerous awards award for their cover, including;
- UK’s leading pet insurer
- 97% of claims paid
- Up to £12,000/yr vet fee cover
- Cover pets from 6 weeks old
- £12 multi-pet discount
- 10% online discount
Get a Quote
Customer Reviews of PetPlan
Paying customers look at insurance differently than ‘industry experts’. So, to get a more realistic understanding of how good PetPlan are, look at how their customers review them.
Here’s how they score overall on Trustpilot;
As you can see, PetPlan are very highly reviewed by their customers overall.
The Good
It appears that PetPlan excel when it comes to making the claims process easy. Customers have a high level of trust that they will pay out when they claim.
The stats back this up, with PetPlan paying out on 97% of claims during 2019.
The Average
There are very few average customer reviews of PetPlan. Of the ones there are, many talk about how expensive PetPlan becomes as their pets get older.
Once your pet reaches a certain age, you’ll need to pay the excess, plus 20% of the claim. This means some customers start to find their policies become too expensive to be worth it. Even more so if their pets develop an ongoing condition.
The Bad
Petplan’s negative reviews seen to revolve around;
- Rising costs: Again, as your pet gets older, your premiums will rise and you’ll have to contribute more to the cost of treatment. If you make a claim, then chances are your renewal fee will increase. Many customers feel the rising costs of their premiums are unfair or unjustified. That said, our research suggests this is a problem across the industry, not exclusive to PetPlan.
- Refusal to payout: PetPlan says they pay out on 97% of claims. That said, when you consider they insure 1.3 million pets, a small 3% of unpaid claims is still a big number. Also, our research tells us that people are more likely to leave negative reviews than positive ones. Especially when emotions run high, which they often do when our pets are involved. On balance though, PetPlan isn’t a company that tries to wriggle out of paying.
- UK’s leading pet insurer
- 97% of claims paid
- Up to £12,000/yr vet fee cover
- Cover pets from 6 weeks old
- £12 multi-pet discount
- 10% online discount
Get a Quote
How Does PetPlan Compare to Other Insurers?
To see whether PetPlan are the right insurer for you and your pets, it helps to compare them to similat companies and policies.
Here’s they stack up against other insurers we recommend.
| PetPlan | John Lewis | Bought By Many | Agria Pet | Waggel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vet Fees (per year) | up to £12,000 | up to £12,000 | up to £15,000 | up to £12,500 | up to £10,000 |
| Third-Party Liability | Up to £3m | Up to £3m | Up to £3m | Up to £3m | Up to £2m |
| Pre-Existing Conditions | Case by Case | No | Yes | No | No |
| Dental | Illness & Injury | Injury Only | Policy Dependant | Illness & Injury | Illness & Injury |
| Free Vet Calls | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lost or Stolen Pets | up to £2,000 | up to £1,500 | Optional Extra | Optional Extra | £1,000 |
| Death From Accident/Illness | up to £2,000 | up to £1,500 | up to £6,000 | up to £2,500 | £1,000 |
| Multi-Pet Discount | £12 per pet | 5% | 15% | 5% | No |
| Read Our Review | Read Our Review | Read Our Review | Read Our Review |
Frequently Asked Questions
In many cases, your vet can make a claim with PetPlan on your behalf.
To claim yourself, log into your PetPlan customer dashboard. All your and your pet’s details will e pre-populated and you’ll be able to submit your claim online.
Alternatively, you can call them on0330 102 1540.
Although they don’t advertise it on their homepage, PetPlan will cover some pre-existing conditons on a case-by-case basis.
For more information read about PetPlans Approach to Pre-Existing Conditions.
To cancel your policy, call PetPlans Customer Service Centre on 0345 071 8000 or send a written confirmation to:
Petplan
Great West House (GW2)
Great West Road
Brentford
Middlesex
TW8 9DX
No.
That said, they do have a 10% online discount and a multi-pet discount of £12 per pet, per year. To claim your discounts, get a quote and sign up online.
To Sum Up
PetPlan is the UK’s largest pet insurer so it’s clear they’re doing something right.
They pay out 97% of claims, 90% of which are within 5 days. In fact, we have found their claims process is quite favorable. They also say that 90% of their customers renew each year.
All that said, they aren’t cheap. If you’re price-conscious, shop around and get quotes from other insurers.
