Pet insurance

wilko pet insurance covers you and your pet against a wide range of possible issues, including:

• • Vet fees for accidents or illnesses (cover up to £4,000, £5,000, or £7,500 depending on which policy you choose)
• • Third party liability for dogs up to £1,000,000 per incident
• • Loss due to theft or straying
• • Death from illness or injury
• • Emergency pet care fees
• • Advertising and reward fees
• • Holiday cancellation fees

Having insurance is an invaluable aspect of pet ownership and, more importantly, is the responsible thing to do if you have animals.

We know that pets are part of the family, a bond which goes deeper than simply owning a pet. We offer a fantastic range of thoughtful policies, with varying vet fee limits depending on your specific needs.

Another incredibly useful bonus to wilko pet insurance is our 24/7 vetphone service, putting you in direct contact with industry pros at any time of day, any day of the year. You can use the 24/7 vetphone to get advice and information from qualified vets at any time, from getting advice in an emergency to smaller questions on diet, behaviour, training, and anything else you can think of – there’s no such thing as a silly question!

The main differences between these two types are the vet fee limits and the effect of renewals. For Maximum Benefit policies, you can claim vet fees up to £4,000 for each new condition your pet suffers from. If you renew your policy each year, you can continue to claim up to the per-condition limit for that health problem. This makes a Maximum Benefit policy ideal as a lower-cost coverage option for urgent situations as well as longer-term conditions. You should be aware, however, that once the amount claimed exceeds the policy limit, that condition will be excluded and it will no longer be covered by your policy.

Our Lifetime policy works on a comprehensive basis instead of a per-condition one, meaning that you can claim back a maximum of £5,000 or £7,500 in vet fees every year, no matter how many conditions your pet has. Your annual limit resets at renewal every year, and conditions will never become ‘pre-existing’. This means that even if your pet is diagnosed with a long-term condition in the first year of your policy, the vet fees for their treatment will be covered for your pet’s lifetime if you renew your policy each year.

There’s only one key difference between a Basic Lifetime and a Premium Lifetime policy, and that is the Annual Limit. With a Basic policy, your Annual Limit is £5,000; this means that your policy will reimburse you (or pay your vet directly, if you prefer) up to £5,000 in vet fees every year, but no more. On the other hand, a Premium policy has an Annual Limit of £7,500, which gives you a little more leeway if, for example, your pet has many conditions requiring expensive treatment.

Unfortunately, pre-existing conditions are excluded from our pet insurance coverage, so any pre-existing conditions your pet has, even if they weren’t diagnosed before you took out your policy, will not be covered. Additionally, if you have a Maximum Benefit policy, any conditions where the amount claimed exceeds the per-condition limit will not be covered in the future, even if you renew your policy.

An excess – sometimes referred to as a ‘deductible’ – is the amount you pay out-of-pocket every time you make a claim. You can choose your excess amount when you first take out a policy; it’s best to make sure that you choose your excess carefully, as you don’t want to be left paying more than you can afford.

Higher excess usually means you’ll pay less in premiums, and lower excess usually means higher premiums. It’s vital to be realistic about what you can afford when taking out your policy, as you’ll have to pay that amount to your vet every time you claim. The options for excess offered by us are £69, £99, £150, £200, and £250.