Note for policyholders

The benefits on this page apply to policies taken out after 10 July 2022.

See your policy documents for full benefits and exclusions.

Insuring your pet / your policy

The earlier, the better. You can start a policy with us when they turn eight weeks old.

Vet bills are determined by various factors, such as the breed of your pet, the treatment type and medication required, as well as your location.

Modern veterinary medicine can do wonders to heal or rehabilitate your pet but the costs have the potential to run into the thousands. Having insurance in place means you don’t risk being out of pocket if it does.

Here are some estimates of what treatment could cost you:

 

Treatment Costs
Surgery Any value. A common range is £200 - £8,000
MRI £1,500 - £3,500 plus General Anaesthetic Fee
Chemotherapy Any value and depends on the length of the course of treatment, and could range from £500 - £5,000
Blood tests £30 - £500
X-rays, per X-ray £80 - £200 plus general anaesthetic fee
Medication course Anywhere from £10 - £300 or even higher
Overnight stay £50 - £250
Out of hours surcharge £100 - £200
Standard consultation £35 - £50

 
Average costs in July 2022, but can vary depending on pet practices and location

A range of factors that affect your premium and cover are considered, including:

Your pet’s breed

Where you live (vet prices may vary across the country)

The age of your pet. Older pets are more likely to need medical treatment. Whereas very young animals may not have fully developed immune systems

Claims on your policy

With us, your pet receives Lifetime Cover meaning they’ll be covered for ongoing conditions, as well as one-off mishaps. And like most things, the cost of this is likely to increase over time.

According to our claims data, the cost of looking after your pet's health doubles every four to five years. So, to keep giving them the care they need, it’s normal to expect the cost of your premium to increase as your pet ages.

How much they go up varies for everyone and depends on various factors like your pet’s breed, age and health. Changing insurers could leave you out of pocket if the new policy doesn’t cover any pre-existing conditions that your pet may already have. These are health issues, concerns, illnesses and injuries which have developed or are showing signs of developing which you or your vet were aware of before you took out the policy.

If you already have a policy and want to discuss ways to reduce your premiums, please contact us.
 

We provide several ways to help you reduce your premium without any loss of cover:

Choose a lower Vet Fee level if it suits your pet’s needs. Our six levels of cover range from £2,000, £3,000, £5,000, £7,500, £9,000 and £12,000.

Increase your excess from £60 to £80, £100, £140 or £250 (or £500 for Vet Fee levels of £5,000 and above) for the treatment of an accident or illness in each policy year.

Co-pay a portion of the Vet Fees if your pet is under 9 years-old, with the option to pay between 10% and 20% of the claim.

Excess is a chosen amount of money you agree to pay towards a claim on your insurance, agreed at the beginning of your policy. 

Depending on your level of Vet Fee cover, you can choose the excess amount you’ll pay per claim – with options of £60, £80, £100, £140 and £250 (or £500 for Vet Fee cover of £5,000 and above) for the treatment of an accident or illness in each policy year. 

If you’re looking to keep your costs down, increasing your excess may help to reduce your premium. However, please be aware it also increases the amount you pay when you need to make a claim.

Our co-payments option allows you to reduce your premium costs by paying a percentage of the cost of veterinary care. For each claim you make, you’ll pay a percentage of the Vet Fees remaining after your excess is deducted.

For pets aged under nine, you can choose to pay a voluntary co-payment of 10% or 20% towards the rest of the vet treatment costs, in addition to your chosen standard excess.

For pets aged nine years or over, you must pay a co-payment of 20% on the rest of the vet’s treatment costs, in addition to your chosen standard excess.

You can only make changes to your cover level or excess when you renew your policy.

For any other changes, please contact our Customer Services team: 

Over the phone on 0330 102 2745. Please check our Contact us page for opening hours. 

Over email: enquiries@johnlewis-petinsurance.com

With our live chat

To cancel your policy, please contact us.

What is covered?

If your cat or dog is at least eight weeks old, they could be eligible for John Lewis Pet Insurance.

There is no upper age limit, but there could be other circumstances where we couldn’t provide cover. Please find the dog breeds we are unable to insure down below.

Once you've taken out a policy, you’re not able to claim for vet fees as a result of an accident in the first 48 hours. You also can't claim for any changes in your pet's health or behaviour in the first 14 days of cover.

If it were entirely up to us, we’d look out for all dogs. However, legally there are some, whether pedigree, cross or mixed breed, we’re unable to cover. 

These are the ‘types’ of dogs, whether pedigree, cross or mixed breed, we’re unable to cover:

  • Pit Bull
  • Japanese Tosa
  • Dogo Argentino
  • Fila Braziliero
  • American Bulldog
  • XL Bully

 

We also can't offer cover for: 

  • Wolf/wolf hybrid
  • Fighting dogs
  • Guard or security dogs
  • Dogs used for racing
  • Dogs used in connection with any profession, occupation or business
  • Dogs used for breeding
  • Dogs that have had complaints made about their behaviour (aggression, biting or attacking)
  • Dogs that have been the cause of an incident or legal action


If you aren’t sure if your dog’s covered, you’re welcome to call us on 0330 102 2655.

Like most pet insurers, we don’t cover illnesses or injuries that happen before your policy starts. That’s why it’s important to consider taking out pet insurance as soon as you bring your pet home and avoid having breaks in cover.

Pet insurance helps to protect you from unexpected vet bills, including:

Consultations 

Treatments

Complementary therapies 

Treatment foods

Your policy can cover unforeseen expenses whilst taking care of your pet when ill or injured. However, cover doesn’t include routine treatments, like vaccinations or neutering.

For dog owners, you may want to consider the legal costs or damages you may be liable to pay if your dog causes an accident or injury. This could amount to millions of pounds.

Fortunately, with a policy from us, you’re covered for up to £2m in third-party liability. £250 excess applies to loss or damage to property.

Lifetime Cover means your pet is covered for ongoing conditions as well as one-off mishaps. There’s no limit to the length of treatment, as long as the policy is renewed and there’s no break in cover. 

A Lifetime policy offers more comprehensive cover than Maximum Benefit or Time-Limited, as you’re able to claim for treatment each year that you have your policy up to your chosen Vet Fee amount.

That’s why it’s the only cover we offer!

Yes. We cover up to £300 towards treatment food if your vet recommends it. This could be given to supplement or replace a course of medication, for example a special diet developed to dissolve urinary crystals or stones, or to treat renal or thyroid conditions.

Yes, you can claim up to £300 towards the cost of treatments for behavioural problems. If you’ve noticed a change in your pet’s behaviour, becoming more aggressive or anxious, then experts in animal conduct can help identify and adapt these self-destructive or unhealthy patterns.

Yes, we believe in providing your pet with holistic care and our insurance offers up to £1,500 each year for alternative treatments. These are carried out by either your vet or a specialist under a vet’s direction. Such therapies include:

Acupuncture

Hydrotherapy

Laser treatment

Massage 

Physiotherapy

John Lewis comprehensive pet insurance provides cover for accidental dental care and illness. This includes tooth decay, gum disease and post-illness teeth removal.*

If you are an existing customer, check your policy document to see if this benefit is included.

 
*For dental care up to your chosen vet fee limit we will pay:
1. For teeth or gums damaged in an accident,
2. If an underlying illness causes tooth decay or gum disease, or
3. To remove teeth as treatment of an illness which is not gum disease or tooth decay.

If your pet has a dental check every 12 months, once it has had its first check and your vet has done any necessary work, additionally we will pay:
1. If your pet suffers from tooth decay or gum disease before the next 12 month check.
2. If tooth decay or gum disease is found at the time of the next check.

No. Vaccinations are regarded as routine treatments, which aren’t covered under our policy. It’s important to keep up to date with your pet’s jabs as we don’t cover illnesses that can be prevented by vaccinations, if your pet is not up to date with their vaccinations.

No. These procedures are considered routine and don’t involve treating your pet for an illness or injury, so they’re not covered by our policy.

Claims

You can make a claim with us:

Over the phone on 0330 102 2756

By using our quick and easy online submission form

Always make sure you claim within 90 days of any vet treatment, presenting all receipts and invoices. And keep in mind, with claims there is an excess to pay.

Complaints

To make a complaint, please contact us.

John Lewis Finance and John Lewis Insurance are trading names of John Lewis plc. The John Lewis Registered office address is: 171 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 5NN. Registered in England and Wales no. 233462. John Lewis plc is an appointed representative (Financial Conduct Authority number 416011) of Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Ltd. John Lewis Pet Insurance is underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Ltd (No. 93792). Registered in England and Wales at St. Mark's Court, Chart Way, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 1XL. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register No. 202323).

Copyright © John Lewis Partnership
Back to top