FAQs

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, or 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 we can’t. 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 

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.

Yes, John Lewis Pet Insurance covers pedigree cats such as: 

Siamese 

Birman 

Domestic Longhair 

Bengal 

Siberian 

Maine Coon 

Ragdoll 

Russian Blue 

...and many more. 

When providing a quote, we’ll ask if your cat’s a pedigree – which means both its parents are the same breed. This will help us to anticipate any potential future health problems.

The earlier, the better. You can start a policy with us when they turn 8 weeks old.

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.

We carefully consider a range of factors that affect your premium, 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 and very young animals may not yet have a fully developed immune system.  

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.

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.

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:

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

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!

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.

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

With us, you can claim for a range of emergency and regular treatments*, including:

Teeth or gums damaged in an accident. 

Underlying illness causing tooth decay or gum disease. 

Tooth extractions, if needed to treat an illness.

For dental care up to your chosen Vet Fee limit.

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, should your pet suffer from tooth decay or gum disease before the next 12 month check, or if tooth decay or gum disease are seen at the time of the next check, we pay.

If your pet doesn’t have a check every 12 months, or if the work required is not done, we will only pay:

1) For teeth or gums if they are 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.

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.

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.

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 make a complaint, please contact us.

To cancel your policy, please contact us.

Please visit our Contact us page to view your policy documents.