Things to consider

Before choosing pet insurance, consider how much veterinary bills can cost, as unexpected vet fees can run into the thousands of pounds depending on the type of treatment your pet needs.

Vet bills vary greatly across the UK and you could be charged more if your pet needs treatment on a weekend or out of hours.

Here’s an indication of what vet fees could cost

Please note, these are estimated costs, as veterinary bills vary depending on the size of your pet, the treatment type and medication needed, and vet fees in your area.

These are approximate costs for single treatments. However one accident, such as your pet being hit by a car, could result in injuries which require treatment over a long period of time.

Consider the following questions:

Do I live in an area where my pet may be exposed to particular risks, like busy roads?

If my pet is a pedigree, will he or she have specific health needs?

If you have a pedigree cat or dog, you may want to consider a higher level of cover, as some pedigree breeds can be prone to specific illnesses.. Ask your breeder about your pet’s pedigree and origins to make sure they’ve been screened for inherited diseases.

How much cover do I need?

We offer six levels of cover for vet fees each year of up to £2,000, £3,000, £5,000, £7,500, £9,000 or £12,000.

This may sound like a lot of money but vet bills soon mount up if your pet needs ongoing treatment for common problems like diabetes or poor eyesight, or serious diseases like cancer.

We also cover complementary therapy such as chiropractic manipulation, osteopathy, physiotherapy and hydrotherapy treatments for insured conditions carried out by a vet or on the recommendation of a vet.

We offer to pay claims directly to your vet, so you don’t need to worry about paying up front for treatment if they’re happy to receive direct payments. Excesses apply. If you have our Pet Insurance, your vet will also be able to refer your pet to a specialist.

Some insurers may have an upper age limit on new policies, which could make it more difficult to insure an older pet.

Pet Insurance from John Lewis Finance could cover your pet from eight weeks old and has no upper age limit.

If you insure your pet when it’s older and has pre-existing medical conditions, you can still get pet insurance with us, but pre-existing conditions won’t be covered by any of our cover levels. Other insurers also may not cover these conditions.

For pets aged 9 years or over, you will pay an Age 9 co-payment of 20% of the rest of the vet’s treatment costs, in addition to your chosen standard excess.

While some companies offer travel cover as an optional extra, Pet Insurance from John Lewis Finance includes cover abroad for travel to countries in the European Union (EU) included on the United Kingdom Government Pet Travel Scheme (also known as PETS).

While some companies offer travel cover as an optional extra, Pet Insurance from John Lewis Finance offers cover abroad as standard (up to your chosen vet fee limit).

Pet insurance covers a lot more than just vet’s fees, but some insurers may charge extra for add-ons. It's worth double checking that you are comparing like-for-like cover when you compare insurance policies.

Our Pet Insurance policy could cover the following treatments for your pet:

• Physiotherapy
• Hydrotherapy
• Dental care
• Behavioural treatment
• Treatment food

Other extras include emergency kennels and cattery care for your pets if you have to go into hospital.