Pet Insurance

Vetfone™

Why use vetfone?

The vetfone™ telephone service allows you to speak to UK qualified veterinary nurses 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

If you aren’t sure if you need to see a vet, vetfone™ is a convenient first port of call, providing advice you can trust for peace of mind and reassurance. Even if you are not considering a trip to the vets, they are able to provide some tips and advice about general pet care and wellbeing.

Part of the largest vet advice service in the UK, vetfone™ has safely managed more than 250,000 calls to date.

A call to vetfone™ won’t affect your premium or policy excess, however many times you phone.

If it’s the weekend or out of hours, they’ll be able to tell you if you need to urgently go to the vet or if you can wait for surgery opening times, potentially saving you money on unnecessary out of hours trips. If you do need an out of hours surgery, vetfone™ will be able to direct you to the nearest one.

Call the vetfone™ helpline on 0800 316 7119 (24 hours a day).

Table of cover

  Essential Plus Premier
Vet fees - treatment limit per year up to £3,000 up to £7,500 up to £12,000
Lifetime cover      
vetfone™ helpline -
24 hour advice from veterinary nurses		      
Behavioural treatment up to £250 up to £250 up to £500
Treatment food up to £250 up to £250 up to £250
Complementary treatment - such as physiotherapy up to £500 up to £1,000 up to £2,000
Accidental damage - damage to other people's property up to £250 up to £500 up to £750
Lost or stolen pets up to £500 up to £1,000 up to £1,500

 

* Cover forms part of vet fees

Top FAQs

What pets can I insure?

We provide cover for dogs and cats from eight weeks old, and there is no upper age limit, though benefits do change for pets over nine years old.*

We don't offer cover for the ‘types’ of dogs that should be registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and the Dangerous Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 or any subsequent amendments (whether pedigree, cross-breed or mixed breed):

  • Pit Bull Terrier
  • Japanese Tosa
  • Dogo Argentino
  • Fila Braziliero


Additionally, we don't offer cover for:

  • Wolf or 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
  • Any breeds not on our breed list unless you have spoken to us and we have agreed to provide cover


*You will not be able to claim for vet fees as a result of an accident in the first 48 hours of cover, or for any changes in your pet's health or behaviour in the first 14 days of cover. Death from illness cover is not available for any pets aged 9 years and above. Excess will increase when your pet turns 9.

How do you calculate the cost of my Pet insurance?

There are a range of factors that could affect your Pet Insurance premium and cover, including:

  • The age of your pet: older pets are more likely to need medical treatment and very young animals may not have a fully developed immune system
  • Your pet's breed
  • Where you live: vet prices may vary across the country
  • Claims on your policy


You can reduce your premium by:

  • Increasing your excess (excess options are £60, £80, £100, £140, £250, or £500)
  • Choosing the right cover level.

What is Lifetime Cover?

Pet Insurance from John Lewis Finance only offers lifetime covers.This means your pet is covered for ongoing conditions as well as one-off mishaps with no limit to the length of treatment, as long as the policy is renewed and there is no break in cover.

Cats and dogs, like humans, are more prone to illness as they get older and their likelihood of needing treatment increases. This means your insurance premium will increase each year even if you haven’t made a claim. Your premium will also increase when a claim has been paid.

Once your pet reaches the age of nine, your excess amounts will also go up.

Will I pay more as my pet gets older?

Dogs and cats, like humans, are more prone to illness and ailments as they get older. Your price will increase at renewal, because of this likelihood and also when a claim has been paid. New developments in diagnosis and treatments have meant that vets can give them even better care, which is great news for your family pet but means an increase in vet costs.

If your pet is aged nine or over, you will be asked to pay extra excess when making a claim. Rest assured, as long as you renew your policy with us and there’s no break in cover, we reinstate your vet fees limits. So, if while insured with us, your pet starts to develop an ongoing illness, like diabetes or arthritis, or a reoccurring illness like an ear infection, you can continue to claim up to your chosen vet fee limit each year.

If you shop around and try to switch providers, you’ll probably find that they won’t cover pre-existing illnesses or injuries (known as pre-existing conditions) and cover for ongoing conditions will be lost.

See all FAQs

Our partner

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
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