Lifetime Pet Insurance
What is lifetime pet insurance?
Lifetime pet insurance policies offer the most comprehensive level of cover. Due to this, pet insurance with lifetime cover tends to be the most expensive type of pet insurance policy you can get. A lifetime pet insurance policy is a great option if you want your pet to be covered for a wide variety of injuries and illnesses throughout their life.
Go to pet insurance comparison table >
What are the pros and cons of lifetime pet insurance?
Pros
Cons
Compare lifetime pet insurance
Annual limit per condition
Pet insurance with lifetime cover often has an annual limit per condition. If this is the case for your pet’s lifetime cover, you’ll be able to claim a maximum amount for each condition your pet develops. For example, your policy could have a condition limit of £7,000. If your dog developed diabetes and the vet bills for the year came to £5,000, the cost would be covered by the policy. However, if the vet bills came to £7,500 for the year, you’d have to pay out the remaining £500. If you renew the cover at the end of the year, the limit would be reset.
The benefit of having an annual limit per condition is that if your pet is unfortunate enough to develop more than one condition, you can claim the maximum amount for the treatment of each condition.
Condition limit
Pet insurance with lifetime cover that has a condition limit allows you to claim a set limit per condition for life. For example, if the lifetime limit is £50,000, you can claim up to £50,000 for each condition throughout your pet’s life, as long as you renew the policy every year.
What does lifetime pet insurance cover?
This will vary depending on the provider you choose. The best lifetime pet insurance policies will include cover for:
Vet fees
Vet fees are normally covered up to a maximum financial limit per year. The limit is reset each year you renew your policy.
Kennels/cattery costs
If for any qualifying reason you can’t care for your pet for a while, your insurer might cover kennel or cattery costs up to a financial limit pet year.
Third party liability cover
If your dog is responsible for injuring someone or damaging their property, third party liability cover protects you against costs that you’d be liable to pay and any legal fees involved. This cover isn’t available for cats as owners aren’t liable for their actions.
Compensation if your pet is stolen or missing
Lifetime pet insurance policies might contribute towards any costs associated with your pet going missing, such as advertisement campaigns and a reward to help get your pet back home safely.
Compensation if your pet passes away
If your pet passes away due to an illness or accident, you could claim back the price you paid for them. Most policies have an age limit and financial limit.
Euthanasia, cremation and burial
To help relieve the stress and heartache associated with losing your cuddly companion, most insurers will make a contribution towards the costs of these services.
Can I claim for the same condition each year?
Is lifetime pet insurance right for me?
Lifetime pet insurance is the most comprehensive type of pet insurance available so it’s hard to think of reasons why it wouldn’t be a good choice for you and your pet. The main reason why you might want to opt for a different type of policy is because lifetime policy premiums are high compared to the likes of accident only and time limited premiums.
How much does lifetime pet insurance cost?
Based on Compare by Review data from November 2020, a lifetime dog insurance policy for a healthy four-year-old Labrador costs £31.30 per month on average and a lifetime cat insurance policy for a healthy three-year-old Bengal costs £13.62 a month on average. Whilst this might seem like a lot of money to pay each month, you should remember that there is no NHS for pets, so if you don’t have pet insurance, you’ll have to pay the entire vets bill out of your own pocket. Lifetime pet insurance is the best way to protect yourself from the cost of ongoing treatment.
What other types of pet insurance can I get?
There are three other types of pet insurance policies available:
- Time limited pet insurance – covers vet fees for a year, once the year’s up, you’ll have to pay for further treatment.
- Maximum benefit pet insurance – protects your pet from accidents and illnesses up to a maximum amount per condition.
- Accident only pet insurance – provides cover for accidents only.
Compare pet insurance providers
Find the best lifetime pet insurance for your pet and compare pet insurance providers on Compare by Review today. We’re the first and only comparison site that ranks pet insurers exclusively on customer experience and product quality rather than price, taking into account lifetime pet cover reviews from real customers. Our full table of providers gives you an impartial and unbiased overview so you can purchase pet insurance from a high-quality provider that you can rely on when you need them most.
1st
Review Score
9.7
based on 164 reviewsCheapest dog quote
£47.78
per monthCheapest cat quote
£19.77
per monthMaximum vet fees
£7k
per conditionCover from
8
weeks2nd
Review Score
9.3
based on 8634 reviewsCheapest dog quote
£54.54
per monthCheapest cat quote
£17.24
per monthMaximum vet fees
£12k
per yearCover from
6
weeks3rd
Review Score
9.24
based on 522 reviewsCheapest dog quote
£35.52
per monthCheapest cat quote
£17.42
per monthMaximum vet fees
£12k
per yearCover from