Animal Friends Pet Insurance Review: Is It Any Good?
Our Animal Friends review: lifetime cover up to £18,000 a year, no multi-pet discount, a co-payment from age 8, what customers say, and what we found in the full policy booklets.
Updated 28 October 2026
Animal Friends is good value if you want proper lifetime cover without paying premium prices. Its top policy pays up to £18,000 of vet fees a year, dogs can join at any age, and it scores 4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot from more than 57,000 reviews. The catches are a co-payment from age 8, no multi-pet discount, and no limit on how much your price can rise at renewal. It ranks 4th in our guide to the best pet insurance providers in the UK.
Animal Friends at a glance
| Animal Friends lifetime cover | |
|---|---|
| Best for | Owners who want lifetime cover with a high vet fee limit at a lower price |
| Skip it if | You want a multi-pet discount, or steady prices after you claim |
| Vet fees | £1,000 to £18,000 a year in one pot, or £1,000 to £6,000 for each condition |
| Excess | £69 to £299, paid once per condition each policy year |
| Co-payment | From the first renewal after age 8 (10 for cats), 20% or 35%, cannot be removed |
| Joining age | From 4 weeks, no upper age limit |
| Multi-pet discount | None |
| Trustpilot | 4.6 out of 5 from more than 57,000 reviews |
| Underwriter | Pinnacle Insurance, for policies starting on or after 27 February 2025 |
Checked against Animal Friends' website and full policy booklets on 26 October 2026.
Our verdict
Animal Friends is one of the best value routes to proper lifetime cover in the UK, and its top-end plan covers up to £18,000 of vet fees a year, among the highest limits on the market. The trade-offs are real but manageable. A co-payment applies from age 8, there is no multi-pet discount, dental treatment has its own lower limit, and the booklet says plainly that there is no cap on how much your premium can rise at renewal. If you want lifetime cover without a premium price tag, it belongs on your shortlist.
What you get
Animal Friends sells two kinds of lifetime policy:
| Policy | Vet fees | Dental cover |
|---|---|---|
| Lifetime £10,000 or £18,000 | One pot each year | Up to £3,000 |
| Lifetime £4,000 or £5,000 | One pot each year | Up to £1,000 |
| Lifetime £2,000 or £3,000 | One pot each year | Up to £750, accidents only |
| Lifetime £1,000 | One pot each year | None |
| Lifetime Condition Limit (£1,000, £2,000, £4,000 or £6,000) | That amount for each condition, each year | None at £1,000, up to £750 for accidents at £2,000, up to £1,000 at £4,000 and £6,000 |
Both kinds renew for as long as you keep paying, and the limit resets every year. Dogs can join from 4 weeks old with no upper age limit. Excess options run from £69 to £299, although £299 is not offered on the £1,000 policy, and you pay the excess once per condition each policy year.
Every customer gets free unlimited video calls with a vet, 24/7, through the Joii app, which is genuinely useful at 11pm when you are not sure whether the limp is serious. Cover extends to complementary therapies, behavioural treatment and £2 million of third-party liability for dogs. The lifetime booklets also include emergency vet treatment on holidays in the EU (up to £2,500 a year on the top two policies, £2,000 on the others) and holiday cancellation if your dog needs urgent treatment.
Claims are simple. If your vet uses Animal Friends' online system, Pawtal, they claim for you and Animal Friends can pay them directly. If not, you email or post a claim form. Your vet can also ask for pre-authorisation before a big operation, which Animal Friends aims to answer within a working hour.
The charity angle is not window dressing either. The company was founded in 1998 to fund animal welfare and says it has donated more than £10 million to over 830 charities. Policies starting on or after 27 February 2025 are underwritten by Pinnacle Insurance.
Animal Friends reviews: what customers say
Animal Friends reviews are mostly positive: it scores 4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot from more than 57,000 reviews, which Trustpilot rates Excellent. Most of the praise is for quick claim decisions and vets being able to claim directly. The complaints that come up most are premiums rising at renewal and claims paid at less than the vet charged, because of the price caps or an exclusion. Which? has named its Lifetime £18,000 and £6,000 condition limit policies Best Buys.
Animal Friends lifetime policies: annual or condition limit?
This is the choice most people get stuck on. An annual limit gives you one pot for everything in a year, so a single serious illness can use all of it. A condition limit gives each problem its own pot, so a dog with a skin condition and a bad knee has two separate limits, but no single condition can go above the cap. Condition limit policies cost less, and the dental cover is thinner. For a breed prone to one expensive problem, such as cruciate surgery or a spinal condition, the higher annual limits are usually the safer bet.
Animal Friends multi-pet discount
No. Animal Friends says so on its own website, and each pet has its own policy. Its base prices are low enough that two pets here can still cost less than two with a pricier insurer that does give a discount, so run the numbers rather than ruling it out. If a discount for several pets matters to you, Petplan, Agria and Petgevity all offer one, and our multi-pet insurance guide compares them.
Animal Friends cat insurance
Cats are covered by the same lifetime booklets and can also join from 4 weeks old. The rules are a little kinder on age. The co-payment starts at 10 for cats rather than 8, and the death benefit for illness also runs to 10. Your cat must be vaccinated against feline infectious enteritis, feline leukaemia and cat flu, or illnesses those vaccines prevent will not be covered.
What it costs
Animal Friends is usually one of the cheaper ways to buy lifetime cover, and its Lifetime Condition Limit policies cost less than the Annual Limit ones. The booklet says your price is worked out from your pet's breed, weight and date of birth and your address, plus the cover level and excess you choose. At renewal it also looks at your pet's age, previous claims and the cost of vet fees. A higher excess or a voluntary co-payment brings the premium down, and you can get a quote online or on 0344 557 0300.
The catches
- The co-payment. From the first renewal after your dog's 8th birthday, you pay a share of every claim on top of the excess. The website gives 20%, but the current product summary says "20% or 35%", so check the figure on your schedule. Once added, it cannot be removed. Our guide to pet insurance for older dogs compares when each insurer's co-payment starts.
- Dental needs a check-up. Dental illness is only covered if your dog had a dental exam in the year before it started, and any treatment the vet recommended was done within seven months.
- Renewals. The booklet says your price is likely to go up each year even without a claim, there is no limit on the rise, and previous claims are one of the factors.
- The fine print. Excess levels and sub-limits vary by policy, so read the policy document rather than the price alone.
The small print, in short
We read Animal Friends' full lifetime policy booklets (January 2026). These are the points that are easy to miss.
- Price caps you only see after buying. The booklet says Animal Friends sets a maximum it will pay for certain items, but the amounts are only sent in your welcome pack, not published beforehand.
- Strict lead and fence rules. Road injuries are not covered if your dog was off a lead with a collar or harness, and that includes driveways, car parks and private roads. Injuries after an escape are not covered if your garden was not securely fenced.
- Assistance dogs are excluded. The booklet gives guide dogs as an example.
- A DNA test can void the policy. If a DNA test shows any percentage of a banned breed, the policy is void back to your last renewal date, and you pay for the test.
- Cancelling after a claim. If you pay monthly and cancel after a claim, you still owe the rest of the year's premiums.
- Death from illness stops at 8. Over that age, the death benefit only pays if your dog dies after an accident.
- Hidden perks: the cruciate ligament waiting period is only 14 days, where many insurers make you wait months, and the booklet sets no fixed deadline for making a claim.
Animal Friends or Petplan?
These are the two names most owners end up choosing between: the best known budget option and the premium one. Animal Friends usually costs less and its top plan pays more, up to £18,000 of vet fees a year against Petplan's £12,000. It also takes dogs of any age on lifetime cover, where Petplan stops at 8 for most dogs. Petplan is stronger on the things Animal Friends is weakest at. Its co-payment starts at 10 for most dogs rather than 8, claiming does not raise your price, and it gives a multi-pet discount. If you would rather pay less now, choose Animal Friends. If you would rather the price stays steady when you claim, choose Petplan.
Should you buy it?
If your priority is genuine lifetime cover at the lowest workable price, Animal Friends is hard to argue with, and the £18,000 tier gives serious protection for a breed prone to expensive conditions. If dental cover, a multi-pet discount or steadier renewal prices matter more to you, compare it against the other nine providers in our full UK pet insurance guide before deciding.
Sources
- Animal Friends: dog insurance
- Animal Friends: Lifetime £10,000 and £18,000 policy booklet (AFI_PB-LT10K18K_PIC_012026, January 2026)
- Animal Friends: Lifetime £1,000 to £5,000 policy booklet (AFI_PB-LT1K5K_PIC_012026, January 2026)
- Animal Friends: Lifetime £18,000 product information document (January 2026)
- Animal Friends: frequently asked questions
- Animal Friends: who are your underwriters
- Animal Friends: charity donations
- Trustpilot: Animal Friends
Details and the full policy documents checked on 26 October 2026. Insurers change their policies often, so always read the policy documents before you buy.
Common questions
Is Animal Friends pet insurance good?
For most owners who want lifetime cover at a lower price, yes. Its top policy pays up to £18,000 of vet fees a year, it scores 4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot from more than 57,000 reviews, and Which? has named some of its policies Best Buys. The catches are a compulsory co-payment once your dog turns 8, no multi-pet discount, and no limit on how much your premium can rise at renewal.
Does Animal Friends offer a multi-pet discount?
No. Animal Friends says it does not offer multi-pet discounts. Each pet has its own policy and its own price.
Is Animal Friends lifetime cover?
It sells lifetime cover, and also maximum benefit, time-limited and accident-only policies. Its Lifetime Annual Limit policies give you one pot of £1,000 to £18,000 a year. Its Lifetime Condition Limit policies give each condition £1,000 to £6,000 a year. On both, the limit resets every time you renew.
Does Animal Friends cover cats?
Yes. Cats are covered by the same lifetime policy booklets as dogs and can join from 4 weeks old. The main difference is age: the co-payment, and the end of death from illness cover, start at 10 for cats rather than 8.
Does Animal Friends have a co-payment?
Yes, for older pets. It starts from the first renewal after a dog's 8th birthday or a cat's 10th, and cannot be removed once it is on. The website quotes 20% for dogs, but the current product summary says it can be 20% or 35%, so check your schedule. You can also choose a voluntary co-payment earlier to cut the premium, but that is permanent too.
How do I get an Animal Friends quote?
Online at animalfriends.co.uk or by phone on 0344 557 0300. The price is based on your pet's breed, weight and date of birth, your address, the policy and cover level you choose, and your excess.
Read next
Pets at Home Pet Insurance Review: What the New Policy Really Covers
Our Pets at Home insurance review: lifetime cover up to £15,000 a year, one excess a year, prescription food partly covered, and the breed, age and aggression rules we found in the full policy wording it sent us.
Petgevity Pet Insurance Review: No Forced Co-Payment, Even for Older Dogs
Our Petgevity review: lifetime cover up to £15,000 a year, no compulsory co-payment on Lifetime Plus, declared pre-existing conditions considered, up to eight pets on one policy, and what we found in the policy wording.
Pet Insurance to Avoid? The Big-Name Policies to Think Twice About
Which big-name UK pet insurance policies to think twice about, and what to switch to instead. Time-limited cover from household brands, low lifetime limits, and co-payments that start at 4 or 5, all from the insurers' own documents.