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.
Published 28 October 2026
Pets at Home's insurance looks like a decent lifetime policy, but it is too new to judge on claims, and its rules on breed, age and behaviour are strict. It pays up to £15,000 of vet fees a year with one excess a year, keeps therapy limits separate from vet fees, and covers part of prescription food. The catches are a 20% co-payment from an age set by breed, no quotes for older dogs, a long list of excluded breeds, and no cover for any dog that has ever nipped or bitten. It ranks 10th in our guide to the best pet insurance providers in the UK.
Pets at Home insurance at a glance
| Pets Insurance from Pets at Home | |
|---|---|
| Best for | Young dogs of breeds it accepts, when one excess a year and food cover matter to you |
| Skip it if | Your dog is older, is on the breed list, or has ever nipped, snarled or lunged |
| Vet fees | £4,000, £7,000 or £15,000 a year, no limit per condition, reset every renewal |
| Excess | £100, £150 or £200, once a year |
| Co-payment | 20% from an age set by breed, shown only during a quote and on your schedule |
| Joining age | Older dogs cannot get a quote, with the cut-off set by breed |
| Therapies | Up to £3,500, separate from vet fees |
| Prescription food | 25% to 45%, up to £500, not weight-loss food |
| Claim deadline | Six months from the start of treatment |
| Multi-pet discount | None yet |
| Customer reviews | None yet, it launched in August 2026 |
| Underwriter | Great Lakes Insurance UK |
Checked against Pets at Home's website and the June 2026 policy wording it sent us, in October 2026.
Our verdict
The UK's biggest pet retailer launched its own insurance in August 2026, sold as Pets Insurance. The policy itself has some genuinely good features. The excess is charged once a year rather than per condition, there is no limit per condition within the annual vet fee limit, complementary therapies have their own limit outside your vet fees, and it covers part of prescription food, which most insurers exclude.
What holds it back is newness and strictness. It has no customer reviews or claims record yet, so there is no way to judge how it handles a claim. The co-payment age depends on breed and is not published. Older dogs cannot get a quote at all. And the policy wording excludes a long list of breeds and any dog that has shown aggressive behaviour, which it defines broadly. We will look at its ranking again once it has a track record.
What you get
One lifetime policy at three levels, with vet fee limits for dogs of £4,000, £7,000 or £15,000 a year. The limit resets every year you renew, and there is no separate limit per condition.
- One excess a year of £100, £150 or £200, rather than one per condition
- Complementary therapies up to £3,500, kept separate from the vet fee limit
- Dental accidents and illness covered, with conditions
- Prescription food, 25% to 45% of the cost up to £500, but not food for weight loss
- Hydrotherapy and behaviour therapy, up to £500 a year each with no excess
- A free 24/7 line to vets and vet nurses
- Pre-authorisation for vet bills over £700
- £2 million of third-party liability cover, with exclusions
You can buy it direct from Pets at Home or through Compare the Market. New customers get a Pets at Home voucher of up to £40 for a dog if the policy stays paid for 90 days.
What it costs
There is no fixed price, and the policy is too new for a clear picture of where it sits in the market. The one excess a year helps a dog that picks up several conditions, because you are not paying an excess for each one. The co-payment is the number to find before you compare prices: it is 20%, but the age it starts depends on your dog's breed, and you only see it during a quote. Our guide to pet insurance co-payments shows what 20% adds to a claim.
The catches
- The co-payment age is hidden until you quote. It is set by breed and shown only during a quote and on your schedule.
- No quotes for older dogs. The cut-off is also set by breed.
- No customer reviews or claims record yet. It launched in August 2026.
- No multi-pet discount yet.
- You can lower your cover at renewal but not raise it. Moving up means a new policy, and anything your dog has had before is then excluded.
The small print, in short
Pets at Home does not publish its full policy wording online. It sent us the June 2026 edition when we asked, and these points come from that.
- Any sign of aggression rules a dog out. If your dog has ever bitten, nipped or attacked a person or another animal, the policy will not cover them. The wording counts showing teeth, lunging and snarling as aggressive behaviour, and you must tell the insurer if anything like that happens once you are covered.
- The excluded breeds list is long, and it includes any dog with a parent or grandparent on it. Alongside the breeds you would expect, it names the Bullmastiff, Anatolian Shepherd, Working Sheepdog and Gundog. Dogs used for hunting, guarding or your work are not covered either.
- A yearly health and dental check is required. Dental treatment is only covered if any work the vet recommends is done within six months, and root canals, crowns and fillings are never covered.
- No cover if you live at a pub, or any property that sells alcohol.
- The liability cover has gaps. It will not pay if your dog was somewhere dogs are not allowed, if you take your dog to work, or if clients come to your home.
- Six months to claim, from the start of treatment.
- Hidden perks: the 14-day wait for illness claims is dropped if you switch from a lifetime policy you have held for a year with no gap, or if your dog has a check-up at a Vets for Pets practice in the week before cover starts.
Should you buy it?
If you have a young dog of a breed it accepts, with no history of so much as a snarl, and one excess a year and prescription food cover appeal to you, Pets Insurance is worth a quote, especially if you already shop at Pets at Home. Ask for the policy wording first, and check the co-payment age on the quote.
For an older dog, Agria, Waggel and Petgevity all take dogs of any age. For a lifetime policy with a long claims record at a similar price, Animal Friends goes to £18,000 a year. The full UK pet insurance guide compares all ten.
Sources
- Pets at Home: Pets Insurance
- Pets at Home: Pets Insurance FAQs
- Pets Insurance policy wording (June 2026 edition), sent to us by Pets at Home on request
Details and the policy wording checked in October 2026. Insurers change their policies often, so always read the policy documents before you buy.
Common questions
Is Pets at Home pet insurance any good?
On paper it is a decent lifetime policy: up to £15,000 of vet fees a year, one excess a year rather than per condition, and part of prescription food covered. But it only launched in August 2026, so it has no customer reviews or claims record yet, and its breed, age and aggression rules are stricter than most.
Who underwrites Pets at Home insurance?
Great Lakes Insurance UK. The policy is sold under the name Pets Insurance, direct from Pets at Home or through Compare the Market.
Does Pets at Home insurance have a co-payment?
Yes. A compulsory 20% co-payment starts at an age that depends on your dog's breed. The age is only shown during a quote and on your schedule, so check it before you buy.
Can I insure an older dog with Pets at Home?
Not at the moment, past a certain age. Older dogs cannot get a quote, and the cut-off is set by breed. If your dog is older, look at an insurer with no upper age limit, such as Agria, Waggel or Petgevity.
Does Pets at Home insurance cover prescription food?
Partly. It pays 25% to 45% of prescription food, up to £500, but not food for weight loss. Most insurers exclude prescription food altogether.
Where can I read the Pets at Home policy wording?
It is not published online. We asked Pets at Home for a copy and it sent us the June 2026 edition, which is what this review is based on. Ask for the wording before you buy.
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