Waggel Pet Insurance Review: Simple Lifetime Cover Done Well?
Our Waggel review: one customisable lifetime policy up to £15,000 a year, a £0 excess option, no upper age limit, an optional co-payment instead of a forced one, and what we found in the full policy document.
Updated 28 October 2026
Waggel is the simplest lifetime pet insurance in the UK, and one of the few that never forces a co-payment on an older dog. You get one policy with vet fees up to £15,000 a year, an excess you set anywhere from £0 to £500, and dogs can join at any age. The catches are no claims at all in the first 14 days, pre-existing conditions worked out only when you claim, and no cover for prescription food or cremation. It ranks 5th in our guide to the best pet insurance providers in the UK.
Waggel at a glance
| Waggel lifetime cover | |
|---|---|
| Best for | Owners who want one simple policy, and older dogs without a forced co-payment |
| Skip it if | You need cover from day one, or prescription food covered |
| Vet fees | You choose, up to £15,000 a year, reset every renewal |
| Excess | £0 to £500, your choice |
| Co-payment | Optional 20% at any age, and you can drop it at renewal |
| Joining age | From 8 weeks, no upper age limit |
| Dental | Up to £1,000 a year after an accident or illness |
| Waiting period | No claims of any kind in the first 14 days |
| Multi-pet discount | None |
| Trustpilot | 4.5 out of 5 from more than 14,000 reviews |
| Underwriter | Red Sands |
Checked against Waggel's website and full policy document on 26 October 2026.
Our verdict
Waggel is the pick for owners who want lifetime cover without wading through policy tiers. You choose an annual vet fee limit of up to £15,000 and your excess, and the price updates in front of you. Dogs can join from 8 weeks with no upper age limit. Its most unusual feature is the co-payment. Most insurers force you to pay a share of every claim once your dog reaches a certain age, but at Waggel a 20% co-payment is optional, at any age, and you only take it if you want a lower premium. Dental treatment after an accident or illness is included too, which plenty of rivals charge extra for.
The trade-offs are in the small print: no claims at all in the first 14 days, pre-existing conditions that are only worked out when you claim, and no cover for prescription food, cremation or boarding.
What you get
One lifetime policy for dogs and cats, customised by you. The vet fee limit renews every year, so ongoing conditions stay covered as long as you keep renewing. The policy includes:
- up to £1,000 a year for dental treatment after an accident or illness
- 24/7 online vet video calls through the Joii app
- free behaviour and nutrition consultations
- up to £1,000 a year each for complementary and behavioural treatment
- up to £2 million of third-party liability cover for dogs
- member rewards with partner brands
Claims are made and tracked through an online dashboard, and you can choose whether Waggel pays you or pays your vet directly. Each member has a named customer champion, who Waggel says is a UK-based vet nurse. There is also a phone line and webchat, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm, although Waggel does not give quotes over the phone. Underwriting sits with Red Sands Insurance Company (Europe), which backs several other UK pet insurance brands, and Waggel is an appointed representative of City Insurance Brokers.
Is Waggel lifetime cover?
Yes, and it is the only kind Waggel sells. You set an annual limit between £1,000 and £15,000. If your dog develops arthritis or diabetes, Waggel keeps paying for it each year up to that limit, as long as you renew without a break. You can change the limit and the excess in the 30 days before each renewal.
The premium is not fixed for life, though. The policy says renewal prices can change with your dog's age, inflation, their medical history and previous claims. Waggel's website says making a claim will not affect your current price, but prices can change at renewal. Expect the cost to rise as your dog gets older, as it does with every lifetime insurer.
Can you have no excess?
Yes. Waggel lets you set an excess of anything from £0 to £500, and it is charged once per condition each policy year. A £0 excess suits owners who would rather pay more each month than find a lump sum at the vet. A condition that appears on both sides of the body, such as both elbows, counts as one condition with one excess.
What it costs
Waggel says the price depends on your dog's age, breed and location, plus the annual limit and excess you choose. Because you set both of those, prices spread widely. A high limit with a low excess costs the most, and a lower limit with a higher excess can be much cheaper. Opting into the 20% co-payment is the other big lever. It lowers your premium, but it means paying a fifth of every bill yourself, so it suits owners with savings to fall back on. Waggel also offers an optional Vet Triage add-on that lowers the price in exchange for using its online triage before vet visits. Run a quote with and without each to see the difference for your dog. There is no multi-pet discount, and you can only pay monthly.
The catches
- An optional co-payment is still a co-payment. If you take it, you pay 20% of every claim after your excess. On an £8,000 operation that is around £1,600 from your pocket, so choose it with your eyes open.
- Claims are mostly online. The quickest route is your online account. You can email or post a claim form instead, but there is no claiming by phone.
- Nothing is covered in the first 14 days. Most insurers cover accidents after a day or two. Waggel's 14-day "warm-up period" applies to accidents and illness alike.
- Pre-existing conditions are excluded, as with most insurers.
Waggel reviews: what customers say
Waggel scores 4.5 out of 5 on Trustpilot from nearly 15,000 reviews, which Trustpilot rates Excellent. Owners mostly praise the customer service and how easy the website is to use. The complaints that come up most are renewal price rises and claims turned down as pre-existing, which ties back to Waggel checking your dog's history when you claim rather than when you buy.
The small print, in short
We read Waggel's full policy document (version 21, effective from 17 February 2026). These are the points that are easy to miss.
- Your dog's history is checked when you claim, not when you buy. You answer no medical questions at sign-up. Waggel asks for your dog's vet records when you make a claim, so your list of excluded pre-existing conditions can grow over the life of the policy.
- The 14-day warm-up covers everything. You cannot make any claim in the first 14 days, and anything that shows signs in that time counts as pre-existing.
- The Vet Triage option has a penalty. If you choose it, you must use the Joii symptom checker or a video vet before seeing a vet about each new illness or injury. If you do not, you pay a £50 penalty on top of your excess. Genuine emergencies are exempt, and an ongoing condition only needs triage once.
- Dental cover depends on checks. Dental claims need a vet dental exam in the 12 months before the problem, yearly checks recorded after that, and any recommended treatment done within three months. Crowns and routine scale and polish are excluded.
- Some common costs are not covered. Prescription food is excluded even if your vet prescribes it, and so are cremation and burial. There is no holiday cancellation or boarding cover, and cover abroad is for emergencies in the EU, up to 90 days a year.
- The death benefit for illness stops at 8. It pays on a sliding scale of the price you paid, up to £1,000, but nothing for a dog aged 8 or over who dies of illness.
- Third-party liability covers a bite once. If your dog bites or injures someone, later claims for another bite will not be paid.
- Hidden perks: dental illness is covered from the start (with the checks above), out-of-hours fees and hospital stays are covered when the vet says they are needed, unlicensed medication and monitoring devices are covered, you can drop the co-payment at renewal, and you can cancel monthly without owing the rest of the year after a claim. You have 12 months from treatment to claim.
Should you buy it?
If you value simplicity, claims you can watch progress in real time, and control over whether you ever pay a co-payment, Waggel is one of the most likeable options on the market, and it is one of the few that takes dogs of any age without forcing a co-payment on them. If you want the highest limits, Agria goes to £20,000 a year with no age limit to join. If you have more than one pet, ManyPets gives up to 15% off, which Waggel does not. Our guide to pet insurance co-payments shows when a voluntary co-payment is worth taking, and the full UK pet insurance guide compares all ten.
Sources
- Waggel: dog insurance
- Waggel: policy wording, version 21 (effective from 17 February 2026)
- Waggel: policy and coverage FAQs and limits and claim contribution
- Waggel: general FAQs and payment and billing
- Waggel: older pet insurance
- Waggel: contact us
- Waggel: about us
- Trustpilot: Waggel
Details and the full policy document checked on 26 October 2026. Insurers change their policies often, so always read the policy documents before you buy.
Common questions
Is Waggel pet insurance good?
For most owners, yes. It is simple, it takes dogs of any age, it never forces a co-payment on older dogs, and it scores 4.5 out of 5 on Trustpilot from nearly 15,000 reviews. The weak spots are a 14-day start when nothing at all is covered, no multi-pet discount, and no cover for prescription food or cremation.
Is Waggel lifetime cover?
Yes. Waggel only sells lifetime cover. You choose an annual vet fee limit between £1,000 and £15,000, and it resets every time you renew, so a long-term condition stays covered as long as you keep the policy going.
Does Waggel have a co-payment?
Only if you choose one. Waggel lets you opt into a 20% co-payment, on a new policy or at renewal, to bring your premium down. You can drop it in the first 7 days of a new policy or in the 30 days before renewal. Unlike most insurers, it does not force one on your dog at a set age.
Can you get Waggel with no excess?
Yes. You can set your excess anywhere from £0 to £500. A £0 excess means a higher premium, but nothing to pay on each claim unless you have also chosen the co-payment.
Does Waggel insure older dogs?
Yes. Dogs can join from 8 weeks old and there is no upper age limit to start a policy. Prices do rise as dogs get older, and the death benefit for illness stops at 8.
Does Waggel cover dental treatment?
Yes. The policy includes up to £1,000 a year for dental treatment following an accident or illness, within your annual vet fee limit. Your dog needs a vet dental exam in the 12 months before the problem and yearly checks after that, and any recommended treatment must be done within three months.
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