Argos Pet Insurance Review

You must own the pet.

Insurance only applies for pets in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

You are able to obtain new insurance quotes for your

Dog between the ages of 8 weeks and 8 years old (some breeds the maximum age is 5 years old) insure your cat or dog from 8 weeks of age and.

Cat between the ages of 8 weeks and 10 years old.

Once your pet is insured with Argos, cover can continue beyond these age restrictions.

The following breeds have a maximum age of 5 years; Beauceron, Bernese Mountain Dog, Bulldog, Bullmastiff, Deerhound, Dogue de Bordeaux, Estrela Mountain Dog, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, Leonberger, Mastiff, Newfoundland, Old English Bulldog, Old English Sheepdog, Poodle (Standard), Pyrenean Mountain Dog, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, Shar Pei, St Bernard, Standard Poodle, Tibetan Mastiff, Utonagan, Neapolitan Mastiff.

Argos offer a choice of seven different pet insurance policies

Dogs

Time Limited cover with a choice of vets fees limits of £2,500 or £4,000 per condition for 12 months.

Maximum Benefit cover with a choice of vets fees up to a maximum of £2,000 or £5,000 per condition.

Lifetime cover with a choice of vets fees limits of £2,000. £4,500 or £7,000 per year renewal every year.

Cats

Time Limited cover with a choice of vets fees limits of £2,500 or £4,000 per condition for 12 months.

Maximum Benefit cover with a choice of vets fees up to a maximum of £2,000 or £5,000 per condition.

Lifetime cover with a choice of vets fees limits of £1,000. £3,500 or £7,000 per year renewal every year.

A list of important exclusions. Argos pet insurance does not cover:

1. Costs relating to your pet worrying or chasing livestock;
2. Any claim where your dog has been used as a guard dog, gun, farm, emergency rescue dog, or for racing or security purposes;
3. Any dog registered under the dangerous dogs act or the following breeds; American Bulldog, American Indian Dog, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bandog, Boerboel, Bully Kutta, Canary Dog, Cane Corso, Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, Dingo, Dogo Argentino, Dogue Brasileiro, Fila Brasileiro, Gull Dong, Husky Wolf Hybrid, Irish Staffordshire Blue Bull Terrier, Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Pit Bull Terrier, Saarlooswolfhound, Tosa, Tosa Inu, Wolf Hybrid, Wolfdog, or any dog crossbred with any of these breeds;
4. House or out of hours visits unless your vet confirms waiting would endanger life or worsen any condition;
5. Costs relating to routine tests unless they are to diagnose a condition based on specific symptoms;
6. Routine and preventative treatments such as vaccinations, cosmetic dentistry/surgery, spaying/castration;
7. Costs relating to routine removal of dew claws, parasite control treatments, grooming and nail clipping;
8. The cost of dental crowns, root canals or fillings;
9. Costs relating to retained testes or deciduous teeth if your pet is over 16 weeks of age;
10. Treatment for fleas except when used to treat a skin condition;
11. More than one protective collar, cone, boot, shirt or harness;
12. Organ, stem cell transplants or protheses;
13. Treatment following a fight if your dog has a history of treatment for fighting.

You must take your pet for regular annual check-ups and ensure they are vaccinated with licensed products recommended by your vet.

Complementary medicine is covered under all policies subject to the following limits;

Dogs

Time Limited £2,500  up to £500

Time Limited £4,000, Max Benefit £2,000 & £5,000, Lifetime £2,000 & £4,500 up to £750

Lifetime £7,000 up to £1,500

Cats

Time Limited £2,500  up to £500

Time Limited £4,000, Max Benefit £2,000 & £5,000, Lifetime £1,000 & £3,500 up to £750

Lifetime £7,000 up to £1,500

All policies cover 25% of the cost of a clinical diet for a maximum period of six months.

The maximum monetary limit for this cover is £250. The treatable condition must be recommended by your vet.

Clinical Diet does not cover obesity or weight loss problems.

All policies cover the cost of treatment for dental or related conditions due to accidental injury.

All policies cover the cost of treatment for dental or related conditions to relieve suffering as a result of an illness, provided that your pet has a history of annual check-ups, and any advice has been followed within six months.

All Argos pet policies cover MRI/CT Scans and Cruciate ligament claims up to the maximum level of vets fees. The vet fees limit depends on the policy chosen.

All Argos policies cover the cost of having your pet put to sleep. The decision must be recommended or agreed with by your vet.

They will also cover the cost of cremation, or cemetery burial up to £200, if your pet dies or is put to sleep by your vet as result of an injury or illness.

You are able to insure more than one pet on a single policy (dogs, cats or combination of both)

Argos will reduce your premium by £1 per month (maximum £24) per additional pet that you insure.

Argos will not cover your pets pre-existing medical conditions. This includes any condition or symptom that was known about by you and or investigated by your vet prior to inception of any policy.

Argos excludes cover for treatment relating to pregnancy, giving birth or breeding and any connected complications.

Argos extends cover if you take your pet abroad to those countries under the "PETS" scheme.

Your pets are covered for a maximum of 90 days per year. Cover includes Emergency Repatriation, Quarantine costs, Loss of Pet Travel Documents, and Emergency Vet Expenses.

At least three weeks before the renewal date, Argos will contact you with renewal details setting out the terms and conditions and the premium. If you pay by instalments, your policy will automatically renew. If you pay in one go and automatic payments are set up, your policy will also be renewed automatically, unless you advise Argos otherwise.

If you wish to cancel your policy, you should contact Argos and let them know in writing.

If you cancel within the 14 day cooling off period and have not claimed, Argos will refund your premium in full.

If you cancel outside the 14 day window, and have not claimed, Argos will refund the portion of premium not used.

If you cancel outside the 14 day window and have made a claim, Argos will not refund any premium, unless the amount of the claim is less than the pro rata refund, in which case the balance between the two will be refunded.

Argos state that in 2018 97% of claims were settled within 5 days and in 2019 95% of claims settled within 5 days.

Before your pet is treated, you must ensure that your vet will complete their section of the claim form and provide, invoices and a full medical history if required.

Complete the online claims form via the Argos Pet Portal, or you can phone the Argos claims department first.

You are unable to claim for death or treatment for accidental injury or poisoning within the first 3 days of the inception of the policy.

You are unable to claim for death or treatment for any illness with occurs within the first 14 days of the inception of the policy.

You are unable to claim if your pet is stolen or strays within the first 14 days of the inception of the policy.

You are unable to claim under holiday cancellation cover within the first 14 days of the inception of the policy.

All Argos policies have a standard excess of £99. The first amount you are required to pay of any single claim.

When your Dog reaches the age of 8 and your Cat the age of 10, in addition to the standard excess of £99, you will be required to pay a further 20% of any single claim.

For selected dog breeds the maximum age is 5. See point 1 above for a list.

For example if your claim totalled £1,000 you would have to pay £99 +20% of the balance £180.20 Total £279.20.

The website looks professional as you would expect.

Easy access to a breakdown of the different types of policies, together with side by side comparisons, policy wordings and explanations of cover. There are useful sections on caring for your pet and frequently asked questions.

The quotation system is also easy to use. You are presented with a choice of covers/sums insured and you can compare these at the click of a button before making your choice.

There is no live chat or email. You can phone them on 0344 543 1053 to obtain a quotation.

The Argos pet insurance policy is the same for cats and dogs.

The policy wording explains the difference between covers, clear information on contact details, definitions, eligibility and cover limits.

The policy wording does not provide a summary of cover to allow side by side comparison..

Each section of cover explains what is and what isn't covered and an index allows you to easily find your way around. Headings are coloured to help differentiate between the sections.

The text has a reading score of 58.7 (out of 100) and is classed as fairly difficult to read.

The wording has an average reading age of 14 - 15 years. This means that a person with a reading age of 14-15 years should be able to understand the policy.

Argos is listed on Go Compare, Money supermarket, Confused and Compare the Market.

Our mystery shopping concluded that none of the comparison websites offered all the Argos products that are available direct from their site. In the case of the products that were offered, the cover was the same. The premiums were either the same or in some cases more expensive.

We recommend checking direct with Argos to confirm what is available before choosing your pet insurance policy. 

The Argos policy includes free 24/7 access to a vet assistance helpline operated by Vets Direct.

To date there have been 692 reviews on Trust Pilot with a rating of 3.1/5. Compare by review have received 69 reviews with a rating of 3.13/5. Pet Insurance review have received 18 reviews with a rating of 2.3/5.

These are mediocre scores, although in September 2019 Argos changed Insurers from Royal Sun Alliance to Pinnacle Insurance and many of the reviews reflect service by the previous Insurer.

Common complaints were an increase in renewal premiums - Pet insurance costs will increase as your pet gets older or if you have to claim, but it does seem that some of the premium increases have been significant.

Slow service on claims or poor communication having to wait on the phone for lengthy periods of time. Argos claim their new Insurer pays out 95% of claims within 5 days and claims can be filed online through their new portal.

We cannot find any specific information to administration charges. There is no indication in the policy wording that an administration charge is made for cancelling for example, so assume there are no administration charges.

There are no current discounts or promotions.

Research indicates that Argos aren't the cheapest pet Insurer, but their policies are value for money. Policies have fewer conditions compared to other companies making it easier to understand.

A change of Insurer seems to have improved the overall service. We awarded the lifetime £7,000 policy 5 stars for the higher levels of cover provided, although the remaining pet policies offer a good selection of value for money features.

Some customers have reported significant premium increases, especially after making a claim, which makes them less attractive.