John Lewis Pet Insurance Review

You must be the owner and keeper of the pet and at least 18 years old.
You must live with your pet at a home address in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.
Your pet must be at least 8 weeks old and not have had any complaints about it's behaviour.
You must also provide proper care and attention to your pet at all times and take all reasonable precautions to prevent accidents, injury or damage.
You agree to manage your pet's weight and take steps to prevent or reduce the increased health risk of being obese or underweight.
Your pet must be vaccinated against Parvovirus, hepatitis, distemper, leptospirosis in dogs, or feline leukaemia, cat flu or infectious enteritis in cats.

John Lewis only offer Lifetime Policies which means that any pet insured with them will be covered for ongoing conditions as well as one off mishaps. The levels of cover are:

Essential Policy covers vet fees up to £3,000 per year

The 5 star rated Plus Policy covers vet fees up to £7,500 per year

The 5 star rated Premier Policy covers vet fees up to £12,000 per year

This is a list of important exclusions. John Lewis Pet Insurance does not cover;

1. Preventative, Cosmetic or Routine treatments, tests, examinations or procedures which do not treat an illness or injury or any complications as a result.
2. Spaying, castration or retained testicles.
3. Ovariohysterectomy to prevent mammary tumours or the re-occurrence of false pregnancies.
4. Grooming, Bathing, dematting, micro chipping or vaccinations including homeopathic vaccinations.
5. Worming or Flea treatments.
6. Out of hours, house calls, or hospitalisation, unless the vet confirms that it is necessary.
7. Medication not recommended by a vet including supplements, probiotics and any other medication purchased without prescription.
8. Any unlicensed treatment.
9. The cost of pheromone products and sex hormonal problems unless directly resulting from a valid claim.
10. The removal of dew claws unless they are damaged or infected.
11. The cost of transplant surgery, including pre and post-operative care.
12. The cost of prosthesis, including any veterinary treatment needed to fit the prosthesis, other than the cost of hip, knee and/or elbow replacement(s).
13. Stem-cell or gene therapy.
14. Any claim as a result of a notifiable disease as named in the Animal Health Act 1981.
15. Any claim where your pet is used for racing, fighting, security purposes, as a guard dog, or has been trained to attack.
16. Any claims where your pet is used as a business, or to make money, or earn an income, or where your pet is used for breeding (breeding, means used for breeding more than 2 times in the pet’s lifetime).
17. Any pet which should be registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 or any of the following: Pit Bull, Pit Bull type, Japanese Tosa, Fila Braziliero, Dogo Argentino, American Bulldog, Wolf/Wolf hybrid or of any other breed which is not shown on the breed list.
18. Death by illness for pets aged 9 and over.

John Lewis covers complementary treatments such as acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic manipulation, hydrotherapy, osteopathy, physiotherapy and even herbal medicines provided they are prescribed by a vet.

The Essential policy covers up to £500, The Plus policy up to £1,000 and the Premier policy up to £2,000.

All John Lewis policies cover up to £250 in respect of food a vet recommended to treat an illness or accident, including food required to treat behavioural problems.

All John Lewis policies cover treatment to teeth and gums if they are damaged by an accident.

MRI/CT Scans and Cruciate Ligament claims are fully covered up to the vet fees limit.

Note that if your pets leg has been treated for a cruciate ligament problem before you took out a policy. Any problems with a second leg would be classed as a pre-existing condition and not covered.

John Lewis cover not only the cost of having your pet put to sleep (up to £100), but also assist with cremation costs up to £100.

You are able to cover up to three pets under the same policy.

Health issues, concerns, illnesses and injuries which you or your vet were aware of before you took out the
policy, are called pre-existing conditions and specifically excluded.

John Lewis will not pay claims for pets used for breeding (breeding means used for breeding more than twice in a pets lifetime).

Both the Plus and Premier policies provide comprehensive cover if you decide to take your pet abroad under the Governments "PETS" Scheme.

Cover includes up to 3, 60 day trips per year, and extends vets fees cover, as well as repeat tapeworm treatment, loss of your pet healthcare certificate, quarantine costs, emergency expenses, the costs of cutting short or cancelling a trip altogether.

John Lewis pet policies will not cover accidents within the first 48 hours of a new policy and illnesses that develop, or you were aware of within the first 14 days of a new policy.

The standard policy excess is £100.

The excess for public liability claims is £250.

Once your pet turns 9, you will be expected to contribute 20% of the costs of any future claim, in addition to the standard excess.

For example if you make a claim for £1,000, you will have to pay £100 plus 20% total £280 of the claim.

The John Lewis website is sleek and minimalist in appearance. It provides a lot of helpful information without being too in your face. You have easy access to a comparison of covers, frequently asked questions, policy wording and Insurance Product information documents.

The quotation system follows the format, presenting side by side comparison of your options.

John Lewis do not offer live chat, but you can phone them with a query or to obtain a quote.

At 40 pages long the policy wording is comprehensive, but as well as an in-depth summary of cover, and index, and contact page, there is an extremely useful section on understanding and using the policy. Each section of cover is carefully sectioned off into what is and what isn't covered.

The policy wording scored 65 out of 100 in our tests and was classed as average reading with an average reading age of between 14 - 15 (Reading age means the average reading age required to understand the text).

John Lewis Pet Insurance is available on all four comparison websites. During our tests we found that each quote differed slightly in price, but all were a bit lower than premiums quotes direct from John Lewis.

However after checking we found the excess was much higher in all cases. If you are happy with a higher excess then purchase a policy through a comparison website. You are able to choose more flexible excess options between £60 and £500 on John Lewis website direct.

As well as a claims helpline, John Lewis policyholders have free access to VetFone, a 24/7 helpline which provides expert advice on your pets health.

Trustpilot has received 1109 reviews on John Lewis Finance with an overall rating of 3.3/5. Whilst this is not very high, upon checking we could not find any negative reviews relating to Pet Insurance, most were connected to loans, banking and delays due to covid-19.

There are no administration charges.

Purchase online direct from John Lewis and receive a 10% discount.

Both the John Lewis Plus and Premier policies have been awarded 5 stars for their high levels of cover.

Both policies have high inner limits and cover areas that others don't such as cremation costs. They are also excellent if you plan on taking your pets abroad.

John Lewis state that 96% of claims are paid within 5 days. We can't verify this claim, but a quick and simple claims process is what every customer wants.

John Lewis policies are in line with other comparable lifetime policies. Whilst they tend to be a bit more expensive than lower ranked policies, the old saying is true, you get what you pay for. The Premier plan with it's high £12,000 vet limits offers the best value for money, but you can save 15 - 20% but choosing the lower Plus policy that has £7,500 vet fees cover. The other option to reducing the premium is by volunteering for a higher excess, which is available on the John Lewis site.

One point to note is John Lewis declare on their site and in their policy wording, that the cost of looking after your pet's health can double every four or five years, especially if a claim is paid, the price you pay next year could double. So it's important you understand how making a claim may affect future premiums and that you budget for renewal prices to increase.