
Choosing the right Pet Insurance is extremely important, as the wrong choice now could have severe financial consequences later and comparing numerous policy terms and conditions can be daunting.
Once you have read this review of VetsMediCover and compared polices using our unique search facility, you will have all the information you need to make an informed choice.
Vetsmedicover Pet Insurance reviewed by Jonathan 24/01/2021
Vetsmedicover was specifically set up to provide high quality pet insurance, outstanding customer service and efficient management of claims.
The Company offer two types of cover with a choice of benefit levels.
Vetsmedicover is a trading name of Petsmedicover Ltd, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Pet Insurance is underwritten by Covea Insurance Plc. Covea is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Click on the website link to go directly to the insurance providers website. Visit VetsMediCover's Website and Get a Quotation direct
Click on the white bars on the right side of the policy boxes below. Expand the content to view star ratings of all policies offered by VetsMediCover.
You must be over 18 years of age and be the registered owner and keeper of the pet, which lives with you in the United Kingdom.
Your pet must be over 8 weeks but under 8 years of age at the start of the policy (certain dog breeds must be under 5 years of age).
You must take your pet for a health check up at least once a year, including dental checks and vaccinations as required.
You must take reasonable stepts to prevent injury or illness, but if your pet is ill or injured, you must immediately arrange for a vet to provide treatment.
You must vaccination your pet against;
DOGS: distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirus.
CATS: cat flu, feline enteritis and feline leukaemia.
You must vaccinate your pet against kennel cough before your pet enters a boarding kennel or a show.
Your pet must not be used in any connection with any business, trade or profession. This includes taking your pet to work with you or a place of work.
You must take reasonable steps to prevent your pet causing damage to property.
Vetsmedicover offer two types of policy Time Limited and Lifetime.
The Silver policy covers up to £2,000 of vet fees per condition, covered up to 12 months from the date of the occurrence or until the benefit limit is reached.
The Gold policy covers up to £4,000 of vet fees cover per annum, which is reinstated every 12 months, provided the policy has been renewed and is designed to cover long term illnesses.
The Platinum policy covers up to £6,000 of vet fees cover per annum, which is reinstated every 12 months, provided the policy has been renewed and is designed to cover long term illnesses.
The Diamond policy covers up to £10,000 of vet fees cover per annum, which is reinstated every 12 months, provided the policy has been renewed and is designed to cover long term illnesses.
Many complaints about pet insurance happen because a claim is declined or the agreed settlement amount is less than the customer was expecting. One of the common reasons for this is due to a lack of understanding of the policy by the customer.
It is essential that you read your policy wording carefully and understand the terminology. We have produced a Comprehensive Pet Insurance Buyers guide to help explain the different types of cover. We have also listed below the important exclusions that we think you should know about.
Vetsmedicover does not cover;
The silver policy covers complementary treatments up to £500 and the Gold, Platinum and Diamond policies up to £750. (The market average limit is £1,000).
Complementary treatment means physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic treatment hydrotherapy, acupuncture and homeopathic or herbal medicines. All complementary treatment must be recommended by your vet and carried out by either a vet or a person registered with or a member of a professional organisation.
All policies cover dental care as a result of illness up to £350 and as a result of an injury up to the vet fees limit.
This does not include vet fees resulting from dental treatment carried out six months or more after the recommendation of the vet or costs for dental descaling, polishing, prosthodontics, orthodontic appliances, crowns, caps or splints, or veneers.
The Silver policy does not cover prescription food. The Gold, Platimum and Diamond policies cover clinically formulated pet food prescribed by your vet as part of a treatment plan for your pet for a specific covered condition.
Prescription food does not include food prescribed for weight loss or dental ailments or conditions.
The Gold policy covers 20% of the cost up to £150.
The Platinum and Diamond policies cover 40% of the cost up to £200.
All policies cover MRI/CT Scans and Cruciate Ligament claims up to the vet fees limit, depending on the policy you have chosen.
All policies cover the cost of having your pet put to sleep (on the recommendation of your vet) up to £200, but excludes costs relating to the cremation, burial or disposal of your pet.
Vetsmedicover only allow you insure one pet on the same policy.
Vetsmedicover does not cover your pets pre-existing conditions and these are described as;
Any injury or illness that:
a) happened or first showed clinical signs; or
b) has the same diagnosis or clinical signs as an injury, illness or clinical sign your pet had; or
c) is caused by or relates to, or results from an injury, illness or clinical sign your pet had before the start of cover for your pet, and regardless of whether the illness or clinical signs appear in the same or different parts of your pet’s body.
However in respect of the Gold, Platinum and Diamond policies, A condition will cease to be a pre-existing condition, if for twenty-four consecutive calendar months:
a) your pet has shown no clinical signs or symptoms of the condition
b) you have not consulted a vet with respect to the condition
c) your pet has not received treatment for or in connection with the condition.
Vet fees for treatment recommended by your vet to prevent or treat an injury or illness directly or indirectly as a result of breeding, whelping and pregnancy are not covered under the Vetsmedicover policy.
Since leaving the European Union on the 1st January 2021, the rules on taking your pet abroad with you have changed.
Pet Passports are no longer valid, having been replaced with an Animal Health Certifcate. It is still possible to take your pet abroad, without the lengthy quarantine periods and Vetsmedicover will extend vet fees to cover your pet for up to 3 months each year.
However unlike some policies, they only cover the vet fees and not additional quarantine costs, emergency expenses abroad or the cost of replacing your animal health certificate.
There is no cover under the Vetsmedicover pet insurance policy for illnesses which occur during the first 14 days of any new policy and any Injuries which occur during the first 5 days of any new policy.
Veterinary fees, for each illness or injury treated in each period of insurance: an excess of £90.
Third party liability - The first £250 per incident.
Pets 4 years and over – a further 10% of the remaining cost of treatment – this is deducted after deduction of the excess.
Pets 6 years and over – a further 20% of the remaining cost of treatment – this is deducted after deduction of the excess.
The website is nicely laid out and provides plenty of information of the different types of policy they offer, which we always recommend you read. A nice breakdown and comparison of cover is available and although they do not offer live chat, there are plenty of frequently answered questions, to satisfy most customer queries. Failing that you can phone or email them for more information.
The quotation system is extremely quick and easy to use. Just a few questions and you are presented with a side by side comparison of all available policies, together with the premiums and access to policy documents.
Although the policy at 31 pages long doesn't contain a summary of cover, there is a useful index and page of contact numbers and we found it easy to navigate and use. Surprisingly in readability tests the policy wording only scored 45.2 out of 100 classed as difficult to read and a college level reading age required to understand it.
Vetsmedicover can be found on Moneysupermarket and Confused.com comparison websites. However in tests, we found that some of the premiums were more expensive than those being offered by Vetsmedicover direct on their website.
There is no specific vet health helpline offered.
The only customer reviews we could find were on Feefo with 47 reviews, scoring 4.3/5.
The majority of customers were happy with the service and there were no specific problem areas to point out.
There are no administration charges.
Vetsmedicover offer a 25% introductory discount for new policyholders.
Vetsmedicover provide a good level of cover for the policies offered. During tests they appear to be a bit more expensive than other policies, and remember that your premium will be 25% more expensive after you lose the introductory discount at renewal.
However from reading customer reviews, the claims service seems very good and although you are required to submit claims within 3 months, you are able to track the progress via texts to your mobile.
If your pet suffered from a medical condition that is now more than 24 months old and has not re-occurred within that period, Vetsmedicover will cover this under their Gold, Platinum and Diamond policies.
You are unable to insure certain breeds of dog if they are aged 5 years and older. We were unable to find a list of the specific breeds. When your pet becomes 4 years old, you will be required to pay an additional 10% of any claim over and above any fixed excess.
That's Insurance have spent some time mystery shopping on vetsmedicover-pet-insurance-review's website. The policy wording, website, customer service/buying process have been carefully reviewed and each section awarded a user friendly score, which you can see below.
Policy wording - Marks are awarded for Layout, Readability ,Terminology, Communication and Appropriate information.
Website - Marks are awarded for Layout/Navigation, Access to important information e.g. policy wordings, Clear Explanation/Comparison of policies, including limitations, Frequently asked questions.
Customer Service – Marks are awarded for the Buying process, Customer Service, Clear Quotations, Access to important information/Comparison of quotes.
The scores have been calculated as an overall percentage and shown on the three gauges. You can see how VetsMediCover compares to the industry average. The higher the percentage the better the company performs in each area.
(layout, readability, terminology)
Awaiting user friendly score
(layout, navigation, access to information)
Awaiting user friendly score
(clear quotes, buying process, customer service)
Awaiting user friendly score
We've highlighted Pro's and Cons for VetsMediCover, click on the white bars on the right side of the boxes below. Expand the content to view pros and cons of all policies offered by VetsMediCover.
We've listed below cover levels for policies offered by offered by To scroll through all policies, click on the arrows on the left and right of policy name section.
Listed below are some Sample Quotes offered by VetsMediCover
Top Picks
Insurance Provider
Excess
Primary Cover
Guide Price
Type:Dog
Cover:Lifetime Maximum Benefit
Age: 1
Breed: Medium
Group: Mongrel
90
Lifetime Maximum Benefit 10,000
Complimentary Treatment 750
Dental 10,000
Death from Accident 750
Death from Illness 750
Theft or Straying 750
Advertising and Reward 187
Third Party Liability 1,000,000
Type:Dog
Cover:Lifetime Maximum Benefit
Age: 1
Breed: Medium
Group: Mongrel
90
Lifetime Maximum Benefit 6,000
Complimentary Treatment 750
Dental 6,000
Death from Accident 500
Death from Illness 500
Theft or Straying 500
Advertising and Reward 125
Third Party Liability 1,000,000
Type:Dog
Cover:Lifetime Maximum Benefit
Age: 6
Breed: Medium
Group: Mongrel
90
Lifetime Maximum Benefit 6,000
Complimentary Treatment 750
Dental 6,000
Death from Accident 500
Death from Illness 500
Theft or Straying 500
Advertising and Reward 125
Third Party Liability 1,000,000
Type:Dog
Cover:Lifetime Maximum Benefit
Age: 6
Breed: Medium
Group: Mongrel
90
Lifetime Maximum Benefit 4,000
Complimentary Treatment 750
Dental 4,000
Death from Accident 350
Death from Illness 350
Theft or Straying 350
Advertising and Reward 87
Third Party Liability 1,000,000
Type:Dog
Cover:Per Condition Time Limited
Age: 6
Breed: Medium
Group: Mongrel
90
Per Condition Time Limited 2,000
Complimentary Treatment 500
Dental 2,000
Death from Accident 250
Death from Illness 250
Theft or Straying 250
Advertising and Reward 62
Third Party Liability 500,000
Type:Cat
Cover:Lifetime Maximum Benefit
Age: 1
Breed: Moggie
Group: Moggie
90
Lifetime Maximum Benefit 4,000
Complimentary Treatment 750
Dental 4,000
Death from Accident 350
Death from Illness 350
Theft or Straying 350
Advertising and Reward 87
Type:Cat
Cover:Lifetime Maximum Benefit
Age: 6
Breed: Moggie
Group: Moggie
90
Lifetime Maximum Benefit 4,000
Complimentary Treatment 750
Dental 4,000
Death from Accident 350
Death from Illness 350
Theft or Straying 350
Advertising and Reward 87
Type:Cat
Cover:Lifetime Maximum Benefit
Age: 6
Breed: Moggie
Group: Moggie
90
Lifetime Maximum Benefit 6,000
Complimentary Treatment 750
Dental 6,000
Death from Accident 500
Death from Illness 500
Theft or Straying 500
Advertising and Reward 125
Type:Cat
Cover:Per Condition Time Limited
Age: 1
Breed: Moggie
Group: Moggie
90
Per Condition Time Limited 2,000
Complimentary Treatment 500
Dental 2,000
Death from Accident 250
Death from Illness 250
Theft or Straying 250
Advertising and Reward 62
Type:Cat
Cover:Lifetime Maximum Benefit
Age: 1
Breed: Moggie
Group: Moggie
90
Lifetime Maximum Benefit 10,000
Complimentary Treatment 750
Dental 10,000
Death from Accident 750
Death from Illness 750
Theft or Straying 750
Advertising and Reward 187