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Review of the John Lewis, Pet Insurance:

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Beware high premiums and old age cut-offs

When we got a puppy ten years ago we took out a lifetime "Plus" policy, deciding to go with John Lewis above cheaper competitors due to the excellent customer service that goes with that name. In his first year we had to make two claims when our dog had a couple of 3 day residential stays with the local vet due to gastric issues. He fully recovered from these with no recurrence, and John Lewis settled the claims minus excess, as expected. However, despite no further claims in the following years, as the dog got older the premiums really ramped up, going from around £37 per month at the age of two, to £100+ at the age of six, then up to £180 per month by the age of ten. Obviously we considered cheaper insurers but having a lifetime policy with a company of John Lewis's reputation, which still covered the pre-existing conditions from when my dog was young, we decided to stump up the extra and carry on paying top dollar to ensure he had full cover. Unfortunately a couple of weeks ago my dog suddenly fell ill; the vet did ultrasound, on-site blood tests, and visual examinations, etc., but sadly ended up having to put our dog to sleep and arrange cremation. The bill for all of the above came to over £1200. On submitting a claim to John Lewis we were expecting to pay the 20% excess specified in the policy document (standard when a dog is over nine years old, apparently). However, in their claim settlement they had broken down the itemised vets bill into the individual treatments listed and, quoting our dog’s age, had completely declined to pay for some bits and only paid a fraction of the others. We were left with £800 to pay ourselves. So if have an older animal and you’re renewing a high-premium pet insurance policy with John Lewis, make sure you’re aware of the age-related cover cut-offs and the ridiculously small cover limits for individual and specific vet treatments. This experience with John Lewis pet insurance has left us feeling grubby and used, but we hope this information helps someone. Reviewed on: 13th August 2023

Jon

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