**Our reviews are reader-supported. This means that if you click a link and buy a product or service based on our recommendations, we may earn a small commission.**
Starting out as a department store, John Lewis has become a name we can trust. Both with quality products and customer care.
Today, they provide financial products and services, including pet insurance.
So, will they insure your pets with the standard of care we’ve come to expect?
To find out if they’re the best company to insure your pet with, read our review and consider the pros and cons before making a decision.
In This Review
- Up to £12,000/yr vet fee cover
- 24 Hour Vetfone Helpline
- 90 Day Claims Window
- 95% Claims Paid in 5 Days
- No Upper Age Limit
- Multi-Pet discount
What Does John Lewis Cover?
John Lewis only insures dogs and cats. Also, they only offer lifetime policies. So if your pet develops an ongoing condition they will pay out year after year. There is no time limit to the length of treatment provided you renew your policy each year.
They offer three levels of cover;
| Essential | Plus | Premier | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vet Fees (per year) | up to £3,000 | up to £7,500 | up to £12,000 |
| 24-Hour VetFone Helpline | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dental Injury* | up to £3,000 | up to £7,500 | up to £12,000 |
| Behavioural Treatment* | up to £250 | up to £250 | up to £500 |
| Treatment Food* | up to £250 | up to £250 | up to £250 |
| Complementary Treatments (physiotherapy etc.)* | up to £500 | up to £1,000 | up to £2,000 |
| Third Party Liability (dogs only) | up to £1m | up to £2m | up to £3m |
| Accidental Damage | up to £250 | up to £500 | up to £750 |
| Lost or Stolen Pets | up to £500 | up to £1,000 | up to £1,500 |
| Second Pet Discount | 5% | 5% | 5% |
If you’re not sure how much cover you need, have a chat with your vet. They can give you the likely cost of treatment should your pet ever need it.
John Lewis will insure your pet from 8 weeks old and they have no upper age limit. This means they will cover them no matter how old they are. That said, if you insure an older animal, expect your premiums to be expensive.
According to claims data from September 2020 – December 2020 John Lewis pay 95% of claims within 5 days. They can also pay your vet directly, subject to your vets agreement.
What Does John Lewis NOT Cover?
It’s just as important to understand what isn’t covered, that way you’ll not get a nasty shock if you need to claim. We’ve taken the following exclusions and restrictions straight out of John Lewis’s policy documents.
- Pre-Existing Conditions – illness or injury (or associated symptoms) prior to starting a policy.
- Pets Less Than 8 Weeks Old – this would normally apply to breeders as puppies or kittens shouldn’t be separated from their parent before 8 weeks.
- Preventative Treatments – such as flea and worming, vaccinations etc.
- Pregnancy and Breeding – and the costs of giving birth and rearing young.
- Commercial animals – like guard dogs, attack dogs and racing dogs.
- Illnesses in the First 14 Days – Any illness or symptoms of illness.
- Injury in the First 48 Hours – Accidents or illnesses that develop as a result of an accident.
- Up to £12,000/yr vet fee cover
- 24 Hour Vetfone Helpline
- 90 Day Claims Window
- 95% Claims Paid in 5 Days
- No Upper Age Limit
- Multi-Pet discount
How Much Does John Lewis Pet Insurance Cost?
The price you pay will depend on many factors, including;
- Breed
- Age
- Previous conditions
- Where you live, etc.
That said, we got two quotes; one for a dog and another for a cat.
Quote For Dog Insurance
We based our quote for dog insurance on;
- A large mixed-breed dog because they’re the most common
- It being 2 years old and in good health
- Living in Lincoln as that’s where Pet Checkers is based
- An excess of £100
How Changing the Excess Affected the Premium Price
John Lewis gives you the option of changing how much excess you’d pay in the event of a claim. This means you can tailor the quote to your budget.
This is how changing the excess affect amount affected the policy price.
| Excess Amount | Essential | Plus | Premier |
|---|---|---|---|
| £60 | £274.33 | £392.50 | £511.95 |
| £80 | £238.08 | £340.49 | £444.18 |
| £100 | £217.77 | £311.33 | £406.18 |
| £140 | £196.41 | £280.70 | £366.25 |
| £250 | £170.65 | £243.73 | £318.08 |
| £500 | £146.35 | £208.86 | £272.63 |
Quote For Cat Insurance
We based our quote for cat insurance on;
- A ginger and white mixed-breed cat – Again, non-pedigrees are most common
- It being 2 years old and in good health
- Again, living in Lincoln
- An excess of £100
How Changing the Excess Affected the Policy Price
Once again, we adjusted the excess contribution to see how it affected the policy price.
| Excess Amount | Essential | Plus | Premier |
|---|---|---|---|
| £60 | £106.85 | £173.36 | £210.90 |
| £80 | £94.21 | £152.75 | £185.79 |
| £100 | £88.37 | £143.23 | £174.18 |
| £140 | £75.61 | £122.43 | £148.84 |
| £250 | £63.83 | £103.23 | £125.45 |
| £500 | £52.92 | £85.45 | £103.79 |
Excess For Older Animals
As we’ve mentioned, John Lewis don’t have an upper age limit. That mean’s they’ll insure animals over the age of 8 whereas a lot of insurers won’t.
That said, this affects how the excess works.
You’d either pay your chosen excess, or 20% of the bill, whichever is greater.
- Up to £12,000/yr vet fee cover
- 24 Hour Vetfone Helpline
- 90 Day Claims Window
- 95% Claims Paid in 5 Days
- No Upper Age Limit
- Multi-Pet discount
How Industry Experts Rate John Lewis Pet Insurance
John Lewis has been rated by Defaqto and Which? as being one of the best pet insurance providers.
Using their percentage scoring system, Which? scored John Lewis;
| Type of Pet | Essential | Plus | Premier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dog | 51% | 77% | 96% |
| Cat | 58% | 80% | 95% |
And here’s how Defaqto score them;
| Type of Pet | Essential | Plus | Premier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dog | 4* | 5* | 5* |
| Cat | 4* | 5* | 5* |
- Up to £12,000/yr vet fee cover
- 24 Hour Vetfone Helpline
- 90 Day Claims Window
- 95% Claims Paid in 5 Days
- No Upper Age Limit
- Multi-Pet discount
Customer Reviews of John Lewis Pet Insurance
Independent industry bodies and experts can say all they want. But they look at a policy from a different perspective than a customer would. And it’s a customers experience of a company that really matters.
That said, finding actual customer reviews proved tricky. So we ended up trawling through John Lewis Finance Trust Pilot page which covers all of their insurance products. But we did find some related to their pet insurance.
The Good
When it comes to signing up with John Lewis we found many customers were happy with their sign up quotes.
If they needed to make a claim, they seem to make the process easy. Which is exactly what you want.
The Not So Great
Most reviews say that signing up with John Lewis is easy. That said, there are complaints that the process is confusing. We found several reviews saying they’re not sure if their pets are covered, despite receiving confirmation emails.
The Bad
By far the biggest complaint about John Lewis’ pet insurance policies are the renewal prices. Many customers complain that their renewal price more than doubled, despite not even making a claim.
That said, they do state clearly on their website that premiums are likely to rise;
- As your pet gets older
- If you claim
Also, it’s worth noting that John Lewis is underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance. They dictate the prices and renewals. In fact, Royal & Sun Alliance also underwrites the policies of More Than, Marks & Spencer, Argos and Tesco. So it’s fair to say, steep renewal prices aren’t exclusive to John Lewis. It happens with most insurers.
- Up to £12,000/yr vet fee cover
- 24 Hour Vetfone Helpline
- 90 Day Claims Window
- 95% Claims Paid in 5 Days
- No Upper Age Limit
- Multi-Pet discount
How Do John Lewis Compare Against Other Insurers?
To get a better idea if John Lewis is the right pet insurer for you, it helps to compare them to similar companies and policies.
Here’s a high level view of how they stack up against other companies we recommend.
| John Lewis | PetPlan | Bought By Many | Agria Pet | Waggel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vet Fees (per year) | up to £12,000 | up to £12,000 | up to £15,000 | up to £12,500 | up to £10,000 |
| Third-Party Liability | Up to £3m | Up to £3m | Up to £3m | Up to £3m | Up to £2m |
| Pre-Existing Conditions | No | Case by Case | Yes | No | No |
| Dental | Injury Only | Illness & Injury | Policy Dependant | Illness & Injury | Illness & Injury |
| Free Vet Calls | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lost or Stolen Pets | up to £1,500 | up to £2,000 | Optional Extra | Optional Extra | £1,000 |
| Death From Accident/Illness | up to £1,500 | up to £2,000 | up to £6,000 | up to £2,500 | £1,000 |
| Multi-Pet Discount | 5% | £12 per pet | 15% | 5% | No |
| Read Our Review | Read Our Review | Read Our Review | Read Our Review |
Frequently Asked Questions
To Sum Up
John Lewis Finance provides some of the most comprehensive pet insurance policies on the market.
They’re highly rated by Defaqto and Which? and on the whole, their customers. It appears they pay out quickly and without fuss with 95% of claims being paid within 5 days. Although, the signup process can be confusing for some.
Just be sure to check your renewal price each year and be prepared to shop around if you’re not happy with the cost.
- Up to £12,000/yr vet fee cover
- 24 Hour Vetfone Helpline
- 10% Online Discount
- 95% Claims Paid in 5 Days
- No Upper Age Limit
- Multi-Pet discount
