Waggel came to the market in December 2018. Their strapline is “Less stress, more love”.
One of the biggest issues with pet insurance is that exclusions are often buried in the fine print. Many people only discover what isn’t covered when they try to make a claim.
But that’s the whole reason Waggel was created in the first place: to make pet insurance simpler, more transparent, and genuinely supportive for pet owners and their animals.
So, is Waggel the best insurance company for you and your pet?
Have a read of our Waggel review (and others) to find out.
- Up to £15,000/yr vet fee cover
- Simple online claims process
- Free access to Joii televet services (chat, video, and Symptom Checker)
- Unlimited access to behavioural and nutrition experts for cats and dogs
- Discounts on partner brands
- Free PitPat Activity Monitor with every dog policy
- Access to Biscuit Plus rewards and a wellbeing platform
- First month free
Waggel Policy Options
In their bid to make their pet insurance easy to understand, Waggel only offers lifetime cover.
That means any conditions your pet develops while insured are covered for life, as long as your policy renews each year.
Waggel offers simple cover levels:
| Policy | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vet Fees (per year) | £1,000 | £2,000 | £3,000 | £4,000 | £5,000 | £6,000 | £8,000 | £10,000 | £15,000 |
| Televet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Dental Injury | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 |
| Complementary Treatment | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 |
| Behavioural Treatment | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 |
| Lost or Stolen Pets | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 |
| Death From Accident / Illness | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 |
| Third Party Liability (Dogs Only) | £2m | £2m | £2m | £2m | £2m | £2m | £2m | £2m | £2m |
Member Benefits
As a customer of Waggel, you also get exclusive member benefits. These include;
- Unlimited televet consultations through Joii, available via chat, video, or their Symptom Checker
- Free and unlimited access to behavioural and nutritional experts for both dogs and cats
- Special discounts on partner brands (from premium pet food to lifestyle treats)
- Biscuit Plus, a wellbeing and rewards platform for pet parents
- A free PitPat Activity Monitor with every dog policy
- You can also opt into Waggel’s triage service in collaboration with Joii, which helps reduce your monthly premiums by assessing your pet’s health needs early on.
What’s NOT Covered
When shopping for pet insurance, it’s even more important to know what isn’t covered. That way, you’ll not get a nasty shock if you need to claim.
Like all pet insurers, Waggel has a few exclusions. They don’t cover:
- Pets under 8 weeks old
- Claims made within 14 days of the policy start date
- Routine treatments like flea and worming
- Pre-existing conditions
- Claims submitted more than 12 months after treatment
- Euthanasia (unless to prevent suffering, confirmed by a vet)
- Cremation
- Pets used for breeding
- The cost of bedding, blankets or food, even if prescribed by your vet
- Nutritionists’ costs
- Fees applied by your vet for making a claim
- Dog breeds that are part of the Dangerous Dog Act 1991 and specific cat breeds. You can see a full list by clicking here
You can read mre about their exclusions in their General Policy Wording Document.
- Up to £15,000/yr vet fee cover
- Simple online claims process
- Free access to Joii televet services (chat, video, and Symptom Checker)
- Unlimited access to behavioural and nutrition experts for cats and dogs
- Discounts on partner brands
- Free PitPat Activity Monitor with every dog policy
- Access to Biscuit Plus rewards and a wellbeing platform
- First month free
How Much Does Waggel 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.
Dog Insurance Quote
We based our quote for dog insurance on a large mixed breed as mixed breeds are the most common. It’s 2 years old, in good health and lives in Lincoln as that’s where Pet Checkers is based.
| Policy | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cover | £1,000 | £2,000 | £3,000 | £4,000 | £5,000 | £6,000 | £8,000 | £10,000 | £15,000 |
| Excess | |||||||||
| £0 | £27.87 | £49.53 | £65.78 | £77.85 | £88.10 | £96.72 | £109.41 | £138.67 | £189.09 |
| £50 | £17.39 | £30.92 | £41.07 | £48.61 | £55.00 | £60.39 | £68.31 | £86.58 | £118.06 |
| £100 | £15.20 | £27.01 | £35.88 | £42.47 | £48.06 | £52.76 | £59.68 | £75.64 | £103.15 |
| £200 | £11.05 | £19.91 | £26.67 | £31.84 | £36.20 | £39.97 | £45.45 | £58.24 | £79.41 |
| £250 | £8.71 | £16.41 | £22.61 | £27.80 | £32.12 | £36.01 | £41.76 | £55.50 | £75.68 |
| £300 | x | £12.61 | £17.37 | £21.36 | £24.67 | £27.68 | £32.09 | £42.64 | £58.15 |
| £350 | x | £10.81 | £16.63 | £22.60 | £27.72 | £32.88 | £40.91 | £55.80 | £76.09 |
Cat Insurance Quote
We based our quote for cat insurance on it being a mixed breed (again, they’re most common). And like our dog, it’s two years old, in good health and lives in Lincoln.
| Policy | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cover | £1,000 | £2,000 | £3,000 | £4,000 | £5,000 | £6,000 | £8,000 | £10,000 | £15,000 |
| Excess | |||||||||
| £0 | £6.43 | £10.73 | £16.06 | £19.49 | £21.48 | £22.34 | £24.55 | £27.59 | £37.61 |
| £50 | £5.66 | £9.44 | £14.13 | £17.15 | £18.91 | £19.66 | £21.60 | £24.27 | £33.10 |
| £100 | £4.48 | £8.31 | £12.43 | £15.09 | £16.63 | £17.30 | £19.02 | £21.36 | £29.12 |
| £200 | £4.48 | £6.43 | £9.63 | £11.68 | £12.88 | £13.40 | £14.73 | £16.54 | £22.56 |
| £250 | £4.48 | £5.66 | £8.48 | £10.28 | £11.33 | £11.79 | £12.96 | £14.56 | £19.85 |
| £300 | x | £5.38 | £8.05 | £9.77 | £10.77 | £11.20 | £12.31 | £13.83 | £18.86 |
| £350 | x | £5.10 | £7.63 | £9.25 | £10.20 | £10.61 | £11.66 | £13.10 | £17.86 |
How Changing the Excess Affected the Policy Price
As you can see in the table above, Waggel lets you change how much excess you’d pay in the event of a claim. They refer to excess as a ‘claim contribution’.
This means you can tailor your quote to fit your budget. You don’t have to pay any claim contribution at all. That said, this increases the monthly bill quite considerably.
As you’d expect, increasing your claim contribution will bring the monthly price down.
Flexible Cover
Waggel allows you to adjust your cover levels, either up or down, during the first 7 days of a new policy and the 30 days preceding renewal. This flexibility helps ensure your coverage and premium always match your pet’s current needs and your budget.
- Up to £15,000/yr vet fee cover
- Simple online claims process
- Free access to Joii televet services (chat, video, and Symptom Checker)
- Unlimited access to behavioural and nutrition experts for cats and dogs
- Discounts on partner brands
- Free PitPat Activity Monitor with every dog policy
- Access to Biscuit Plus rewards and a wellbeing platform
- First month free
Making a Claim With Waggel
Making a claim with Waggel is simple and handled entirely online. Just log in to your customer dashboard, submit details of your claim, and confirm which vet treated your pet.
Once you’ve done your part, Waggel sends the claim form directly to your vet for completion. They’ll then process the claim and can pay your vet directly, so you don’t have to deal with invoices or reimbursements.
Each customer is assigned a Customer Champion – a dedicated and qualified veterinary nurse representative who helps guide you through the process.
You can also track your claim’s progress in real time via the Waggel dashboard. Waggel doesn’t currently have an app, but the online dashboard gives high-level, real-time claim updates for complete transparency.
Customer Reviews of Waggel Pet Insurance
Waggel has a largely positive reputation among real-world customers. But to get an in-depth idea of customer sentiment, we ran an AI program to read all of Waggel’s reviews on Trustpilot and Reviews.io
Note: While customer reviews are a good place to start your research, we always recommend reading them with a bit of sceptisim. Pet insurance claims are often emotional, and experiences vary widely based on breed, age, health history and policy details. People often embellish and leave out key details. For a full explanation, read our guide Why Online Pet Insurance Reviews Can Be Misleading.
What Customers Like
- Simple sign‑up process: Users say it’s quick and straightforward to take out a policy online, with clear explanations of coverage and pricing.
- Easy claims system: Many customers appreciate being able to submit claims through Waggel’s online portal or app in just a few steps, often without needing paper forms.
- Fast claims turnaround: Numerous reviews highlight that claims are processed quickly—often within a few days, providing reassurance during stressful situations.
- Supportive claim champions: Waggel assigns a personal handler to each claim; reviewers frequently describe these team members as friendly, empathetic, and proactive in keeping them informed.
- Comprehensive lifetime cover: Policies include lifetime coverage and options for dental treatments, video‑vet consultations, behaviour advice, and other extras, which many owners value.
- Transparent communication: Customers report receiving clear updates and explanations during the claims process, which helps build trust.
- Good value for some breeds: Several reviewers mention that Waggel’s premiums were more affordable than competitors’, and that the ability to tailor excess and coverage levels gave them flexibility.
What the Complaints Say
- Claim denials due to pre‑existing conditions: The most common complaint is that Waggel interprets past issues as pre‑existing conditions, leading to declined claims.
- Waiting‑period exclusions: A few reviews mention claims being rejected because they were submitted within the 14‑day waiting period, which some customers didn’t fully realise at sign‑up.
- Premium increases at renewal: Several customers were surprised by steep renewal prices, sometimes 20%‑50% higher than the first year, making the cover feel less competitive over time.
- Occasional admin issues: Isolated complaints include missing promotional vouchers, miscalculated contributions, or confusion when submitting claims through a vet.
- Up to £15,000/yr vet fee cover
- Simple online claims process
- Free access to Joii televet services (chat, video, and Symptom Checker)
- Unlimited access to behavioural and nutrition experts for cats and dogs
- Discounts on partner brands
- Free PitPat Activity Monitor with every dog policy
- Access to Biscuit Plus rewards and a wellbeing platform
- First month free
To Sum Up
The founders of Waggel say their goal is to make pet insurance easy to understand. As such, they only offer a single lifetime policy. The only thing you can change is how much in vet fees you can claim each year.
It doesn’t come any simpler than that.
With lifetime cover up to £15,000, real-time claim tracking, and unlimited expert support through Joii, Waggel has built a modern experience that puts pets and owners first.
The added lifestyle perks (like Biscuit Plus, PitPat, and the triage service) make Waggel feel less like traditional insurance and more like a community designed to help pets live their best lives.
Compare Waggel to;
- PetPlan
- John Lewis
- AgriaPet
- Bought By Many
- Up to £15,000/yr vet fee cover
- Simple online claims process
- Free access to Joii televet services (chat, video, and Symptom Checker)
- Unlimited access to behavioural and nutrition experts for cats and dogs
- Discounts on partner brands
- Free PitPat Activity Monitor with every dog policy
- Access to Biscuit Plus rewards and a wellbeing platform
- First month free
