Petplan Reviews 

I have been with PetPlan since getting my dog 5 years ago and have paid the extortionate increasing rate every year, this year being £686 to insure my dog whom I have NEVER claimed for. After calling up to declare my dog was on an anxiety medication for a short period due to an environmental change but was no longer on this medication as he was not exposed to the environment causing it any longer, I was told I would need to provide all medical history and answer a questionnaire on my dogs behaviour, then await a decision on whether they would continue to fully cover him. I had to chase up the underwriters myself after 2 weeks of waiting (was told 7-10 days) and only then did I get the response that, despite the medical record stating that it was an environmental problem that no longer existed and my dog showed no signs of aggression, they are going to exclude him from third party insurance with the option to pay out of my own pocket for a behaviouralist to declare him behaviourally sound in a years time while giving me a measley yearly discount of £5 for removing this cover for the year. Unhappy with this decision and feeling they had not taken any of the proof I’d provided into account I called customer service and was told that my concerns would be passed back to the underwriting team and they would email me with a further explanation/ reconsider thier decision. Of course unsurprisingly it’s been a week and I have still heard nothing from them despite my policy is being due to renew in 4 days. I regret paying out for PetPlan insurance for all these years, to then be treated like I own a banned breed because my 5kg dog was anxious for a short period of time. The lack of response or care from the underwriting team really shows how unimportant our pets really are, this company cares about thier profits and protecting themselves from having to actually pay out for anything. A frustrating and eye opening experience, disappointed and disgusted.

Update: I have finally received an answer from the underwriting team, just repeating the same rubbish they told me a week ago but of course again right on trend no one has bothered to actually send me the updated policy renewal documents containing the exclusion or the huge £5 discount that they offer for not covering third party so I have had to call PetPlan myself again to make that happen.

Still waiting on my complaint from beginning of August!! No response and no care

With never being told by my vet that I attended every year without fail. Never told of any problem.i find your tv adverts upsetting and misleading they never paid out a penny on my little soul. And now my vet has bumped her off with injections never discussed I am devastated and can't get out of my mind the suffering my little dog went through I miss her so much. Don't get scammed put your money in a tin any little flaw they can find they won't pay out.

We have four pets insured by Petplan and have always been happy with the service. However I was forced to complain on 12th August as they failed to set up cover for our rescue dog who joined us last December despite my telephone request. I emailed petplan/ allianz customer service as they are apparently now known and operated under Allianz. I forwarded my complaint AGAIN on 29th August to the 'info' address - still no response over a week later. This is really poor and not a great way to look after loyal, long term customers. I am guessing the lack
of response has something to do with them becoming Allianz which makes me anxious about any future claims.

The amount our premium has increased with Petplan is beyond a joke. We originally started at around £27 per month, and our latest renewal quote is now over £90 per month. This is despite the fact that, a couple of years ago, we had to reduce the level of cover because the cost had already become unreasonable.

Safe to say that when you actually need to make a claim, the level of cover you receive for £90+ per month barely seems to cover anything.

I can't understand why they are so highly recommended when you can receive the same level of service and cover elsewhere for around half the price.

Very poor value for money.

**A vaccine reaction was used to exclude my puppy’s entire digestive system**

I obtained a Petplan quote for my nine-week-old puppy before she became unwell. Two days after her first vaccination, including Lepto 4, she developed vomiting and diarrhoea and required emergency veterinary treatment. She recovered promptly, and her existing Kennel Club/Agria puppy insurance covered the visit. I was not asking Petplan to pay for that treatment retrospectively.

I disclosed the incident before activating the Petplan policy and asked whether it would affect her future cover. Petplan’s response was to impose a 12-month exclusion covering her entire gastrointestinal/digestive system. Petplan has now stated that the suspected cause is irrelevant because gastrointestinal signs were documented before the policy began.

This is not a narrow exclusion for the vaccination reaction or a recurrence of that episode. It potentially removes cover for entirely unrelated infections, parasites, gastroenteritis, vomiting, diarrhoea and foreign-body ingestion. Petplan says the exclusion may be considered for removal only after 12 months without any gastrointestinal signs, symptoms or treatment. Removal is therefore not guaranteed.

Agria’s published UK claims information identifies the five leading claims for puppies under one as gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, foreign-body ingestion, vomiting and giardiasis. In practical terms, I regard insurance excluding the entire digestive system during puppyhood as effectively worthless. No revised quote with a reduced price was offered to reflect this substantial loss of cover. Petplan was effectively proposing to charge the same amount for a materially different product that no longer served the same purpose.

I have therefore continued my puppy’s existing Agria insurance as lifelong cover. I also insure her littermate and will move his policy from Petplan to Agria if the decision is maintained.

A formal complaint is now underway. I will update this review accurately when Petplan provides its final response.

UPDATE: 6 September 2026.
Having investigated Petplan’s approach further, I am now even more concerned.

I would advise anyone whose pet has ever visited a vet—even for a minor, isolated and fully resolved ailment—to think very carefully before purchasing a new Petplan policy. Obtain every exclusion in writing and establish whether Petplan intends to exclude the specific previous condition or an entire bodily system. Those are very different propositions.

Financial Ombudsman Service guidance confirms that, when an insurer relies on a pre-existing condition, it may consider whether the new condition is genuinely the same as or related to the previous one. It examines the policy wording, the pet’s medical history and evidence from both the treating vet and the insurer’s vet. Consumers can also complain about exclusions applied when a policy is first taken out.

This may also be relevant to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the regulator responsible for the conduct of UK financial-services firms, including insurers. FCA rules require insurance products to provide fair value and recognise that extensive exclusions can limit a policy’s value. Customers should not simply accept paying the same premium for materially reduced cover. This may raise a fair-value concern under FCA rules. If the restricted policy no longer meets the customer’s stated insurance requirements, it may also raise a separate demands-and-needs concern.

If whole-system exclusions are routinely imposed following minor, isolated ailments—and then used to refuse claims for clinically distinct conditions—this could represent a potentially problematic systemic practice. By “systemic”, I mean a recurring underwriting or claims-handling approach affecting multiple customers, rather than one isolated decision.

If you have experienced a similar whole-system exclusion or had a claim refused through a tenuous connection with an earlier condition, please report the exact term to the FCA using its “Report an unfair contract term” service. Include the policy schedule, exclusion wording, veterinary evidence and the insurer’s correspondence. This is separate from seeking individual redress: you should also complain formally to the insurer and then approach the Financial Ombudsman Service if the matter is not resolved.

I have asked Petplan to remove Truffle’s blanket gastrointestinal exclusion. If it refuses, I will pursue the formal complaint and regulatory routes available. I will continue updating this review so that other consumers can see how Petplan responds.

Another depressing above inflation premium increase. This year it was 'only' 18% compared to last years 21%, despite making zero claims!
I haven't bothered to call for them to justify the increases because when I have called in the past, I just get fed 'we will log this as feedback to be considered'!
Fat lot of good that does as nothing changes other than massive premium increase after massive premium increase.
Increases for the last 7 years with no claims:-
2020 – 16.24%
2021 – 16.51%
2022 – 17.77%
2023 – 16.40% (was 21.4% but reduced after a phonecall)
2024 – 27.97%!
2025 – 21.33%
2026 – 18.00%
If my dog needs his nails clipped, I should have Prof Noel making a home visit, after all, I've subsidised him enough!
Yes I could leave, but it is a family decision and even though I'm the one paying the bill, I'm outnumbered even without the dogs vote!

Used to be great. They paid out 9 years ago when my cat had crystals in his urine then 5 years ago when he became diabetic. He has now been diagnosed with renal failure at 15 years old ( 97% of old cats get this). The vet has stipulated this is not related to any of his past medical history. We had a blood test and medication commenced along with special diet. The claim took over a week to be refused and they very loosely connected the struvite crystals from 9 years previously with renal failure as the cause. He has had no problems for 9 years no biockages or problems passing urine the 2 things are not connected.
I spoke to an advisor who admitted she is not trained in any veterinary way but argued the toss that this was stipulated on the policy as “no more payouts for urinary problems”. I am medically trained and know if a human has kidney stones 9 years ago a new diagnosis of renal failure is not connected. Even Dr Google agrees but when I said I would not accept their non claim I noted a message came through to say case closed. Basically they will pay when your animal is young but beware as they get older they simply won’t pay just like private medical insurance. Our premiums have increased dramatically over the years too so I will now stop paying and save the money in an account should we need it as the amount we have paid over the years is way more than the claim. Shameful company

Our dog recently had to be put to sleep. It was difficult making the decision to even claim but the out of hours costs and choice of a sedative etc meant losing him had cost a fortune. PetPlan were amazing making the experience so much easier and offering bereavement counselling as well. The claim was dealt with seamlessly and they even automatically sorted closing our insurance and refunding overpaid premiums. Every claim we’ve ever made has been managed extremely quickly. I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to insure their dog.

They don't increase your premium for claiming on the policy which is decent, but it's the annual price hikes are insane. My 5 year old small crossbreed just had the quote from £70(!!) to £100 (!!!!) a month.

Co-Op pet insurance have offered less than half of the cost for 33% more coverage, up to £10k (!!).

Petplan are decent at paying out, hence why I put 3 stars, but the price increases have driven away a customer, especially during these financially tight times.

We took out insurance for our pet and when we went to the vets with our dog we was told she had cancer. The vet told me that it looked like she had it before our policy was taken out. Our dog had never shown any signs of being ill until a few days before we took her to the vets. The vet wanted to put her to sleep there and then and gave her 2 weeks to live this operation could have saved her life. All the vets cam do is provide pain relief to make her comfortable which every appointment and medication is coming out of our pocket because the insurance refused to pay out. We are currently on week 8 and she is still not showing any signs of slowing down or getting worse. This operation could have given her more years of life.

The vet spoke with petplan and then they said they wouldnt pay out for her surgery which was thousands of pounds. Due to her having it before we took out or policy.

How was we to know that she had this awful disease when she was still running around snd being herself until recently.

My partner is refusing to go back to work due to her needing constant care now and making sure she is ok. It is causing loads of distress and anxiety for our family.

They was still taking my money for the monthly cost after informing us they couldnt pay out.

My last review was removed. Due to unknown reasons

Would like to do a positive review as has had no issues previously. This time though wow.. service is completely shocking. I had a claim put through from my vets. PETPLAN refused it. I complained. Then spoke to my vets and they admitted a mistake and they resubmitted the claim. Petplan refuse to acknowledge and no matter how often I chase I never get a straight answer.
Will likely go down the ombudsman route..

We previously had pet insurance with M&S, but unfortunately our experience with them was incredibly frustrating.

They were painfully slow at handling our claim, followed by repeated requests for paperwork, receipts and invoices. Then came the scrutiny of every single charge, “Why did the vet prescribe X?”, “Why have they charged Y?”, “it says here “consumables £0.00 - we request a detailed breakdown of the consumable items”…..yep, they wanted a breakdown of consumables they hadn’t been charged for! It became exhausting. It took several months to finally get reimbursed.

As a result, we decided not to renew with M&S and went uninsured for several years.

Fast forward to recently, when we inherited a family member’s cat. She already had a number of health issues, which we knew wouldn’t be covered, but we decided it was still worth insuring her alongside our existing cat, just in case.

Eight months later, we came home to find her limping. It turned out she had damaged a ligament in her leg and needed surgery at a specialist.

The total cost so far? Around £4,000.

And this is where PetPlan have absolutely impressed us. Every single claim has been paid within five working days, without fuss, argument or complaint. This is despite our cat needing multiple follow up appointments after surgery because she became unwell.

Yes, PetPlan’s premiums are higher than some other providers. But in our experience, they actually pay out when you need them to, without making what is already a stressful situation even more stressful.

Looking back, insuring with PetPlan has probably been one of the best financial decisions we’ve made.

After our experience with M&S, I genuinely wish we’d made the switch sooner.

Lots on here complaining about the price of premiums. By all means, go to another provider who is 60% cheaper. But don’t be upset when that provider won’t payout and drags their feet for months while you’re out of pocket!

When it comes to insurance, you get what you pay for.

Pay out quickly and usually without a fuss. However, this current party line of "the cost of treating pets is higher than we’ve seen in previous years, so you’ll see your premium may have increased more than usual" to justify price hikes seems disingenuous considering the actual level of cover never increases accordingly.

UPDATE 24 AUGUST: Petplan has now responded publicly to this review with yet another generic response asking me to email another department and provide my policy details so they can “look into where the complaint is”.

This perfectly illustrates the problem.

Petplan already has my policy details. I have contacted them repeatedly, submitted formal complaints, have an Allianz Complaints handler (Zoey-Victoria) and complaint reference RSP/60232310, and have provided a detailed written chronology of the entire matter.

I should not have to contact yet another Petplan department to ask them to find out what is happening with a complaint that is already being investigated.

I don’t need another apology or another email address. I need Petplan/Allianz to answer my outstanding questions and resolve the complaint.

Meanwhile, my policy has already automatically renewed at the 20% higher premium.

Petplan’s public response unfortunately reinforces rather than addresses my criticism of their customer service.

Been with PetPlan for 3+ years I think now: Unfortunately as good as it was they increase the monthly cost year on year massively. I started around £40 something per month and when I left recently I was paying well over £100 per month which is awful for healthy dogs without any pre existing conditions.

To make it worse they are happy to boast right in your face that new customers can join for a fraction of the cost meeting the same requirements as loyal customers like me. If you're going to join I'd recommend only joining for 1 year and leaving ASAP. I've just switched to another insurance provider and I am much happier!

I thought I was buying peace of mind for when my cat needed a procedure (at a very high cost), but nothing further from the truth. My dental claim for my cat was rejected as, according to the terms and conditions, you are supposed to put through the claim when the first symptoms appear - my vet did not say my cat needed surgery when the condition was first spotted, they said my cat would need surgery in the future. I visited the vet recently and they recommended dental surgery, so I put through a claim, believing that after years and year of paying monthly and claiming nothing, finally I would get the benefit to my policy.

I really don't see the point in paying for a pet insurance when you have to be extremely careful to not miss a tiny detail, otherwise there is no cover. It feels like they are out to get you, instead of there to help you. Their policies are extremely unsympathetic and unfair.

Every year, their prices go up 20% yet cover stays the same. They told me other insurers Jack the prices up when I make a claim as a reason to stay. I pointed out they jack up the prices when I am yet to make a claim

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Outstanding Customer Care –

Petplan should be incredibly proud to have someone like Vikki R representing them.

Our journey with Petplan certainly didn't have the smoothest of starts. I had genuine concerns about accessibility, communication and being able to navigate the claims process at a time when I was already under enormous pressure after my beloved CoCo went missing for 14 days.

But then Vikki became involved — and everything changed.

What stood out wasn't simply her professionalism. It was her empathy, patience, understanding and genuine humanity.

Vikki didn't make me feel like a difficult customer or just another complaint reference. She actually listened. She took the time to understand what had happened, recognised the accessibility difficulties I was experiencing, investigated the matter properly and then worked through everything with me until we reached a fair and reasonable outcome.

She personally helped remove barriers that shouldn't have been there in the first place, made sure my accessibility requirements were properly recorded, liaised with the veterinary practice, helped progress the claims and even took the time to recognise the enormous emotional impact of what had happened.

Most importantly, she didn't just tell me what Petplan couldn't do. She explained why, looked at what could be done, and treated me with respect throughout.

That's what exceptional customer service looks like.

Even where the policy couldn't cover everything, I came away feeling that my circumstances had genuinely been heard and considered. That's a huge difference.

Vikki demonstrated exactly what a customer-facing professional should be: caring, empathetic, knowledgeable, fair, patient and exceptionally professional.

If I could give more than five stars, I would.

Petplan — please make sure Vikki knows just how much of a credit she is to your organisation. She has shown me what Petplan can do when someone takes ownership and genuinely cares about the person behind the policy.

And after everything CoCo and I have been through...

CoCo is HOME. 🐈‍⬛❤️

And my friends, that is priceless.

Thank you, Vikki.
Thank you, Petplan.

🐾 5 Stars – absolutely deserved. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

BM & CoCo
Cumbernauld.
G67.

#Petplan #CustomerService #FiveStars #CoCoIsHome #MoreThanJustACat

hello to everyone who reads this i would never recommend you ever take out any type of insurrance for your pets with pet plan. they took money from me for my dog cindy for 7 plus years and when she became ill had to have a opperation and on going treatment pet plan and there insurrance promissed to pay the bill messed me about for 5 months while still taking money from me then refused to pay the bill and just cancelled the policy without a word of warning. there adverts on tv are a lie and a scam to get you to sign up all they are interested in is your money they should not be allowed near animals and its a complete con with the insurrance to cheat pet owners out of money. i end up 7 plus years out of pocket paying into a policy and 1,575.00 pounds in vet for dogs bill. i took it to the ombudsmans sevice who judged in my favor told pet plan to pay the bill or refund my money the pay me 144 pounds that was all refused to pay either the dog bill or refund 7 years money and still to this day paid nothing more. my opinon on pet plan is if you love your pet like i did never pay into there policy as you could end up like me out of pocket. there are other pet insurrance companys who care about your pets, pet plan and there insurrance are only interested in money and i have said there adversts are a scam if you do sign up you be sorry