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Full terms and conditions apply

What is Lifetime Pet Insurance?

Post Office Lifetime Pet Insurance is our most comprehensive cover for your dog, cat or rabbit.

The main benefit is while you’re insured it covers an illness or condition, as long as it didn’t pre-date the policy, for the pet's lifetime. And the annual cover limit is restarted when the policy is renewed each year, giving you the greatest peace of mind.

It covers accidents and illnesses, including dental care, long-term chronic illness and recurring conditions.

Other types of insurance are available, including Limited Time or Maximum benefit. However, they only offer cover for a period of time after the first claim or up to a maximum benefit amount.

Cat and dog insurance cover

Maximum limits of cover for Post Office Lifetime Pet Insurance

Lifetime cover with £1,000 annual veterinary fees

Cover

Cover level

Complementary treatment

£750

Physiotherapy

£750

Third party liability (dogs only)

£2,000,000

Death from accident*

£750

Death from illness*

£750

Cremation and burial costs

£200

Finding your pet**

£750

Theft or straying*

£750

Boarding fees due to customer hospitalisation***

£750

Holiday cancellation****

£750

Overseas travel

90 days

Quarantine costs

£500

Loss of pet travel documents

£250

Emergency expenses abroad

£500

Veterinary helpline, live chat and video 24/7

Yes

Complementary treatment

Complementary treatment

£750

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy

£750

Third party liability (dogs only)

Third party liability (dogs only)

£2,000,000

Death from accident*

Death from accident*

£750

Death from illness*

Death from illness*

£750

Cremation and burial costs

Cremation and burial costs

£200

Finding your pet**

Finding your pet**

£750

Theft or straying*

Theft or straying*

£750

Boarding fees due to customer hospitalisation***

Boarding fees due to customer hospitalisation***

£750

Holiday cancellation****

Holiday cancellation****

£750

Overseas travel

Overseas travel

90 days

Quarantine costs

Quarantine costs

£500

Loss of pet travel documents

Loss of pet travel documents

£250

Emergency expenses abroad

Emergency expenses abroad

£500

Veterinary helpline, live chat and video 24/7

Veterinary helpline, live chat and video 24/7

Yes

*Market value if a receipt cannot be provided at the time of loss. Dogs must be microchipped for Theft or Straying Cover.

**Your dog/s must be microchipped.

***If you or a member of your family is taken ill or injured and have to spend more than 48 hours in hospital, and your pet stays in a licensed cattery while you are hospitalised.

**** Cancellation within 7 days of the holiday commencing.

Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Please see the policy documents for further details.

Compare all lifetime cover levels

Rabbit insurance cover

Maximum limited cover for Post Office Rabbit Insurance

*If you or a member of your family is taken ill or injured and have to spend more than 48 hours in hospital, and your pet stays in a licensed boarding facility while you are hospitalised.

Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Please see the policy documents for further details.

Cover Lifetime
Veterinary fees £2,000
Complementary treatment £500
Physiotherapy £500
Finding your pet £250
Boarding fees due to customer hospitalisation* £250
Veterinary helpline, live chat and video 24/7 Yes

 

Our types of cover

  • Dog Insurance

    They’re our faithful companions and loyal friends. Protecting their health with the right insurance will keep those tails wagging. Our Dog Insurance helps you cover their vet bills without spending a fortune every time.

  • Cat Insurance

    A cat’s independence is part of their appeal, but it can be a worry when they’re out exploring. If your much-loved kitty cats are injured or fall ill, make sure they’re covered against potentially high treatment costs.

  • Rabbit Insurance

    They’re fluffy little bundles of joy. Let’s keep them that way. Rabbit Insurance is a way to safeguard your beloved bunnies by helping to cover treatment costs if they’re injured in an accident or develop an illness.

Ready to get a quote?

Let’s find the right lifetime cover for you. Get a quote for Post Office Lifetime Insurance or retrieve a quote you’ve started

Common pet insurance questions

  • Depending on whether you have a dog, cat or rabbit, we have slightly different age limits, which will apply when you're taking out Pet Insurance.

    For dogs, you can start insurance from 8 weeks up to their 8th birthday. However, for certain breeds of dogs (see below), insurance can start from 8 weeks up to their 5th birthday. For cats, you can start insurance from 8 weeks up to their 10th birthday.

    For rabbits, you can start insurance from 8 weeks up to their 5th birthday.

    Dog breeds: Beauceron, Bernese Mountain Dog, Bulldog, Bullmastiff, Deerhound, Dogue de Bordeaux, Estrela Mountain Dog, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, Leonberger, Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Newfoundland, Old English Bulldog, Old English Sheepdog, Poodle (Standard), Pyrenean Mountain Dog, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, Shar Pei, St Bernard, Standard Poodle, Tibetan Mastiff, Utonagan.

    Once insured, you may continue your pet's cover for life, provided you continue to pay your premiums.

  • Contact the rescue centre, as most reputable centres will vaccinate their pets and should be able to tell you for certain. If they haven't vaccinated your pet or don't know its vaccination status, we recommend taking it to the vet. They’ll be able to tell you what course of action is recommended.

  • Yes, an excess is payable per condition. It'll be payable per condition, per year, for Lifetime Pet Insurance. It forms part of your quote, and as with your premium, the excess is a fixed amount.

    Your excess is fixed until each annual review but can change if your circumstances change. We'll let you know your excess change before it's applied when you contact us to change your details. Also, please remember when your pet reaches a certain age (see below), it'll change from a defined amount to a sum greater than the specified amount or a percentage contribution.

    Cats - 10 years

    Dogs - 5 or 8 years, depending on the breed

    Rabbits - 5 years

    We'll write to give you more information a year in advance of the change.

  • Illness, including poisoning and accidental injury, is covered after the first 3 days of the policy.

  • These policies offer cover per condition with a time limit on claims. A particular condition will become excluded under the policy either when the maximum amount has been paid out or 12 months from first date of treatment, whichever is sooner. 

  • These policies impose a maximum benefit per condition. For example, once the maximum benefit is reached for an ongoing illness such as diabetes or dermatitis, that condition will be excluded from further claims, and you’ll need to be prepared to fund ongoing treatment yourself.

  • It's the most comprehensive form of Pet Insurance and covers vet fees up to a maximum amount, which is reinstated each year. If your pet develops a long-term chronic illness such as diabetes or an ongoing skin condition, provided it didn't pre-date the policy, it'll be covered for the rest of your pet's life.   

  • Pet insurance policies vary. A Post Office Pet Insurance policy will typically cover:

    • vet fees
    • death from an accident or illness
    • holiday cancellation in the event your cat or dog is unwell
    • advertising fees and reward money if they go missing, are stolen or strays
    • boarding fees if you have to stay in hospital
    • overseas travel for cat and dog policies
    • access to a veterinary helpline

    You’ll find more information on the levels of cover for each of the above and exclusions in the policy document.

  • When you make a claim, it goes through 5 steps before it's completed. Our summary below outlines our online vet fees claims process:

    1. Claim submitted: Once your pet has received treatment, you can submit your claim. All you need to do is answer a few questions, give us your vet's details, and tell us who we need to pay.
    2. Awaiting vet completion: We'll contact your vet to confirm the treatment and costs. On average, vets come back to us in 8 days, depending on your vet. If they haven't responded, we'll chase your vet on days 5, 10, and 15.
    3. Claim received: Your vet will have supplied us with the information we need to move forward.
    4. Pending approval: Our assessors will review the claim and come to a decision. On average, it takes 5 days to assess a claim, but sometimes this can take longer if we need more information.
    5. Claim completed: Once your claim is fully assessed, we'll let you know the outcome. 

    If you submit a paper claim form, the process is different and can take longer. Once you've downloaded and filled in your part, you'll need to pass it to your vet to complete. After completing their section, they'll post it to us for review.

    If you submit your vet fees claim form online, you can track it with the My Account Pet claims tracker. For paper claim forms, you can only see their progress in the claims tracker once we've received it and uploaded the information to our system. If you're signed up for SMS notifications, we'll send you text messages with claim updates.

    For customers who prefer paper-based communication, we'll keep you updated via letter.

    Visit our Pet Insurance support page

  • No, we're unable to cover pre-existing conditions that are known before you take out your policy.

    When you get a quote, we'll ask if your pet has seen a vet for any reason other than their annual health check, routine vaccinations or other preventative care. We'll request a few details about their condition from you and your vet and explain what we'll cover and any exclusions that might apply to the policy.

Need some help?

To get a quote by phone

Call us on: 0800 035 5157*

Monday to Friday 8.30am - 6pm

Pet Insurance help and support

To make a claim, register, manage or renew your policy, find answers to common questions or contact us:

Visit our Pet Insurance support page

*Call charges

0800: All calls to 0800 numbers are free of charge whether made from a landline or mobile phone. Calls may be monitored or recorded for training and compliance purposes.

Top-rated cover

defaqto expert rated five star pet insurance 2024

5 Star rated by Defaqto

Our Lifetime £7k Cat and Dog Insurance has been rated 5 Stars by the experts at Defaqto. Rabbit Insurance isn't rated.

Moneyfacts five star Pet Insurance 2024

5 Star rated by Moneyfacts

Our Lifetime £7k Cat and Dog Insurance has been awarded 5 Stars by Moneyfacts. They have over 35 years of impartial expertise in assessing the features and benefits of pet insurance policies. Rabbit Insurance isn't rated.

Post Office® Pet Insurance is arranged, administered and underwritten by Pinnacle Insurance plc.

Post Office Limited is an appointed representative of Post Office Management Services Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FRN 630318. Post Office Limited and Post Office Management Services Limited are registered in England and Wales. Registered numbers 2154540 and 08459718 respectively. Registered Office: 100 Wood Street, London, EC2V 7ER. Post Office and the Post Office logo are registered trademarks of Post Office Limited.

Pinnacle Insurance plc is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, FRN 110866. Pinnacle Insurance plc is registered in England and Wales. Registered number 1007798. Registered Office: Pinnacle House, A1 Barnet Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 2XX.

The above details can be checked on the Financial Services Register by visiting the Financial Conduct Authority website and searching by Firm Reference Number (FRN).

^98% of claims paid in 5 working days. Based on Post Office Pet Insurance claims data from July 2023 to June 2024

^^Multi-pet discount is a minimum of £24 when insuring more than one pet, as this is worked out at £1 per pet per month for each pet on a policy. Pets can have different cover levels. Discount deducted separately from any other offer.

^^^Vet fee limit of £7,000 for cat and dog policies. Rabbit up to £2,000 per year.