Lifetime insurance for pets means that your pet is able to get the help they need if they suffer from a new illness or injury, with support in paying vet bills up to the cover limit of your policy. Unlike a Time Limited or accident only policy, this policy will cover your pet for the entirety of its life, provided your premiums are kept up to date, you renew your policy and the insurer offers renewal.

There are policies that will only protect your pet against accidents or be valid for 12 months at a time, a lifetime insurance policy will give you peace of mind that your cat or dog can get treatment at any stage in its life without having to worry about having to cover potentially expensive vet bills on your own. You can learn more about this kind of pet insurance with our helpful guide.

The limits on a Lifetime policy are reinstated annually, refreshing the amount you can claim each year, updating with any new treatments your pet might need, and help you pay for as much as possible each year.

The five levels of Lifetime Pet Insurance we offer are:

Lifetime £2,000, Lifetime £4,000, Lifetime £6,000, Lifetime £8,000 and Lifetime £10,000. If you choose any of these policies, there is no limit to the number of separate conditions that you can claim for until the total financial limit has been reached.

For all of our Lifetime policies, your pet will be covered for ongoing or future conditions as long as you keep your insurance policy with us.

Take a look at our pet insurance comparison table to help you decide which level of cover is best for you and your pet. 

Limitations and exclusions apply, for full details please refer to our policy documents.

There’s a wide range of uses which lifetime pet insurance can have which takes some of the financial strain off of unexpected bills in relation to your pet:

• Veterinary fees
• Third party legal liability and accidental damage costs
• Costs associated with death due to accident or illness
• Loss by theft or straying
• Reimbursement for covering advertising and reward for return of lost pet
• Emergency Boarding Kennel or Cattery fees
• Cremation or burial cover
• Holiday cancellation, as a result of your pet needing lifesaving treatment/surgery
• Unexpected Quarantine costs

Take a look at our pet insurance comparison table to help you decide which which benefits are best for you and your pet. 

Please note: all benefits have a policy limit depending on the policy you choose. Certain benefits incur an excess payable by you.

Like us, our pets are more likely to be affected by illness as they get older. This means that every year, your insurance premium will increase even if you have not made a claim. This increase may be more significant if you have claimed. We’ll limit the amount it goes up by, but your renewal price can also be impacted by:

• Increasing costs/advances in veterinary treatment
• Insurance Premium Tax increases
• Alterations you make to your policy (changing address)
• Changes made to policy pricing

This is typically why people shop around and compare insurance prices at renewal. The advantage of a lifetime pet insurance policy is that on-going conditions or illnesses that your pet develops while insured with us are covered, which you might not be able to get covered elsewhere.

While Lifetime Pet insurance can give your pet cover year on year, taking into account new conditions and any other incidents your pet may experience – Time Limited cover gives you cover for 12 months or until the benefit limit is reached (whichever is sooner) and reviews your pet’s conditions annually.

This means that with Time Limited pet insurance, new conditions will be covered for a maximum of 12 months before becoming pre-existing conditions and won’t be covered once it comes time to renew the pet insurance policy.

This is one of the main benefits of Lifetime pet insurance policies, as they are able to provide cover for on-going conditions your pet has, unlike Time Limited policies which exclude conditions after a year of cover where they’re then seen as pre-existing conditions.

The amount that lifetime insurance costs will be dependent on several factors, including your pet's breed and age and where you live.

It is worth remembering that prices will vary depending on what level of lifetime insurance policy you chose, as they will offer different cover limits. This is on top of the variation in price when insuring different breed of cats and dogs, as some breeds can cost more to insure than others.

You’ll likely find that the cost of Lifetime Pet Insurance can go up each year when it comes to renewing your policy.

The reason for this is typically because your pet is getting older, and older pets run a higher risk of being diagnosed with something that requires treatment, but there are other reasons Lifetime Pet Insurance cost can go up. If insurance costs go up across the market then your policy may also increase in price, while making claims on your policy or coming to the end of an introductory offer will also see an effect on the price of your policy.

However, while you might be tempted to shop around for better deals, you may lose out on the cover your current lifetime pet insurance policy offers you if your pet already has a pre-existing condition covered.

While it’s important to look at some form of insurance for your pet so that you can afford to get medical treatment when required, it’s up to you as to what type of insurance is best for you and your pet.

If you have a younger pet then you might be tempted to go for a Time Limited policy if there's a significant price difference. But it’s worth considering the extra cover Lifetime Pet Insurance can offer you and your pet, as it may help to safeguard your finances and your pet for the future if they do develop new conditions. You can learn more about how to compare types of cover with our handy table.