Argos Pet Insurance Review: How Good Is It?
Argos Pet Insurance Review: How Good Is It?
Good for
- Lifetime policies for older pets
- EU Travel
- End of life cover
Bad for
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Argos Pet Insurance is underwritten by Pinnacle, which underwrites many other UK pet insurance brands such as Sainsbury's pet insurance. But is Argos pet insurance any good? Find out what we think Argos could do better, how prices compare to the UK market and what customers have to say.
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In This Review
Argos Pet Insurance Review
Overall, we'd say that Argos pet insurance, in particular their Lifetime policies, offer a good selection of features at competitive prices relative to UK pet insurance costs, and are certainly worth considering. However, some customers have reported significant price increases after claiming making their premiums less attractive.
Pet owners can choose between seven pet insurance plans for dogs and cats. Their Lifetime plans start off around 30% more expensive than Time Limited cover, but given the difference in coverage we'd say it's worth paying up for Lifetime cover if it fits in your budget. And they've recently added Maximum Benefit policies as well, which pay a maximum amount per condition (regardless of time).
- Time Limited: up to £2,500 or £4,000 in vet fees
- Max Benefit: up to £2,000 or £5,000 in vet fees
- Lifetime: up to £1,000, £3,500 or £7,000 in vet fees (cats) and up to £2,000, £4,500 or £7,000 in vet fees (dogs)
Like most other pet insurance brands in the UK market, pre-existing conditions aren't covered with Argos pet insurance, so if you want cover for a pre-existing condition, however, you may be better off with a company that covers pre-existing conditions.
Are older pets covered? Older pets are eligible for new Argos policies up until 10 years for cats and 8 years for dogs (5 years for some breeds). However, once you buy a policy you can continue renewing beyond these limits. Older pets are also subject to a higher excess (max of the fixed amount and 20% of the claim).
Argos Pet Insurance Key Points
- Access to Argos Vet Assistance nurses 24/7
- Argos will pay claims up to 12 months old
- Excess changes for older pets
- Travel cover to EU (PETS) up to 90 days
- Euthanasia and cremation/burial cover
- Dental injury and illness cover
Argos Pet Insurance Customer Reviews and Ratings
| Argos Pet Insurance Customer Reviews and Ratings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot customer reviews | 4.5 out of 5 | |
Over 900 customers have rated Argos pet insurance with 4.5 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, a pretty high score. We should point out that Argos changed underwriters from RSA to Pinnacle and since then the reviews have increased dramatically (from 3.5).
Common complaints related to premiums rising—all pet owners should be aware that pet insurance costs more and more as your pet ages—and as with some companies you may also get an increase when you claim. But 71% of customers give Argos pet insurance a full 5 stars. Here are some real customer comments:
"Absolutely outstanding service. Having been with Argos Pet for about the last 11 years, they have been nothing but brilliant. Claims are handled efficiently and paid in a ridiculously fast speed. I couldn't rate them highly enough."
"The premium I pay is about average for the market for the level of cover I receive and the age of my pets. I expect the premium to increase each year as my dogs get older."
"Brilliant service! I had to make a claim for my pet which was just under £1,000. The claim was settled almost instantly, directly with my vets.""I had no problems with claims, however, if for any reason you have to use the insurance, on the next renewal they will increase (a lot) your premium. I have the most expensive plan and for the renewal, they increased the premium by 30%!"
"I took out a lifetime plan for my cocker spaniel at a cost of £28pm. During his first year he had a hip replacement at a cost of £6,800. In his second year he had the other hip replaced at a cost of nearly £6,000. My premiums went up to £50 pm. Argos paid out for both ops with no hesitation at all, in fact they paid the vet directly, which was very helpful."
Argos Quote Comparison
Our research shows that Argos pet insurance isn't necessarily the cheapest but they do offer quite good value when compared with the average price of dog and cat insurance in the UK. To give you an idea of how prices vary across their different plans, we gathered sample quotes. Quotes will be higher for older dogs or certain breeds and sizes.
Argos Notable Features
Here is a brief overview of the notable features of Argos dog and cat insurance. For a complete rundown of the details and exclusions, please refer to the policy documents.
| Argos Pet Insurance Features | |
|---|---|
| Argos Vet Assistance | Pet owners can call nurses with queries 24/7 (0303 3340795) |
| Complementary Therapy | Hydrotherapy, osteopathy, massage and healing, laser treatment, electrical muscle stimulation, acupuncture or chiropractic treatment |
| Cover for Holiday Cut Short | Cover if you have to cancel or curtail your holiday because your pet needs emergency life-saving treatment or goes missing. |
| Boarding Cover When You're Unwell | Boarding fees when you're an inpatient at hospital for at least 48 hours. |
| Travel | Vet fee cover when abroad in a PETS Travel Scheme country for up to 90 days. |
| Euthanasia Cover | Included. |
| Cremation or burial | Up to £200. |
| Hereditary/Genetic Disorders | Covered so long as you or your vet did not notice any signs before taking out the policy or within the first 14 days of your policy start. |
Types of Argos Dog and Cat Insurance Policies
Argos offers three types of pet insurance—Time Limited, Maximum Benefit and Lifetime, with vet cover ranging from £1,000 up to £7,000. For more information on pet insurance cover in general, please see our article on What Does Pet Insurance Cover in the UK.
Argos Time Limited Plans
Argos offers two levels of Time Limited pet insurance that cover up to 12 months from the start of treatment, up to the maximum benefit per condition. They will pay out on any subsequent claims for a condition or any bilateral, recurring or related conditions after the time limit or maximum benefit limit has been reached.
The two levels of cover are a maximum benefit of £2,500 and £4,000. For Time Limited polices, the excess is paid once per condition.
Argos Max Benefit Plans
Argos offers two levels of Max Benefit pet insurance that cover £2,000 or £5,000 per condition. Note that bilateral conditions are counted as one condition. Bilateral refers to when something affects both sides of a pet's body. So you'd get the limit to cover ear infection in both ears, for example (not the limit per ear).
Argos Lifetime plans
Argos's Lifetime plan is available with either £1,000, £3,500 or £7,000 of cover for cats or £2,000, £4,500 or £7,000 for dogs, which provides protection for conditions throughout your pet's life with no imposed time limitations for treatment. When you renew each year, your vet fee limit is topped up each year. Ongoing and recurring conditions are covered.
If you use up the vet cover limit in any policy year, you won't be reimbursed for any more vet fees until your policy is renewed.
For Lifetime policies, the excess is paid once per condition, per period of insurance. For example, if your dog is being treated for ongoing ear infections every year, you'll pay the excess for the first claim in each policy year.
Argos Coverage Amounts
Here are coverage limits for dogs. Cats have slightly lower limits for some items, including vet bills.
| Benefits (Dogs) | Time Limited | Lifetime | Maximum Benefit | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cover for 12 months or up to max amount, whichever occurs first | Covers up to max amount each year | Covers up to a max amount per condition | ||||
| Veterinary Fees | Up to £2.5k per condition for 12 months | Up to £4k per condition for 12 months | Up to £2k per year | Up to £4.5k per year | Up to £7k per year | Up to £2k or £5k per condition |
| Argos Vet Assistance | Included | |||||
| Argos Pet Portal | Included | |||||
| Death from Accident or Illness | Up to £250 | Up to £750 | Up to £750 | Up to £750 | Up to £1.5k | Up to £750 |
| Finding your dog | Up to £250 | Up to £750 | Up to £750 | Up to £750 | Up to £1.5k | Up to £750 |
| Loss by theft or straying | Up to £250 | Up to £750 | Up to £750 | Up to £750 | Up to £1.5k | Up to £750 |
| Third party liability and legal costs | Up to £2m | Up to £2m | Up to £2m | Up to £2m | Up to £2m | Up to £2m |
| Cremation & burial costs | Up to £200 | Up to £200 | Up to £200 | Up to £200 | Up to £200 | Up to £200 |
| Your Hospitalisation / Kennel fees | Up to £150 | Up to £500 | Up to £500 | Up to £500 | Up to £1k | Up to £500 |
| Holiday cancellation | Up to £250 | Up to £1.5k | Up to £750 | Up to £750 | Up to £3k | Up to £750 |
| Emergency Expenses Abroad | Up to £150 | Up to £500 | Up to £500 | Up to £500 | Up to £1k | Up to £500 |
| Excesses Payable | £99 per condition | £99 per condition | £99 per condition | £99 per condition | £99 per condition | £99 per condition |
FAQs
How does Argos Pet Insurance Compare to Competitors?
To better understand the value of Argos Pet Insurance you need to look at it in the context of other available options. We compared this insurer to other similar insurers so you can see which may be more suitable for you.
Argos Pet Insurance vs PetPlan
PetPlan Pet Insurance is the largest insurer of dogs and cats in the UK. Due to this, many vets are accustomed to submitting claims on behalf of pet owners, which can save you a lot of hassle—plus you get a full 12 months to submit claims for reimbursement. PetPlan policies include dental illness and injury but don't cover euthanasia. However, older pets (i.e., dogs aged 5 or 8 depending on breed, cats aged 10) are not eligible for new Lifetime policies and can only sign up for a Time Limited policy. Additionally, owners of older pets must contribute more towards vet bills, through the addition of a 20% copay.
Quick Takeaway: You might find better value with an Argos policy, plus Argos gives euthanasia cover and imposes no change to excess for older pets. However those looking for dental illness might prefer PetPlan.
Argos Insurance vs Agria Pet Insurance
Agria Pet Insurance offers comprehensive Lifetime plans for lower-than-average prices. They're able to charge lower premiums by having the pet owner pay a 10% copay in addition to the fixed excess (of £95 or £160 for dogs, £85 or £160 for cats). We like that Agria is a specialist pet insurer with a long history. Agria plans offer some desirable features, such as dental, euthanasia and cremation/burial, plus congenital conditions are not specifically excluded from cover. The cost for a young, healthy crossbreed dog is around £350 per year for a plan with £6,500 of vet cover and a £95 fixed excess + 10% copay; a British shorthair with an £85 excess + 10% copay would cost around £325 for the same level of cover.
Bottom Line: Similar pricing, but if you want dental cover for tooth decay or gum disease you're better off with an Agria plan.