Healthy Pets Insurance Review | The Right Cover for Your Pet?

Healthy Pets is a pet insurance offering you might come across on a comparison site offering good prices, but is it any good? Our research has found that Healthy Pets offers pet owners good value for money, and some sought-after features. But as with nearly all pet insurance, there are some features that are missing on some or all of their plans. So whether or not Healthy Pets is good for you in part depends on your personal needs. Read our review to find out more.

We'll do our best to clarify some features of Healthy Pets pet insurance plans, but be sure to read the policy wording before you sign up. Choosing the best policy for you and your pet will depend on your individual situation. There may be better pet insurance policies with more beneficial features available in the marketplace.

In This Review

• Overall Review
  • Customer Experience Ratings
  • Healthy Pets Pet Insurance Price Comparison
  • Notable Features
• Policy and Coverage Options
• Comparing Healthy Pets to the Competition

Healthy Pets Pet Insurance Review

Healthy Pets offers some solid value plans and, when we did a price check, stands out for quite competitive prices. And they have pretty rock star ratings on Trustpilot for insurance. But there are some notable differences between the plans on offer so it's important to dig into what is covered, and what isn't, in order to choose a suitable plan. Here are some big picture features of their accident and illness policies:

Healthy Pets Pet Insurance Key Facts (accident & illness policies)

Pet owners should be aware that Healthy Pets has a few 'sub limits' for certain conditions. Sub limits essentially cap the amount they'll pay for the named conditions, which are:

Inner limits are not additional coverage, but instead they are maximum amounts available for a certain type of claim. For example, if a dog needed a £2,000 MRI and had the Lifetime Extra plan, the policy would cover up a max claim of £875 for the MRI (the inner limit for MRIs on that plan), leaving the dog owner to pay £1,125 of the MRI bill. In our experience, we think some of these sub limits are on the low side compared to what a procedure might cost, so pet owners should be aware of them when choosing their coverage. For example, NimbleFins research has found that the cost of a pet MRI is now around £2,500 in the UK. Healthy Pets will pay at most £1,875 on Gold and Premier plans, £875 on Silver and Extra, £500 on Bronze, and none on the Accident Only plan for an MRI, leaving the pet owner to pick up the difference which could be significant depending on the plan.

Time to claim

Healthy Pets will pay subject to pet owners notifying Healthy Pets within 60 days of an "occurrence". The company doesn't seem to provide information on whether the 60 days starts at first symptoms or upon first diagnosis from a vet. We are reaching out for clarification on this question from them.

Also, note that claims for alternative medicine or complementary medicine must be pre-approved by Healthy Pets. This includes physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, osteopathy, chiropractic, homeopathic or herbal medicines or laser treatment.

Excess

The excess is the amount a pet owner contributes towards a claim. The standard fixed excess on Healthy Pets pet insurance is payable each policy year per condition, as is typical. For a condition spanning multiple years, there would be an excess payable on the first claim for that condition in each policy year a claim is made for it. The fixed excess will vary, for example, depending on the breed of your pet. Plus once your pet hits 5 years of age there is a % copay due as well, which is calculated after the fixed excess is taken out of the claim.

Not all pet insurance in the UK has a % co-insurance for older pets, but it is not uncommon. However, the % co-insurance kicks is at slightly lower ages for Healthy Pet policies than some other companies. That's not necessarily a bad thing—a copay can help keep premiums from increasing as rapidly for older pets—but it is something to be aware of.

Healthy Pets Pet Insurance Customer Reviews & Ratings

Healthy Pets pet insurance products have been rated between 1 and 5 stars by Defaqto, which judges products on the features provided by a specific plan. Their Gold and Lifetime Reinstatement PREMIER products are the only two products to have received Defaqto's 5-star rating, while Silver has earned 4 stars. The rest are rated 3, 2 or 1 stars, as you can see in the table towards the bottom of this section.

Customer reviews for Healthy Pets generally are quite strong. For example, Healthy Pets insurance has been awarded 4.5 our of 5 stars by over 2,100 policyholders at Trustpilot—this is a high rating for any insurance company.

We scoured hundreds of customer comments to see what customers have to say about their overall experience with Healthy Pets. Here are some real customer reviews praising their experience:

"Good value insurance at an affordable price."

"I spoke to very helpful woman over concerns about the form given my dog is a rescue dog and not all information known. She was most helpful."

"Everything was easy to understand & perfect cover"

Comments on claims seem mixed, with many 5 star reviews and 1 star reviews. Given the large number of 5 star reviews indicating Healthy Pets is good come claims time, we would guess that many of the 1 star experiences are down to an unusual claim that takes investigation or a claim that doesn't abide by the terms of the policy (e.g. expecting a pay out for something that isn't covered in the terms). Here is a sample of both positive and negative claims experiences.

"I have just taken my 2nd insurance policy with healthy pets. They have been the most affordable both times I have looked, however my previous experience was the main reason I purchased again. After the claim was submitted, I heard back from them within a few days, and the policy paid out in full for treatment and unfortunately euthanasia, that I otherwise would not have been able to afford."

"Great service had no problem in the past making a claim"

"My 9 month old kitten had a serious accident resulting in major surgery on his leg. It was a stressful and worrying time but having Healthy Pets helped put my mind at rest. Once they received the claim from my vets they were quick with processing. Thank you so much."

"... Since November my claim for my dog has been with them. Every time they email they want more information very frustrating and very time consuming. They have had all information from the vets and myself..."

"... I went with healthy pets as they were the cheaper option with a decent cover. However every claim I've made with them takes a MINIMUM 12 months to settle with at least 30 - 40 phone calls asking whats happening. The most common response being "Ooo i don't know why but its just sitting there". I'm currently awaiting one claim for over £1400 and another for £800..."

"... I had to renew his insurance about 6 weeks before he was put to sleep, the vet cost me £180.00 for the visit when he was put to sleep and healthy pets refused my claim for that too because they said I had to pay the rest of the annual premium for a cat who was no longer alive? So they charged me a whole annual premium for approx 6 weeks, and refused to pay the claim on it too."

We should point out that it is typical in the broader consumer insurance industry that if you make a claim, you must pay the entire year's premium (this applies to the last comment above). That will be stated in the policy documents. We saw another claims complaint worth mentioning that related to Healthy Pets not paying on an accidental death claim because the owner had not gotten a Veterinary Certificate stating the date and cause of death. Again, this requirement is stated in their policy wording. This is why, as painful as it may seem, it's worth reading the documents clearly and keeping them handy in case you have a potential claim situation. This goes for all insurance, not just pet.

Here is a summary of Trustpilot and Defaqto ratings for Healthy Pets insurance:

Healthy Pets Quote Comparison

To compare pet insurance prices for Healthy Pets, we obtained sample quotes for a healthy, young, medium-sized mixed-breed dog. For our test case, Healthy Pets pet insurance prices started from just over £10 a month for accident & illness cover, or £122 a year. As a result, our research shows that Healthy Pets prices are significantly less than the average cost of pet insurance in the UK.

Older dogs and certain breeds can cost significantly more to insure. Where you live can also impact the cost of pet insurance.

How Do Healthy Pets Prices Compare?

These prices reflect a fixed excess of £99.

Types of Healthy Pets Dog and Cat Insurance Policies

Healthy Pets sells three types of pet insurance: accident only, maximum benefit and lifetime coverage. Coverage ranges from £1,000 max a year up to £7,500 per condition.

They use different terminology than other pet insurers to explain their "maximum benefit"-type policies. To be clear, their Bronze, Silver and Gold policies provide a "maximum benefit" cover. If you're new to pet insurance, this essentially means that there is a maximum limit per condition regardless of time. For example, a dog suffering recurring ear infections year after year could use up to the limit (e.g. £7,500 for a Gold policy) over the course of its life for the treatment of ear infections (provided, of course, that the policy is renewed each year and payments are up to date!).

Healthy Pets also have two "lifetime" plans: Lifetime reinstatement EXTRA and Lifetime reinstatement PREMIER, which include an overall vet fee limit per year (that is, the most they'll pay out per policy year across all different conditions). The one peculiarity here is that their lifetime plans also include a maximum you can claim for each individual condition in each policy year. For example, the EXTRA policy has a £2,000 overall annual limit and a £1,000 per condition limit each year. That means you can claim at most £1,000 for any one condition each year. But the next year the numbers reset so you get another £1,000 to treat any one condition the next year (even if you've claimed on it in previous years). And overall across all conditions you get up to £2,000 per year (again, this number also reinstates each year when you renew).

Healthy Pets also has an "Accident Only" plan (that is limited in both time—12 months—and vet limit—£1,000). Clearly, this will not cover illnesses. (And we should point out that most visits to the vet are for illness, which this policy will not cover.)

Both lifetime and maximum benefit policies can treat illnesses that are recurring over the life of your pet (up to the limits, of course). But the accident only plan just covers treatments up to 12 months for each accident.

To recap: On their Bronze, Silver and Gold maximum benefit plans, the vet cover limit is the limit that can be claimed for a certain condition over the life of the pet (assuming you keep renewing the policy and keeping up with the premium payments). On their two lifetime policies (Lifetime reinstatement EXTRA and Lifetime reinstatement PREMIER), the vet cover limits reset each year, and within this there are also maximum amounts that can be claimed per condition each year. Each year when you renew the policy the vet fees cover is reinstated, providing that amount of cover again for the next year.

There are inner limits for some types of claims, including these vet claims: MRI/CT scans, cruciate ligament claims, dental treatment, complementary treatments, and prescription food. You can see the full details in the table below. Inner limits for these types of vet fees are not in addition to the main cover limit. Instead, it's the max amount you can claim in a year for that type of claim. For example, if you claim the max inner limit of £500 for complementary medicine on the £2,000 Lifetime reinstatement EXTRA plan, you'd have £1,500 left for other vet claims in that policy year.

Lifetime and maximum benefit insurance plans continue to reimburse for vet fees associated with recurring or chronic conditions, year after year, so long as the policy remains in force and the limits haven't been reached. Here's a table summarizing the coverage available on Healthy Pets' 6 different policy options:

Healthy Pets Coverage Amounts

FAQs

How does Healthy Pets Pet Insurance Compare to Competitors?

To better understand the value of Healthy Pets 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.

Healthy Pets Pet Insurance vs Swinton Pet Insurance

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Swinton Pet Insurance may be another decent option for those who want a relatively affordable premium. You’ll get euthanasia cover and there’s a 24/7 vet helpline to call with questions, but you don’t get vet cover for the treatment of tooth decay or tooth/gum disease. To get an idea of price, our sample quote for a young, healthy dog showed a cost of £288 for £4,000 of lifetime "Essentials" cover with a £99 fixed excess.

Bottom Line: If you're attracted to Healthy Pets for their prices, Swinton is underwritten by the same company and has slightly more straightforward offerings (e.g. no "per condition" limits on their lifetime policies), a vet helpline and a longer time to claim—but prices may be higher as a result.

Healthy Pets Insurance vs Agria Pet Insurance

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Agria Pet Insurance offers comprehensive lifetime plans for attractive prices and is a favourite pet insurer. Many features are offered as extras, which means that you don't need to pay for certain features if you don't want to—if you never take your pet abroad to Europe, then you don't need to buy the Travel cover. Another way that Agria keeps prices lower is through a 10% copay/variable excess so pet owners contribute more towards vet fees—the pet owner is responsible for the fixed excess (£95 or £160 for dogs, £85 or £160 for cats) than another 10% of vet bills. We like that Agria is a specialist pet insurer with a long history, offering some desirable features such as dental illness, euthanasia and cremation/burial, sensible out-of-hours reimbursement and cover for congenital conditions. When we last checked, the cost for a young, healthy crossbreed dog was around £350 per year for a plan with £6,500 of vet cover and a £95 fixed excess + 10% copay; a British Shorthair cat with an £85 excess + 10% copay would cost around £325 for the same level of cover.

Bottom Line: Agria can be another good option for those wanting higher limits, euthanasia and cremation/burial and dental illness cover—but keep in mind you pay a 10% copay after the fixed excess is taken out.

Healthy Pets Pet Insurance vs Animal Friends Pet Insurance

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Animal Friends Pet Insurance is a specialist pet insurer, whose plans stand out for lower-than-average premiums (partially achieved through per condition limits, even on Lifetime plans). Those with older pets can insure their dogs and cats with Animal Friends, as there is no upper age limit for new policies, even Lifetime cover—but there is a 20% copay (in addition to the £99 fixed excess) for dogs aged 8+ and cats aged 10+. Animal Friends doesn't have dental cover on some plans, but not all, plus claims need to be submitted within 90 days. Our price check showed a range of £130 to £390 for Lifetime cover for a healthy, young crossbreed dog, which is generally lower than average. Another plus is that the company is big and has an efficient claims system called Pawtal, which most vets are accustomed to working with, so they can submit claims on your behalf.

Bottom Line: If you're price conscious, both Animal Friends and Healthy Pets offer some comparable plans. But it will take a thorough look through the many Animal Friends offerings to find a policy with the features you need, as the features do vary quite a bit from one policy to the next.

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