Scratch & Patch Pet Insurance Review: Good Value for You and Your Pet?
Scratch & Patch Pet Insurance Review: Good Value for You and Your Pet?
Good for
- Competitive prices
- 10% multi-pet discounts
- Waiting period waived if pet was previously insured with no gap (proof required)
Bad for
- No cover for dental illness
The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.
Scratch & Patch pet insurance offers a range of cheap pet insurance options for financial protection in case your beloved dog or cat is injured or falls ill, but are they any good? Find out what features are missing and what customers have to say.
Compare quotes from Scratch and Patch against up to 25 providers by clicking the blue "Get Quotes" button below to see how much you can save:
Cheap Pet Insurance for Your Dog or Cat
Compare quotes from up to 25 providers, including Scratch and Patch
In This Review
Scratch & Patch Pet Insurance Review
Not only does Scratch & Patch offer a wide array of pet insurance plans at competitive prices.
We really like Scratch & Patch's waiting period policy, which stands out from the crowd. Treatment of an illness typically won't be covered if your pet showed any signs of during the initial 14-day waiting period. Scratch & Patch (which is also available through our pet insurance comparison tool), is the only pet insurance company we know of which will waive waiting periods to give you immediate cover IF your pet was insured for veterinary fees under another policy of insurance up to the start date of insurance with them. Proof is required.
Prices are generally very competitive from Scratch & Patch, however there are a few terms that pet owners should be aware of before deciding if this is the right pet insurance company for them.
- You must notify Scratch & Patch of a new claim within 60 days
- There's no dental illness cover
- There are inner limits on consultation fees, etc.
Scratch & Patch Key Facts
- Choice of Accident Only Time Limited (£2,250), Time Limited (£3k), Max Benefit (£4k) or Lifetime cover (£2.5k, £4k or £8k)
- Dental injury only (not illness)
- Notify claims within 60 days
- Scratch & Patch Careline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year at 0333 332 1926
- Starting excess of £125
- Higher £275 excess for older pets (dogs 8+ and cats 10+)
- Euthanasia covered in Lifetime plans only
- Inner limits on consultation fees, out of hours fees, alternative therapies, histoloy and cystology
Scratch & Patch Insurance Customer Service Reviews and Ratings
There are not very many online customer reviews Scratch & Patch, so it's hard to draw a firm conclusion of the typical customer experience. We read through the reviews left at Trustpilot and SmartMoneyPeople to see if we could learn anything. Here's what we found:
Scratch & Patch Trustpilot
Scratch & Patch has earned 3.9 stars out of 5 at Trustpilot, with three quarters of customers giving Scratch & Patch an "Excellent" 5-star rating and 14% of reviewers leaving 1 star indicating a bad experience. Here is a sample of the more common complaints and positive remarks:
"Fantastic service, our dog Derek had a back problem and scratch & patch have been so easy to deal with. They even undertook a voluntary review of the case, and paid us back money without us asking! All policies have terms and conditions, as well as clauses, as we have experienced with other insurers, but we couldn’t be happier with scratch & patch!"
"Generally good for communications and quite helpful when our dog was sick. HOWEVER IF YOUR pet passes away (dies) at any time during the policy term (outside the 14 days cooling off period) you have to pay the full year premium - so you are paying insurance for a deceased animal: in our case a bill of £711 for the months March - November 2022 - even though our dog passed away 4th March 2022. Imagine if you take out a policy for your cat and then it is involved in an accident 4 weeks after the start of the insurance - you have to pay the remaining 11 months. Most other pet insurance policies don't have this requirement and will provide partial "refunds" for any premiums paid/due."
"Great customer services and great price!"
"Scratch and Patch have been very prompt in paying for these bills for which we are very grateful. Thank you."
"... I let them know of a move of address and they wanted £20. I cancelled: £30."
"Good insurance for French Bulldog... The premium was initially around £30 per month compared to petplan who quoted in excess of £100 per month meaning this was the cheapest on the market. The premium almost doubled in year two however considering it was the cheapest on the market and the fact I had made significant claims I expected a sharp rise. In year two I made further claims and expected another sharp rise however the premium went up by less than £10 per month..."
We'd like to point out that some complaints are, unfortunately, misunderstandings or down to lack of communication. For example, there is no cancellation fee to cancel if your pet has died (and a £30 fee otherwise to cancel). So unfortunately the cat owners above could have cancelled their policy instead of continuing to pay pet insurance premiums.
Scratch and Patch SmartMoneyPeople
Only two customers have left reviews at Customer reviews of Scratch & Patch pet insurance, with an average of 4 out of 5 stars—both praising the 24-hour nurse support helpline and the claims process. Here is one of them:
"VETERINARY NURSE support, when I called about my dog Ted. Claim Form sent by post a few days later. Submitted claim with vets report. Claim paid out in full minus policy excess. All within a few weeks. You can't get better service than that."
How Much is Scratch & Patch Pet Insurance?
Scratch & Patch lifetime pet insurance prices start from around £200 a year for dogs and are even less for cats. Their accident only, time limited (Silver) and max benefit (Gold) plans may even cost less. It's typically best (coverage-wise) to buy an accident & illness policy, ideally lifetime cover if it fits in your budget.
However, prices will depend on the level of vet fee cover, your dog's age, breed and size, etc. To give you a rough idea of prices with Scratch & Patch and how they compare to some other popular brands, we've run some quotes for a sample 3-year-old lab. As you can see, Scratch and Patch was pretty competitively priced. We should note that there are some reasons why Scratch and Patch might be cheaper, such as shorter claim windows and no dental illness cover. Whether or not things like this make a difference to you will determine whether or not Scratch and Patch could be a good deal or not.
Scratch and Patch used to offer pre-existing pet insurance for dogs and cats with a history of medical conditions, but they unfortunately are removing this product line from the market.
Types of Scratch & Patch Policies
Scratch & Patch offers four types of policies—accident only, time limited, max benefit and lifetime. Generally speaking, Lifetime policies are best for younger pets to protect the owner against the financial strain of recurring/chronic injuries/illnesses over the course of the pet's life. Time Limited cover can be purchased for pets that aren't eligible for new Lifetime cover due to age.
| Bronze | Silver | Gold | Prime | Premier | Premier Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Limited (12 months), up to per accident | Time Limited (12 months), up to per injury / illness | Maximum benefit, up to per injury / illness | Reinstatement, Per policy year | Reinstatement, Per policy year | Reinstatement, Per policy year | |
| Veterinary Fees* up to | £2,250 | £3,000 | £4,000 | £2,500 | £4,000 | £8,000 |
| Inner Limits (included within total vet fees) up to | ||||||
| Cruciate Ligament | £500 | £500 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,500 | £2,000 |
| MRI / CT Scan | £nil | £500 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,500 | £2,000 |
| Alternative treatment | £250 | £300 | £400 | £400 | £750 | £1,000 |
| Dental (accident/injury) | £250 | £3,000 | £4,000 | £2,500 | £4,000 | £8,000 |
| Diet Food | £nil | £100 | £100 | £100 | £100 | £100 |
| Behavioural treatment | £nil | £nil | £nil | £100 | £250 | £500 |
| Covered in UK / EU PETS Scheme Area | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Accidental Death up to | £250 | £500 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,500 |
| Death due to Illness up to | £nil | £500 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,500 |
| Euthanasia | £nil | £nil | £nil | £100 | £100 | £150 |
| Third Party Liability (Dogs Only) | £1,000,000 | £1,000,000 | £1,500,000 | £1,500,000 | £1,500,000 | £2,000,000 |
| Loss & recovery | £250 | £750 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,500 | £1,500 |
| Emergency boarding and pet minding fees | £250 | £750 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 |
| Holiday cancellation | £nil | £750 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,500 | £2,500 |
| Accidental damage | £nil | £nil | £nil | £250 | £500 | £750 |
What are Scratch and Patch Inner Limits?
Inner limits are a maximum amount they'll pay for certain procedures or charges, resulting in pet owners potentially getting reimbursed for less than you'd expect. This is especially true if your vet charges higher-than-average fees.
- Up to £45 towards consultation fees for each visit to the vet
- Up to £110 towards additional out of hours fees for each necessary out of hours visit
- Up to £70 towards histology fees (including any handling and interpretation fees)
- Up to £70 towards cystology fees (including any handling and interpretation fees)
- Up to £35 per session towards hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, accupunture, chiropractic, osteopathy or laser treatment
We are sometimes wary of inner limits, but are less concerned with these inner limits than those you'll find on some other providers—for example, Purely Pets puts very tight limits on MRIs (e.g. £1,000 or £1,500) that we think would not cover the actual cost of an MRI.
FAQs
Choosing the best policy for you and your pet will depend on your individual situation. There may be other policies with better features available in the marketplace. If your priority is paying a low premium, you may want to read about other options in our article on Cheap Dog and Cat Insurance.
Policy Documents
To read the full terms and conditions and features of Scratch & Patch pet insurance policies, read through the Policy Document.
How does Scratch and Patch Pet Insurance Compare to Competitors?
To better understand the value of Scratch and Patch 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.
Scratch and Patch 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. 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.
Quick Takeaway: PetPlan is the UK's largest insurer—which means most vets will submit claims on your behalf.
Scratch and Patch Pet Insurance vs Tesco Pet Insurance
Tesco offers quite comprehensive cover, but you'll have to pay up for their Premier Plan if you want dental illness cover (e.g., tooth decay or gum disease). Lifetime plans provide £7.5k or £10k of vet cover a year; there's no low-tier Lifetime offering (e.g., around £3k of vet cover each year) so Lifetime prices start around £500 for a healthy, young dog.
Quick Takeaway: According to our analysis, Scratch and Patch prices come in a touch lower than Tesco, but if dental illness cover is important to you then Tesco's Premier plan may be a better option.
Scratch and Patch 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: If you don't want to pay a copay, Scratch and Patch could be a better option, but beware of the inner limits.