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Pet Insurance

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Now loved by pets!

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Rated 4.3 out of 5 stars based on 28,915 reviews
of all products as of December 2023

Pet Insurance

As an important member of your family, we know just how difficult it is when your pets aren’t feeling their best. At Swinton, we’ll aim to help you find Pet Insurance at the right level to protect your pet should they sadly fall ill or suffer an injury.

What is Pet Insurance?

As a pet owner, we know it can be really upsetting and often costly when your pet has an injury or is feeling under the weather. A Pet Insurance policy through Swinton aims to help you cover the cost of vet bills and give you peace of mind so that you can focus on your furry friend's recovery.

Policies can range in what they will pay out for, depending on your level of cover. Standard policies will include medical aid such as MRI scans and dental procedures, while policies offering a higher cover level will insure you for holiday cancellations due to a pet illness, accidental damage, or a reward if your pet goes missing.

Why consider Swinton when insuring your pets?

  • Speak to veterinary professionals with the Swinton Vet Line

  • Lifetime cover available for vet bills, legal fees, accidental damage and a wide range of illnesses or injuries, for as long as your policy is in place through Swinton. Limits apply.

  • Choose your level of cover and tailor your insurance benefits to build a policy that’s right for you.

  • Get benefits and connect with fellow pet lovers through the Swinton Pet Club on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

  • Arrange cover for your pets through insurance providers who have over 19,900 5* reviews across all products on Trustpilot as of December 2023. Find us on Trustpilot.

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Find out more about Cat Insurance and Dog insurance

What does Swinton Pet Insurance cover?

From playful puppies to courageous cats, we know that every pet has a unique personality and different needs. At Swinton, we offer two lifetime Pet Insurance products — Essentials and Classic — so that you can decide which suits your furry friend.

Lifetime cover is insurance that protects your pooch or puss year after year for a wide range of illnesses and injuries as long as your policy through us is in place. Every year you renew, you'll receive a fixed maximum amount to cover veterinary treatment, this limit applies to both new and recurring illnesses and injuries that have occurred since your policy started with us.

For whichever product you decide is the best fit, you can choose from three levels of cover: £2,000, £4,000 or £7,000. 

Feature/benefit

EssentialsClassic

Vet fees:

£2,000£2,000

MRI/CT scans*

£1,000£1,500

Cruciate Ligament*

£2,000£2,000

Dental treatment*

£1,500£2,000

Complementary treatments*

£500£750

Behavioural problems*

£750£750

Prescription food*

£100£100

Travelling abroad - Vet fees*

 £2,000

Third party liability (dogs only)

£1m£1m

Accidental damage (dogs only)

 £250

Emergency boarding

£500£500

Lost/Stolen

 £1,000

Advertising and reward

 £600

Death by accident

 £1,000

Death by illness

 £1,000

Holiday cancellations and associated costs per year

 £500

Maximum trip length per year

 30 days

*Included in the overall vet fee limit. Maximum limits shown. Other features, benefits and limitations exist. Please contact us for details.

Feature/benefit

EssentialsClassic

Vet fees:

£4,000£4,000

MRI/CT scans*

£2,000£3,000

Cruciate Ligament*

£2,500£4,000

Dental treatment*

£3,000£4,000

Complementary treatments*

£750£1,000

Behavioural problems*

£1,000£1,000

Prescription food*

£100£150

Travelling abroad - Vet fees*

 £4,000

Third party liability (dogs only)

£1m£1m

Accidental damage (dogs only)

 £500

Emergency boarding

£500£750

Lost/Stolen

 £1,500

Advertising and reward

 £800

Death by accident

 £1,500

Death by illness

 £1,500

Holiday cancellations and associated costs per year

 £750

Maximum trip length per year

 60 days

*Included in the overall vet fee limit. Maximum limits shown. Other features, benefits and limitations exist. Please contact us for details.

Feature/benefit

EssentialsClassic

Vet fees:

£7,000£7,000

MRI/CT scans*

£3,000£4,500

Cruciate Ligament*

£3,000£7,000

Dental treatment*

£5,000£7,000

Complementary treatments*

£1,000£1,500

Behavioural problems*

£1,500£1,500

Prescription food*

£100£200

Travelling abroad - Vet fees*

 £7,000

Third party liability (dogs only)

£1m£1m

Accidental damage (dogs only)

 £750

Emergency boarding

£500£1,000

Lost/Stolen

 £2,000

Advertising and reward

 £1,000

Death by accident

 £2,000

Death by illness

 £2,000

Holiday cancellations and associated costs per year

 £1,000

Maximum trip length per year

 90 days

*Included in the overall vet fee limit. Maximum limits shown. Other features, benefits and limitations exist. Please contact us for details.

Policy documents

Essentials

Policy Wording (PDF - 397KB)

Classic

Policy Wording (PDF - 426KB)

Swinton Pet Insurance Benefits

Just some of our pawsome benefits include:

Classic and Essentials

  • Vet fees — If your pet becomes unwell or suffers an injury, we’ll cover the costs up to your chosen cover limit. This includes recommended complementary treatments such as hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and osteopathy.
  • Emergency boarding — If you or anyone normally living with you needs to be admitted to the hospital unexpectedly for three or more consecutive days, Pet Insurance covers the cost of licenced pet boarding, kennels or pet sitting up to your chosen cover limit.
  • Third-party liability — Should your dog cause injury, death or damage to someone’s property, we’ll cover the legal costs up to your set cover limit. (Dog Insurance only).

Classic only

  • Accidental damage — Should your dog cause minor damage to someone’s property, our Classic Pet Insurance policy will help cover the cost of repairs or replacement. (Dog Insurance only).
  • Theft/straying — In the unfortunate event your pet is stolen or goes missing, we’ll provide cover for advertising or reward costs for their safe return.
  • Death by accident or illness — If your pet passes away or a vet recommends they're put to sleep due to an accident or illness, we'll pay you the purchase price of your pet, or up to the cover limit provided - whichever is lower.
  • Travelling abroad — If you need to cancel or delay a holiday because your pet has a life-threatening illness or injury, we’ll contribute towards additional costs. You’ll also be covered for the cost of treatments should your pet fall ill or be injured when travelling within the EU.

With Swinton Pet Insurance, you can also:

  • Access and view your policy 24/7 with our online hub
  • Speak to a Pet Insurance specialist via live chat or our call centre

What types of pets can I insure?

Swinton Pet Insurance products provide cover for cats and dogs. You can obtain cover for your dog or cat provided they are at least eight weeks old. New customers can insure dogs up to 10 years old and cats up to 12 years old.

Pets we unfortunately can’t insure

Horses, rabbits and other pets cannot be insured by Swinton Pet. Cats and dogs with pre-existing medical conditions can be covered for future accidents and injuries, but not for any medical conditions they currently have. Swinton Pet Insurance customers must also be UK residents.

    What is the Swinton vet line?

    Our four-legged friends can’t tell us when they’re not feeling well, so it can be worrying if you start to notice changes in your pet’s behaviour or they don’t seem like themselves. As a Swinton Pet customer, you’ll have access to our 24/7 vet line so you can chat to a trusted veterinary expert and ease any worries you may have.

    With a team of friendly RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) vets and vet nurses, you can receive the help you need to answer your questions and concerns day and night. Whether you need medical advice or simply have questions about your pet’s wellbeing, we can provide qualified advice when you need it most.

    The Swinton Vet Line can assist you with:

    • Pet health triage and advice, including whether you should take your pet to your vet
    • Behavioural triage and advice
    • Nutritional advice
    • Bereavement
    • Diagnosis (where appropriate)

    You can call the Swinton Vet Line as many times as you need to, and our lines are open 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. To get in touch, all you need to do is:

    1. Call the Swinton Vet Line on 0333 332 4473
    2. Have your policy number ready to provide — you can find this on your policy schedule
    3. Describe your concerns or pet’s symptoms, or ask any questions about your pet’s health
    4. A qualified veterinary nurse or vet will provide the advice you need

    In an emergency, you should always contact your vet immediately.

    Get a Pet Insurance quote online

    Get a quote now

     

    Join our Swinton Pet Club

    Want to meet like-minded pet owners and share tips and tricks on all things cats and dogs? Why not join the Swinton Pet Club? As a follower, you’ll have access to exclusive competitions, giveaways and pet goodies, as well as helpful hints and advice to ensure your pet stays healthy and happy. 

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    FAQs about Pet Insurance

    Your Pet Insurance costs will vary depending on which product and level of cover you choose, as well as factors such as where you live and the age of your pet. While you can expect to pay more for a higher level of cover, you’ll be better protected should your pet need extensive treatment.

    There is no legal requirement to buy Pet Insurance. However, in the unfortunate event your pet becomes ill or is involved in an accident, vet bills can be expensive for those who don’t have a policy in place as a safety net.

    If potential vet fees are a concern for you, then Pet Insurance could be a good solution. 

    Costs can vary from practice to practice as well as by breed, age and size of pet. This can affect the amount you may need to claim for any particular illness or condition. 

    In most cases, we’ll pay the vet directly. However, if you’ve already settled the invoice yourself, we’ll pay you instead.

    The excess or co-payment you will be required to pay following a claim for treatment is based on the age of your pet:

    • For dogs under 5 years old or cats under 7 years old you will pay a fixed excess. This will be either £99 or £139 depending on the breed.
    • For dogs aged 5 years or older or cats aged 7 years or older you will pay a fixed excess and a 20% co-payment fee.

    Fixed Excess: This is the amount you must pay for each separate injury or illness in each policy year when you make a claim for your pet. Your Swinton policy will cover the remaining cost of the claim or any other eligible claims for the same condition within that year, up to the benefit limit. If your pet receives treatment for the same injury or illness in separate policy years, then we will apply the excess to the first claim in each policy year.

    Co-Payment fee: This is the portion of the vet fees that you are responsible for paying, in the event of a claim, once any fixed excess has been deducted for dogs aged 5 years or over and cats aged 7 years or over. Co-payment is commonly used in the pet insurance industry.

    You’ll find information about the fixed excess and co-payment fee that is applicable for your pet each policy year in your schedule of insurance. These amounts may change at renewal, so it’s important to check your schedule should you need to make a claim.

    Here’s an example of how it all works

    Let's say you make a claim for £499 relating to treatment for your 6-year-old dog for a new condition, firstly the fixed excess is applied - for this example we’ll say it’s £99. Once this has been deducted, the remaining amount of £400 would be subject to a co-payment fee due to the age of your dog. In this case, you would be responsible for paying 20% of that £400, which is £80, so your contribution for the treatment would be £179 in total (£99 fixed excess + £80 co-payment fee). The remaining costs of £320 would be covered by your policy, up to any benefit or individual treatment limits.

    You then make another claim for £300 for further treatment related to the same condition in the same policy year. In this scenario there would be no fixed excess to pay as  the claim is related to the same condition, so you would be responsible for paying the co-payment fee of 20% of the total amount of £300, which is £60. Subject to any benefit or individual treatment limits your policy would then cover the remaining costs of £240.

     

    Pet owners may see their Pet Insurance premiums increase over time due to a number of reasons. Common causes include:

    • Pets getting older

    • Vet treatments becoming more complex and, therefore, more expensive

    • Your claims history for your pet

    Vet fees can also vary depending on the cost of living in your area. You may find that increased Pet Insurance premiums are a result of increased vet fees in your area.

    Other useful guides below