Verdict
Animal Friends have grown rapidly in popularity in the past few years. Their policies do have more exclusions than some other policies so you need to read the small print carefully before you take out insurance. Only their most comprehensive policy includes any dental cover and none of the policies pay for any prescription food.
Policies
Animal Friends have three lifetime policies, the most comprehensive of which offers £6,000 cover per condition per year. Be particularly careful that you understand the limits in their Basic, Prime and Prime Plus which have condition limits in addition to the annual limits. For example the Basic policy provides £3,000 of cover per year but no more than £500 per condition.
Background
According to their website Animal Friends was founded in 1998 with the aim of providing pet insurance as a means to help support animal welfare charities.
Animal Friends is now one of the largest pet insurance providers in the UK with 400,000 policyholders.
Their pet insurance policies are underwritten by Red Sands Insurance (Europe) Ltd who are part of the Red Sands Insurance Group and have their HQ in Gibraltar.
Customer Feedback
Most of the feedback for Animal Friends is very positive although we feel it is also only fair to point out they probably also get more than their fair share of negative publicity – most of which when analysed is about issues with the small print. Read more about Animal Friends reviews.
Good Points
- Pet Insurance Specialist
- Their range of policies includes three lifetime policies
Limitations
- Condition limits in addition to annual limits on Basic, Prime and Prime Plus policies (see above)
- No dental cover (Except for the Prestige policy which provides dental cover for accidents but not illnesses)
- Reduced death benefits
- Basic travel cover only (no quarantine cover etc.)
- Several additional exclusions in third party liability cover
- Does not pay for any prescription food
- Will only pay for out of hours’ costs if required to prevent a life-endangering condition.
Other Points to Note
- You have to pay 20% of vet fees for pets over 8 years old.
- No age limit for new policies
- You are required to notify Animal Friends of any non-routine visit to the vet.
- You must get pre-authorisation where costs are likely to exceed £1,000
Policy List
Click on a policy name to view full policy details
Accident Policy – Lifetime Policy -£2,500 per accident per year
Basic Policy – Time Limited Policy – £500 per condition (Maximum £3,000 per year)
Prime Policy – Time Limited Policy- £2,000 per condition (Maximum £7,000 per year)
Prime Plus Policy – Time Limited Policy – £4,000 per condition (Maximum £10,000 per year)
Superior Policy – Lifetime Policy – £2,000 per condition per year
Superior Plus Policy – Lifetime Policy – £4,000 per condition per year
Prestige Policy – Lifetime Policy – £6,000 per condition per year
More Information
About Animal Friends Pet Insurance
Pet Insurance Terminology Explained
More Pet Insurance Terminology & Benefits Explained
Relevant Articles
Pet Insurance – A Quick Introduction
How Much Vet Fees Cover Do You Need?
Buying Pet Insurance: Eight Vital Questions!
Recent Claim Experiences with Animal Friends?
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