Dog and puppy insurance

Monetary limits, excesses and exclusions apply. Please see the policy documents for details.

Excesses will apply to your policy. These will affect the amount of premium you pay and how much you have to pay towards your dog's treatment.

An overage excess will apply to your policy when your dog turns 5 or 8 years old, depending on the breed. After that, you'll have to pay 20% of any claim you make.

You have to choose a set excess when you take out your policy. You can also choose a percentage excess, which can help to reduce the bill.

For full details of cover and excesses, please see the policy documents.

As dogs get older, they’re more likely to get ill. So your renewal price will go up each year.

Please also note, an overage excess will apply to your policy when your dog turns 5 or 8 years old, depending on the breed. After that, you'll have to pay 20% of any claim you make.

When we pay a claim for a dog, there’s more chance of a claim for that dog in the future. So a claim could cause your renewal price to go up.

The increase will depend on your dog’s breed, age and health. That means there's no limit to how much your renewal price can go up over time.

Pet insurance for puppies works the same way as it does for dogs, just from a younger age. Most policies cover accidents and illnesses. And some policies also cover for new or ongoing conditions.

With Tesco Pet Insurance, you can choose the type of cover that meets your needs:

Dog and puppy insurance is included with all Tesco Pet Insurance policies.

Puppy insurance isn’t strictly necessary, but it can be good to have.

Many owners take out pet insurance for puppies in case they get ill or injured as they start to explore. Vet bills can be expensive, so insurance - like Tesco Pet Insurance - can give you peace of mind and help to cover the costs.

With Tesco Pet Insurance, there’s no difference in cover. We cover dogs from 8 weeks old and there’s no upper age limit.

Puppy insurance is just dog insurance for younger dogs. It’s often taken out early to cover health issues that might arise early on.

You can insure most dog breeds, but the price and cover can vary. And some breeds might cost more to insure if they’re more likely to have health problems.

For more info, see our dog and cat breed guides.

You should note that certain breeds aren’t covered with Tesco Pet Insurance. For full details of what’s not covered, please see the policy booklet.

Tesco Pet Insurance can cover hereditary conditions. But only if the condition isn't known about, and your dog doesn’t already have it, before you take out cover.

For full details of cover, it’s always best to check the policy booklet. Some limits or exclusions will usually apply.

No. Most standard policies - like Tesco Pet Insurance - don’t cover routine care for your dog or puppy. Like vaccinations, flea treatment or check-ups.

The price of pet insurance depends on your dog’s breed, age, size and where you live. It may also depend on the type of policy you go for.

With Tesco Pet Insurance, you can choose the type of cover that meets your needs:

Puppies are often cheaper to insure than older dogs, but prices can vary a lot. And when your dog turns 5 or 8 (depending on the breed), your premiums are likely to go up.

It’s best to get pet insurance for your puppy as early as you can, usually from 8 weeks old. Starting early means there should be fewer exclusions for pre existing conditions later.

No. Most policies don’t cover conditions your dog had before your policy started.

Tesco Pet Insurance won’t cover any pre-existing injuries or illnesses in cats and dogs.

In most cases, yes. You can choose any registered vet to treat your dog. Just make sure you keep your invoices so you can claim back costs.

If you have Tesco Pet Insurance, we can pay your vet direct. As long as they accept direct payments.

When deciding on pet insurance for your dog, it’s a good idea to think about:

With Tesco Pet Insurance, you can choose the type of cover that meets your dog’s needs:

With Tesco Pet Insurance, accidents and illnesses won’t usually be covered straight away.

The waiting periods are as follows:

We may waive these waiting periods if you can prove you had continuous cover with another insurer before switching to Tesco.

For full details of cover, it’s always best to check the policy booklet.

Yes. With Tesco Pet Insurance, you can insure any age of dog. Policies start from 8 weeks old and there’s no upper age limit.

You should note, though, that pet insurance is likely to cost more for an older dog. And some insurers have age limits or different levels of cover for older dogs.

Tesco Pet Insurance policies include an overage excess. That means you'll have to pay 20% of any claim you make when your dog turns 5 or 8 years old, depending on the breed.

Check that Tesco Pet Insurance is right for you

Please read the policy documents to make sure your policy and cover level meet your needs.

The Policy Booklet also gives you information about your right to cancel.

For policies starting on or after 21 January 2025

​For policies renewing on or after 1 January 2025

For policies starting on or after 21 January 2025

For policies renewing on or after 1 January 2025

It's important to budget for increases to your policy as your pet gets older. Your premiums are likely to go up each year - there's no limit to how much they can go up, and the increase could be significant for you each year and over the policy's lifetime.

​Sadly, as cats and dogs get older, they're more likely to get ill. That's why:

How much your premium goes up depends a number of things, including your pet's breed, age and health. And there's no limit to how much your renewal price can go up over time. If a claim's paid out on your policy, your premium could more than double at renewal.

Multi pet discount is a minimum of £24 when insuring more than one pet as this is worked out at £1 per pet per month. Pets can have different cover levels. Discount deducted separately from any other offer.

Tesco Pet Insurance is arranged, administered and underwritten by Pinnacle Insurance Ltd. Tesco Personal Finance Ltd acts as an introducer to Pinnacle Insurance Ltd which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (register number 110866). Registered Office: 4th Floor, Limelight, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 1JH. Tesco Personal Finance Ltd and Pinnacle Insurance Ltd are not part of the same corporate group.

Vetfone is provided by Vetsdirect Ltd.

Tesco Insurance is a trading name of Tesco Personal Finance Ltd, Registered Office: 2 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9FQ (registered in Scotland, no SC173199) which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (register no. 186022).

We do not provide personal recommendations to customers.

We'll search our records for your Tesco Clubcard number. If you have a Clubcard, we may access and use information from it (including your name, address and details about your transactions). This'll help us, and your insurer, to assess your premium - but don't worry, it'll only be used to make a positive impact on your premium.

Tesco Personal Finance Ltd takes the security of your data seriously. You can find detailed information about how we collect and process your data, and your rights under data protection law, in our Privacy Policy.​

We collect data when you browse our website (for example, your IP address), request a quote, partially complete a quote, don't purchase a policy or provide data indirectly via a price comparison website. We keep quote data for up to 7 years and may use this information if you apply for one of our products again in the future.​

We'll use your data to give you quotes, provide our services to you, carry out eligibility checks, work out insurance risk, manage debt, protect you and us against fraud and financial crime, and manage and develop our business. Automated decisions may be taken to detect crime.​

We use data such as your name and address to find any Clubcards that are linked to your address. That might be your Clubcard, the Clubcard of other family members, or the Clubcard of house or flat mates. We may use this information to tailor our communications to you, and to try to bring you better terms, deals or offers, which may include profiling on an on-going basis. We may also award Clubcard points.​

Data may be obtained from and shared with the wider Tesco Group and fraud prevention agencies (FPAs). The FPAs will use it to prevent fraud and money-laundering and to verify your identity. If fraud is detected, this may be shared with other organisations and you could be refused certain services, finance or employment.​

By proceeding with your application you acknowledge that we can use your data in this way.​

Please note the following, which apply to all policies:

​We won't offer you cover if:

Pre-existing conditions that won't be covered include:

Our policies do not cover pre-existing conditions. It's important we know of any conditions and/or symptoms your pet's suffering from or has suffered from in the past before you take out a policy. Failure to tell us about any pre-existing conditions may affect future claims and your policy.

If your pet goes missing, all our pet insurance policies will cover your local advertising and reward costs up to £1,000. If the worst happens, and your cat or dog isn't found within 30 days, we’ll also cover the amount you paid or donated for your pet when you bought them, up to a value of £1,500.

Conditions and exclusions apply, so it's best to check the policy documents to find out exactly what you're covered for.

All of our policies provide cover for repeat or emergency treatment when travelling with your pet abroad, as long as you're travelling in line with government guidelines.​

You should check the latest government advice on taking your pet abroad before you plan your trip.

Monetary limits, excesses and exclusions apply.​