Purely Pets

Purely Pets: dog and cat insurance in the UK

Purely Pets is a pet insurance company operating in the UK through the domain purelypetsinsurance.co.uk. Its offering focuses exclusively on lifetime cover for dogs and cats, with different levels of cover to suit various budgets and needs. The company sells its policies online and provides telephone and email support.

Products and levels of cover

Purely Pets' range is structured into three main levels of lifetime cover, which are in turn divided into 15 Lifetime Cover options. The levels are:

• Lifetime Bronze: covers vet fees from £1,000 to £5,000. It includes complementary treatment of £500, third party liability for dogs up to £1 million, death from illness or accident of £1,000, boarding fees for dogs or cats of £1,000, holiday cancellation of £1,000, loss by theft or straying of £1,000, and advertising and reward of £1,000.
• Lifetime Silver: covers vet fees from £6,000 to £10,000. Complementary treatment is £750, third party liability for dogs is £2 million, and the cover for death, boarding, cancellation, loss and advertising rises to £1,500 each.
• Lifetime Gold: covers vet fees from £11,000 to £15,000. Complementary treatment reaches £1,000, third party liability for dogs remains at £2 million, and the cover for death, boarding, cancellation, loss and advertising reaches £2,000 each.

The company states that its Defaqto 5 Star Rating applies to the Silver and Gold levels, which offer vet fee cover of between £6,000 and £15,000. At all levels, death from illness cover does not apply to dogs aged 9 and over or cats aged 11 and over.

Additional services and policy management

Purely Pets offers services that complement its policies, such as 24/7 vet video consultations, flexible excess options, online claims management and direct payment to the vet. The company also allows the premium to be paid in interest-free monthly instalments. According to its website, 98% of claims are paid.

The insurer sells specific insurance for dogs, cats, puppies and kittens, as well as for senior dogs and cats. It also offers cover for older pets with no upper age limit.

Types of policy and comparison

In addition to lifetime policies, the site describes other types of insurance available on the market, although Purely Pets only sells lifetime policies. These are:

• Maximum benefit policies: allocate a predetermined amount for each medical issue, which is used up as it is claimed and is not renewed for that condition.
• Time-limited policies: cover a fixed amount for the treatment of an illness or injury for a set period, usually 12 months from the start of the problem or the first treatment.
• Accident-only policies: cover medical expenses arising exclusively from accidental injuries, provided they occurred after the policy was taken out.

The company stresses the importance of taking out insurance before the pet develops any medical issue, as pre-existing conditions may be excluded from new policies.

Customer service and contact

Purely Pets serves its customers by phone and email. Telephone opening hours are Monday to Friday 8:00 to 20:00, Saturday 9:00 to 14:00 and Sunday closed. Calls are recorded for security and training purposes. The company also has a contact form on its website for general enquiries.

Company profile

Purely Pets presents itself as an insurer specialising in pet healthcare, with policies designed to give owners peace of mind. Its offering stands out for having no upper age limit, flexibility on excesses and the inclusion of vet video consultations at no extra cost. The company operates exclusively in the UK and its website is in English.