Tesco Pet Insurance Review UK – Pros, Cons and Alternatives

Tesco Bank, a division of the Tesco group that offers the UK public a vast array of services, offers Tesco Pet Insurance. Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc (RSA), one of the top insurance organisations in the world, underwrites the Tesco Pet Insurance products. In this article, you will get detailed Tesco Pet Insurance review, its features, and explore its pros and cons, along with some alternatives and frequently asked questions.

Pet Insurance Policies by Tesco

Tesco offers a range of different policies including:  

  • Accident and injury: Your pet is covered under accident-only pet insurance for any veterinary care required as a result of an accident. If a disease arises as a direct result of an accident, it is covered by Tesco Bank’s “Accident and Injuries” pet insurance coverage; otherwise, it is not. 

One accident-only pet insurance plan from Tesco Bank covers veterinarian costs up to £3,000 in full. After the first date of treatment, you have up to 12 months to submit a claim for veterinary expenses before the £3,000 cap is reached, whichever comes first. 

Following that, the ailment is deemed pre-existing, and any additional medical care will need self-pay. MRI scans and procedures can be very expensive if your pet is injured.Your pet will be covered if an accident occurs thanks to your accident and injury insurance policy. The ailments or diseases that your pet might have are not covered by this coverage.

  • Tesco ‘Standard’ – Time limited: When your pet has time-limited pet insurance, it is covered for illnesses and accidents for a predetermined amount of time (often 12 months) or until the vet charge cap is reached, whichever occurs first.

The time-limited pet insurance plan is Tesco Bank’s “standard” plan. For each illness or injury, you may submit a claim for up to £3,000 in veterinary bills for up to 12 months after the initial date of treatment or until the maximum of £3,000 has been met. After that, the ailment will be regarded as pre-existing and require self-funding. Tesco’s “regular” time limited coverage is an excellent choice if you only need to insure your pet for a brief period of time.

It will cover all vet fees for a set time or until the vet fee limit is reached.

  • Tesco ‘Extra’ – Maximum benefit  : Your pet is covered by maximum benefit pet insurance for diseases and injuries up to a predetermined condition limit. 

With its “Extra” pet insurance, Tesco Bank offers two maximum benefit policies with veterinarian bill coverage up to £7,500 per condition. This implies that as long as you have a Tesco Bank pet insurance policy, you may make claims up until the predetermined limit is reached for each condition. 

Any further medical care for the disease will need to be self-funded if you go over the cap. Maximum benefit insurance products provide coverage for any injuries or illnesses up to the maximum amount recoverable because our pets occasionally can’t help but get into a few accidents or become ill.

  • Tesco ‘Premier’ – Lifetime : Throughout the entirety of your pet’s life, lifetime pet insurance will cover illnesses and accidents. For covering chronic ailments, lifetime pet insurance is best.

Tesco Bank Pet Insurance Policy Excess

While purchasing a policy, you can select the fixed policy excess offered by Tesco Bank pet insurance. When you file a claim, you must agree to pay an excess that must be applied to the cost of veterinarian care. The higher the policy excess, the less your monthly premiums will cost. You can choose a policy excess of £60, £120, or £200. A once-per-condition payment is made for the excess under an Accident & Injuries, Standard, or Additional policy. For each illness or injury throughout a policy year, the excess is paid once under a Premier insurance.

An additional excess, also referred to as a percentage co-payment, can be paid in addition to the standard amount towards the cost of a claim. After the fixed excess has been subtracted, there is an optional additional excess that can be paid. It can be 0%, 10%, or 20%. Once your pet turns 8, a mandatory co-payment of 20% of your remaining vet cost less the mandatory policy excess is required.

A obligatory excess of £250 is required if you need to file a third-party liability claim. If your veterinarian cannot provide the level of care or expertise that your pet requires and you need to see a referral vet, your veterinary practise will refer you to one, and if the referral vet you select is not a member of Tesco Bank’s preferred referral vet network, you will be responsible for a fixed £200 excess. You won’t be required to pay the £200 mandatory excess if your pet is referred to a vet and requires emergency care (which, if not provided, poses a threat to your pet’s life).

Tesco Bank offers a user-friendly online claims process that enables you to monitor the progress of both your current and past claims. Within seven days, they hope to react to every allegation.

Filling out the necessary paperwork on the Tesco Bank website will allow you to submit a new claim if you already have one pending.

Tesco Bank Pet Insurance Policy Exclusions

We go through a few of the Tesco Bank pet insurance policy’s exclusions in more detail below. When purchasing any pet insurance coverage, thoroughly review your policy details as this is not an entire list. The following are exclusions from Tesco Bank’s pet insurance payment policy:

The policy excess

  • Pets under the age of 8 weeks old
  • Routine treatment such as vaccinations and worming
  • Any pre-existing conditions
  • Any claim over the policy limits
  • Pregnancy or birth
  • Prescription costs
  • Any condition that your pet developed within the first 14 days of the policy
  • Any condition that later develops from an illness/injury that your pet sustained in the first 14 days of the policy
  • Any claim where your premium has not been paid or your policy is no longer active
  • Any condition that your pet has suffered from, due to negligence or malicious intent to harm your pet, caused by you or members of your family
  • If your pet is injured due to worrying livestock
  • If your pet is euthanased due to a court order
  • If your pet suffers from a notifiable disease which is named in the Animal Health Act 1981
  • Any dogs registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
  • Any dog used for guarding, security or fighting
  • Pets that are bred commercially or to make an income
  • Public liability claims where cover on another insurance policy hasn’t already been used up (e.g a home insurance policy)

✅ Also check out:

Tesco Bank Pet Insurance Pros and Cons

Tesco Bank Pros 👍

  • Multi-pet discount
  • Discount for Clubcard members
  • 24/7 vetfone helpline

Tesco Banks Cons 👎

  • Does not pay out for death from illness for pets over the age of 9
  • 12-month time limit on accident-only pet insurance policy (some policies such as Animal Friends’* accident-only policy do not have time limits on claiming vet fees for an accident)
  • £200 excess is applicable if you choose a referral vet outside of the Tesco Bank network (unless your pet requires emergency treatment)

Overall score: 8/10

Sentiment Score: 7.6/10

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