Lifetime pet insurance
Lifetime pet insurance can help you manage your furry friend’s vet bills and make sure they’re covered for life. Get a quote in minutes and enjoy Nectar member discount* and 24/7 Vet Assistance.
Provided by Pinnacle Insurance plc.
Need any information? Just ask us a question.
Why choose Sainsbury's Bank Lifetime Pet Insurance?
Our lifetime cover means you don’t need to keep taking out new policies each year and helps you relax, knowing your beloved pet is taken care of.
- Unlimited treatment period with annual cover up to £10,000
Flexible insurance to cover your pets at home and abroad - Vet Assistance, day or night
Our lifetime pet insurance comes with 24/7 access to qualified, UK-based vet nurses online or over the phone - Multi-pet cover – cut costs when you insure more
Get a £1 discount per pet, per month on our multi-pet policies † - Extra discount for Nectar members
As a Nectar member, you’ll get a further discount on your lifetime pet insurance * - A policy that’s easy to manage
Manage your pet insurance policy easily with our handy online portal
Already the proud owner of a pet pooch or feline friend? Or thinking about getting a puppy, kitten or rabbit? We can help you protect your pet.
Please note that we won't cover any pre-existing conditions and that terms, conditions, excesses, exclusions and limitations apply. You can find out more about the terms of our cover in our policy documents.
What does our lifetime pet insurance cover?
If you need to make a claim for your cat or dog, you get access to £2,500, £5,000, £7,500 or £10,000 towards vet costs each year – depending on the level of cover you choose. For rabbits, it’s up to £2,000.
Compare our five lifetime pet insurance cover levels, so you can find the best fit for you and your pets.
| Benefit | Rabbit | Cats & Dogs | |||
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| Covers up to max amount each year | |||||
| Lifetime £2,000 | Lifetime £2,500 | Lifetime £5,000 | Lifetime £7,500 | Lifetime £10,000 | |
| Treatment period | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited |
| Treatment basis | per year | per year | per year | per year | per year |
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| Veterinary helpline | |
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| Additional benefits | |
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| Holiday cover |  |
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Veterinary fees can include:
| Benefit | Rabbit | Cats & Dogs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifetime £2,000 | Lifetime £2,500 | Lifetime £5,000 | Lifetime £7,500 | Lifetime £10,000 | |
| Dental Cover | up to £2,000 | up to £2,500 | up to £5,000 | up to £7,500 | up to £10,000 |
| Complementary Treatment | up to £750 | up to £750 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 |
| Physiotherapy | up to £750 | up to £750 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 |
| Behavioural illnesses (excludes the cost of any damage to your home) |
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up to £2,500 | up to £5,000 | up to £7,500 | up to £10,000 |
| Overseas veterinary treatment | |
up to £2,500 | up to £5,000 | up to £7,500 | up to £10,000 |
Additional benefits and limits:
| Benefit | Rabbit | Cats & Dogs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifetime £2,000 | Lifetime £2,500 | Lifetime £5,000 | Lifetime £7,500 | Lifetime £10,000 | |
| Death from accident/injury | |
up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £2,000 |
| Death from illness | |
up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £2,000 |
| Cremation | up to £200 | up to £200 | up to £200 | up to £200 | up to £200 |
| Advertising & reward (dogs must be microchipped) | up to £250 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £2,000 |
| Theft or straying (dogs must be microchipped) | |
up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £2,000 |
| Emergency boarding kennel fees (if you're ill/injured for over 48hrs) | up to £250 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 |
| 3rd party liability (dogs only) | |
up to £2 million | up to £2 million | up to £2 million | up to £2 million |
Holiday travel cover:
| Benefit | Lifetime £2,500 | Lifetime £5,000 | Lifetime £7,500 | Lifetime £10,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday cancellation | up to £1,500 | up to £3,000 | up to £3,000 | up to £3,000 |
| Quarantine costs | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 |
| Loss of healthcare cert | up to £250 | up to £250 | up to £250 | up to £250 |
| Emergency expenses abroad | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 | up to £1,500 |
We’re sorry, but there are some breeds that we won’t cover under our Lifetime cover £10,000 limit – you can find more details in our FAQ section 
.
What is pet insurance lifetime cover?
Owning a pet is a big responsibility, as is taking care of their health and wellbeing. Cats, dogs and rabbits can suffer recurring illnesses or conditions throughout their lives, which can be costly to treat.
That's where lifetime cover comes in.
What does lifetime pet insurance cover mean?
Our lifetime pet insurance is our most comprehensive cover. It helps with the cost of one-off illnesses and recurring conditions over an unlimited amount of time. And the cover limit resets each year.
If your pet developed the condition after you took out the lifetime policy, you’ll be covered for as long as your pet needs help. This means you can claim up to £10,000 each year towards vet costs for the same condition or illness – and you can do this every year for the entire duration of the policy.
This is different to both our maximum benefit and time limited policies (available for cats and dogs only). These will help with some vet costs for new illnesses and conditions, but only until your cover limit (which does not reset annually) or time limit (12 months per treatment) is reached.
With our maximum and time limited policies, if your cat or dog is affected by the same illness or condition in the future, treatment fees won’t be covered. So, if you’re looking for pet insurance for ongoing conditions, lifetime cover might be your best option.
Pet insurance options
Dog insurance
Canine cover that’ll keep tails wagging for a lifetime.
Cat insurance
Get your claws into our lifetime cat cover.
Rabbit insurance
Hop on over to discover our lifetime rabbit insurance.
Puppy insurance
Get pup premiums with our lifetime puppy insurance.
Kitten insurance
Find the purr-fect cover with lifetime kitten insurance.
Why buy lifetime pet insurance?
With so many options available, you might be wondering “what is lifetime pet insurance and is it right for me and my pet?” We’ve broken it down so you can decide how to protect your pets with a policy.
- Designed to last from the moment your policy starts to the end of your pet’s life, lifetime pet insurance is a long-term investment into your pet’s well-being.
- Our unlimited treatment period means you can keep your vet bills down, no matter when an emergency strikes.
- Our 24/7 Vet Assistance service is there for when you need expert advice or just general support.
- If you have more than one pet, our multi-pet cover can provide a discount on every pet you decide to cover.
- As long as you keep renewing your policy, your insurance can continue to pay out, potentially saving you money in the long run.
What does lifetime pet insurance cover?
Pets can be expensive to look after, especially when they’re unwell. Our lifetime pet insurance covers a wide range of treatments and therapies to help you and your pets when you need it most.
Our cover includes:
- Veterinary fees
Aside from the medical work that’s necessary to keep your pets happy and healthy, the veterinary fees we cover can include dental cover, complementary treatment, physiotherapy, behavioural illnesses and any overseas treatment that may be required.
- 24/7 Veterinary helpline
When your pet falls ill or has an unfortunate accident, you can’t always get to a vet. With the Vet Assistance helpline, you can speak to a qualified veterinary nurse for advice at any time.
- Cover for death from an accident or illness
It’s always difficult when a pet dies, but with our lifetime cover, you don’t have to worry about the costs of cremation.
- Lost pets
If your pet strays or is stolen, we can help with the costs of advertising and rewards.
- Holiday cover
If you need to cancel a holiday to care for a poorly pet or need vet treatment while you and your pet are abroad, we could help with the costs.
What isn’t covered by lifetime pet insurance?
Unfortunately, we can’t cover every eventuality and there are some exclusions to our policies, as there are with all pet insurance products out there. This includes:
- Selected breeds that we don’t cover under any of our policies.
- Rabbits, who are excluded from some treatments depending on your policy limit.
- We can’t cover all pets unfortunately, but we can cover cats, dogs and rabbits.
- As with all our pet insurance policies, we are unable to cover pre-existing conditions, i.e. illnesses or conditions you were aware of before you bought insurance from us.
What to consider when buying lifetime pet insurance
When you’re considering purchasing lifetime pet insurance there are a few things to think about before you make your final decision.
- Age of your pets
Unfortunately, once your pet reaches a certain age, we won’t be able to insure them on a new policy (they will continue to be covered under an existing policy, as long as it’s renewed each year). We’re happy to insure pets from eight weeks old and we can start new policies for dogs under eight (for selected breeds it’s five), cats under 10 and rabbits under five.
- Pre-existing conditions
We aren’t able to cover illnesses or conditions you were aware of before you bought insurance from us. It’s important that you’re honest about any pre-existing conditions when you purchase lifetime pet insurance to avoid voiding any future claims you may make.
- How much you can afford each month
Consider your own financial situation when you get your quote. Think about what you can realistically put towards paying a premium and work this out in your budget . It might be useful to think of lifetime insurance as an investment of sorts. Putting in now can help to make sure that when you need financial support for your pet, you’re covered.
Handy guides for pet owners
Cats, dogs and rabbits come in all shapes, sizes and personalities. We all want our pets to be happy and healthy. Our guides cover everything from fun facts to lifelong care essentials and insurance information, to help you get the best out of each other.
All you need to know about pets
Curious about your pet’s habits?
Jargon-free guide to pet insurance
Our glossary has all the main pet terms covered.
Health and wellbeing
Discover top tips for a healthy pet with our guide.
Help protect your pet with a lifetime pet insurance policy
If you’re all set to get lifetime pet insurance, you can buy a policy online today. It’s quick, easy and means your pets will get the cover they deserve.
Need to talk to us?
You should find what you need on our help and support page 
. But if you’d prefer to talk to us, our friendly, UK-based team will be happy to help with any queries you have about our lifetime pet insurance.
Frequently asked questions
Are there age limits on cover?
We’re happy to insure pets as young as eight weeks old. You can start a new policy for most breeds of dogs up to their eighth birthday, although for some breeds it’s their fifth birthday. Cats can start a new policy right up to their tenth birthday. For rabbits, it’s up to their fifth birthday.
Don’t worry, once your pet’s insured with us, you can renew their cover beyond these age limits.
What about pre-existing conditions?
Our insurance doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions – these are conditions or illnesses you knew about before buying the insurance.
See what you could be covered for
Can you take out a life insurance policy on a dog?
No, you cannot get life insurance for a dog, but dog lifetime insurance is the most comprehensive insurance cover we can provide, with certain benefits that can help. A policy can cover things like funeral costs and provide reimbursement if your pet dies of an illness or injury.
How can I reduce pet insurance costs?
If you have multiple pets, you can save money on your pet insurance with a multi-pet insurance policy. We offer a discount on each additional pet you add to your policy, making it cheaper than taking out a policy on each individual pet.
What's the oldest you can insure a dog?
The oldest you can insure a dog with Sainsburys Bank is eight years old. There are also some breeds that we are only able to insure up to five years – you can see more details on what breeds these are by reading our Policy Documents.
Any more questions?
We understand how important it is to make the right decision on lifetime pet insurance. To help you get all the information you need, our FAQs list the most popular questions that pet owners ask – as well as others that aren’t so common.
Terms and conditions
* Guaranteed discount for Nectar members: The discount is based on information related to you and the transactions you've made with Sainsbury's supermarkets and Sainsbury's Bank using your Nectar card. For more information go to sainsburysbank.co.uk/nectar
† 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 for each pet on a policy. Pets can have different cover levels. Discount deducted separately from any other offer.
Important information
Sainsbury's Bank plc, Registered Office, 33 Holborn, London EC1N 2HT (registered in England and Wales, no. 3279730) is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (register no. 184514). Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd is an appointed representative of Sainsbury's Bank plc.
Sainsbury's Bank plc acts as an introducer to Pinnacle Insurance plc who is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (register number 110866). Registered Office: Pinnacle House, A1 Barnet Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 2XX. Sainsbury’s Bank plc and Pinnacle Insurance plc are not part of the same corporate group.