Waggel pet insurance review

Waggel bills itself as a "fully digital" pet insurance, which you can manage all through an app on your phone. We've analysed its policies so you can decide whether it's right for your pet.

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By

Esther Wolffowitz

Updated

Fact checked

Who is Waggel?

Co-founded by former Apprentice contestant Ross Fretten, Waggel has marketed itself as an insurer for the digital age since its launch in 2018.

Providing coverage for both dogs and cats, Waggel also offers rewards for improving the care of your animal.

What are Waggel’s cover options?

Waggel doesn’t actually have too many cover options, but it argues this is one of its strong points.

With other pet insurers you can get cheap insurance that will only protect your pet for accidental injuries for instance, so you won’t be protected if your furry friend falls sick.

Yet Waggel only offers “comprehensive” lifetime insurance deals which cover you for injury, illness or disease, on the basis that other types of policies can leave customers with nasty surprises.

Of course you do still have options, with five different levels of protection available for your dog or cat:

£2,000 cover

This is Waggel’s most basic level of cover, offering up to £2,000 protection for any vet fees over the year. Of course, should you renew your deal with Waggel after 12 months, the annual limit will be refreshed.

Features of this policy include:

  • Annual cover for up to £2,000 for vet fees due to an accident, illness or condition.
  • Cover includes for emergency treatment abroad too, although has to be member country of the Pet Travel Scheme.
  • £1,000 limits on specific treatments, such as dental or behavioural work.
  • Offers rewards from its pet food brand partners, such as Butternut Box, Scrumbles and Beco.
  • 24-hour help over the phone or in the app.
  • Co-payment available for dogs over the age of 8 and cats over the age of 10.
  • If your pet dies, goes missing or is stolen you’ll get compensation. Although the older the animal, the less you get.
  • Waggel will support a pet charity of your choosing.
£4,000 cover

This policy is near-identical to all the other coverage options Waggel offers, but you will get up to £4,000 protection over the year.

Features of this policy include:

  • Annual cover for up to £4,000 for vet fees due to an accident, illness or condition.
  • Cover includes for emergency treatment abroad too, although has to be member country of the Pet Travel Scheme.
  • £1,000 limits on specific treatments, such as dental or behavioural work.
  • Offers rewards from its pet food brand partners, such as Butternut Box, Scrumbles and Beco.
  • 24-hour help over the phone or in the app.
  • Co-payment available for dogs over the age of 8 and cats over the age of 10.
  • If your pet dies, goes missing or is stolen you’ll get compensation. Although the older the animal, the less you get.
  • Waggel will support a pet charity of your choosing.
£6,000 cover

This policy is essentially the same as all the other coverage options Waggel offers, but you will get up to £6,000 protection over the year.

Features of this policy include:

  • Annual cover for up to £6,000 for vet fees due to an accident, illness or condition.
  • Cover includes for emergency treatment abroad too, although has to be member country of the Pet Travel Scheme.
  • £1,000 limits on specific treatments, such as dental or behavioural work.
  • Offers rewards from its pet food brand partners, such as Butternut Box, Scrumbles and Beco.
  • 24-hour help over the phone or in the app.
  • Co-payment available for dogs over the age of 8 and cats over the age of 10.
  • If your pet dies, goes missing or is stolen you’ll get compensation. Although the older the animal, the less you get.
  • Waggel will support a pet charity of your choosing.
£8,000

This policy is basically the same as all the other coverage options Waggel offers, but you will get up to £8,000 protection over the year.

  • Annual cover for up to £8,000 for vet fees due to an accident, illness or condition.
  • Cover includes for emergency treatment abroad too, although has to be member country of the Pet Travel Scheme.
  • £1,000 limits on specific treatments, such as dental or behavioural work.
  • Offers rewards from its pet food brand partners, such as Butternut Box, Scrumbles and Beco.
  • 24-hour help over the phone or in the app.
  • Co-payment available for dogs over the age of 8 and cats over the age of 10.
  • If your pet dies, goes missing or is stolen you’ll get compensation. Although the older the animal, the less you get.
  • Waggel will support a pet charity of your choosing.
£10,000

This policy is almost identical to all the other coverage options Waggel offers, but you will get up to £10,000 protection over the year.

  • Annual cover for up to £10,000 for vet fees due to an accident, illness or condition.
  • Cover includes for emergency treatment abroad too, although has to be member country of the Pet Travel Scheme.
  • £1,000 limits on specific treatments, such as dental or behavioural work.
  • Offers rewards from its pet food brand partners, such as Butternut Box, Scrumbles and Beco.
  • 24-hour help over the phone or in the app.
  • Co-payment available for dogs over the age of 8 and cats over the age of 10.
  • If your pet dies, goes missing or is stolen you’ll get compensation. Although the older the animal, the less you get.
  • Waggel will support a pet charity of your choosing.

What’s covered under my policy?

Waggel’s policies offer cover and protection for your pet against certain risks and unfortunate life events.

As explained above, each of Waggel’s coverage options are essentially the same, although you can choose whether you want to be protected for as little as £2,000 over the year, or as much as £10,000.

Below we lay out exactly what benefits you’ll get:

Benefits£2,000£4,000£6,000£8,000£10,000
Injury veterinary fees✓✓✓✓✓
Illness or recurring condition vet fees✓✓✓✓✓
Death, theft or straying✓✓✓✓✓
Third-party liability✓✓✓✓✓
Loss and recovery of your pet✓✓✓✓✓
Death from illness✓✓✓✓✓
Death from accident✓✓✓✓✓
Death from euthanasia✓✓✓✓✓

What exclusions are there?

As with all pet insurance providers, Waggel will refuse to pay out if one of the following general exclusions applies to your claim:

  • Pre-existing conditions
  • Any accident or injury that occurs within the first 14 days of starting your policy.
  • If you fail to notify it within 90 days of treatment.
  • Any preventative, routine or cosmetic treatments such as vaccinations, spaying, castrating, flee or worm treatment.
  • Death, euthanasia and loss and recovery cover ceases at 8 years of age for dogs and 10 years of age for cats.
  • Pregnancy and birth.
  • Any dog used for trade, profession or business.
  • Any dogs used as gundogs, or used to in connection with shooting, pointing, field work or for the purposes of hunting of any kind.
  • Any dog used for guarding, racing, coursing or beating whether for business or recreation.
  • Any of the following breeds: Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, plus any dog described as a “prohibited” species in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

How much is the excess?

An excess is the amount of money you contribute towards the cost of any claim before Waggel starts paying out.

For each new claim you make you’ll have to pay an excess and this is deducted from the annual benefit limit – this is the maximum amount Waggel will pay out for claims over the course of the year.

The amount of excess will depend on the age of your pet and whether you’re claiming for vet fees or third-party damage or injury.

You can see how much you’ll have to pay at the start of your cover though, to find out how much you’ll have to pay in excess fees, see your policy schedule.

What is the claims process for Waggel pet insurance?

There are a few different ways you can make a claim through Waggel, either through your online account or sending a letter to Waggel at 131 Finsbury Pavement , EC2A 1NT, London, United Kingdom.

Whichever route you choose, here’s what will happen:

  1. You’ll fill out your details and provide some information about your claim. The vet who performed the treatment will be contacted and they will have to fill in some details too.
  2. After this the claim will be processed by a member of Waggel’s claims team.
  3. If successful, the insurer will attempt to pay the vet directly, but may send the money to you if the transfer doesn’t go through.
  4. Throughout the process you will get alerts in your app about which stage of the process your claim is at, including a notification that the payment has gone through.

How much will this cost me?

There are a number of factors that can affect the cost of your Waggel pet insurance premium, including:

  • The level of cover you choose. Your premium will be higher if you opt for £10,000 worth of protection as opposed to the lowest limit of £2,000.
  • Age, breed and species. Larger dogs can be more expensive, while older animals are usually more likely to need veterinary treatment, which is reflected in insurance costs.

Waggel insurance pros and cons

Pros

  • Transparent and simple lifetime coverage options
  • Get rewards through its partners
  • Five cover levels on offer
  • Fully digital claims process

Cons

  • Not the cheapest pet insurer
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