customersupport@switchpetinsurance.com

Insurance Cover for the Pets You Love Most with discounts for Parliament Hill customers

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Choose the Cover You Need

Choose from our Lifetime policies with limits between £3,000 and £12,000 or take a Pawguard policy that allows for a single claim for up to £2,000.
(see our F&Qs for full details)

Multi Pet Cover

Allowing you to cover up to five pets on one policy and giving you up to a 15% discount for any additional pets covered.

Expert Care & Advice

We only work with experienced pet professionals, who will treat your pets like family.

Why Choose Us?

The Switch Insurance Promise

Big enough to cope and small enough to care about your pets as much as you do.

Cover for Emergencies

Service you can rely on when your pet needs it most.

24/7 Customer Service and Claim Portals

Take complete control of your policy via your customer portals, where you can make changes to your policy, view your documents and even help to manage your claims.

Your pet deserves the best. Switch today and get cover your four legged family members can rely on

Cover Levels

Cover for One Condition (Backed by Online Support) Full Lifetime Cover, With Max Benefit That Replenishes Each Year and Online Support
Product Cover Pawguard Essentials Premium Complete
Veterinary Fees £ 2,000 (for a Single Claim) £ 3,000 £ 8,000 £ 12,000
Dental Treatment Include Not Included £ 1,000 £ 2,000 £ 2,000
Complementary Treatment Not Included £ 500 £ 1,000 £ 1,500
Prescription Diet Food Not Included £ 500 £ 500 £ 500
Behaviourist Not Included £ 500 £ 1,000 £ 1,000
Third Party Liability Not Included £ 1,000,000 £ 1,000,000 £ 2,000,000
Boarding Fees Not Included £ 500 (per policy term) £ 1,000 (per policy term) £ 1,000 (per policy term)
Advertising & Reward £ 150 per policy term £ 500 (per policy term) including reward £ 250 £ 1,000 (per policy term) including reward £ 250 £ 1,000 (per policy term) including reward £ 250
Theft & Straying Not Included £ 1,000 (subject to policy limits or purchase price, whichever is less) £ 1,500 (subject to policy limits or purchase price, whichever is less) £ 2,000 (subject to policy limits or purchase price, whichever is less)
Death From Illness or Accident £ 750 (age limit of under 8 years old for illness only and subject to policy limits or purchase price, whichever is less) £ 1,000 (age limit of under 8 years old for illness only and subject to policy limits or purchase price, whichever is less) £ 1,500 (age limit of under 8 years old for illness only and subject to policy limits or purchase price, whichever is less) £ 2,000 (age limit of under 8 years old for illness only and subject to policy limits or purchase price, whichever is less)
Holiday Cancellation Not Included £ 500 £ 1,000 £ 2,000
Quarantine Cost Not Included £ 1,000 £ 1,000 £ 1,000
Loss of Pet Travel Documentation Not Included £ 250 £ 250 £ 250
Farewell Cover Not Included £ 200 £ 500 £ 500
Accidental Damage to Third Party Property Not Included £ 500 (per policy term) £ 1,000 (per policy term) £ 2,000 (per policy term)
Fixed Excess Per Claim £ 250 £ 350 £ 110 £ 110

All policy limits are subject to full terms and conditions outlined in your policy documentation. See Attached

Pets Gallery

Dog

Yorkshire Terrier

Cat

American Shorthair

Dog

Norfolk Terrier

Cat

American Shorthair

Dog

American Eskimo

Cat

American Shorthair

Dog

American Eskimo

Cat

American Bobtail

A Reminder of What You Can Get

  • Multi cover pet that allows you to cover up to five pets on one policy
  • A 15% discount for each additional pet insured
  • Take complete control of your policy 24/7, using your online customer portal
  • Lifetime cover for your pets, with annual benefits of up to £3,000, £8,000 or £12,000

Joii Pet Care

Benefit from complementary online support from Joii Pet Care and get advice that:

  • Offers advice from day 1, with no waiting period
  • Is instant and from an expert.
  • Is available day and night.
  • Can reduce the need for a costly in-person appointment with a vet.
  • Doesn’t impact your claims history.
Learn More

Before you make a claim

Using Joii before you to the vet can save you time, money and stress for you and your pet from unnecessary visits to the vet.
To know more, Click here.

It can be worthwhile asking several vets for an upfront quote. Veterinary charges can differ from vet to vet so it is worth shopping around.

It can be cheaper to purchase from an authorised prescription medication site. Simply obtain a prescription from your vet and always make sure you use a reputable UK online pharmacy site.

Regular exercise and a balanced diet is one of the best ways to keep your pet’s health care costs down in the long term. Don’t forget to ensure your pet also receives regular routine health checks.

Submit a claim online

Frequently Asks Questions

Showing FAQs for our Essentials, Premium & Complete Lifetime policies.

Showing FAQs for PawGuard only — single condition cover up to £2,000.

Switch Pet Insurance offers Lifetime cover for your pets. Lifetime pet insurance is designed to help cover the cost of veterinary treatment for accidents and illnesses your pet develops during its life, provided the policy remains active is renewed each year without a break in cover up to the stated policy limit each year you hold cover with us. Please refer to your policy wording for more detailed information on what is covered.

If your policy is renewed, your chosen coverage limit resets and any ongoing condition remains covered.

With a Lifetime policy:

You can claim for covered ongoing conditions year after year, up to the annual veterinary fee limit. This is different to other types of policies where cover for a condition may only be provided for the duration of your existing policy or up to a maximum cover limit per condition, which can leave you covering your complete vet bills over time. With Lifetime the annual veterinary fee limit resets each policy year when the policy is renewed, giving you continued cover for long-term conditions (subject to renewal and the terms of your policy). This diagram outlines how the different types of cover would work if your pet required £2,000 of treatment a year for one condition:

Cover Type

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Time Limited (12 months)

✅

❌

❌

❌

❌

Maximum Benefit (£5000)

✅

✅

❌

❌

Lifetime Cover

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

No – future periods of cover are not guaranteed. Lifetime cover is offered on an annual basis and is subject to renewal. We may choose not to offer renewal, for example but not exclusively in the event of non-payment, changes in risk, or changes in our underwriting criteria. The coverage offered at renewal is also not guaranteed and may change – we will however notify you of any significant changes in your cover each renewal.

No – the premium is not fixed and may increase each year, even if you haven’t made a claim. Factors that can influence your premium at renewal include:

  • The age and breed of your pet
  • Increases in veterinary costs
  • Claims history
  • Our overall claims experience and pricing model

No. Any condition, illness, injury, or clinical sign that occurred or showed symptoms before your policy start date is not covered.

Yes. There is a: 

  • 14 day wait for illness cover if your pet is 1+ year old
  • 3 month wait for illness cover if your pet is less than 1 year old
  • 48 hour wait for accidents
  • 30 day wait for cruciate ligament issues
  • If you have chosen Essentials cover a fixed excess of £350 applies per condition, per policy term
  • If you have chosen Premium or Complete cover a fixed excess of £110 applies per condition, per policy ter
  • If your pet is 8 or older, a minimum 20% co-payment will be applied
  • If you do not use Joii Pet Care for non-emergency or life-threatening situations before visiting a vet, you will also pay an additional £150 excess. Information about how to access help from Joii is shown above or can be found in your policy documentation.

As well as you paying the compulsory excess on your policy, an additional co-payment is an amount you will pay towards the cost of a claim.

Please note that any policy with a pet aged 8+ years will have a minimum 20% applied.

Covered services include: 

  • Consultations, tests, scans, surgery, and prescribed medications. 
  • Dental treatment from accidents. 
  • Complementary treatments (e.g. hydrotherapy, acupuncture) if referred by a vet and from an approved provider. 

Yes, up to the limit stated in your policy schedule. Cover applies only if caused by a medical condition and if treatment is carried out by a recognised behaviourist.

Yes, travel to agreed countries (EU members and UK Common Travel Area) is included for up to 60 days per year. Please note that Third Party Liability cover for dogs only applies in the UK.

Yes, you may insure up to 5 pets on your policy and each additional pet insured will receive a 15% discount.

Yes, you can amend your level of cover at renewal, but you can only lower the level of cover that you have and then will not be able to increase it again.

Yes, you should use Joii Pet Care for non-emergency or life-threatening situations before visiting a vet or an additional £150 excess may be deducted from any claim settlement we pay to you. Information about how to access help from Joii is shown above or can be found in your policy documentation.

You can either pay for your policy annually upfront or monthly via Direct Debit. Please also note that we make no charge for you choosing to pay for your policy monthly.

If we are able to offer you a renewal, we will send you a renewal invitation around 25 days before your policy renewal date so that you can make an informed decision about your policy and contact us should you not wish to renew. Unless you chose not to and you pay for your policy buy instalments your policy should automatically renew. If you paid in full for your policy, you would need to contact us to renew your policy and maintain cover. Details about how to do so will be included in your renewal invitation.

You can submit a claim via the link in your customer portal.

We are paid a percentage of the premium you pay and charge a fee for setting up your policy, which enables us to maintain our services to you.

Spaying and neutering are considered routine procedures and are excluded from cover.

Yes, we will not cover the following dogs or any pet that is crossbred or mixed with any of these excluded breeds:

Abruzzese Mastiff, African Crested Dog, African Wild Dog, Alangu Mastiff, American Bulldog, American Bully, American Bully XL, American Indian Dog, American Mancon, American Mastiff, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Rottweiler, American Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Argentine Dogo, Argentinian Mastiff, Australian Dingo, Bandogge, Bandogge Mastiff, Blue Bull Terrier, Boerboel, Bole, Boar Hound, Brazilian Mastiff, Bully, Bully Kutta, Canadian Inuit Dog, Canary Dog, Canary Mastiff, Cane Corso, Cão de Fila de São Miguel, Cão Fila, Chinese Shar Pei, Cirneco Dell Etna,  Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, Dingo, Dogo Argentino, Dogue Brasileiro, Dogue Brasileros, Dogue de Bordeaux, East Siberian Laika, Fila Brasileiro, Grand Bleu de Gascoigne, Gull Dong, Husky Wolf Hybrid, Inuit Dog American, Irish Staffordshire, Irish Staffordshire Blue Bull Terrier, Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Irish Wolfhound, Italian Mastiff, Japanese Mastiff, Japanese Tosa, Johnson American Bulldog, Korean Jindo, Korean Mastiff, Laika, Libyan Desert Dog, Neapolitan Mastiff, Northern Inuit Dog, Mexican Hairless (any variant) Pakistani Bull Dog, Perro de Presa Canario, Pit Bull Mastiff, Pit Bull Terrier, Pocket Bully, Presa Canario, Racing Greyhound, Sarloos Wolfhound, Segugios Italiano, Shar Pei, South African Boerboel, South African Mastiff, Tamaskan Dog, Tibetan Mastiff, Tosa, Tosa Inu, Utonagan Dog, Wolf Hybrid, Wolfdog and Working Sheepdog.

We will also not cover any dog that must be registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, the Dangerous Dogs Act (Northern Ireland) 1991 and the Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997 or any further amendments to these Acts, and/ or any pet breed/species which is excluded by us and is listed below (including breeds which are known or classed as the names listed).

Yes, insure more than 1 pet and will receive up to a 15% discount for all additional pets insured, subject to our minimum premiums.

  • We define a pedigree pet as when your pet’s parents are both from the same breed (sometimes this is referred to as a purebred).
  • Crossbreeds are when your pet is a combination between 2 different breeds.
  • A mongrel and a moggie do not belong to one officially recognised breed and results from the crossing of different breeds or types (also referred to as a mixed breed).

You can change your marketing preferences within your customer portal .

If your pet requires a referral to a specialist vet or treatment needs to be provided by a different vet for specific condition, you can submit a claim for each treating vet as part of a continuation claim.

You can get a quote online in just a few minutes. Click Here

Please login to your customer portal and make these changes.

It depends on the complexity of the claim being made. All claims are dealt with as quickly, efficiently and accurately as possible.

The most efficient way to submit your claim is online (insert web link). Please ensure you have the following documentation and information to hand:

  • Your policy number and Policy Schedule.
  • The full medical history for first claims.
  • An up to date medical history.
  • A fully itemised invoice for each treatment.
  • Full name and address for any treating vets.
  • If claiming for injury or illness, you will need details of the condition start date and the treatment dates.

If your pet has ongoing treatment for an illness or injury, this may occur over a period of time. Each time any further treatment or medication is provided, you have the ability to submit a secondary claim for that condition – also known as ‘continuation of treatment’ or a ‘continuation claim’. This means that subsequent claims following a first claim can be linked and assessed using the correct policy cover, limits and excesses applicable.

Pre-existing conditions are conditions or illnesses that your pet showed signs of, have been clinically diagnosed with or investigated before the start of your policy.

Your documents will be emailed to you when you take your policy or make a change to your policy, but they can also be accessed at any time via your customer portal.

Yes, you can cancel your policy at any time:

  • If no claim has been made against your policy, then you will be refunded the pro rata amount for the time your policy still had to run.
  • If a claim has been made against your policy, then you will not receive any refund and the total premium for your policy will still be due if you pay by instalments.

Please note that individual policy limits exist and cover for the Lifetime of your pet is subject to continuation of cover.

PawGuard is a simple, affordable pet insurance policy designed to protect you against the cost of one unexpected illness or injury. It covers a single condition, up to £2,000 of vet fees, for up to 12 months from when the condition first showed clinical signs, together with a package of everyday digital vet care through Joii that you can use at any time, whether or not you ever claim.

Most pet insurance falls into one of four types: lifetime, time-limited, maximum benefit or accident-only. PawGuard doesn’t fit neatly into any of them – it’s deliberately simpler. Rather than covering multiple conditions at once, it protects you against the single unexpected illness or injury that would otherwise be hard to afford, at a lower price than fuller cover.

Think of it as an entry point and real protection for the big unexpected bill, plus everyday digital vet care, with a straightforward route to upgrade to fuller cover when you’re ready.

PawGuard is arranged by Switch Pet Insurance and underwritten by Protect Insurance PCC – Cell Universal, who is authorised by the Gibraltar Financial Commission under reference 1233758.

PawGuard covers vet fees for the treatment of one illness or one injury, up to £2,000, for up to 12 months from the date the condition first showed clinical signs. It also includes:

  • Up to £750 cover if your pet passes away as a result of an accident or illness and your pet is aged under 8, with no excess to pay
  • Up to £150 towards advertising and reward if your pet goes missing, with no excess to pay
  • Joii digital pet care, which provides up to 2 video consultations per month* and unlimited use of the Joii AI symptom checker
  • Access for you to obtain discounted medication through Petscribers

One condition means a single illness or injury, including all treatment that relates to it. For example, if your dog tears a cruciate ligament, all vet fees for diagnosing and treating that injury – consultations, imaging, surgery, medication and follow ups – count as one condition. Conditions that are medically connected to each other are also treated as the same condition.

Once your pet first shows clinical signs of the condition, you’re covered for eligible treatment costs for that condition for up to 12 months, or until the £2,000 limit is reached, whichever comes first. After that point, further treatment for the same condition isn’t covered.

Your Joii digital vet care and Petscribers benefits continue for as long as your policy remains active. If you renew your policy, your policy benefit of £2,000 for vet’s fees for a new illness or injury will be replenished, but you will not be able to claim for the same condition you have already claimed for.

No. If your pet passes away as a result of an accident or illness you are covered up to £750 and won’t have any excess deducted from your settlement.

The excess is £250 per claim. This is the amount you pay towards the cost of treatment before the policy pays the rest, up to the £2,000 limit. No excess applies to the death benefit or missing pet benefit.

£2,000 will cover a large selection of common treatments. However, some complex conditions – for example those needing specialist referral, advanced imaging and long-term medication – are likely to cost more. If you’d like higher limits or cover for multiple conditions, our Essentials, Premium and Complete Lifetime policies offer fuller protection.

Pre-existing conditions are conditions or illnesses that your pet showed signs of, have been clinically diagnosed with or investigated before the start of your policy.

No. PawGuard doesn’t cover illnesses or injuries that existed prior to cover commencing, which includes conditions connected to them. Any condition, illness, injury, or clinical sign that occurred or showed symptoms before your policy start date is not covered.

Yes. There is a:

  • 14 day wait for illness cover if your pet is 1+ year old
  • 3 month wait for illness cover if your pet is less than 1 year old
  • 48 hour wait for injuries, in all cases

This helps to protect all our customers by preventing policies being bought only once a pet is already unwell.

The main exclusions include routine and preventative care (vaccinations, flea and worm treatment, neutering), routine dental treatment, pregnancy and breeding, and behavioural conditions. Full details of what is and is not covered are set out in the policy wording – please read it alongside the Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) before buying a policy.

Joii Pet Care is a digital veterinary service run by registered UK vets and vet nurses. Through the Joii app you can use an AI symptom checker at any time, and speak to a vet by video consultation day or night, without having to leave home or take your pet to a veterinary practice.

The Joii pathway is a required first step for every claim. When your pet is unwell, start with the Joii symptom checker or a video consultation. Joii’s vets will assess your pet and either resolve the issue there and then – many everyday concerns can be – or refer you to your own vet for treatment. This helps keep PawGuard affordable, gets your pet seen faster, and means minor issues don’t turn into unnecessary stressful vet visits.

Emergency situations are different: if your pet needs urgent, life-saving treatment, go straight to your nearest vet and let us know as soon as you reasonably can.

Your policy includes up to 2 video consultations per month* and unlimited use of the AI symptom checker at no extra cost. These benefits are yours to use throughout the life of your policy, whether or not you ever make a claim.

Yes, absolutely. For treatment, PawGuard doesn’t restrict which practice treats your pet.

Claims are handled by our claims partner, Claimsorted. The steps for making a claim are:

  1. Contact Joii first via the app symptom checker or video consultation – unless it’s an emergency, in which case you should visit your vet as soon as possible.
  2. If referred, take your pet to your vet for treatment.
  3. Submit your claim to Claimsorted. Details of how to do this and what you will need to provide can be found on our website.

Further information on how to make a claim and how long this might take is included in our policy information.

Petscribers is an online pet pharmacy offering significant savings on medication compared with typical practice prices. If your pet needs ongoing medication, ask your vet for a written prescription and order your pet’s medication through Petscribers. This can meaningfully reduce your out of pocket costs.

Yes – PawGuard is designed as a starting point. You can move up to our Essentials, Premium or Complete policies, which offer higher limits and cover for multiple conditions. However, please note that any conditions you may have claimed for under PawGuard, or any conditions where clinical signs were shown before you upgraded, will be considered pre-existing conditions under your new policy.

Yes, you can cancel your policy at any time:

  • If no claim has been made against your policy, then you will be refunded the pro rata amount for the time your policy still had to run.
  • If a claim has been made against your policy, then you will not receive any refund and the total premium for your policy will still be due if you pay by instalments.

If something goes wrong, contact us at complaints@switchproductgroup.com and we’ll do our best to put it right promptly.

No. PawGuard only provides cover for your pet in the United Kingdom.

Yes, you may insure up to 5 pets on your policy and each additional pet insured will receive a 15% discount.

Yes. We will not cover the following pets, or pets that are crossbred or mixed with any of these excluded breeds.

Any dog that must be registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, the Dangerous Dogs Act (Northern Ireland) 1991 and the Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997, or any further amendments to these Acts, and/or any pet breed/species which is excluded by us and is listed below (including breeds which are known or classed as the names listed):

Abruzzese Mastiff, African Crested Dog, African Wild Dog, Alangu Mastiff, American Bulldog, American Bully, American Bully XL, American Indian Dog, American Mancon, American Mastiff, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Rottweiler, American Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Argentine Dogo, Argentinian Mastiff, Australian Dingo, Bandogge, Bandogge Mastiff, Blue Bull Terrier, Boerboel, Bole, Boar Hound, Boxer, Brazilian Mastiff, Bulldog, Bully, Bully Kutta, Canadian Inuit Dog, Canary Dog, Canary Mastiff, Cane Corso, Cão de Fila de São Miguel, Cão Fila, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chinese Shar Pei, Cirneco Dell Etna, Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, Dachshund (all variants), Dingo, Dogo Argentino, Dogue Brasileiro, Dogue Brasileros, Dogue de Bordeaux, East Siberian Laika, English Bulldog, English Springer Spaniel, Fila Brasileiro, French Bulldog, German Shepherd, Grand Bleu de Gascoigne, Great Dane, Gull Dong, Husky Wolf Hybrid, Inuit Dog American, Irish Staffordshire, Irish Staffordshire Blue Bull Terrier, Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Irish Wolfhound, Italian Mastiff, Japanese Mastiff, Japanese Tosa, Johnson American Bulldog, Korean Jindo, Korean Mastiff, Laika, Libyan Desert Dog, Neapolitan Mastiff, Northern Inuit Dog, Mexican Hairless (any variant), Pakistani Bull Dog, Perro de Presa Canario, Pit Bull Mastiff, Pit Bull Terrier, Pocket Bully, Presa Canario, Pug, Racing Greyhound, Sarloos Wolfhound, Segugios Italiano, Shar Pei, South African Boerboel, South African Mastiff, Tamaskan Dog, Tibetan Mastiff, Tosa, Tosa Inu, Utonagan Dog, Wolf Hybrid, Wolfdog and Working Sheepdog.

In addition, we exclude cover for the following cat breeds: Exotic Shorthair, Highland (Scottish) Fold, Munchkin, Peke Faced Persian, Persian and Sphynx.

  • We define a pedigree pet as when your pet’s parents are both from the same breed (sometimes this is referred to as a purebred).
  • Crossbreeds are when your pet is a combination between 2 different breeds.
  • A mongrel and a moggie do not belong to one officially recognised breed and results from the crossing of different breeds or types (also referred to as a mixed breed).

You can change your marketing preferences within your customer portal.

If your pet requires a referral to a specialist vet, or treatment needs to be provided by a different vet for a specific condition, you can submit a claim for each treating vet as part of a continuation claim.

If your pet has ongoing treatment for an illness or injury, this may occur over a period of time. Each time any further treatment or medication is provided, you have the ability to submit a secondary claim for that condition – also known as ‘continuation of treatment’ or a ‘continuation claim’. This means that subsequent claims following a first claim can be linked and assessed using the correct policy cover, limits and excesses applicable.

Please login to your customer portal and make these changes.

Your documents will be emailed to you when you take your policy or make a change to your policy, but they can also be accessed at any time via your customer portal.

Individual policy limits exist and cover for the Lifetime of your pet is subject to continuation of cover

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