It is the last thing any pet owner wants to think about but farewell cover (aka death of pet cover) is a feature that most pet insurers offer as part of their cover levels. Below we take a look at how the cover works, who provides the best level of payout, how a claim work, under what circumstances it can help and any restrictions on the cover you receive.
Contents of this guide
Death of Pet cover is also known with some insurers as farewell cover and is there to provide a monetary payout should your pet pass away from an accident, illness or euthanasia. If you have selected an accident only policy then the insurer won’t pay out if your pet is put down or dies of an illness.
Whilst the death of your pet isn’t something that anyone wants to think about, it can provide some comfort to know that your insurer is on hand to cover costs.
Farewell cover is easiest when thought of in 3 categories:
The limits and age range restrictions tend to be easiest to understand when broken down this way.
At the time of writing 395 of the total 455 insurance policies on sale in the UK offer cover for death by accidents, although 24 of these policies do require you to select to add this element of cover.
357 of the 455 policies on offer also provide cover for death of pet by way of illness – with the same 24 policies providing this cover on an optional basis.
364 policies also provide cover for euthanasia costs, 41 of these policies provide this cover as an options.
The important thing to note on this, is whilst there are a number of policies that offer the cover either as standard or as an option. Most providers do stop the cover once your pet becomes classed as senior. Check your policy wording so you know if there is a limitation here and when this age restriction will apply from. We’ve looked at some of the most popular insurers to give you an idea of when the cover will be removed.
9 years for cats
7 years for dogs
10 years for cats
8 years for dogs
The worst age limits that we have found for death by illness are at just 4 years old with PetTrac and Petguard, whilst the most generous is 10 years for both cats and dogs with Churchill and DirectLine.
In the event that your pet has been put down then most providers can support with the costs associated with euthanasia, but usually this only applies if the treatment is needed to end suffering and not for other reasons, such as financial.
The limits are commonly fairly low up to around £150 but check your policy wording to ensure that you know what you might be entitled to.
Beyond having your pet put down, you may also find that cremation and burial costs are covered by your insurer. With John Lewis, Argos and Agria just some of the insurers including this in their policies.
Some insurers combine the euthanasia, cremation and burial together, which with Tesco is up to £200 on their Standard, Extra and Premier levels.
Our most recent research identified that the limits on the cover ranges from as little as £100 with Lifetime Pet Cover’s £10,000 cat policy, up to £6,000 with ManyPets’ Complete 15k policy
Below we’ve listed the top death of pet cover limits by provider.
It is always worth remembering that the payout you receive is based on the purchase price of your pet and the age at which they pass, so it’s unlikely that you’ll ever be able to make a claim for the full £6,000 limit.
Some pet insurers have added features beyond just the payout limits to their policies. Pet bereavement lines are offered and they normally use external support provided by animal experts such as Blue Cross.
You can call them as many times as you need to speak with their expert pet care teams. Whether you need advice or just someone to listen as you speak about your pet then these pet bereavement lines can be accessed as many times as you wish at no extra cost.
The payouts made under the farewell cover section of pet insurance policies are staggered depending upon the age of your pet. This is also the case for lost and found cover too.
If you have an older pet then the likelihood of them passing away or needing to be put down is increased, therefore the payout that insurers will provide decreases.
The starting amount for a payout is either:
Using that amount as a starting value, age at which the pet dies is then taking in to account to work out how much of a decrease is applied. In the case of Ageas they apply the following reductions depending upon when your pet has passed away.
Check with your chosen insurer to see whether they have similar restrictions on the payout that you could receive by reading the policy wording thoroughly.
Next, we’ll explore more common restrictions and requirements when claiming under the farewell cover section.
The most common exclusion is the one around pet age. When a pet is classed as senior by your insurer then you’ll usually find that the death of pet cover is no longer applicable.
Other exclusions include:
Assuming that you have not been affected by the above then submitting a claim should be straightforward with your insurer via the normal means, however it is worth notifying the insurer within 30 days of the loss of your pet, and ensure that you provide the evidence of the price you paid of donated for your pet to ensure that any payouts are calculated correctly. To support your claim you will likely also need to show:
