MoreThan Review

More Than offers 12 different pet insurance policies for cats and dogs across the UK. Let’s make sense of the policies they offer and ultimately tell you how good they are.

Pet insurance from different providers have so much variation, so can be tricky choosing the correct cover for your 4-legged friend. Our impartial reviews take a look at some key common elements between different pet insurers to try and make comparisons a little more straightforward. We look at:

• Cover types
• Vet fee cover limit
• Inner limits
• Excess and coinsurance
• Claims stats
• Fees and costs
• What’s not covered
• Customer reviews

If there’s anything else you think we can add to improve this review, please contact us on hello@gathercover.co.uk.

More Than pet insurance provides a variety of levels of cover at a mid-level price, but also gives customers the opportunity to tailor elements of cover and coinsurance to impact their policy price. Comparison is key to ensure that you find the best pet insurance for you and your pet, understanding the inner limit of the policy and reading the policy documents carefully can help you to uncover any restrictions that may become important when claiming. Take a look at the details below giving a comprehensive understanding of More Than’s pet insurance policies.    

Pet insurance from More Than offers 12 different policies covering 4 different cover types.

• Accident only – The 2 accident only products offer cover for vet fees arising from accidents for 12 months after the first treatment. Find out more about accident only pet insurance.
• Basic – There are 4 levels of Basic cover, protecting you from vet fees arising from accidents and illnesses up to a maximum of 12 months from the first treatment or until the condition limit is met. Read more about time-limited pet insurance. 
• Classic – There are also 4 levels of Classic cover. They are maximum benefit policies which cover conditions up to a condition limit. Once the limit is reached whether that be in 12 months or 12 years (or longer!) the condition can no longer be claimed for. Explore maximum benefit pet insurance.
• Premier – is a reinstatement policy, providing you with cover per condition per year. The annual vet fee limits range up to £12,000 – but watch out for the inner limits, more on this below. More information on lifetime pet insurance. 

More Than offer 12 pet insurance policies with varying cover limits. The full details of the cover limits are listed in the table below.

Cover Level	Maximum Vet Fees Per Condition in 12 Months	Total Vet Fees Payable in a 12 Month Period	Maximum Vet Fees Per Condition For Life of Pet
Accident Only – All Options	2,500	Unlimited	2,500
Accident Only – No Options	2,500	Unlimited	2,500
Basic (£1,500 vets fees) – All Options	1,500	Unlimited	1,500
Basic (£1,500 vets fees) – No Options	1,500	Unlimited	1,500
Basic (£3,000 vets fees) – All Options	3,000	Unlimited	3,000
Basic (£3,000 vets fees) – No Options	3,000	Unlimited	3,000
Classic (£4,000 vets fees) – All Options	4,000	Unlimited	4,000
Classic (£4,000 vets fees) – No Options	4,000	Unlimited	4,000
Classic (£8,000 vets fees) – All Options	8,000	Unlimited	8,000
Classic (£8,000 vets fees) – No Options	8,000	Unlimited	8,000
Premier (£12,000 vets fees)	4,0000	12,000	Unlimited
Premier (£4,000 vets fees)	1,000	4,000	Unlimited

Firstly, it’s worth noting that the Premier cover levels are lifetime policies but they have per condition limits. This means that whilst you are able to make claims up to the annual limit of £4,000 or £12,000, there’s a further ‘per condition’ limit on these plans which means for each condition you can only claim up to £1,000 or £4,000. 

Should you need to make a claim worth more than these limits then you’ll be liable to find anything over £1,000 or £4,000 on the Premier plans until the policy renews and your per condition and annual limits re-set. 

Furthermore, within the policies there are additional limits depending upon what section of the policy you claim under. We’ll take a look at these in more detail below. 

More Than pet insurance initially offers decent value for money, but there are a few important points to understand before you decide if More Than is a good long-term pet insurance option for you. Remember it can be hard to switch pet insurance later on, as pre-existing conditions are not covered under most pet insurance plans.

 

Cover Level	Dental Cover Limit	Cover For
Accident Only – All Options	£2,500	Accident & Injury
Accident Only – No Options	£2,500	Accident & Injury
Basic (£1,500 vets fees) – All Options	£1,500	Accident & Injury
Basic (£1,500 vets fees) – No Options	£1,500	Accident & Injury
Basic (£3,000 vets fees) – All Options	£3,000	Accident & Injury
Basic (£3,000 vets fees) – No Options	£3,000	Accident & Injury
Classic (£4,000 vets fees) – All Options	£4,000	Accident & Injury
Classic (£4,000 vets fees) – No Options	£4,000	Accident & Injury
Classic (£8,000 vets fees) – All Options	£8,000	Accident & Injury
Classic (£8,000 vets fees) – No Options	£8,000	Accident & Injury
Premier (£12,000 vets fees)	£2,000	Accident & Illness
Premier (£4,000 vets fees)	£2,000	Accident & Illness

 

Only on More Than’s Premier cover can you be covered for dental treatment for illnesses rather than just accidents and injury. Under Premier cover you can claim up to £2,000 in the following circumstances.  

• If your pet has a dental check every 12 months.

Once your pet has had its first check up and your vet has completed any necessary work, if your pet suffers from tooth decay or gum disease before – or at – the next 12 month check up then More Than will pay for the treatment.

• If your pet doesn’t have a check every 12 months, or if the work required is not completed.

If you fail to keep up to date with 12 month dental check ups for your pet does not get the treatment required then your cover will only then cover accidents affecting teeth or gums, treatment for an underlying illness resulting in tooth decay or gum disease, or the cost of removing teeth to treat an illness.

Importantly, none of the policies will cover the cost of the dental check itself or any cosmetic treatment for your pet. 

Find out more about how pet dental cover works.

Behavioural treatment covers support for your pet should need help to overcome issues like anxiety or destructive behaviour such as biting, scratching and clawing. 

If this is something that you feel you’ll need support with, then you’ll need to be looking at More Than Premier cover. This is the only policy type that offers cover for behavioural treatment. With this, you can claim up to
£1,000 to pay for the treatment of changes to your pets mental or emotional state following a vet referral.

All other levels of cover exclude all treatment for behavioural issues. 

Find out more about how behavioural treatment works

More Than will cover your fees for any complementary treatments that your pet requires and those that have been referred by a vet. 6 different treatment types are available, these are: Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Physiotherapy, Hydrotherapy, Osteopathy, Chiropractic treatment. 

Cover levels for all of these types of treatment start from £500 on Basic cover, £1,000 on Classic cover and £1,500 for Premier cover levels. 

Accidental damage protection can cover you in the event that your pet causes damage to your, or someone else’s, property. 

Our research shows that a surpising number of providers do not offer cover for your own property, and whilst you might think that can be covered by your home insurance, that might not always be the case. Find out why with our accidental damage cover explainer.

With More Than accidental damage cover to somebody else’s property is offered on all of their policies, ranging from £500 with their accident only plans, to £1,000 for Basic, £1,500 for Classic and up to £2,000 on Premier.

They do not offer any cover on any policy for accidental damage to your own property. In fact, only 2 pet insurers do offer cover for your own property, they are either Saga (£1,000 cover) or NFU Mutual (£5,000).

More Than offer third party liability cover on all their plans, running up to £3 million pounds of cover on their Premier lifetime plans. 

This cover is only applicable to dogs and can help if your canine friend:

• Injures someone
• Injures another dog
• Damages or breaks someone else’s belongings or property

As long as your dog hasn’t shown any history of being aggressive then you should find that you’ll be covered for vet bills, legal fees, and the cost of damage caused. 

Like most pet insurers More Than do not offer cover for pre-existing conditions under any of their policies. Each provider has similar but nuanced definitions of what a pre-existing condition is, for More Than they use:

For health issues, concerns, illnesses and injuries which you or your vet were aware of before you took out the policy, they are known as pre-existing conditions, they are:

• signs or symptoms of diagnosed or undiagnosed injuries or
  illnesses;
• existing illnesses or injuries;
• existing physical abnormalities;
• existing illnesses, injuries or physical abnormalities which lead to other health issues or injuries;
• illnesses or injuries which are medically linked to existing illnesses, injuries or physical abnormalities.

More Than also consider the following to also be a pre-existing condition:

• Treatment of spinal disc problems if any disc has shown signs, been diagnosed or been treated for spinal disc problems before you took out the policy.

 

For more information on pre-existing conditions and how they work, take a look at our pre-existing conditions pet insurance guide.

Pets Abroad Cover from More Than does exactly that, protecting you for issues that occur whilst you’re out of the UK, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Importantly, aspects of the cover only apply when travelling with your pet to the European Union, so if you’re travelling beyond the EU then give More Than a call first to check if you’ll still be covered.

Cover comes as standard on the Classic and Premier policies, but if you’re on Accident Only or Basic then this is one of 3 optional extras that you can choose to add.

If selected then this can cover you for the following:

• Vet fees in the EU: Your UK vet fees cover is extended and you can use it to pay for vet fees while you and your pet are in the EU. This extension does not increase the limit provided for your UK vet fees but rather just extends the same limit to apply to vet fees incurred across the EU.
• You cancelling your holiday or cutting it short: If you or your family are on holiday in the UK or anywhere else in the world then this cover can protect you by paying for the cost of any lost travel and accommodation expenses if the trip is cancelled or cut short. The covers applies in circumstances where your pet has gone missing, requires life-saving treatment, dies or needs putting to sleep by a vet.
• Needing to administer a repeat tapeworm treatment: More Than will pay for the cost of a repeat tapeworm treatment if your departure home is delayed. So long as your transport company is approved by the UK government to carry animals in accordance with the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS).
• Loss of healthcare certificates: You’re also covered for the cost of replacing your pet’s health certificate if the original has been lost, stolen or destroyed during a trip, or if a microchip fails meaning a new certificate is required.
• You needing to pay for quarantining your pet: If you need to pay for your pet to be quarantined if they are unable to travel due to illness, then More Than will pay the cost of the quarantine period. 
• Incurring emergency expenses abroad: You can claim for additional costs you have to pay if you have to pay for additional accommodation, the cost of returning home and other expenses while you are away on a trip within the EU. This applies if your return home is delayed due to:
  • your pet needing emergency veterinary treatment
  • your pet needing repeat worming treatment
  • the healthcare certificate being lost, stolen or destroyed while you are on a trip
  • your pet becoming lost before your return home

The cover limits on the Pets Abroad Cover differs depending upon your policy level but the table below shows which policies offer which levels of cover.

 

Cover For	Accident Only	Basic	Classic	Premier
European Vet Fees Cover. Extension of Vet Fees when travelling in the EU.	Not applicable	£1,500 or £3,000	£4,000	£8,000
Emergency Expenses up to	Not applicable	£1,000	£1,000	£1,000
Holiday Cancellation up to	Not applicable	£2,000	£2,000	£2,000
Quarantine Costs up to	Not applicable	£1,000	£1,000	£1,000
Loss of Health Care Certificate	Not applicable	£250	£250	£250
Repeating the tapeworm	Not applicable	£250	£250	£250

 

It is important to note that there are certain requirements you must follow in order to make a valid claim. These include the length of the trip abroad which cannot last longer that 60 days and must start and end in the UK. It is also important to note that you are not allowed more than 3 separate trips in the same policy year. 

Due to their being a number of different sections to the Pets Abroad Cover there are also a multitude of requirements and exclusions. These include getting written proof from vets or carriers around any delays or treatment, and receipts of replacement documents. Also ensuring that you comply with the PETS Travel Scheme is key to making a valid claim. 

You should also be aware that you will not be covered for more than 3 trips in any period of insurance, or any trip that last more than 60 days. 

Find out more about how overseas travel works for pets.

Farewell cover is the protection offered by insurance companies when your pet passes away. It’s not something we want to think about but worth understanding how pet insurers can help in the event you need to claim.

Much like Pets Abroad Cover and Lost and Found Cover, Farewell Cover is an optional extra. However the difference is that it is an optional section on the Accident Only, Basic and Classic cover levels. Only on the highest level of cover, Premier, is Farewell Cover included as standard.

Farewell Cover provides protection in the event that you have to put your pet down and wish to claim for the costs incurred.

The level of cover offered for Farewell cover on each policy is:

Cover For	Accident Only	Basic	Classic	Premier
Euthanasia, Cremation and Burial up to	£150	£150	£150	£200

 

Importantly, if you choose the accident only policy then the euthanasia, cremation and burial cover only applies in the event that your pet died from an accident, cover will not apply where the death was caused by an illness.

 

Although not part of the Farewell Cover option. If you choose the Basic, Classic or Premier cover levels you’re covered for costs arising from the death of your pet due to accident or illness. The limits for these are:

Cover For	Accident Only	Basic	Classic	Premier
Death by accident	Not applicable	£500	£1,000	£2,000
Death by illness	Not applicable	£500	£1,000	£2,000

 

As with all insurance, in order to make a successful claim it’s important to understand the exclusions or restrictions.  

For More Than they need you to provide the date and cause of death from your vet and that if your pet was put to sleep that the vet confirms this was necessary to stop incurable suffering.

They also require you to provide evidence of how much you paid for your pet. If you cannot supply this, then More Than will make an assumption based on the market value given the breed, sex and age of the pet at the time you became the owner. 

In order for a claim to be successful you’ll also need to be sure that the death was not as a result of an accident that happens within the first 48 hours of the first period of insurance.

If your pet is lost and stolen then insurers can help you to find or recover your pet through things such as advertising and reward payments, and in the event that you’ve been unable to locate your pet, they’ll also provide cover for the loss of your cat or dog. 

Lost and Found cover does not come as standard on More Than’s Accident only or Basic policies but you have the option to include it. It does come as standard on Classic and Premier policies.

The overall limit for this section is split in to limits for: 

• Advertising
• Reward
• Loss by theft or straying

On More Than’s Accident Only, Basic and Classic cover levels the limits are up to £1,000 for each of the points above. 

If you choose for lifetime cover on More Than’s Premier cover then your Loss by Theft and Straying is raised to £2,000, however the Advertising and Reward limits remain at £1,000.  

Under the Lost and Found cover More Than will help you cover the cost of advertising locally and offering a reward. They’ll also pay the purchase or donation price of your pet if it is permanently lost or stolen – this means if they have been lost for more than 90 days.

Before you make a claim under this section of the policy beware that More Than will want to be informed and need to agree to it before any advertising for your lost pet can happen. So make sure you give them a call beforehand and also ensure that you submit a claim within 121 days of your pet going missing. 

Find out more about how lost and found cover works.

Excess

More Than have a fixed excess of £100 for both cats and dogs for vet fee claims. If you are needing to claim under the Third Party Liability section of the policy then your excess payment increases to £250. 

Excess payments are charged per claim per policy year, meaning that you’ll pay the excess on each new claim you make in the policy year and, should you need to continue claiming for a condition across multiple policy years then the excess payment will be taken for the first claim in each new policy year.

Unlike other providers More Than charge an increased excess payment should you choose a vet outside of their network for any non-emergency referral. If you wish to choose a vet outside the network then the excess payment doubles to £200. 

Coinsurance

More Than give you the option of adding a voluntary co-insurance on all pets under 9 years old. You can select from either 0%, 10% or 20%. Adding a co-insurance will bring down your monthly premiums and could be a good idea for pets while they are younger and healthier. 

After your pet reaches 9 years old then a compulsory 20% coinsurance will be added to your policy. This means that for any claims made you’ll be required to pay the excess plus 20% towards the value of the claim. Find out more about how pet insurance excess and coinsurance works.

The true test of any insurer is their claim performance. More Than claim to pay on average 91% (based on data from July 2020 – June 2021) of all pet insurance claims that are submitted. In comparison to other providers this is a little low. Top providers in the market are seeing claims paid percentages around 97%. 

More Than do not provide information on how long it normally takes them to settle claims, but in general around 7-10 working days would appear to be an average across all providers. This can differ depending upon whether all the relevant information is provided and the vet medical history provided. 

Direct vet payment is offered by More Than which is a good benefit to have, saving pet owners unnecessary stress and being out of pocket. Find out more about which pet insurers offer direct vet payment.

Some pet insurers will charge you to set up, change and cancel your policy. They do this in order to cover administrative costs as well as cover them in cases where the risk of you claiming may increase or the cost of a claim may increase – when you move house for example. 

You can find More Than’s fees and charges below:

• Cancellation fee: £0
• Adjustment fee: £0
• Replacement policy documents fee: £0
• Set up fee: £0
• Renewal fee: £0

As well as the specific exclusions detailed in the relevant sections above there are also general exclusions that apply to More Than policies. These tend to be typical for most insurers but double check these to make sure you don’t come unstuck. 

Policyholder Requirements

• As a policyholder with More Than you must:
  • Be the owner and keeper of the pet.
  • Be at least 18 years old.
  • Live in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.
  • Never have had an insurance policy declared void or cancelled by an insurer.
  • Have the pet living with you at your address.

Age Limits

• In order to get covered your pet must be at least 8 weeks old on the day that the policy starts.
• A compulsory coinsurance payment of 20% is added to your policy in addition to your standard excess once your pet turns 9 years old. Learn more about coinsurance and excess payments
• Pets over 9 years old are classed as senior pets and therefore will likely see a larger increase in premium at this age. Find out more about pet insurance for older cats and older dogs. 

Pre-existing conditions 

• More Than does not offer specific cover for pre-existing conditions for pet insurance. Therefore any conditions your pet currently has will be excluded from cover. Any treatment for these will need to be paid by the policyholder. Read our guide for more information on pre-existing condition pet insurance.
• More Than define pre-existing conditions as: Health issues, concerns, illnesses and injuries which you or your vet were aware of before you took out the policy, they are:
  • signs or symptoms of diagnosed or undiagnosed injuries or illnesses;
  • existing illnesses or injuries;
  • existing physical abnormalities;
  • existing illnesses, injuries or physical abnormalities which lead to other health issues or injuries;
  • illnesses or injuries which are medically linked to existing illnesses, injuries or physical abnormalities.
• Specific injuries or treatment required to cruciate ligament in a second leg, and spinal disc injuries are also treated as pre-existing conditions by More Than

Waiting period

• Within the 14 days of the policy you will not be covered for illnesses first starting – or any illness that develops from them – which you or your vet were aware of.
• You’ll also not be able to claim for accidents within the first 48 hours of your policy starting, or any illness or injury that develops from them. 

Excluded pets

• Cover will not be accepted or subsequently cancelled if your pet is found to have been:
  • Used for breeding (if your pet has been bred off more than 2 times in its life)
  • Used as a business to make money or earn an income.
  • Has had complaints made about its behaviour (aggression, biting, attacking). Treatment for behavioural issues is also excluded from cover.
  • Has caused an incident or legal action.
  • A dog that has been trained to attack, used for security or as a guard dog.
  • A dog that is used for racing.
  • A dog that is used for fighting.
  • Is a pedigree, cross or mixed breed of any of the following: Pit Bull, Pit Bull type, Japanese Tosa, Fila Braziliero, Dogo Argentino, American Bulldog, Wolf/Wolf hybrid or of any other breed which is not shown on the breed list on the More Than website.

Routine and preventative care

• Typical routine, over-the-counter medicine or cosmetic treatment is excluded from cover. This includes supplements and probiotics, such as joint supplements, nutraceuticals, vitamin and mineral supplements, and organ supplements.
• Vaccinations, homeopathic vaccinations, flea, tick or worming treatment are all excluded from cover.
• Conditions arising from not vaccinating your pet such as parvovirus, hepatitis, distemper, leptospirosis in dogs or feline leukemia, cat flu or infectious enteritis in cats will be excluded.
• Treatment, tests or procedures that do not treat an illness or injury, or that are preventative or cosmetic, including spaying and castration. Any complications that arise from these procedures are also excluded.
• Routine examinations such as nail clipping, bathing or de-matting are excluded.

Pregnancy

• Treatment needed during pregnancy or directly resulting from pregnancy whether to the pet or the litter will be excluded from cover.

Bi-lateral conditions

• With More Than cover if the same accident causes your pet to suffer:
  • Disc problems to one or more discs will not receive a separate vet fee limit for each disc. It will be paid once for all the health issues linked to that accident;
  • A number of injuries or if the accident causes your pet to suffer from an illness, then you’ll receive a pay out once for all health issues linked to the accident, not a separate limit for each resulting injury or illness.

Find out more about bi-lateral conditions.

Claims

• More Than will not pay claims if you take longer than 60 days to notify them, nor will they pay any invoices over 12 months older that the last date of treatment.

Vet Treatment and Costs

• Vet treatment outside normal hours will not be covered unless the vet considers it an emergency.
• Hospitalisation of your pet where it is deemed non-essential. This includes house calls made by your vet, unless your vet declares that moving your pet would seriously endanger them.
• Prosthesis, including any veterinary treatment needed to fit the prosthesis is excluded from cover, with the exception of the cost of hip, knee and/or elbow replacement.
• An costs associated with vet admin, such as charges for filling or providing prescriptions or completing claims forms.
• Any treatment costs incurred after the policy limit is reached or the 12 months period.
  has passed from the date the injury or illness was first treated, will be excluded.
• The cost of transplant surgery, including pre and post operative care will not be covered. 
• Stem-cell or gene therapy.
• Any post mortem costs.

Above we’ve looked at the intricacies of More Than pet insurance policies, but it’s always worth checking verified reviews from existing customers. We’ve looked at reviews published on Trustpilot (4.1/5) and Reviews.io (4.2/5) to find some comments on how More Than perform from a policyholders point of view. 

It’s worth mentioning that due to More Than having multiple types of insurance the overall scores are for all their products not just pet insurance. Though below we’ve taken the latest 4 reviews from Trustpilot that included the word ‘pet’. These were created on 31st October 2021.