Our honest review of OnlyPaws pet insurance
OnlyPaws offers a single Lifetime (Reinstatement) policy with five purchase-time tiers from £1,000 to £5,000 per condition per year. The structure is clean (no percentage co-insurance, only a fixed excess of £99 under age 8 / £200 from age 8) but the per-condition cap is lower than the overall-annual structures most UK lifetime insurers offer at comparable price points. A single cruciate surgery for a Labrador (typically £3,000-£5,000) can hit the cap on the £1k, £2k or £3k tiers and leave you covering the difference. The Booster add-on model is the other structural weakness: dental illness, complementary therapy and take-home medication all sit outside core cover and require paid Boosters, where most UK lifetime insurers include at least dental as standard. The 5-day accident waiting period is longer than the 24-48 hour market standard. CGICE underwriting (Gibraltar FSC) is FCA-distributed via Trusted Insurance Services, but the multi-entity escalation path is more complex than a single UK-regulated underwriter.
Our take: compare before signing up. With Waggel, the annual vet fee limit is configured on a single Schedule of Insurance with dental cover up to £1,000 included as standard, vs dental excluded from core cover at OnlyPaws.
Strengths
- Entry-tier monthly premium typically starts around £8-£12, lower than most lifetime competitors
- No percentage co-insurance on any tier (only the fixed excess applies)
- Body Condition Score discount programme rewards pets in ideal body condition
- Third Party Liability £2,000,000 on dog policies included in core cover
- FCA-distributed via City Insurance Brokers Ltd (FRN 831252)
Weaknesses
- Per-condition annual caps (£1k-£5k) are lower than overall-annual structures at competitors; entry £1k tier insufficient for major surgeries like cruciate ligament repair (£3-5k typical)
- Dental illness, complementary therapy and take-home medication are excluded from core cover and require Booster add-ons at extra premium
- 5-day (120-hour) accident waiting period is longer than the UK market standard of 24-48 hours
- Excluded cat breeds include Asian Leopard Cat, Chausie and Keetso (in addition to Dangerous Dogs Act dog exclusions)
- Hospitalisation cost capped at £180 per 24-hour period (specialist UK vet hospitalisation typically £200-£400/day)
- Referral consultation fees capped at £350, blood sampling fees capped at £35
- Root canal treatments excluded across all covers (no Booster overrides this)
- Multi-entity escalation path: Trusted Insurance Services → City Insurance Brokers → CGICE (Gibraltar) → Financial Ombudsman Service
- Trustpilot score not publicly available at scale at time of writing (May 2026)
What does OnlyPaws cover for pet insurance?
OnlyPaws structures cover around five Lifetime tiers based on per-condition annual limits. Core cover is intentionally narrow: vet fees up to the chosen tier, basic conditions, and Third Party Liability for dogs. The headline UK competitor features (dental illness, complementary therapy, take-home medication, overseas travel) are sold as optional Boosters at extra premium.
| Coverage | £1k tier | £2k tier | £3k tier | £4k tier | £5k tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per-condition annual limit | £1,000 | £2,000 | £3,000 | £4,000 | £5,000 |
| Policy type | Lifetime (Reinstatement) | Lifetime | Lifetime | Lifetime | Lifetime |
| Excess (under age 8) | £99 | £99 | £99 | £99 | £99 |
| Excess (age 8+) | £200 | £200 | £200 | £200 | £200 |
| Percentage co-insurance | None | None | None | None | None |
| Third Party Liability (dogs) | £2,000,000 | £2,000,000 | £2,000,000 | £2,000,000 | £2,000,000 |
| Dental cover (core) | Excluded (Dental Booster required) | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded |
| Complementary / behavioural (core) | Excluded (Health Booster required) | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded |
| Take-Home Medication (core) | Excluded (Health Booster required) | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded |
| Overseas travel (core) | Excluded (Travel Booster required) | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded |
HelloSafe comparison · updated May 2026
Annual vet fee cap vs monthly premium
Each provider's position on the two dimensions that drive value. Upper-left: lowest price, highest cap.
Indicative monthly prices for a medium-breed adult dog, mid-tier plan. Annual cap shown for the top-tier plan of each provider (per-condition for OnlyPaws, overall annual for partners).
Waiting periods
| Event type | Waiting period |
|---|---|
| Accidents | 5 days (120 hours) — longer than UK market standard |
| Illness (general) | 14 days |
| Dental (with Dental Booster) | 14 days |
| Complementary (with Health Booster) | 14 days |
| Pre-existing conditions | 24 months lookback before policy start |
| Pets under 4 weeks old | Not eligible |
The 5-day accident waiting period is the longest among the UK pet insurers covered in this comparison. By contrast, Waggel applies no separately stated accident waiting period in its policy wording, and Agria does not separately state an accident period either (Schedule-defined). For an active dog at high risk of accidents, the 5-day OnlyPaws window is a meaningful exposure during the first week of cover.
What does OnlyPaws exclude?
OnlyPaws' core exclusions are extensive given the per-condition structure and the Booster add-on model. Three areas carry the most practical weight: dental and complementary therapy excluded from core, the 5-day accident waiting period, and the excluded breeds list (both dogs and cats).
| Category | What the policy says |
|---|---|
| Pre-existing conditions (24-month lookback) | Any signs or symptoms within 24 months before policy start |
| Accident waiting period | 5 days (120 hours) — claims within window excluded |
| Illness waiting period | 14 days — claims within window excluded |
| Take-Home Medication without Health Booster | Excluded from core cover |
| Complementary treatments without Health Booster | Excluded from core cover |
| Dental illness without Dental Booster | Excluded from core cover |
| Root canal treatments | Excluded under all covers |
| Out-of-hours vet costs | Excluded unless delay would endanger pet's life |
| Bone marrow / IRAP / OATS / PRP / stem cell / gene therapy | Excluded |
| Prosthetic / artificial limbs | Excluded |
| Organ transplants, blood donation | Excluded |
| Dangerous Dogs Act breeds | Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro |
| Excluded cat breeds | Asian Leopard Cat, Chausie, Keetso |
| Pets under 4 weeks old | Not eligible |
| Blood sampling fees over £35 | Capped |
| Referral consultation fees over £350 | Capped |
| Hospitalisation over £180 per 24-hour period | Capped |
| War, terrorism, nuclear, radiation, pollution | Excluded |
| Epidemic / pandemic | Excluded |
When you read the fine print on the hospitalisation cap, OnlyPaws limits eligible hospitalisation costs to £180 per 24-hour period. Specialist UK vet hospitalisation typically runs £200-£400 per 24-hour period, so even on the higher tiers (£4k or £5k per-condition cap), a 5-day hospital stay is partially uncovered above the £180/day ceiling. Combined with the £350 referral consultation cap and the £35 blood sampling cap, the per-incident sub-caps remove a meaningful share of the headline per-condition allowance for complex cases.
OnlyPaws pricing and reimbursement
OnlyPaws does not publish a fixed price grid; premiums depend on species, breed, age, postcode, chosen tier (£1k-£5k per condition) and selected Boosters. The estimates below reflect core cover only — Boosters typically add 15-30% on top.
Sample pricing
| Profile | £1k tier (core) | £2k tier (core) | £3k tier (core) | £5k tier (core) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cat, 1 year, mixed breed | £8–£12/mo | £10–£15/mo | £13–£18/mo | £18–£25/mo |
| Cat, 5 years, mixed breed | £12–£16/mo | £15–£20/mo | £18–£24/mo | £23–£32/mo |
| Dog, 1 year, medium breed | £10–£15/mo | £13–£19/mo | £17–£24/mo | £22–£32/mo |
| Dog, 5 years, Labrador | £18–£25/mo | £22–£30/mo | £28–£38/mo | £38–£55/mo |
| Dog, 1 year, large breed | £15–£22/mo | £20–£28/mo | £25–£35/mo | £32–£48/mo |
The headline entry-tier pricing on OnlyPaws is among the lowest in the UK pet insurance market for a lifetime structure. The trade-off is the limited core cover: every quote needs the Booster cost added (Dental £, Health £, Emergency £, Travel £) for a meaningful comparison against insurers that include these as standard. Our take: compare before signing up. With Waggel, dental cover up to £1,000/year is included as standard, vs excluded from core (Booster required) at OnlyPaws.
Available discounts
Body Condition Score discount programme: premium reduction for pets assessed as being in ideal body condition by a vet, evaluated every 2 years. This is a structural differentiator vs other UK pet insurers. Multi-pet discount is also available, but the size of the discount is not publicly stated.
Upfront vet costs
Direct vet payment is available subject to vet practice agreement. Claims are submitted via the OnlyPaws portal and processed by Trusted Insurance Services under CGICE underwriting. If direct payment is not in place, you pay the vet and claim back online. For complaints, the escalation path is multi-entity: Trusted → City Insurance Brokers → CGICE (Gibraltar) → Financial Ombudsman Service.
3 reimbursement scenarios
OnlyPaws vs the top UK alternatives
On the OnlyPaws review, the comparison focuses on the three FCA-distributed UK pet insurers HelloSafe recommends as alternatives, plus the two most-searched UK pet insurance brands for context.
What services does OnlyPaws offer?
| Service | Status |
|---|---|
| Online customer portal (onlypaws.com) | Yes |
| Direct vet payment | Subject to practice arrangement |
| Digital claim submission | Yes via portal |
| FCA-distributed (City Insurance Brokers, FRN 831252) | Yes |
| CGICE underwriting (Gibraltar FSC) | Yes |
| Body Condition Score discount programme | Premium discount for pets in ideal body condition |
| Booster add-ons (Dental, Health, Emergency, Travel) | All available at extra premium |
| Vet helpline / video consultation | Not included in core (no FirstVet equivalent) |
| Monthly or annual payment | Both available |
| Multi-pet discount | Available |
OnlyPaws operates online-first via the customer portal at onlypaws.com. Claims are submitted digitally and processed by Trusted Insurance Services under CGICE underwriting. The Body Condition Score discount programme is a structural differentiator: pets assessed as being in ideal body condition by a vet qualify for a premium reduction, re-evaluated every 2 years. There is no integrated vet helpline or video consultation service (unlike 4Paws which includes FirstVet 24/7).
What do customers say about OnlyPaws?
OnlyPaws' Trustpilot score is not publicly available at scale at time of writing (May 2026). Without a meaningful sample, customer sentiment is harder to validate quantitatively than for larger UK pet insurers like Petplan (4.5/5 from 20,801 reviews), Agria (4.8/5 from 11,647 reviews) or Waggel (4.5/5 from 13,274 reviews).
The available customer feedback in forums and review aggregators is mixed. Positive themes: appreciation for the entry-tier pricing and the no-co-insurance structure. Negative themes: surprise at the Booster add-on model when comparing the headline core quote against competitors that include dental as standard, frustration with the per-condition cap structure ("I thought £3,000 was the overall annual limit"), and the 5-day accident waiting period.
How to contact and cancel OnlyPaws
Contact
| Purpose | Channel | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Claims and reimbursement | Online portal | Customer portal at onlypaws.com |
| Customer service | Portal / Email | Details on the OnlyPaws customer portal and policy documents |
| Complaint escalation | Trusted → City Brokers → CGICE → FOS | Multi-entity escalation path |
OnlyPaws operates online-first via the customer portal. The complaint escalation path is more complex than a single-underwriter brand: first Trusted Insurance Services as the distributor, then City Insurance Brokers as the FCA-regulated intermediary, then CGICE (Gibraltar FSC-regulated underwriter), then the UK Financial Ombudsman Service if unresolved.
Cancellation
| Step | Detail |
|---|---|
| 14-day cooling-off period | Full refund if cancelled within 14 days and no claims made |
| Cancellation method | Via portal or written notice to Trusted Insurance Services |
| Refund after 14 days | Pro-rata refund for unused cover, subject to claim history |
| Cover after cancellation | Ceases on the cancellation date |
| Claims after cancellation | No claims accepted for incidents after the cancellation date |
| Renewal | Policy auto-renews unless cancelled, Schedule confirms renewal premium each anniversary |
Cancellation is via the customer portal or written notice. The 14-day cooling-off period (the grace window to cancel for a full refund) is standard FCA practice. After that, a pro-rata refund applies based on unused months.
Alternatives to OnlyPaws
The three pet insurance providers HelloSafe recommends for UK owners comparing against OnlyPaws.
Lifetime cover with annual pool reset, Swedish specialist since 1890, FCA-regulated UK branch.
Mobile-first lifetime cover, dental included as standard, rewards programme for healthy pets.
Flexible plans, accepts pets up to 9 years, multi-pet discount and complementary therapy add-ons.
Our take: compare before signing up. With Waggel, dental cover up to £1,000/year is included as standard within the annual limit, vs excluded from core cover (Dental Booster required) at OnlyPaws. None of the three HelloSafe UK partners (Agria, Waggel, 4Paws) uses a Booster add-on model for dental, complementary or take-home medication — all are included within the annual limit on their core products.
Frequently asked questions about OnlyPaws
Is OnlyPaws pet insurance worth it?
For owners on a tight budget who want a lifetime structure and accept the per-condition cap model, the entry-tier OnlyPaws pricing (£8-£12/month for healthy young pets) is competitive. The trade-off is significant: dental illness, complementary therapy and take-home medication are excluded from core cover and require paid Boosters. Once you add the recommended Boosters, the headline-price advantage typically narrows or disappears vs competitors like Waggel and Agria, which include these features as standard within the annual limit. The 5-day accident waiting period is also longer than the UK market norm.
How do the OnlyPaws per-condition annual limits work?
OnlyPaws caps each individual medical condition separately, rather than applying an overall annual budget across all conditions combined. At the £3,000 tier, a cruciate ligament condition has £3,000 per year, and a separately diagnosed hip dysplasia condition has its own £3,000 per year. Caps refresh at every renewal. The disadvantage: a single expensive condition (e.g. £5,000+ cruciate surgery on a large breed) can hit the cap on the lower tiers and leave you covering the difference. Most UK lifetime competitors apply an overall annual limit instead, which spreads the budget across all conditions.
What are the OnlyPaws Booster add-ons?
OnlyPaws core cover excludes several services that competitors include as standard. To get equivalent cover, owners can add the following Boosters at extra premium: Dental Booster (£1,000 dental illness cover), Health Booster (£500 combined for complementary therapy, behavioural treatment and take-home medication), Emergency Booster (£1,000 emergency costs), and Travel Booster (£1,000 overseas travel). When comparing OnlyPaws against competitors, always add the relevant Boosters to the core premium for a like-for-like cost view — typically a 15-30% uplift depending on tier and pet age.
What is the OnlyPaws accident waiting period?
OnlyPaws applies a 5-day (120-hour) accident waiting period from policy start. This is longer than the UK market standard of 24-48 hours and is the structural weakness of the OnlyPaws product on this dimension. For an active dog at high risk of accidents during the first week of cover, this 5-day window is a meaningful exposure. The illness waiting period (14 days) is in line with the UK market.
Does OnlyPaws cover pre-existing conditions?
No. OnlyPaws applies a 24-month pre-existing condition lookback from the policy start date. Any condition with signs or symptoms in the 24 months before policy start is excluded permanently. This is in line with the UK lifetime market standard. For owners switching from another insurer with continuous cover, ask OnlyPaws at quote stage whether a continuity arrangement is possible to preserve cover for ongoing conditions.
