Checkers Pet Insurance Review
Rating: 2.5/5 · Starting price: R69/month · Annual limit: R30k · Market entry: New (2025)
Who Is Checkers Pet?
Checkers Pet is a new entrant offered through the Shoprite/Checkers retail group. At R69/month, it's the cheapest pet insurance option in South Africa — by a significant margin. But there's a reason it's cheap: the annual limit is only R30,000, which is roughly enough for one moderate emergency and nothing more.
Pros
- Cheapest pet insurance in SA at R69/mo
- From a trusted retail brand (Shoprite/Checkers)
- Easy to add at a till point or through the Checkers app
- Use any registered SA vet
- Month-to-month — no long-term commitment
Cons
- Only R30k annual limit — insufficient for major surgery
- New product — no track record on claims handling
- No direct-to-vet payment
- Pre-existing conditions excluded
- No exotic pet cover
- No multi-pet discount
Who Should Buy Checkers Pet?
Checkers Pet makes sense for exactly one scenario: you have a healthy young pet, you have savings for emergencies, and you want a very low-cost safety net for minor accidents.
Who should skip it: Anyone with a breed prone to expensive conditions (French Bulldog, Dachshund, GSD), anyone who couldn't absorb a R30k+ bill, or anyone who wants proper cover for serious illness. For those situations, you need Dotsure (R130k limit from R99/mo) or Oneplan (unlimited from R80/mo).
Verdict
Not bad, just limited. At R69/mo you're not buying comprehensive cover — you're buying a small buffer. It's better than no insurance at all, but it's not a substitute for proper cover if your pet is at risk of expensive conditions.