Free Video Vet Services Compared: Joii, FirstVet and PawSquad in the UK

Joii, FirstVet and PawSquad are included with particular pet-insurance policies at no separate charge, but owners reach them through different routes. Joii comes with Waggel, FirstVet is listed with More Than and PawSquad comes with Direct Line. The insurer provides access; the named service provides the remote veterinary contact.

The differences that matter are current availability, the attached plan and stated hours. FirstVet and PawSquad are published as available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Joii calls through Waggel have no usage cap. The More Than route is different: it may remain relevant to existing customers, but it is not a confirmed route for someone buying a new policy.

An included call is not insured treatment. These services sit outside veterinary-fee cover and their use does not reduce the annual limit. The underlying policy's limit, excess and terms therefore deserve more weight than the presence of a video-vet benefit alone.

What 'included' means here

All three services are bundled rather than sold as paid add-ons under the compared insurance routes. In this context, 'free' means there is no separate fee for access beyond the insurance premium. It does not mean a remote consultation becomes a pet-insurance claim.

That distinction is explicit for the route linking Waggel and Joii, where the calls are a membership benefit rather than insured cover. The same wider financial boundary applies across the comparison: using any of the three services does not use part of the annual veterinary-fee limit.

The three video-vet routes compared

The table separates the service provider, attached insurer or plan, stated cost and hours, and the main access qualification. It does not rank the three routes.

More Than and Direct Line also include free video-vet access, reducing differentiation among the compared offers.

The benefit should be assessed with core policy features such as the annual limit and excess.

Access depends on the policy route, not just the app

The routes are not equally open to a new buyer. Joii is included on every Waggel policy with no usage cap. PawSquad is attached to Direct Line Essential, the Direct Line pet policy currently for sale. More Than is not writing new or renewing pet-insurance business, so its FirstVet listing should not be treated as a current new-customer offer.

Existing More Than pages and FAQs describe free, unlimited FirstVet access, but RSA stopped writing new and renewing pet-insurance business in mid-2024 and the former More Than book was sold to Admiral. Existing policyholders should confirm whether FirstVet remains included under their current arrangements. New buyers should compare the live Waggel and Direct Line routes instead.

A video call sits outside the insurance claim

Because the services sit outside insured veterinary-fee cover, a call does not reduce the annual limit. Through Joii, it also does not affect the excess and carries no additional fee beyond the premium. That explains how included access is treated financially; it does not make the call a substitute for insured treatment at a clinic.

Hours matter as much as the usage cap. More Than lists FirstVet as 24/7, and Direct Line does the same for PawSquad. No equivalent hours statement is available for Joii, so unlimited use does not confirm round-the-clock access. Existing More Than customers also need to confirm that their policy still provides the listed service.

Convenient remote access may still be useful, but it is not enough on its own to choose an insurer. The annual limit, excess and remaining policy terms determine the protection available when a pet needs eligible treatment.

Where remote advice stops

Joii's video advice does not replace an in-person consultation, a referral or emergency veterinary care. PawSquad's advice does not replace an in-person veterinary appointment. A screen can support an initial conversation, but each service sets limits on what its remote advice can replace.

Compare the access route and stated hours for convenience, then judge the insurance mainly by its annual limit, excess and policy terms. When an in-person appointment, referral or emergency care is needed, an included video call should not delay it.