Barkibu offers pet health insurance designed for your animals. They provide simple, comprehensive coverage for dogs and cats, ensuring fast and straightforward reimbursements when you need them most, all managed through their easy-to-use app. With a high Trustpilot rating, they cover up to 80% of vet expenses with an annual limit of €3,000 or unlimited cover.
Barkibu: Pet Health Insurance Designed for Your Animals
Barkibu offers simple, comprehensive health insurance for both dogs and cats, ensuring fast and straightforward coverage when you need it most. Should an unexpected issue arise, we'll reimburse up to 80% of your vet expenses, with an annual limit of €3,000 or unlimited cover.
It's no coincidence that over 45,000 pets are already protected with Barkibu: we're actually the highest-rated pet health insurance on Trustpilot!
Thanks to our easy-to-use app, all you have to do is pay your vet bill, then simply send us the invoice through the app. We'll quickly check if the care is covered by your plan, and you'll be reimbursed in no time.
At Barkibu, we go the extra mile to make sure our clients feel well-supported. We offer attentive customer service, flexible management, and most importantly, speedy reimbursements to ease the burden on pet owners without making them wait.
Pros
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Zero Deductible Claims: Enjoy full reimbursement on eligible expenses without any out-of-pocket excess.
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Lifetime Coverage Guaranteed: Once enrolled, your pet remains covered for their entire life, regardless of age.
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Convenient Telemedicine Access: Benefit from the practicality of remote veterinary consultations.
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Dedicated Prevention Budget: Includes an annual allowance that helps cover routine preventive care, like vaccinations.
Cons
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Initial Waiting Periods: Be aware of a 5-day wait for accident claims and a 28-day wait for illness claims before coverage begins.
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Age Restrictions for Enrollment: Only pets between 2 months and 11 years old are eligible for new subscriptions.
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Capped Preventive Care: Reimbursement for preventive treatments like vaccines is limited to the annual prevention budget, not full coverage.
There's a 5-day waiting period for accidents and 28 days for illnesses from your policy's start date. No reimbursements are issued during these initial periods.
We cover dogs and cats between 2 months and 11 years old. For coverage, your pet must also be microchipped and have up-to-date vaccinations.
No, Barkibu has no excess on reimbursements. This means you won't have a minimum amount to pay before we cover your vet bills. We'll reimburse 100% of eligible costs, up to your plan's coverage rate (up to 80%).
Yes, absolutely! Once your pet is insured with us, they'll remain covered for life. We won't exclude them based on age. Just remember that at the time of subscription, your dog or cat needs to be over two months old and under eleven years old.
Pet insurance for the Digitally-savvy!
Barkibu presents a refreshing, digitally-savvy approach to pet insurance in France, perfectly suited for modern pet parents. They champion simplicity, offering fast and straightforward coverage that aims to ease the financial burden when our furry friends face unexpected health issues. It's reassuring to know they boast high ratings on Trustpilot, suggesting many pets (over 45,000!) and their humans are already feeling the love.
One of Barkibu's biggest appeals is how easy they make managing your pet's health. Their intuitive app is a game-changer for submitting invoices and getting speedy reimbursements, often within 24-48 hours. Plus, their innovative direct payment card can truly take the sting out of vet visits by letting you pay with Barkibu funds upfront, which is a real comfort in stressful times. The added benefit of lifetime coverage once your pet is enrolled and convenient telemedicine access means you always have support. They also include a dedicated prevention budget to help with routine care like vaccinations, showing they care about proactive wellness.
However, Barkibu's predominantly digital-first approach might not resonate with everyone, especially if you prefer a more traditional, in-person customer service experience. While they proudly state no fixed deductible, it's crucial to remember that a 20% variable copay generally applies to vet bills, meaning you'll still cover a portion of the cost. New pets must also fit within specific age restrictions for enrollment (2 months to 11 years), and standard waiting periodsapply before coverage kicks in (5 days for accidents, 28 for illnesses).
Ultimately, Barkibu is a modern, tech-forward option that genuinely aims to make pet health insurance more accessible and less stressful, particularly for those who appreciate digital convenience and rapid support.
Barkibu Plans in France
Option
What You Get
Reimbursement Rate
80% of vet bills for illness and accidents
Annual Ceiling
€3,000 or unlimited, your choice
Prevention
80% of preventive care costs, up to €100 a year, included in the price
Barkibu France has one health plan for dogs and cats, covering both accidents and illnesses
It always reimburses 80% of the bill, so you pay the other 20% yourself
You pick an annual ceiling of €3,000 or unlimited cover
Covers consultations, tests, emergency care, operations and medication
Your pet has to be older than 2 months and younger than 11 years when you sign up, and then stays covered for life
💡 Tip: If you have a large or breed-prone dog, the unlimited ceiling is the one to look at, as one big operation can use up €3,000.
Prevention Is Included
The price includes a prevention plan as well as the health plan
Barkibu pays back 80% of preventive care costs, up to €100 a year
💡 Tip: €100 a year won't cover every routine cost, but it takes the edge off vaccines and parasite treatments.
Cost of Barkibu in France
Barkibu uses dynamic pricing, meaning your monthly premium depends on:
Pet species and breed
Pet’s age at enrollment
Annual ceiling (€3,000 or unlimited)
What It Costs
Barkibu says its cover starts from about €20 a month, and that this price includes both the health plan and the prevention plan. You also get €25 off from your second pet. We haven't listed example quotes here because the price depends on your pet, so get a quote on Barkibu's French website for your exact figure.
🧠 Note: Barkibu’s pricing increases slightly with age, and some breeds may face breed-specific loading. However, Barkibu remains one of the more price-flexible options for young to middle-aged pets in France.
Who Is Barkibu Best For?
✅ Ideal for:
Pet owners looking for clear, app-based policies with prevention cover included
Expats or international users who prefer digital customer service
Dogs and cats under 11 years old in generally good health
Owners who want some routine care (up to €100 a year) included
❌ Not ideal for:
Pets aged 11 or older (they can't be newly enrolled)
People who prefer to speak with someone by phone (app-first support)
Owners who want more than 80% of each bill back (Barkibu doesn't offer a higher rate)
3 Things We Also Liked
1. Prevention is Included
Barkibu's price includes a prevention plan that pays back 80% of preventive care costs, up to €100 a year, so routine care isn't left out completely.
2. Fast, App-Based Reimbursement
Claims are submitted via the Barkibu mobile app in just a few clicks:
Take a photo of your vet invoice
Submit through the app
Barkibu says 8 claims out of 10 are processed in under 72 hours, with the money paid to your IBAN
You can also use Barkibu’s 24/7 vet chat, even outside of France.
3. International-Friendly and Transparent
Barkibu was founded in Spain but now operates across Europe, and its policies are written in clear, accessible language, ideal for foreigners. The onboarding process is fast and doesn’t require piles of paperwork.
What Customers Are Saying
Barkibu has 17,201 reviews on Trustpilot with an average of 4.4 out of 5, according to the customer reviews page on its own website, which we checked on 3 November 2026. Most are 5 stars, but 1,725 of them are 1 star. Here are some recent reviews from France (translated from French):
Positive feedback:
"I sent the refund request at 7pm and was reimbursed the same evening." (GuyomElodie, 17 October 2026)
"I've been with Barkibu for over a year with a cat who's often at the vet for various injuries, and I've always been reimbursed very quickly." (Lucy, 2 October 2026)
Common complaints:
"As soon as you have a question it goes through WhatsApp and it's AI. Getting an agent is impossible and there's no phone." (Eva, 16 October 2026)
"Very disappointed that the Barkibu payment card is no longer available, as it means I have to pay costs upfront." (Tanguy, 19 October 2026)
I signed up to Barkibu for the first time this year and just took my dog to the vet this morning for her annual injections. Its the first time i've had to claim back for these procedures with Barkibu so I decided to submit the "factura" on the app while I was still in the vets office in case there was something wrong.
Literally... within minutes... the refund was back in my account.
I am so, so impressed.
Overall, the insurance is good, but as soon as you have an incident, getting a quick resolution is a bit complicated. They don't have a phone number to call, the emails you send seem to be answered by a robot, and it's the same on WhatsApp. Even if you have everything in order, sometimes they have trouble deducting your share of the expenses, even if you have money in your account. And resolving issues is terrible – on top of that, they block your card (Barkibu). Then you spend a long time trying to get that sorted out too. It's much faster when you pay with your own card and submit the documentation for reimbursement of some expenses; they resolve those in a maximum of two days.
01 July 2025
Team behind this review
Louis
Author
Louis has worked in the comparison industry for 5 years in Sweden after founding another company in France. His industry experience, and strong communication skills have been invaluable in building the bridge between our community and our content. Louis is our ideas man and is responsible for sourcing user and specialist opinions.
Elin Viberg
Author
Elin is a passionate dog lover with roots in Sweden and a background in the service industry. With several years of experience working closely with customers, she has developed a deep understanding of what it takes to deliver outstanding service. Elin's love for animals, especially dogs, drives her to constantly seek the best information and products for pet owners. At Comparesies, she contributes her dedication and expertise by ensuring that our content reflects the care and quality our readers expect.
Thibault Helle
Editor
Thibault has an engineering background from both France and Sweden. Comparesies is his second company after successfully founding a tech scaleup. His experience is vast within insurances and customer satisfaction. Thibault is responsible for maintaining the website and sharing his knowledge through page editing.
Mason
Editor
Mason was born and raised in New Zealand before moving to US and then Sweden. Despite looking so youthful, he worked as a senior website manager for 5 years before founding Comparesies. Mason's expertise in insurance is the most valuable asset for our users. Today he is the primary author/editor on Comparesies.
