Naked has launched pet insurance in South Africa, with premiums starting at R40 ($2.20) a month for cats and R55 for dogs, entering a market already served by established insurers including OUTsurance, dotsure.co.za, Oneplan, MediPet and PawPaw Pet Insurance.

The Johannesburg-based digital insurer said on October 27, 2026, that customers can choose accident-only, accident-and-illness or comprehensive cover that includes physiotherapy and routine care.

Naked said early claims data shows a median payment time of 1.3 days, with 60% of claims paid within 48 hours. About 29% were paid within an hour of approval, while its fastest payment took 12 minutes from submission.

“Our AI helps us to approve eligible claims automatically, even outside of office hours,” said Sumarie Greybe, co-founder of Naked. Claims requiring additional information or human judgement are referred to its team for review.

The company cited the case of a customer whose dog swallowed a sock and required emergency treatment. The claim was submitted at 22:30 and the payment reached the customer’s account at 22:50, after approval and submission of bank details.

Naked allows customers to select annual coverage limits ranging from R15,000 to R120,000 and use any registered veterinarian in South Africa. The insurer says covered treatments are subject to annual and per-claim limits rather than separate treatment-specific caps.

Competition includes OUTsurance, which advertises pet cover from around R65 a month, and dotsure.co.za, with premiums starting at R99. Oneplan, MediPet and PawPaw also offer varying levels of veterinary expense cover, with premiums and benefits depending on the policy selected.

Veterinary costs can quickly add up. Dr Erika Pienaar of Prime Pet Veterinary Day Clinic in Nelspruit said a consultation at her practice costs R585, while surgery to remove an object swallowed by a dog can cost between R5,800 and R15,000.

Pet insurance expands Naked’s digital offering, which already includes car, home, household contents and standalone-item insurance. Customers can obtain quotes, purchase policies and submit claims through its app.