South African insurer Naked now offers pet insurance with fast claims

Naked, a South African online insurer, has launched pet insurance for cats and dogs. Its main pitch is speed. The company says an AI system approves eligible claims automatically, so pet owners wait less to get their vet money back. The cover is sold through the Naked app.

What it covers

There are three levels: accident-only, accident-and-illness, and comprehensive. Comprehensive adds physiotherapy and routine care. Customers choose their own annual limit and their own excess, which is the part of a claim you pay yourself. They can use any registered vet in South Africa. Covered treatments do not have separate caps, known as sub-limits.

How fast are claims paid

Naked uses AI to approve eligible claims, including outside office hours. Harder claims go to its staff for review. Early data shows a median payout time of 1.3 days. Sixty percent of claims were paid within 48 hours, and the fastest took 12 minutes.

Naked was founded in 2018 by actuaries Alex Thomson, Sumarie Greybe and Ernest North. It already insures cars, homes, contents and single items, and it raised US$38 million in January 2025.

What is not known yet

The material does not give prices, waiting periods or exclusions. It also does not say how many claims sit behind the early figures, or which claims count as eligible for automatic approval. Those details matter when comparing it with other pet policies.