MyPetCard

MyPetCard is a UK-based fintech platform reimagining how pet owners plan and pay for their pets’ health. The company provides an affordable, flexible alternative to traditional pet insurance by enabling proactive savings, immediate access to funds, and practical support services aligned with real pet owner behaviour.

Pet care is a large, emotionally driven and recurring area of consumer spend, yet traditional insurance products are complex, opaque and frequently fail customers at the point of need through exclusions, excesses and delayed reimbursements. As a result, many pet owners are underinsured or uninsured, despite a strong desire to provide the best possible care. MyPetCard shifts the model from risk transfer to financial readiness. Customers build a dedicated pet care fund through regular contributions held on a prepaid card that can be used instantly for pet-related expenses. Funds always belong to the customer, with no claims process, no exclusions and no restrictions on where care is accessed.

The product is complemented by high-value benefits including partner discounts with pet care and veterinary medicine providers, a free 24/7 veterinary advice phone service, and access to specialist third-party finance for pet-related treatments when savings are insufficient.

The UK pet care market exceeds £7bn annually, with around 59% of households owning a pet and relatively low insurance penetration. MyPetCard applies a subscription-led, card-based fintech model to this underserved market, similar in behavioural dynamics to platforms such as GoHenry.

The business operates a simple revenue model comprising a joining fee, monthly subscription and transaction margin. Underlying unit economics are strong, with operating breakeven achieved at relatively low customer scale. MyPetCard is building a scalable, capital-efficient platform with the potential to become a category-defining business in pet care finance.

MyPetCard was conceived by serial entrepreneur and pet care veteran John Darlington, driven by years of frustration at hearing repeated stories of heartache and distress where pets and their owners were failed by either poor financial planning or the limitations of traditional pet insurance. Despite strong emotional attachment to their pets, too many owners were forced into impossible decisions at moments of medical need.

Recognising that the problem was not a lack of care, but a lack of suitable financial tools, John set out to build a better alternative. He partnered with fintech veteran Sonya Cunningham, bringing together deep domain knowledge in pet care with extensive experience in regulated financial services. Together, they founded Petcards with the ambition of creating a fundamentally different approach to pet care finance.

Leveraging the enabling technologies underpinning the fintech revolution, and drawing inspiration from pioneers such as GoHenry, Petcards has rapidly developed a market-ready proposition that has already demonstrated strong early customer appeal. The platform is built on highly scalable infrastructure, with key elements of the technology stack provided by experienced third-party partners. This allows the business to focus its resources on proposition development, regulatory compliance and go-to-market execution.

The underlying unit economics are strong, enabling Petcards to reach breakeven at relatively low customer volumes. This provides the business and its investors with genuine flexibility around the pace and scale of growth investment. To date, the company has been funded entirely by the founders, with a deliberate decision not to take on external capital until the product was live and ready to scale. As a result, future investment is intended to drive growth rather than prove the concept or bring the product to market.

John Darlington 

John is the visionary behind MyPetCard, has always been an avid animal lover and advocate for affordable pet care. He grew up surrounded by pets and developed a deep understanding of their needs following a 20+ year career in the animal care industry including successfully developing brands such as Animals First and Vets Med Direct.

Armed with a degree in dogged determination, John has created a solution that will ease the burden of pet expenses having seen first-hand the upset that pet insurance can cost for customers.

His passion for innovation and dedication to improving the lives of pets and their owners led to the creation of MyPetCard. As the ‘Head of Treats’, John ensures that every aspect of the service reflects his commitment to quality care and customer satisfaction. Under his leadership, MyPetCard has big dog ambitions to become the No1trusted partner for pet owners across the UK, offering benefits that go beyond mere financial savings.

Interesting pet fact – John used to own budgies

Sonya Cunningham – Commercial Director

Sonya Cunningham is a prominent figure in the fintech industry, known for her expertise in delivering innovative financial services and transforming global banking systems. She is currently a Partner at Potion, who are at the forefront of designing and driving changes in the financial sector, from open banking to embedded finance and the regulatory frameworks underpinning future opportunities.

Sonya’s career includes senior positions at EY, FIS, and RBS, where she led high-profile programs to incubate and integrate fintech solutions. Sonya is also recognized for her contributions to global financial service ecosystems, including her involvement in events like Finance of Tomorrow 2024, which focused on fostering collaboration and innovation in financial services

Currently in long term partnership with Coco, my 5 year old Havanese dog, my constant companion and cheerleader as I travel country competing with horses or when I’m working from home. Servant to Colin the 12 year old cat who joined us from the local cat shelter as a rescue kitten with an intolerance to cat food! Nursed up to become a healthy productive mouser.

Interesting pet fact – Sonya is a dedicated equestrian who competes at international level and breeds her own horses.