Pettrac: How much does it cost, and what's the alternative?
Not every database charges by the year. Neither Pettrac nor Pet Database run an annual subscription, so what matters here is what each change costs you afterwards. On a standard Pettrac account a change of address is £6 each time; Pet Database includes every update in its £20 one-off fee. Here's how these two microchip registration services compare.
Pettrac vs Pet Database at a glance
At first glance, Pettrac and Pet Database have a lot in common. Both are DEFRA-compliant UK microchip databases, both help reunite lost pets with their owners, and neither charges an annual subscription. The biggest difference isn't registering your pet, it's what happens afterwards. Pettrac charges per change, and doesn't publish what a transfer of keeper costs. Pet Database charges once, with updates included for life and every fee published up front.
Want lifetime updates without a subscription?
Register a new chip, or ask us to move an existing record.
How Pettrac pricing works
Pettrac charge per change rather than per year, so there is no subscription running in the background. AVID plc manufacture the microchips and also operate the PETtrac database, so AVID is the chip and PETtrac is the record. What costs money is keeping that record current, and one of those charges is not published at all.
- For a microchip that isn't an AVID chip
- AVID chip registration is normally handled by whoever implanted it, and no separate figure is published
- No annual fee attached to holding the record either way
- Charged each time you move, on a standard account
- Changing a phone number or email address is free on any account
- Free address changes for the life of your keepership
- Engraved brass tag
- Missing pet poster tool
- Pettrac's FAQ says only that it varies depending on the type of update
- The amount appears once you are already inside the online application
- It cannot be completed over the phone
- No authorisation fee applies where the previous keeper has died
There is nothing to cancel. Pettrac charge per change rather than per year, and PETtrac Plus is a one-off, so no payment is scheduled in the background. If you want the record itself closed, you need to ask Pettrac directly. Registering with another database does not close it automatically.
Pet Database Membership
Your details will change over the years. Keeping your pet's microchip record up to date shouldn't cost you each time they do. With Pet Database, you pay once and can keep your details up to date whenever you need to. Standard membership costs £20. Or choose the £30 Premium Bundle to add a Smart Pet Tag and perks from partner brands.
What customers say about Pettrac and Pet Database
Both Pettrac and Pet Database are DEFRA-compliant UK microchip databases trusted by thousands of pet owners. While they take different approaches to pricing, both are established providers with strong customer feedback. Pet Database holds the higher score of the two, at 4.8 out of 5.
How to move your pet's record to Pet Database
Moving your pet's record from Pettrac is simple. The chip stays in your pet and keeps the same number, and because any DEFRA-compliant database can register it, you can bring the record across without contacting Pettrac first. Most transfers take under five minutes, though some take longer if the current keeper needs to respond or evidence of keepership is required.
Pettrac vs Pet Database: your questions answered
Yes. The UK PETtrac MicroChip Database is named on the government's list of DEFRA-compliant databases, so a record held with them meets the legal requirement for dogs and cats in the UK. AVID, who run it, have manufactured pet microchips for decades.
Same company, two names. AVID plc manufacture the microchips and also run the PETtrac database. AVID is the chip; PETtrac is the record it points to. The UK database is at pettrac.co.uk, whilst pettrac.com is their international landing page.
There is no annual subscription. Registering a non-AVID chip is £12 one-off. A change of address is £6 each time, or free for life with PETtrac Plus at £16.95 one-off. Phone and email changes are free. The transfer of keeper fee is not published.
Yes. The record is not locked to Pettrac, and you don't need their permission. You can register the same chip number with any DEFRA-compliant database. The chip stays in your pet and keeps its number. Ask Pettrac to close the old record once the new one is live.
Microchip amendments are on 01273 408721, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm. Lost and found pets have a 24-hour line on 01273 408722, running every day of the year. There is a contact form at pettrac.co.uk/contact. No public email address is published.
Through your account at owners.pettrac.co.uk, or by calling 01273 408721. Phone and email changes are free. A change of address costs £6 unless you hold PETtrac Plus, which covers address changes free for the life of your keepership.
There is no subscription to cancel, because Pettrac do not run one. PETtrac Plus was a one-off £16.95, so nothing is renewing in the background. Closing the record itself means asking them directly: call 01273 408721, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm. The record stays with Pettrac until you do, even after you register elsewhere.
No. Pet Database is a one-off payment: £20 for Standard, or £30 for the Premium Bundle, which adds a free Smart Pet Tag with lifetime service included, plus perks from partner brands. Both cover every pet you own now or in future, with lifetime microchip registration and free updates included. There is no annual fee, no monthly fee and no renewal date, so there is nothing to cancel later.