The 12 Best Pet Insurance Companies
Which Pet Insurance is the Best?
We love our fur babies and want to help them live as long and as healthy as possible. Pets take daily care, and they also require vet visits, whether for wellness, to update vaccinations, if they are ill or in an accident. Veterinarian bills can be expensive, so many owners have chosen pet insurance.
Pet insurance has only been around since 1982, so if you don't know much about it, that's understandable. Pet insurance can be similar to human health insurance where you can see a provider for wellness visits, illness, or accidents. There are in-office visits, telehealth, and 24/7 availability for answering questions.
Saturday, September 14th
2024 Pet Insurance Company Reviews
Healthy Paws
Healthy Paws is one of the easier and more user-friendly pet insurance companies, letting you choose your deductible and reimbursement percentage. No add-ons to decide on, and alternative pet therapies are included. Reimbursement usually happens within two days, and customers have great things to say about the overall experience. Healthy Paws gets our highest recommendation among pet insurance providers.
Pets Best
If you're looking for a customizable insurance policy, especially for an older pet, Pets Best is an excellent choice. Choose between two main policies and two add-on wellness plans. When it comes time to make a claim, you can submit the receipts or have your vet paid directly. Customers love this pet insurance coverage, and we think it's one you should have near the top of your list too.
Spot
If you like one-stop shopping and more than one choice for a policy, check out Spot. They know that each pet is unique, so their insurance needs may be unique as well. That's why they offer several choices for your policy as well as for your budget. With good overall customer feedback and more flexible options than many pet insurance providers, Spot should get your attention when deciding where to buy coverage.
ASPCA
ASPCA offers customizable plans for your pet's needs and for your budget. They're reasonably priced and provide you with the option of making a claim through their app. The waiting time for reimbursement is 30 days, and rates go up as your pet ages. That keeps this pet insurance provider from earning our highest rating, but it's still a good all-around option.
Nationwide
You can put confidence in the fact that Nationwide owns the oldest pet insurance company in the US. They offer choices in plans, but not many choices in premium or plan price. Their app could be updated to include more features, but all in all, it's a good company. In addition, they are one of the only companies to offer pet insurance for birds and exotic pets.
Fetch
Whether your fur baby is a puppy or kitten, or even if they're a senior pet, Fetch can provide insurance if they have an accident or illness. Treatment includes traditional methods but also alternative and holistic as well. Premiums here are higher than many rival insurers, and this is a newer pet insurance provider without as much feedback as some of its competitors. Fetch is worth a look, though.
Pet Assure
Do regular pet insurance policies come up short for you? Try Pet Assure instead. They call themselves the Pet Insurance Alternative - a discount program. Use a vet in the Pet Assure network and you'll get a discount on services. Be sure to take your membership card to your appointment or you most likely won't get the discount.
ManyPets
ManyPets offers a very comprehensive plan, not just the basic accident and illness coverage, and their prices are fair. But, their customer service seems to be lacking, the app is basic, and reimbursement can take some time. If you have patience and want good coverage with an optional wellness plan, you can give ManyPets a try.
Trupanion
Trupanion has one policy, and three optional add-ons that can customize your policy to fit the needs of your pet's health as well as your wallet. People seem to love the ease yet flexibility of choosing the policy and payments, but Trupanion can still be quite pricey - especially with year-after-year premium increases that catch pet owners off guard.
Embrace
Embrace offers illness and accident policies for cats and dogs. They're reasonably priced at the start, but customers have reported issues with conditions being covered during the initial claim and then denied down the road for being "pre-existing”. This is an okay choice for pet insurance, but we suggest looking at the higher-ranked options first..
Petco
Petco offers one policy for accidents and illness, and another one for accidents only at a lesser price. There is an optional wellness program that you can sign up for even if you decide you're not ready to purchase pet insurance. Petco's coverage comes up short on options while still being high in price, landing them at the bottom of our rankings.
Figo
If you want better than run-of-the-mill insurance for your fur baby, Figo has quite a lot of features and optional packages for you. People rave about the app and the 24/7 access to a vet for advice. Along with these wonderful features comes a matching price tag, which may be out of reach for many pet owners.
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However, you should be aware of some essential differences between human health insurance and pet insurance. The vet doesn't file a claim, like your own provider would. You pay the vet bill, submit the claim online or on your phone, and then you're reimbursed by the insurance company - the vet doesn't get involved. Wellness care can be an add-on rider to cover a routine exam, vaccinations, spay/neuter, teeth cleaning, and so on.
Although accidents are the most common to be covered, many companies don't cover illnesses such as diabetes, allergies, or infections. Younger pets may cost less to insure, but that will greatly increase as they age; and when they are elderly, the company may even drop the coverage, so be sure to ask about aging pets, even when your pet is young. You can choose your deductible, copay, max annual reimbursement, and optional add-ons. Find out what coverage they recommend for your breed, and ask about multiple-pet or other discounts.
More dogs have pet insurance than any other animal, and the rate for cats is about half that of dogs. Owners of indoor cats might think they don't need pet insurance, but older felines can have chronic or recurring conditions which might require costly care or frequent vet visits.
While you might not expect your pet to become ill or have an accident, those vet bills can be quite costly, especially if a procedure, surgery, or ongoing care is needed. Unless you're budgeting in anticipation of these, pet insurance could be quite the relief for when you need it. If you have an older pet or pet prone to certain conditions, prices can vary greatly between companies, so we suggest getting quotes from a couple of your favorite companies before you make your final decision. In addition, even if you are getting a puppy or kitten, ask about coverage and premiums as if they were older so you get a look into the future.
When choosing which pet insurance provider is right for you, here are a few things to consider:
- Your pets and their age(s). You may have a cat or dog now, but if there's a possibility of someday adding a hamster, bird, or turtle, will your pet insurance cover the exotic pet? Is there a multiple-pet discount? As your pet ages, he might be prone to diabetes, accidents, and more-frequent office visits, so be sure to ask if coverage lessens, gets more expensive, or even stops with these conditions.
- Reimbursement. If you have a pet that might require a lot of medical bills, you should consider a plan with up to 100% covered on the vet bills.
- Choice of vet. Similar to a human's health insurance, your pet's health insurance company may have in-network vets and others that are out-of-network that they won't cover fully or at all.
- In-office or at home. Typical plans will offer in-office visits. You should consider telemedicine, in-home care, or availability in other countries if you plan on traveling.
- Pre-existing conditions. See if your potential pet insurer will look at your pet's medical record to find out upfront if there are any pre-existing conditions that wouldn't be covered, so there are no costly surprises. Do this even before you purchase.
- Type of plan. You might want your insurance to cover more than just routine vet visits. Consider accidents, wellness care, routine care, preventative care, behavioral treatment, and alternative therapies. Your pet could have better health coverage than you!
- Discounts and rewards. Some companies will give a multiple-pet discount, and others offer rewards for wellness and routine care.
- Helpline. Whether you're new to owning a pet, have a different breed than you're accustomed to, or just worry about your pet, some insurance companies are available 24/7 for help or even for telehealth visits.
TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed the best pet insurance companies available today. We hope this information helps you to get the best pet insurance for your fur baby so they can be well cared for in a long, happy, and healthy life!
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