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Ralph Davidson
- May 6, 2023
The everyday needs for medical care and pricey vet bills that come with pet parenting make pet insurance essential for every owner.
Key Benefits
- Vet Direct Pay
- Budget-friendly
- Discount Options
- Flat-rate Packages
- User-Friendly Digital Services
TL;DR
| Policy Name | Coverage | Cost | Benefits | Claims Process | Overall Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pet Insurance Plans | Accidents and illnesses | Varies by plan and pet |
|
Submit claims online or through the Pets Best app | 4.5/5 |
| *Prices vary based on pet age, breed, and location. Pets Best offers a variety of plans with different levels of coverage and deductibles. | |||||
What Pets Best aims for in this sector is evident by the name of this company – a revolutionary approach that’s further proved by their implementation of technology.
Not only does this provider use practical digital tools that stand out from the competition, but it also offers some of the most budget-friendly plans in the industry.
If you consider Pets Best as an option for your four-legged friend’s health expenses – you’ve come to the right place. We went through all the benefits they offer to give you an unbiased review of this pet insurance solution.
About Pets Best
Besides the ambitious brand name, Pets Best has a promising and reliable history. It was launched in 2005 by Dr. Jack Stephens – a licensed vet who had also started the first American pet insurance provider – Veterinary Pet Insurance.
At first, the company located its headquarters in Idaho and targeted pet parents within the borders of the US. In 2008, Pets Best expanded its services to Japan, while in 2011, the company became the first to offer electronic claim filing.
In the following years, Pets Best has witnessed continuous growth, attracting hundreds of thousands of pet parents until the eventual acquisition by CareCredit – a health and wellness financing platform, in 2019.
How Does It Work?
Pets Best provides cat and dog owners with medical coverage for their pets’ health conditions, accidents, and injuries. Compared to other pet insurance providers, Pets Best is more useful as it offers additional options for routine vet care.
This company allows you to adapt the annual benefit limit, deductible, and reimbursement level to your personal budget.
Unlike some competitors that don’t allow enrollment of pets older than a certain age, Pets Best lets owners sign their senior cats and dogs up for a coverage plan.
In order to give you an honest insight into the quality of the Pets Best insurance plans, we included the main advantages and disadvantages of this provider’s services.
Pros
- Budget-friendly pet insurance solutions – Pets Best offers vet care coverage at reasonable prices. Their premiums are even more affordable for younger cats and dogs.
- User-friendly digital services – This company allows you to submit a claim online and reach their customer service via chat messaging. The support team is available 24/7 for any veterinary advice you need.
- Discount options – Loyal pet-owning customers can benefit from several special discounts offered by Pets Best. For example, if you pay monthly premiums for a whole year, you can save up to $24, and a 5% off is given to families with multiple non-human members. You can even combine discounts for the most budget-friendly solution.
- Flat-rate packages – The age and breed of your pet do not affect premiums for wellness and accident-only insurance plans, only the species.
- Vet direct pay – Provided that your vet agrees to it, Pets Best can pay them directly.
Cons
- Small annual coverage limit options – When it comes to accident and illness insurance, you can only choose between an unlimited alternative or a $5,000 limit.
- Funeral expenses not included – Pets Best hasn’t considered adding end-of-life costs in any of the packages offered, which is a significant drawback.
Available Plans
With Pets Best, you can choose and adapt different aspects of the medical coverage plan for your dog or cat according to your needs. The company gives you the option to set up an annual benefit limit, yearly deductible, and reimbursement amount in accordance with the monthly expenses you can afford.
When it comes to insurance premiums, you can pay them monthly, quarterly, or annually. You have the option to set an annual benefit limit of $5,000 or go without a limit at all. Deductibles can vary from $50 to $1,000 on an annual level, while reimbursement comes at 70% to 90%.
Pets Best insurance plans work with all animal hospitals and licensed veterinarian’s offices in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
They cover vet care expenses in case of:
- Accidents
- Curable health conditions
- Chronic, congenital, and hereditary diseases
- Emergency care
Pets Best insurance plans come at three levels:
- Essential – offering basic coverage with no additional benefits to choose
- Plus – covering the basics plus related examination fees
- Elite – including rehabilitation expenses
How to Purchase an Insurance Plan from Pets Best?
The process of obtaining a pet insurance plan from Pets Best is straightforward and you can complete the whole process online.
First of all, you need to get an online quote and provide all the required data for your pet: species (cat or dog), name, age, gender, breed, and veterinarian. Plus, you are supposed to give several answers connected to your pet’s possible previous health issues and add your personal information – name, email address, and ZIP code.
After that, you should choose the plan that suits you best – Essential, Plus, or Elite, along with optional benefits offered by the company.
Waiting Period
Once you complete the process of purchasing an insurance plan, you should wait before it starts covering your expenses.
In general, Pets Best has three waiting periods:
- Three-day waiting period for accidents
- Two-week waiting period for illnesses
- Six-month waiting period for a cruciate ligament issue
In comparison to their competition, Pets Best provides an accident waiting period shorter than most other providers, while the illness waiting period is industry-average.
However, you might want to reconsider turning to Pets Best insurance in case your pet has a recurring issue with cruciate ligament, as six months is quite a long and unfavorable waiting period.
Claims
This company is a pioneer in the full digitalization of its claim submission process – a benefit that some pet insurance providers still don’t offer. You can file your claim on Pets Best’s official website or through their mobile app.
If you are looking for a pet insurance provider that can pay your vet directly, Pets Best is one of your top solutions. With their Vet Direct Pay option, your vet can receive payment for their services upfront.
Cancellation Policy
In case the Pets Best vet care coverage doesn’t satisfy your pet’s and your needs, you can cancel your insurance plan anytime. Just like the subscription, you can complete this process online.
All you need to do is fill out an online form and wait for the support team to receive the notice. You can also call them or reach out via chat.
Vet Direct Pay
Budget-friendly
Discount Options
Flat-rate Packages
User-Friendly Digital Services
What Does Pets Best Insurance Cover?
While Pets Best’s insurance packages cover different aspects of pet healthcare, the primary causes for vet visits included in them can be summed up in the following list:
- Injuries from accidents such as bone trauma, foreign body ingestion, poisoning
- Treatment for curable conditions such as diabetes, urinary tract infections, arthritis, and cancer
- Congenital and hereditary diseases such as epilepsy, glaucoma, or dysplasia
- Diagnostic procedures such as bloodwork and MRI scans
- Emergency care
- Hospitalizations and surgeries
- Chronic illnesses
- Pet dentist visits
- Rehabilitation therapy
- Prescription meds
- Prosthetics and wheelchairs
Accident-Only vs. Routine Care Coverage
Some pets may be unfit for illness coverage, and their parents choose to opt for pet insurance just in case of accidental injuries such as foreign object indigestion, broken bones, or getting hit by a car.
For these pets and their owners, Pets Best offers an Accident-Only Plan for a monthly premium of $9. This option can cover up to $10,000 per year, coming with a 90% recompensation and a deductible of $250.
The accident-only plan is recommended for pet owners that can’t afford pricey options or parents of senior dogs that aren’t eligible for accident and illness plans.
As for routine procedures at the vet hospital, Pets Best has two solutions for you – the Essential Wellness Plan, priced at $16 per month and the Best Wellness plan, priced at $26 per month. These plans include coverage for preventive care procedures, such as spaying or neutering, deworming, rabies vaccination, teeth cleaning, microchipping, and so on.
You can’t subscribe to the Routine Care plans alone or with the Accident-Only plan, they come with combined (Accident and Illness) packages.
Exclusions to Pets Best Coverage
Pets Best offers coverage for a variety of medical costs, but there are some exclusions. Here are the expenses that these plans don’t cover:
- Pre-existing diagnoses your pet had before purchasing the insurance plan
- Some optional procedures such as nail trimming, tail docking, or ear cropping
- Any costs that aren’t directly linked to medical care or supervised by a licensed veterinarian, such as vitamins, supplements, dietary products, and grooming
- Herbal medications and alternative therapy
- End-of-life expenses, including funeral and cremation costs
Some of these exclusions can put pet parents off from choosing a pet insurance plan from Pets Best, primarily because you will need to deal with all the expenses in case of a tragic event such as losing a pet.
How Much Does Pets Best Cost?
On average, the monthly premium for Pets Best insurance is priced at $11.13 and $18.18 for dogs. These sample expenses are calculated for a one-year-old male shorthair cat and a one-year-old large mixed-breed dog. At these prices, you have a $5,000 annual limit, a $500 deductible, and a 90% reimbursement rate included.
The amount of the premium costs depend on several factors, such as your pet’s species, breed, age, vet service costs in the specific area you live in, and the type of insurance plan you choose.
In order to adapt your coverage plan to your financial possibilities, Pets Best gives you the opportunity to decide about the annual benefit limit, annual deductible, and recompensation rate.
Provided that you can afford a higher premium, we recommend you opt for a wellness benefit. This option will pay off in the long run because it covers routine procedures and checkups as necessary parts of responsible pet parenting.
For instance, the Essential Wellness package comes at $16 per month and a $305 annual benefit, while the Best Wellness plan brings you an annual coverage of $535 for a monthly premium of $26.
For enthusiastic animal lovers with more than one pet in their families, Pets Best offers a 5% discount. The same discount level goes for military members and their families across the United States (with the exception of Alaska, Hawaii, and Tennessee).
Additionally, Pets Best reduces the usual $2 transaction fee on monthly premium when it comes to quarterly or annual payments.
Pets Best Customer Service
If you have any questions about the insurance plans, you can call their customer support team from Monday to Friday (6 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and on Saturday (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.). You can also reach out to them via fax and search through answers to frequently asked questions on their website.
By downloading the Pets Best mobile app, you can get in touch with their support team, file a claim, and choose benefits that work best for you and your pets. Plus, you can ask their experts for advice about your pet’s health on the 24/7 Helpline.
Third-Party Reviews
We looked at the BBB (Better Business Bureau) reviews to provide a realistic insight into the quality of Pets Best’s insurance services. The company has an A+ rating, but it’s worth mentioning that numerous pet parents have complained about the long waiting periods for claim processing.
Additionally, Pets Best has an A rating for financial stability by the financial analysis company Demotech.
Final Verdict: Is Pets Best Insurance Worth It?
All in all, Pets Best is one of the leaders in the pet insurance industry because of their affordable prices and flexible packages that offer unique solutions for almost all vet service requirements.
As if that wasn’t enough, Pets Best offers a vet direct pay option and has user-friendly digital services that allow customers to complete their documentation online.
If you’re a pet parent searching for the ideal provider, Pets Best is definitely among the most solid, cost-efficient options on the market.
Compare Pets Best Pet Insurance Between
Pets Best Pet Insurance Alternatives
To find the best Pets Best Pet Insurance alternative for you, it’s important to compare the plans offered by different companies.
Consider your budget, your pet’s age and health needs, and the type of coverage you’re looking for. You can also read reviews of different pet insurance companies to get a better sense of their customer service and claims process.
Pets Best Pet Insurance alternatives:
- Embrace Pet Insurance – Better coverage, with a focus on preventive care.
- Figo Pet Insurance – More customizable plans, with a wide range of coverage options to choose from.
- Healthy Paws Pet Insurance – Better rates, especially for older pets and pets with pre-existing conditions.
- MetLife Pet Insurance – Quicker coverage for unexpected accidents.
- Lemonade Pet Insurance – Better overall value, with a unique Lemonade Care policy that offers a lower premium and a higher reimbursement rate.
- Pumpkin Pet Insurance – Best for accident and illness coverage, with a focus on sudden onset illnesses and injuries.
- Spot Pet Insurance – Best for preventive care, with a unique wellness package that covers the cost of routine vet visits and vaccinations.
- Trupanion Pet Insurance – Best for lifelong coverage, with no annual or lifetime limits on benefits.
- ASPCA Pet Insurance – Best for pet parents who want to support a good cause, with a portion of every premium donated to the ASPCA.
- Nationwide Pet Insurance – Best for pet parents who want a variety of coverage options to choose from, including wellness plans, multiple pet discounts, and pre-existing condition coverage.
These companies offer a variety of pet insurance plans with different coverage levels and premiums. Some companies also offer additional benefits, such as wellness coverage, multiple pet discounts, and pre-existing condition coverage.
