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Pets Best pet insurance review
Pets Best pet insurance was founded in 2005 by Dr. Jack Stephens, who is often called the "father of pet insurance." Dr. Stephens's experience as a veterinarian inspired him to create a pet insurance company that emphasizes comprehensive coverage, quick claim processing and exceptional customer service. Today, Pets Best is known for offering flexible and customizable plans that cater to a wide range of pet healthcare needs.
Pets Best provides a variety of insurance plans that cover accidents, illnesses and routine care for dogs and cats. Its mission is to help pet owners afford the best possible veterinary care, ensuring pets live long, healthy lives. With no upper age limit for enrollment and a straightforward claim process, Pets Best is a popular choice among pet owners.
Pets Best
Summary
Annual deductible options: $50, $100, $200, $250, $500 or $1,000
Reimbursement percentage: 70, 80 or 90 percent
Claim turnaround time: The Pets Best website is unclear about the claims processing time. Reimbursements are made two to seven days after your claim is approved.
Annual limit: $5,000 or unlimited
Enrollment age: Enroll cats and dogs from seven weeks of age. There is no upper age limit.
Direct vet pay: Yes
Pets Best coverage options
Pets Best offers extensive coverage for various pet health issues, ensuring pet owners can provide the necessary care without worrying about excessive veterinary bills. The company’s insurance plans cover accidents, illnesses, surgeries, hospitalizations, prescription medications and more.
Pets Best plans and customizations
Pets Best offers several plans that cater to different needs and budgets. The plans vary in terms of coverage, deductibles, reimbursement rates and annual limits.
Accident plan
The Pets Best Accident plan offers a $10,000 annual limit, a $250 deductible and 90 percent reimbursement starting at $9 per month for dogs and $6 per month for cats.
This plan covers treatments for accidents such as animal or insect bites, broken bones, poisoning and vehicle accidents. It's ideal for pets with medical conditions that disqualify them from illness coverage or for pet owners seeking more affordable coverage. The plan includes exams, X-rays, surgeries, hospitalization and medications.
However, this plan does not cover acupuncture, chiropractic treatment, illnesses or routine care.
BestBenefit plan
The Pets Best accident and illness plan, BestBenefit, allows pet owners to select between three tiers of coverage:
- Essential Plan: Provides coverage for accidents and illnesses, including prescriptions, treatments and surgeries. It is suitable for pet owners looking for basic coverage at an affordable price.
- Plus Plan: Includes everything in the Essential Plan plus coverage for exam fees, which can be a significant part of veterinary bills.
- Elite Plan: Offers the most comprehensive coverage, including everything in the Plus Plan and coverage for rehabilitation therapies, acupuncture and chiropractic care.
With all three plan variations, pet owners can adjust their premiums and coverage by tweaking annual coverage, deductibles and reimbursement percentages.
Wellness plans
Pets Best wellness plans help pet parents budget for routine care such as vaccinations, microchipping, preventive treatments, fecal and urine analysis and wellness exams. These plans have no waiting periods and no deductibles.
Pets Best offers two fixed-limit wellness coverage options that you can add to any of their other plans:
- EssentialWellness: For $14 to $27.05 per month, you can receive assistance for routine care expenses up to $305 annually.
- BestWellness: For $36 to $28,58 per month, Pets Best BestWellness will help cover the costs of routine care as well as teeth cleaning or spay/neuter procedures up to $535 per year.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Charity support: Pets Best raises funds for various animal charities and gets hands-on with community projects.
- Comprehensive coverage: Covers a wide range of conditions and treatments, including chronic and hereditary issues.
- Customizable plans: Offers various plans and customization options to fit different budgets and coverage needs.
- No upper age limit: Pets Best allows you to enroll older pets, ensuring their access to necessary medical care regardless of age.
- Vet direct pay: When faced with an unmanageable vet bill, submit a veterinarian-signed Vet Direct Pay release form with your claim.
Cons
- Alternative treatments not covered: Pets Best does not reimburse for holistic and herbal therapies and medications.
- Exam fee coverage: Exam fees are only covered if you opt for the Plus or Elite plans.
- Limited dental coverage: Accident and illness plans only cover periodontal disease.
- Waiting periods: There are waiting periods for coverage to begin, which may delay access to benefits.
Additional features of Pets Best
24/7 Pet Helpline
Veterinary experts are at hand night and day to answer pet health and behavior questions. Connect via email, phone or live chat to receive advice and support on your pet-related issues.
Discounts
Families with more than one pet can benefit from a 5 percent multi-pet discount.
Some employers offer Pets Best Pet Insurance as part of their employee benefits package, which can come with special pricing or additional discounts of up to 10 percent.
Veterinary clinics that sign up with Pets Best can offer their staff and customers 5 to 10 percent discounts on pet insurance.
Mobile app
Pets Best provides a user-friendly mobile app that allows pet owners to manage their policies, submit claims and track reimbursements on the go. The app enhances the overall customer experience by making it easy to access information and services.
Vet Direct Pay
Pets Best offers a Vet Direct Pay option, allowing them to reimburse your veterinarian directly for any claim amount. This feature, available with all Pets Best insurance plans, lets you concentrate on your pet's care without worrying about upfront vet bills or financial strain.
To use this service, submit a signed veterinarian reimbursement release form and your completed claim. Pets Best will send any eligible reimbursement directly to your vet’s office, making it convenient to handle costly vet expenses.
Note that not all veterinary offices allow you to use this option.
Exclusions and restrictions
Age restrictions
Pet owners may enroll their young animals as early as seven weeks. Pets Best does not have an upper age limit for enrollment, making it possible to insure older pets.
Waiting periods
Waiting periods help insurance companies prevent fraud and ensure they only provide coverage for unforeseen events.
Pets Best has a three-day waiting period for accidents and a 14-day waiting period for illnesses. The waiting period for cruciate ligament injuries is six months.
Location restrictions
Pets Best is available in all 50 states. However, pet owners should check for specific state regulations affecting their coverage options.
For example, the accident-only policy is slightly more expensive for pets based in Washington ($7 per month for cats and $10 per month for dogs).
Pets Best costs
How much your pet insurance policy costs depends on you and your pet. However, we've gathered sample quotes to give you a rough idea of what prices could look like across pet breeds. Be sure to get your own quote for a better idea of what pet insurance would cost for your pets.
| Breed | 2 years old | 5 years old | 8 years old | 10 years old |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
*Sample policies were for a female dog with excellent health in Arizona with the ZIP code 85251. The choices for customization selected were for an accident and illness plan with a $250 deductible, 90% reimbursement limit and $5,000 annual benefit limit. The rates listed are for illustrative purposes only. You should contact the company directly for applicable quotes. |
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| French bulldog | $160 | $220 | $415 | $665 |
| Labrador retriever | $98 | $135 | $254 | $401 |
| Golden retriever | $99 | $137 | $258 | $407 |
| German shepherd | $87 | $120 | $227 | $358 |
| Poodle | $83 | $115 | $217 | $342 |
| Dachshund | $60 | $77 | $135 | $216 |
| Breed | 2 years old | 5 years old | 8 years old | 10 years old |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
*Sample policies were for a male cat with excellent health in Arizona with the ZIP code 85251. The choices for customization selected were for an accident and illness plan with a $250 deductible, 90% reimbursement limit and $5,000 annual benefit limit. The rates listed are for illustrative purposes only. You should contact the company directly for applicable quotes. |
||||
| Ragdoll | $45 | $62 | $117 | $184 |
| Maine coon | $51 | $65 | $114 | $184 |
| Persian | $49 | $50 | $73 | $108 |
| Exotic | $50 | $65 | $113 | $182 |
| Devon rex | $54 | $75 | $141 | $222 |
| British shorthair | $55 | $56 | $83 | $122 |
How to file a claim with Pets Best
The Pets Best claim’s process is quick and straightforward:
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Log into your Customer Account online or open your Pets Best app on your mobile device.
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Upload a photo of your vet invoice.
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Answer a few questions about your pet’s trip to the doctor’s office.
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Submit your claim.
Pet owners may also submit claims via snail mail, email or fax.
Pets Best reimbursements are deposited directly into your savings or checking account. Direct deposit reimbursements typically take two days after your claim is approved. If you have opted for a check, you should receive your check in the mail within seven days.