In a Nutshell

Pets Best has been making pet insurance affordable for more than 15 years. The company is known for its flexible policies, allowing you to tailor your plan to suit your budget and your pet. Pets Best processes claims and reimbursements quickly, utilizing technologies like direct deposit and a mobile app to speed up the process. Enjoy friendly support, 24/7 Pet Helpline, and use any licensed vet in US, Canada and Puerto Rico when traveling

Bottom line

• No lifetime limits plans available
• Fast claims options (mobile app, direct deposit)
• Flexible extensive coverage

Pets Best at a Glance

Pets covered - Dogs, cats

Waiting period - 14 days for illnesses, 3 days for accidents

Deductible - $50, $100, $200, $250, $500, $1000

Reimbursement model - 70%, 80%, 90% *

Best for - Affordable coverage, flexible plans, comprehensive coverage

Overview

Founded by a veterinarian, Pets Best has been insuring pets for more than 15 years. To date, the company has paid out over $200 million in claims. Pets Best is underwritten by APIC (American Pet Insurance Company), has an A+ with the Better Business Bureau, and is a founding member of NAPHIA (North American Pet Health Insurance Association).

What Does it Cover

Pets Best has both accident-only and accident and illness coverage plans (and a wellness plan that we’ll discuss below). The plans are pretty comprehensive. Here’s a basic breakdown, but bear in mind that we haven’t listed every single thing the plans cover.

Accidents including:

• Broken bones
• Poisoning
• Car accidents
• Lacerations
• Surgical removal of foreign body ingestion
• Hunting accidents
• Accidents in the line of service

Illnesses including:

• Cancer (and full cancer treatment)
• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Allergies
• Cruciate ligament injuries
• Skin and ear infections
• UTIs
• Epilepsy

Pets Best also covers hereditary and congenital conditions such as hip and elbow dysplasia, luxating patella, cherry eye, Wobbler Syndrome, and glaucoma, to name a few, so long as no signs or symptoms of the illness existed prior to expiration of the applicable waiting period. These plans also include the option for emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, and prescription medication coverage. Pets Best plans also cover ongoing conditions, dental coverage, and behavioral consultations and medications.

Diagnostics work:**

• MRIs
• CAT scans
• Pathology reports
• X-rays
• Bloodwork
• Exams

Insurance Plans & Pricing

Plans for dogs start at just $9 a month for accident-only plans**. On average, full coverage plans are roughly $35-$60 per month. For cats, plans start at $6 for accident-only and average from $22-$50 per month for full coverage. After that, you can tailor your plan to suit your needs and pet. You can opt to include exam fee coverage, routine care coverage.

Individual plan pricing is based on several factors, including your pet’s age, breed and location. You can get a personalized quote by answering a few questions online.

The Essential plan doesn’t include accident and illness exam fees, chiropractic, rehabilitative, or acupuncture coverage. The Plus plan does cover chiropractic, rehabilitative, or acupuncture treatments. Another nice thing about Pets Best is that premiums will not increase due to claims made (a big perk), but they will go up as your pet ages (makes sense).

Additionally, Pets Best has an accident-only plan for pet parents on a budget. There’s also a routine care option known as EssentialWellness or BestWellness. This routine coverage can be added to any plan (for an increased premium) and covers things like regular vet visits, teeth cleanings, shots, deworming, microchipping, spaying/neutering, FELV screening, etc. Routine care starts the day after you enroll and comes with no deductible.

Here’s a look at some of the annual limits that a wellness plan will cover:

So if you’re the kind of person who likes to know they’re covered or who’s pet goes in for regular checkups and shots, a wellness plan could save you a lot.

What is Not Covered

As with other pet insurance policy providers, Pets Best does not cover pre-existing conditions. This includes an illness or injury that began before your policy took effect (including during the waiting period).

Additionally, Pets Best does not cover preventative or elective care procedures, parasite testing and treatment, and holistic or experimental therapies.

Waiting Periods

Pets Best has pretty short waiting periods. For accidents, the wait time is just 3 days. Meanwhile, illnesses require a 14-day wait. There’s also the usual six-month waiting period for cruciate ligament conditions.

Coverage Limits

Pets Best has very generous coverage limits for its BestBenefit plans (i.e., not the routine wellness plans). You can choose between $5,000 or unlimited annual coverage.

Reimbursement & Deductibles

You can choose your deductible amount when you sign up for a plan. Deductibles range from $50-$1000 ($50, $100, $200, $250, $500, $1000). You can also choose your reimbursement level, 70%, 80%, or 90%. This is one example of a claim:

Pet: Kingston, the Miniature Pinscher

Diagnosis: Foreign body ingestion

Treatment Cost: $2,824.62

Pets Best Reimbursed: $2,606.37

Final Cost For Pet Parents: $218.25

Claims & Service

Pets Best has a very convenient mobile app for filing claims. You can use the mobile app for Android and iOS devices. Once downloaded, click on the claims section of your customer account, and follow the steps.

In the customer account section, you can set up a direct deposit for reimbursements. Pets Best also has the extremely convenient option of directly paying the vet for you. If you don’t want to submit the claim online, you can email, fax, or even send via the mail. When submitting a claim, be sure to include the original paid invoice and proof of payment.

You can expect to see your direct deposit reimbursement within two days of the claim being processed.

Pets Best can pay you via check or direct deposit.

Pets Best has a lot of support options, including phone, text, and chat support. In addition, pet parents can get emergency assistance or answers to their pet questions from the professionals . There is a 24/7 Pet Helpline for all types of emergencies like possible poison ingestion or questions about things like pet behavioral issues.

Customer care hours:

6AM-7PM MST Mon-Fri

6AM-2PM MST Saturdays

What You Might Like Best

Pets Best covers some unusual healthcare items that others won’t, e.g. prosthetic devices and wheelchairs, Humane euthanasia

It is also one of the most affordable options out there, with tailored plans that let you pay for the things you want to.

What the Company Could do Better

Pets Best does not cover any sort of alternative therapies such as herbal or holistic medicines and treatments. However, it does cover chiropractic, hydrotherapy, and acupuncture.

Contact Details & Address

Operating Hours

Mon - Fri (5am - 7pm MST)

Saturday (6am - 2pm MST)

Mail

Pets Best

2323 S. Vista Ave. Ste. 100

Boise, ID 83705

Fax

1-866-777-1434

How Pets Best Compares

Pet insurance coverage is offered and administered by Pets Best Insurance Services, LLC and is underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company, a New York insurance company. Please visit www.americanpetinsurance.com to review all available pet health insurance products.

Terms and conditions apply. See policy for details.

*In most States

**Coverage applies to conditions that are determined not to be pre-existing. Claim administration is subject to all terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions in the policy. Please review policy form APIC-PBI0001-ILL for complete details.

***$7/month for cats and $10/month for dogs in WA.

**** EssentialWellness is $14/month and BestWellness is $30/month in WA.