Best Pet Wellness Plans for Routine Care (2024 Review)
What Pet Insurance Providers Have The Best Pet Wellness Plans?
In this review, we’ll cover each of the following providers and their policies:
- Spot: Best overall
- Lemonade: Most affordable
- ASPCA: Most experienced
- Embrace: Best for deductibles
- Healthy Paws: Best for chronic conditions
- Prudent Pet: Best for dog and cat parents who want basic options
- Wagmo: Best for immediate reimbursement
While pet health insurance popularity is on the rise, there is a lot of misinformation out there about what all is covered. For instance, pet wellness plans are usually an add-on cost on top of your monthly payments for accident and illness insurance. So what is a pet wellness plan, and what pet needs does it cover?
Most add-on wellness plans cover a certain percentage (or provide an annual limit) for the following veterinary care benefits:
- Wellness exam
- Vaccinations and titers
- Flea and tick prevention
- Heartworm prevention
- Bloodwork
- Spay/neuter surgery
- Microchipping
- Grooming fees
- Fecal exams
Compare the Top Pet Insurance Providers
| Best For | Star Rating | Monthly Cost | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spot |  | Most Inclusive | $22-$80 | Compare Quotes | |
| Lemonade |  | Most Affordable | $16–$30 | Compare Quotes | |
| ASPCA Pet Insurance |  | Most Experienced | $18–$44 | Compare Quotes | |
| Embrace |  | Best for Discounts Offered | $23-$85 | Compare Quotes | |
| Healthy Paws |  | Best for Chronic Conditions | $24–$54 | Compare Quotes | |
| Prudent Pet |  | Best for dog and cat parents who want basic options | $18-$29 | Compare Quotes | |
| Figo |  | Most Flexible Reimbursement Rates | $25-$54 | Compare Quotes | |
| Wagmo |  | Best for Immediate Reimbursement | $18–$28 | Compare Quotes |
| Spot | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
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| Best For | Most Inclusive |
| Star Rating | |
| Monthly Cost | $22-$80 |
| Lemonade | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
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| Best For | Most Affordable |
| Star Rating | |
| Monthly Cost | $16–$30 |
| ASPCA Pet Insurance | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
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| Best For | Most Experienced |
| Star Rating | |
| Monthly Cost | $18–$44 |
| Embrace | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
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| Best For | Best for Discounts Offered |
| Star Rating | |
| Monthly Cost | $23-$85 |
| Healthy Paws | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
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| Best For | Best for Chronic Conditions |
| Star Rating | |
| Monthly Cost | $24–$54 |
| Prudent Pet | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
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| Best For | Best for dog and cat parents who want basic options |
| Star Rating | |
| Monthly Cost | $18-$29 |
| Figo | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
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| Best For | Most Flexible Reimbursement Rates |
| Star Rating | |
| Monthly Cost | $25-$54 |
| Wagmo | |
|---|---|
| Logo |
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| Best For | Best for Immediate Reimbursement |
| Star Rating | |
| Monthly Cost | $18–$28 |
Best Pet Wellness Plans for Routine Care
We’ve looked at the top pet insurance providers to see how they ranked in terms of overall wellness coverage as well as how much each pet insurance plan would run you per month. While most insurers offered some sort of pet wellness plan, we’ve found that the coverage provided by some was more extensive than others. Additionally, most pet insurance providers offer differing levels of coverage to allow you to customize what works best for your pet care needs.
Spot
Most Inclusive
Lemonade
Most Affordable
ASPCA Pet Insurance
Most Experienced
Embrace
Best for Discounts Offered
Healthy Paws
Best for Chronic Conditions
Prudent Pet
Best for dog and cat parents who want basic options
Figo
Most Flexible Reimbursement Rates
Wagmo
Best for Immediate Reimbursement
Standalone Pet Wellness Plans
Banfield Wellness Plans
Banfield offers pet wellness plans only, not pet insurance. Its plans are designed to help you maintain and keep optimal pet health with preventive pet health care. We checked to see what it would cost to get our Newfoundland covered under a basic pet wellness plan (the Special Care plan) plus dental cleanings plus other care, including flea and tick prevention, and the cost came to $48.95 per month.
With Banfield, you need to use all the services, or the monthly cost won’t make sense. It has three wellness plans for dogs: Essential Wellness, Active Prevention, and Special Care.
The Essential Wellness plan covers vaccinations, diagnostic testing, a comprehensive physical exam (two a year), fecal exams, and deworming. Active Prevention covers the same as well as dental cleaning and urine testing. The Special Care plan covers the same as the others, plus preventive X-rays, eye pressure tests, ECGs, and a higher discount on other Banfield products.
With Banfield, you can also add spay and neuter, parasite control, genetic analysis, chronic care options, and more. You will enter into an annual agreement, with the monthly cost spread over 12 months. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time with your 12 months starting over from that point, and if you do cancel before the 12 months is up and you have used services, you are still responsible for paying for the services for as many months as that takes.
PetAssure Wellness
PetAssure is an alternative to traditional pet insurance, where it offers a discount on veterinary insurance. This works well if you have a pet with pre-existing conditions, need wellness care, and your plan does not have it, or you simply want to use a discount plan for your pet care needs. While pet insurance can cover 75-90% of veterinary visits, you must also meet a deductible and make sure your visit is considered a “covered instance.” For this reason, the PetAssure option is a good add-on, alternative, or solo policy to make sure you can get your pets the care they need.
VCA Care Club
VCA Care Club is a plan you can get directly through VCA that covers wellness care on a Schedule of Benefits. With VCA Care Club, you can get different levels of care, depending on if you have a puppy, an adult dog, a senior dog, a kitten, an adult cat, or a senior cat. Usually, coverage will include vaccinations, wellness exams, fecal exams, and more, depending on the animal’s age. VCA does not have a pet insurance option, so its coverage is purely preventive and diagnostic. If any issues are found, those will need to be taken care of out of pocket.
Does a Pet Wellness Plan Have Any Waiting Periods?
Most pet wellness coverage does not include a waiting period. Insurance companies put waiting periods in place for pet insurance policies to prevent animal owners from waiting until their pet is already sick or hurt to buy coverage.
Since wellness policies don’t include accident or illness coverage, most do not have waiting periods. This means that you’ll usually be able to begin using your pet’s wellness benefits as soon as you pay for your first month’s premium. Be sure to read your specific policy’s list of exclusions and waiting periods to learn more about when your coverage goes into effect.
Do Pet Wellness Plans Cover Preexisting Conditions?
Like pet insurance plans, pet wellness plans do not cover preexisting conditions. You cannot claim more services than your plan outlines in your list of benefits each year, even if your pet requires additional tests or exams due to an underlying condition. For example, if your wellness plan includes a routine blood test, you cannot replace it with a blood panel for a pre-existing condition.
What Do Pet Wellness Plans Cover?
Pet wellness plans are either a standalone or part of a bigger pet insurance plan as an add-on that covers routine pet care such as vaccinations, spay and neuter, heartworm tests, fecal screens, and more.
Typically, a pet wellness plan works by providing coverage up to a certain dollar amount. For instance, with ASPCA’s Basic Wellness plan, you get $50 annually for annual exams, $20 toward a fecal screen, $100 toward a dental cleaning, and $20 toward a rabies vaccination or titer, all for $9.95/month. With its Prime Wellness plan at $24.95/month, you get up to $450 in annual benefits toward your pet’s wellness care.
In these cases, you’re still responsible for paying the difference between what your pet wellness plan covers and what the vet charges. Some insurers will cover the full amount of care, and you will need to verify this before signing up and submitting claims, so there are no surprises.
What Does A Pet Wellness Plan Not Cover?
Pet wellness plans usually do not cover things like accidents, illness, or injury. They are not pet insurance, so unless you bundle them with a true pet insurance plan, you are still on the hook for high vet office bills if something goes wrong with your pet’s health.
We recommend making sure that your pet is covered by an accident and injury plan along with a wellness plan. When we bring a new pet into our family, most of us make sure that wellness care is within our budget, but with the unexpected, we run into trouble.
Pet Wellness Plans vs. Pet Insurance
Wellness plans typically do not factor into your deductible and rather are on a benefit schedule with an agreed-upon amount paid for certain services. They cover routine exams, vaccinations, spay/neuter, routine blood work, fecal exams, teeth cleanings, flea, tick, and heartworm prevention.
Pet insurance plans cover accident and illness, emergency and specialist care, prescriptions, orthopedics, and hereditary and congenital conditions.
If you are interested in a standalone wellness plan, then there are options for you with Banfield and VCA Care Club, but if you are looking to add on insurance at any point, you may want a plan that has both wellness and insurance. Wellness plans can help diagnose issues early, but they won’t cover your pet if anything is found.
We took a look at some pet insurance companies to see what pet wellness plans they offer:
| Pet Insurance Company | Wellness Coverage |
|---|---|
| PetsBest | Yes |
| SPOT | Yes |
| FIGO | Yes |
| Embrace | Yes |
| Trupanion | No |
| Nationwide | Yes |
| Companion Protect | Exams only |
| Pumpkin | Yes |
| Healthy Paws | No |
| PetFirst | Yes |
| Petplan | No |
| Lemonade | Yes |
| ASPCA | Yes |
| Hartville | Yes |
| Wagmo | Yes |
Our Final Thoughts on Pet Wellness Plans
Wellness coverage gives pet owners a lot of bang for their buck when it comes to insuring their pets, especially for a puppy or kitten needing all those shots and vaccinations. Adult dogs and cats will need extra coverage when they reach their older years as wellness visits and vet bills will start to increase.
As you can see, each pet insurance provider offers its own version of wellness care plans, so it’s only a matter of finding the benefits you need at a price point you can afford. Look for extras that are covered, like grooming, heartworm prevention, and dental care costs to maximize your reimbursements. Even if you are on a tight budget, you can easily find a wellness plan that works for your pet. As a pet parent, knowing your pet’s necessary vaccinations and well checkups are covered provides you with peace of mind.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Wellness Plans
Are pet wellness plans worth it?
If you are the type of pet parent that places importance on catching health issues before they arise, you will likely find pet wellness plans are a good value. Wellness exams can help catch things like parasite problems, weight issues, and dental ailments on your pet’s physical exam, which can negatively affect your pet’s health causing major problems down the road. Most of the base levels of wellness care plans will cover one wellness exam vet visit and up to three vaccinations per policy term. Usually, these reimbursements alone can make purchasing your wellness add-on plans worth it.
How do you submit claims for wellness plans?
Wellness claims are typically submitted the same way you would submit a claim for your accident/illness policies. Most insurance providers have an online portal or handy app to upload your proof of purchase and start your claim. Or, you can simply download a claims form online, fill it out, and send it back in either via fax or mail. Your insurance provider will review your claim and then, if approved, reimburse you either through direct deposit to your bank or by check in the mail.
What is the difference between pet wellness plans and pet insurance?
Pet insurance and pet wellness plans generally work the same way in that your pet insurance provider reimburses you for covered expenses. The difference between the two types of insurance lies in what is covered. Your pet insurance will typically cover expenses related to accidents, emergencies, hospitalizations, surgeries, diagnostic X-rays, prescription medications, and illnesses such as cancer care and hereditary illnesses. Pet wellness plans will usually cover things like wellness exam fees, vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery, dental care, and heartworm prevention.
How often do pets need wellness exams?
Most mature pets will require a wellness exam once a year. If you have an older pet, a puppy or kitten, or an animal with special care needs, your pet may need to see the vet twice a year
Does pet insurance cover neutering?
While some pet insurance providers (like Figo) include neutering in their wellness plans, this is not a routine inclusion. If you’d like to ensure your plan has neutering as a covered service, be sure to review your policy contract before signing onto coverage.
Our Methodology
To determine the best pet insurance providers, we conduct a detailed analysis of 38 different pet insurance companies operating in the United States and Canada. We put data from each provider through the same rigorous test, examining how each company performs in key areas that are relevant to pet owners. Our seven criteria are then weighted to produce a total score.
- Price: 20%
- Coverage: 20%
- Customer service: 15%
- Reliability: 15%
- Choice: 10%
- Plan features: 10%
- Transparency: 10%
The best pet insurance providers offer coverage for a wide range of conditions at an affordable price. They also feature flexible customer service, a long reputation of excellence, transparent policies and the ability to customize your pet insurance plan to your individual needs. You can read more details about our ratings and review methodology here.
Other Pet Insurance Resources
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Emergency Pet Insurance: What’s Covered? (2024 Review)
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Best Pet Insurance Plans for Older Dogs (2024 Review)
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Best Pet Insurance Plans for Multiple Pets (2024 Review)
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Best Pet Insurance That Covers Pre-Existing Conditions (2024 Review)
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Best Pet Insurance Plans with No Waiting Period (2024)
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The Cheapest Pet Insurance Plans of April 2024
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Pet Insurance Cost: The Definitive 2024 Guide
