Pets Best Pet Insurance Review

Best for pets with mobility issues

Pets Best is one of our top picks for the best pet insurance companies because it’s among the few insurers that provide coverage for wheelchairs and prosthetics for pets with mobility issues. It could be a good option for you if you have a breed that is prone to limb or cruciate ligament issues, such as hip dysplasia or degenerative joint disorders.

The company’s policies are also more customizable than most. They offer an unusually wide range of deductibles, along with the option of unlimited annual coverage. These coverage options provide a lot of flexibility, particularly for pet parents who want extensive coverage — and are willing to pay for it.

• Pets Best Pet Insurance Pros and Cons
• Pets Best Plans
• Pets Best Pricing Tier
• Financial Stability
• Accessibility
• Customer Satisfaction
• How We Evaluated Pets Best Insurance
• Summary of Money’s Best Pet Insurance Review

Pets Best pet insurance pros and cons

Pros explained

Coverage provided for prosthetics and wheelchairs

Not all companies cover prosthetic devices or wheelchairs, but these mobility tools are covered by Pets Best when they’re prescribed by a licensed veterinarian. To qualify for coverage, these devices must be prescribed for a qualifying condition, such as an amputation after an accident or a chronic condition.

Broad range of deductibles

Pet insurers often have a limited range of deductibles; typically, they range between $250 and $1,000. With Pets Best, you have more options. You can choose a deductible as low as $50 or as high as $1,000, so you can select one that gives you the premium and benefits you want.

Coverage available to pets as young as seven weeks with no upper age limit

Pets Best insures pets as young as seven weeks, which is younger than most companies cover. Plus, there’s no upper age limit, so you can get coverage for your senior pets.

Cons explained

Slow claims processing

While customer reviews sometimes praise the ease of filing claims with Pets Best, the company is much slower to pay than competitors, which reimburse claims within a few days.

According to the company, customers should allow 39 to 45 days for processing. For hefty vet bills, that relatively long period could be inconvenient — and potentially costly if it forces you to incur interest charges by carrying the expense over on your credit card.

Parasite treatments are not covered

Unlike some other companies, Pets Best excludes treatments for parasites, including fleas, ticks, heartworms, hookworms and giardia. These are common parasites that can affect even healthy dogs and cats following veterinary preventive care recommendations, and treatments can be costly.

Coverage for dental disease and injury has additional limitations

Pets Best covers dental disease and injury with a handful of caveats. First, your pet must be enrolled before its sixth month of age or congenital and hereditary dental problems aren't covered. This includes retention of deciduous teeth, hypodontia, hyperdontia and underdeveloped enamel.

Pets Best also limits endodontic procedures to two types of teeth in the pet's mouth: the canines and carnassials.

Pets Best pet insurance plans

Pets Best has multiple pet insurance policies to choose from. It offers three accident and illness plans, a basic accident-only plan and two wellness care coverage options. Accident coverage has a short waiting period of three days, while illness coverage starts 14 days after the policy's effective date.

All of Pets Best accident and illness plans cover curable pre-existing conditions such as UTIs or respiratory infections if the issue is cured and the pet remains symptom-free for 18 months or more.

Essential

The Essential plan is for accidents and illnesses including but not limited to bite wounds, broken bones, cancer and other congenital or hereditary conditions.

The plan covers costs like emergency care, hospitalization, surgeries, prescription medications and euthanasia for humane reasons. It does not cover accident and illness exam fees, rehabilitative care, acupuncture or other alternative therapies.

• Annual maximum: $5,000 or Unlimited
• Reimbursement options: 70%, 80% or 90%
• Annual deductible: $50 to $1,000

Plus

The Plus plan offers the same coverage as the Essential plan, but it also will reimburse you for veterinary exam fees to diagnose or treat your pet for qualifying accidents or injuries.

• Annual maximum: $5,000 or Unlimited
• Reimbursement options: 70%, 80% or 90%
• Annual deductible: $50 to $1,000

Elite

The Elite plan is a step up from the Plus plan and includes coverage for rehabilitative care, acupuncture, chiropractic care and other alternative therapies. Supplements and herbal, holistic and experimental treatments are excluded.

• Annual maximum: $5,000 or Unlimited
• Reimbursement options: 70%, 80% or 90%
• Annual deductible:$50 to $1,000

Accident-only

Pets Best’s accident-only plan is a policy that provides coverage solely for the treatment of accidents, such as broken bones or toxic ingestion. It does not provide coverage for illnesses like cancer, arthritis or dental disease.

• Annual limit: $10,000
• Reimbursement options: 90%
• Annual deductible: $250

Routine care

Pets Best has two optional routine care plans you can add to your policy:

• BestWellness: This plan provides a total annual benefit of $305 for wellness coverage. It covers a specific amount for certain preventative care services, such as rabies vaccines, deworming treatments, microchipping and wellness exams.

• EssentialWellness: The EssentialWellness plan provides total annual benefits of $535, and provides a higher level of reimbursement for covered services than the BestWellness plan. It also reimburses customers for teeth cleanings and spay or neuter procedures.

Pets Best pricing tier

In a past price survey, we found Pets Best’s premiums to be in line with those of the pet insurance providers we examined. To give you an idea of what premiums to expect, we gathered quotes for dogs and cats of different ages and breeds.

Rate quotes are for a pet owner in Orlando, FL, and are based on an Essentials accident and illness policy with a $5,000 annual payout limit, a $500 deductible and a 70% reimbursement percentage.

As you get quotes for your own pet, your premiums may be different because they’re based on factors like your location, pet breed and age.

Sample monthly pricing for dogs

Sample monthly pricing for cats

Discounts

Pets Best offers the following discounts:

• Multiple-pet discount: 5% off premiums when you enroll two or more pets

• Military discount: 10% discount for military service members

• Annual payment discount: You can receive an additional discount by opting for annual payments rather than paying your premiums monthly, quarterly or semiannually.

Discounts are not available in all states. While discounts can be combined, the maximum allowable discount is 12%.

Pets Best financial stability

When shopping for a pet insurer, it can give you peace of mind to know that the company is financially secure and can afford to pay out future claims. You can find this information by checking the company’s Financial Strength Rating from credit rating agencies like AM Best or Demotech.

Pets Best’s policies are underwritten by the American Pet Insurance Company, except in California, where it's underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company. Although American Pet Insurance Company hasn’t been evaluated by AM Best, it has an A' (Unsurpassed) rating from Demotech. Independence American Insurance Company earned A- (Excellent) from AM Best.

Pets Best accessibility

Pet insurers typically offer educational resources on their sites, and Pets Best is no exception. It has a blog with information articles, comprehensive guides for new owners, a vet locator tool and an online quote tool.

Pets Best also has a mobile app you can use to access the 24/7 Vet helpline. Included with your policy, the hotline can provide answers to questions you have about your pet’s health at no extra cost.

Pets Best also has a mobile app compatible with Android and iOS which you can use to access the 24/7 Vet helpline. You can call the hotline with questions you may have about your pet’s healthcare without incurring additional costs.

Availability

Pets Best pet insurance is available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Contact information

Customer support is available by phone or online chat. To reach a customer service representative, call 877-738-7237 during Pets Best’s business hours.

Customer service is only available during the following times:

• Monday through Friday: 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. MST
• Saturday: 6:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. MST

User experience

As a Pets Best policyholder, you can use your online account or the mobile app to manage your policy and make payments. Claims can be submitted through the app, online, fax or postal mail, and you can set up direct deposit so reimbursements are sent directly to your bank account.

Once you file a claim, Pets Best will request your pet's medical records from your veterinarian to confirm that the condition isn't pre-existing. Speedy claims processing and reimbursement depend on this step.

Coverage limitations

Only dogs and cats seven weeks old or older are eligible for Pets Best’s policies. There is no upper age limit for coverage.

Pets Best customer satisfaction

Pets Best pet insurance reviews from its customers are about average. Policyholders often mention the ease of the claims process, but often complain about lengthy processing times. On Trustpilot, Pets Best’s TrustScore is 4.0 out of 5 based on over 4,171 reviews, which is “great,” according to Trustpilot’s scale.

Pets Best is accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and has a score of 2.7 out of 5 — slightly lower than average — based on approximately 288 reviews.

How we evaluated Pets Best insurance

To review Pets Best pet insurance, we looked at the following factors:

• Typical premiums
• Plan options
• Reimbursement amounts
• Annual and lifetime caps
• Policy exclusions and restrictions
• Wellness benefits
• Customer support
• Customer reviews
• Third-party ratings

Summary of Money’s Pets Best pet insurance review

Even if you have pet insurance coverage, the cost of treatment for dogs and cats that are ill or injured in an accident can be quite expensive. And if your pet needs mobility assistance due to a chronic illness, injuries or a congenital condition, you may find that typical pet insurance companies don’t cover devices like prosthetics or wheelchairs.

With Pets Best pet health insurance, you can get coverage that includes reimbursement for mobility devices. It has multiple annual maximums, reimbursement levels and deductibles to choose from so you can find a plan that fits your budget. However, you should be aware that Pets Best can take several weeks to process your claims and issue you a check.

Before enrolling in a policy from Pets Best or any other insurer, carefully read your insurance agreement and claims processing information to make sure you pick a plan that meets your pet’s needs.