Pets Best vs. Nationwide: Which Is the Best for Your Pet? (2025)
Pets Best’s mobile app, friendly customer service, and universal acceptance by U.S. and Canadian vets make it a better choice for pet owners than Nationwide.
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Written byEmily Guy Birken
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Plutus Award winner
Over 12 years writing about insurance and personal finance
Emily is a Plutus Award-winning freelance writer and former educator who makes complex financial topics easy to understand. She specializes in the science behind money habits and has written for outlets like The Huffington Post, Business Insider, and The Washington Post.
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Edited bySara Getman
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Sara Getman is an Associate Editor at Insurify and has been with the company since 2022. Prior to joining Insurify, Sara completed her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Simmons University in Boston. At Simmons, she was the Editor-in-Chief for Sidelines Magazine (a literary and art publication), and wrote creative non-fiction.
Outside of work, Sara is an avid reader, and loves rock climbing, yoga, and crocheting.
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Table of contents
Table of contents
Pets Best and Nationwide are two of the top pet insurers in the country, but it’s important to choose the best option for your pet. Pets Best is a licensed insurance agency that only sells pet insurance policies, whereas Nationwide, as the 11th-largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S., offers a wide range of insurance products in addition to pet coverage.
To determine which insurer is best for your pet, be sure to compare factors such as rates, coverage options, customer service, reimbursement rates, discounts, plan customization, and whether you’ll pay enrollment fees.
Here’s what you need to know about the strengths and weaknesses of Pets Best and Nationwide pet insurance.
Quick Facts
Nationwide says it insures more than 1 million pets across the country.
Pets Best has no upper age limits on its pet policies.
Neither insurer covers pre-existing conditions, although both may cover curable pre-existing conditions once they’ve healed.
Pets Best vs. Nationwide: The verdict
While both insurers have their strengths and weaknesses, Pets Best is the winner in ease of use. The insurer’s mobile app allows you to manage your policy and handle claims processing on the go, and Pets Best also offers the option to pay your vet directly, eliminating the waiting periods for reimbursement.
Nationwide doesn’t have a pet insurance mobile app, and claims processing must be done via its website. Nationwide also doesn’t offer any direct vet pay options. But unlike Pets Best, Nationwide allows you to insure exotic pets.
While Nationwide has many complaints about increasing pet insurance rates on customer review sites like Trustpilot and Yelp, consumers also express dissatisfaction with the Pets Best claims-filing process.[1] Multiple customers say they’ve been asked to prove their pets don’t have pre-existing conditions, which has sometimes been impossible.[2]
Pets Best vs. Nationwide
 |  |
|---|---|
Reimbursement % The percentage of costs your provider will pay for a covered event, after you’ve paid your deductible. 70%–90% | Reimbursement % The percentage of costs your provider will pay for a covered event, after you’ve paid your deductible. 50%–80% |
Payout limits The maximum amount your provider will pay for covered events. $5,000–Unlimited | Payout limits The maximum amount your provider will pay for covered events. $2,500–$10,000 |
Deductibles The amount you must pay towards a covered event before your coverage kicks in. $50–$1,000 | Deductibles The amount you must pay towards a covered event before your coverage kicks in. $250 |
Curable pre-existing conditions CoveredPre-existing conditions refer to conditions your pet has shown documented symptoms of before your policy’s waiting period is over. Some companies still cover these conditions if they’re deemed “curable” and haven’t shown symptoms for a specified period of time that varies by insurer. | Curable pre-existing conditions CoveredPre-existing conditions refer to conditions your pet has shown documented symptoms of before your policy’s waiting period is over. Some companies still cover these conditions if they’re deemed “curable” and haven’t shown symptoms for a specified period of time that varies by insurer. |
Data in this table has been sourced from Insurify users who received a pet insurance quote from our partner Fletch.
Pets Best
Pets Best
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Accepted by all licensed veterinary clinics in the U.S. and Canada and boasting no age limits, Pets Best offers solid coverage options at affordable prices. But the claims-filing process can be difficult, according to some customers.
Pros
Affordable accident-only coverage options
Highly customizable plans to suit individual needs
Quick claims processing, often paying out within days
Cons
Some customers report issues with records requests during claims
Limited coverage for holistic or alternative therapies
No coverage for pre-existing conditions
Nationwide
Nationwide
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With multiple plan types, reimbursement rates, and coverage options for dogs, cats, and exotic pets, Nationwide pet insurance is a well-established part of the insurance giant’s large menu of products. But many customers complain about their pet insurance rates going up after filing a claim.
Pros
Offers coverage for exotic pets
Wide range of plan options
Multi-pet discounts available
Cons
Claims processing can take up to 30 days
Customer satisfaction ratings are below average
Hereditary conditions for your pet’s breed aren’t covered
How Pets Best and Nationwide compare
The best way to determine whether Pets Best or Nationwide is the best insurer for your furry friend is to see how each company’s pet insurance rates, policy highlights, deductibles, reimbursement rates, and exclusions measure up. Here’s what you need to know.
Cost of pet insurance
The average monthly policy price for a Pets Best insurance plan is $22 for dogs and $13 for cats, while pet owners with Nationwide pay an average of $52 per month for dogs and $24 per month for cats.
Just remember that your specific pet insurance costs will depend on a variety of factors. These factors include the age and species of your pet, whether you add extras, such as wellness plans or prescription medications, to your basic accident and illness coverage, and even your location.
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Coverages and plan features
Both Pets Best and Nationwide offer the same general types of coverage:
Accident-only coverage
Accident-only coverage is the most basic and affordable option, typically reimbursing for emergency care and follow-ups after an accident.
Accident and illness coverage
Accident and illness coverage is more comprehensive and helps pay for care from accidents and illnesses. Pets Best allows you to include exam fees and physical therapy (which includes some alternative therapies like acupuncture and chiropractic care) as add-ons to your accident and illness coverage.
Wellness coverage
Wellness plans are a common add-on that help cover preventive care, such as yearly checkups and vaccines.
Both Pets Best and Nationwide cover prescription medications with all three coverage options. Check out some other policy highlights from these two companies in the table below:
Feature | Pets Best | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | Yes | No |
| Mobile claims filing | Yes | Online only |
| Direct vet pay | Yes | No |
| 24/7 vet helpline | Yes | Yes |
| Online policy management | Yes | Yes |
| Live customer support | Available by phone 6 a.m.–7 p.m. MST Mon–Fri; 6 a.m.–2 p.m. MST Sat | Available by phone 5 a.m.–7 p.m. PST Mon–Fri; 7 a.m.–3:30 p.m. PST Sat |
Policy exclusions
Every pet insurance policy comes with certain exclusions. For example, most pet insurance companies exclude pre-existing conditions, including Pets Best and Nationwide. But both insurers may cover curable pre-existing conditions once they’ve healed.[3]
It’s also common for pet insurance companies to impose age limits on the animals they’ll insure, which is why it’s notable that Pets Best specifies that it has no upper age limits on its policies.[4]
Nationwide allows pet owners to check the pet insurance rates and reimbursement options for a 9-year-old dog and a 15-year-old cat.
Both insurers impose claim processing waiting periods for cruciate ligament issues rather than entirely excluding the treatment. Nationwide imposes a 12-month waiting period after purchasing coverage, while the cruciate ligament waiting period for Pets Best is a more manageable six months.
It’s also common for insurers to exclude hereditary conditions, although Nationwide offers some limited additional coverage options for specific ineligible conditions. Pets Best, meanwhile, includes hereditary conditions as part of its comprehensive accident and illness coverage.
Nationwide does offer one benefit that Pets Best doesn’t: You can insure exotic pets with Nationwide.
Claims processing
The ease of the claims-filing process can affect the affordability of pet insurance rates since you typically have to pay out of pocket and wait for reimbursement.
Pets Best is the clear winner for claim processing. This insurer not only has a mobile app you can use to file your claim while still in the vet’s waiting room, but Pets Best also offers direct vet payments so you can bypass the process of waiting for reimbursement after filing a claim.
Nationwide, on the other hand, requires you to access its website (which you can do from your mobile device) and take photos of your invoice to file a claim. It’s unclear if there’s any pet owner assistance available to customers who have trouble filing a claim via the site, as there’s no live chat or phone number listed in the claims-processing section of the Nationwide site.
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Customer reviews
Customer reviews of both Pets Best and Nationwide are mixed on sites like Trustpilot, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and Yelp, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of each company.
For Pets Best, satisfied customers appreciate the ease of filing a claim, the friendly customer service, and the high reimbursement rates. This recent Trustpilot review is a good representative example of the positive reviews:
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But Pets Best has a number of complaints, as well. Specifically, multiple customers describe slow claims processing that was ultimately denied because they were asked to prove their pet didn’t have pre-existing conditions. This unhappy pet owner, who says she was asked to provide veterinary records for dates that didn’t exist in order to prove her cat didn’t have pre-existing conditions, is a representative example from the BBB website:
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As for Nationwide pet insurance, customers on Yelp and Trustpilot praise how easy it is to sign up for coverage and appreciate the customizable plans and pet insurance rates. Here are a couple of positive reviews praising the ease of finding the appropriate coverage level, reimbursement options, and add-ons:
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But Nationwide customers are less satisfied with the policy price over time, as many claim their pet insurance rates went up after filing a claim. This complaint from Yelp is typical of these concerns:
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Pets Best vs. Nationwide FAQs
If you’re still deciding whether Pets Best or Nationwide is better for your pet’s vet coverage, the answers to these questions can help.
Is Pets Best better than Nationwide pet insurance?
Pets Best tends to be better than Nationwide. It has several policy highlights, including coverage for alternative therapies, an easy-to-use mobile app, and direct vet pay, which may make it a better choice for pet insurance, at least in terms of customer service. But if you have an exotic pet, Nationwide would be a better option.
What are the main differences between Pets Best and Nationwide?
Pets Best only covers cats and dogs and has policy exclusions for exotic pets, which Nationwide doesn’t. Pets Best only offers pet insurance coverage, while Nationwide is an insurance giant, offering a wide menu of insurance products that you could bundle with your pet insurance.
Which company is the largest pet insurer?
Nationwide claims that it insures more than 1 million pets across the country, less than 1% of all 163.5 million pets in the U.S.
Do most vets accept Pets Best pet insurance?
Yes. All licensed veterinary offices in the U.S. and Canada, including specialty and emergency care clinics, accept Pets Best pet insurance.
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Sources
- Yelp. "Nationwide Pet Insurance."
- Better Business Bureau. "Pets Best Insurance Services LLC."
- Nationwide Pet Insurance. "What’s not covered."
- Pets Best. "Frequently Asked Questions."
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Emily Guy Birken
Emily Guy Birken is a former educator, lifelong money nerd, and a Plutus Award-winning freelance writer who specializes in the scientific research behind irrational money behaviors. Her background in education allows her to make complex financial topics relatable and easily understood by the layperson.
Her work has appeared on The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Kiplinger's, MSN Money, and The Washington Post online.
She is the author of several books, including The 5 Years Before You Retire, End Financial Stress Now, and the brand new book Stacked: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management, written with Joe Saul-Sehy.
Emily lives in Milwaukee with her family.
Emily has been a contributor at Insurify since October 2022.
Sara Getman is an Associate Editor at Insurify and has been with the company since 2022. Prior to joining Insurify, Sara completed her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Simmons University in Boston. At Simmons, she was the Editor-in-Chief for Sidelines Magazine (a literary and art publication), and wrote creative non-fiction.
Outside of work, Sara is an avid reader, and loves rock climbing, yoga, and crocheting.
