Nationwide Pet Insurance Reviews: How It Stacks Up (2024)

Nationwide is a well-known home and auto insurer, but it’s also the largest pet insurance company in the United States. In 2009, Nationwide purchased Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the first U.S. company that began selling pet insurance policies in 1982.^[1]

Nationwide has a range of pet insurance coverage options for cats, dogs, birds, and even some exotic animals. It charges average rates for the pet insurance industry, but your exact costs will depend on several factors.

Here’s what you should know about Nationwide pet insurance.

Nationwide pet insurance: Our verdict

Nationwide offers plan options for all budgets and coverage needs. Customers appreciate its valuable perks and features, such as a 24/7 live advice app with veterinary experts and a prescription drug savings plan through Walmart and Sam’s Club. Given that Nationwide also offers many other insurance products, it’s an easy one-stop shop for all your coverage needs.

But the company has received some customer service complaints from pet insurance policyholders. Customers note that the company frequently raises rates by a significant amount and doesn’t provide a detailed enough overview of what it won’t cover, including pricey and common pet issues, like hip dysplasia and patellar luxation.

Nationwide pet insurance pros and cons

Here are some of the biggest factors to consider if you’re looking at a Nationwide pet insurance policy for your furry (or feathered) friend:

Nationwide plans and coverages

Nationwide uses different names and definitions for coverage options throughout its website. But all policy options come down to three different types of coverage. Accident coverage is mandatory for Nationwide pet insurance policies, while illness and wellness plans are optional add-ons.^[2] Learn more about coverage options to find the best option for your pet.

Accident

This policy type helps pay the vet bills for non-illness and emergency care, such as if another dog injures your pet at the dog park, your pet swallows your favorite pair of socks, or your pet bird incurs an injury falling from a branch.

You can select an accident policy with a maximum annual coverage limit of $5,000 or an unlimited amount. Everyone purchasing a Nationwide pet policy must at least purchase accident coverage.

Illness

Illness coverage helps pay vet bills if your pet gets sick, such as from infectious diseases, gastrointestinal upsets, cancer, and other health problems. This includes long-term care for many chronic conditions, as long as they’re not a pre-existing condition or excluded based on your pet’s breed.

Coverage for illnesses is optional, but if you decide to buy it, you have the same choices for annual coverage limits as with accident coverage ($5,000 or unlimited). A major medical plan from Nationwide will include accident and illness coverage.

Wellness

All pets need regular vet wellness care, and the specific recommendations depend on your pet’s age, history, and more. The Nationwide pet wellness plan helps pay for those costs, including regular annual exams, routine blood work, flea and tick prevention, fecal tests, microchipping, vaccinations, and more. For example, wellness coverage can pay for a written prescription.

Wellness coverage is an optional add-on. If you decide to purchase it, you’ll get two choices for annual coverage limits: $450 or $800.

What Nationwide pet insurance doesn’t cover

The specific coverage exclusions depend on what plan you select. Unless you purchase a wellness plan, for example, your insurance policy won’t cover wellness-related vet bills.

The following items are common exclusions:

• Waste disposal fees

• Taxes

• Hereditary conditions for your pet’s breed

• Specific issues stemming from pre-existing conditions

• Age-related eye and ear conditions, such as glaucoma

• Dental conditions, such as gingivitis or enamel hypoplasia

• Chronic conditions affecting joints, such as patellar luxation and hip dysplasia

How much does Nationwide pet insurance cost?

Pet insurance companies — including Nationwide — consider various factors when determining the cost of pet insurance, including where you live and your pet’s age and breed. You can’t really control these factors, but you can control the type and amount of coverage you select.

Nationwide offers flexibility in coverage selection, with options for annual coverage limits, reimbursement percentages, and annual deductibles.

Here are your plan options:

• Accident coverage annual limit: $5,000 or unlimited

• Illness coverage annual limit (optional): $5,000 or unlimited

• Wellness coverage annual limit (optional): $450 or $800

• Reimbursement percentage: 50%, 70%, or 80%

• Annual deductible: $100, $250, or $500

Cost of Nationwide dog insurance

Insurify gathered a sample dog insurance quote from Nationwide for a dog in Hartford, Connecticut, with an accident and illness plan with unlimited annual coverage, an 80% reimbursement rate, and a $500 annual deductible.

Specifically, the sample dog is a 2-year-old male mixed-breed dog of medium size. Nationwide quoted a price of $32 per month for this policy.

Cost of Nationwide cat insurance

For our sample cat insurance quote, we used the same coverage criteria as above for a 2-year-old female American shorthair. Nationwide quoted a price of about $18 per month.

How customers feel about Nationwide pet insurance

Customer reviews for Nationwide pet insurance skew negative, though some satisfied customers have left positive reviews about the service experience. This trend in reviews is consistent with Nationwide’s reputation when it comes to auto policies as well, where the company often ranks below average on various J.D. Power customer satisfaction surveys.

Here’s how Nationwide pet insurance fares on various customer review websites:

• Yelp: 1.7 stars based on 1,140 reviews

• Google: 2.4 stars based on 288 reviews

• Trustpilot: 3.9 stars based on 255 reviews

• Better Business Bureau: 1.15 stars based on 346 reviews

A common customer complaint among pet owners is that Nationwide increases rates — sometimes significantly — at policy renewal.

Some customers complain that Nationwide reviews your pet’s vet record (a common practice in the pet insurance industry) and is rigid when determining your pet’s specific pre-existing conditions. It’s a good idea to double-check the company’s pre-existing guidelines before signing your policy agreement.

The bottom line: Is a Nationwide pet insurance plan worth it?

If you prefer to keep all your insurance policies with one company, Nationwide is a good option. It offers relatively affordable pet insurance policies, with plenty of options for customizing your specific coverage needs. Nationwide can help you cover the cost of many types of care from veterinary professionals.

But if you prefer working with a company with better customer satisfaction, you may find the best coverage from another company on Insurify’s list of best pet insurance companies. This is especially true if you’re insuring a purebred pet with illnesses or conditions that Nationwide coverage excludes.

Nationwide pet insurance FAQs

Methodology

Quoted rates reflect the average cost for a 2-year-old medium male mixed-breed dog and a 2-year-old female American shorthair cat in Hartford, Connecticut.

Insurify collected quote data for the following policy details:

• Type: Accident and illness

• Annual coverage limit: Unlimited

• Reimbursement percentage: 80%

• Deductible: $500