Petplan Pet Insurance: Is it the right choice?

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Samantha Vargas
Written bySamantha Vargas
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Samantha VargasInsurance Writer

Samantha Vargas is a freelance writer for Insurify. She has a background in comparative English literature and film and has produced a variety of journalistic content for the University at Buffalo's independent student newspaper, The Spectrum. She currently works in Buffalo, NY while finishing her master's degree. She spends her free time baking and working with animal welfare groups.

John Leach
Edited byJohn Leach
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John LeachSenior Insurance Copy Editor
  • Licensed property and casualty insurance agent

  • 8+ years editing experience

John leads Insurify’s copy desk, helping ensure the accuracy and readability of Insurify’s content. He’s a licensed agent specializing in home and car insurance topics.

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Updated January 11, 2021

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Best For…

  • Dog and cat owners who want accident, injury, illness, and specialist care

  • Pet owners who are comfortable paying for routine care out-of-pocket

  • Those looking for alternative treatment options for their pet

Not the Best For…

  • Exotic and equine pet owners

  • Pet owners looking for veterinary care coverage

Why buy pet insurance?

Most pet owners are familiar with the sinking feeling of realizing their pet is sick. Aside from the obvious emotional turmoil a pet owner faces when having to take care of a sick pet, the financial strain of emergency surgeries, constant vet visits, and prescriptions can put many in a tight spot.

Buying a pet insurance plan for your pet can give you peace of mind that your pet’s health will be taken care of regardless of your personal finances.

Apart from covering treatment costs for your sick pet, pet health insurance can also help cover vet bills, routine care, preventative measures to ward off parasites, and even alternative therapies.

Pet owners would do anything for their furry friends, but with the perfect pet insurance policy, that doesn’t have to include going into debt. Compare companies to find the best policy for you and your family with Insurify **today.
**

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Petplan Pet Insurance Policies and Pricing

Petplan offers pet insurance coverage in all 50 states and can be used with any veterinarian. This pet insurance company provides the following policies for dog and cat owners.

Comprehensive Petplan Breakdown

The comprehensive pet plan is Petplan ’s only option for both cats and dogs over six weeks old. It offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to adjusting the maximum annual payout, the annual deductible, and the reimbursement percentage. It pays for a wide range of veterinary costs like X-rays, MRIs, behavioral therapy, surgery, diagnostics, and even non-routine exam fees.

The comprehensive plan also reimburses non-veterinary costs like monetary loss due to the theft of your pet, boarding kennel fees, and any vacation cancellations as a result of your pet’s illness or injury. That means if you’re scheduled for a vacation and can’t go because your pet gets sick, Petplan would reimburse you for those costs!

Petplan guarantees to never cancel your pet policy due to the age, health, or claim history of your pet.

Petplan does not offer coverage for non-curable pre-existing conditions.

But unlike many other insurance providers, Petplan offers to reinstate coverage eligibility for curable pre-existing conditions that can be “completely resolved without recurrence” following a 365-day exclusionary period. During the exclusionary period, your pet must not show any symptoms for the condition. This includes any symptoms without a formal medical diagnosis, like vomiting and diarrhea.

This means Petplan will cover any medical condition or injury your pet previously had, as long as there are no symptoms of the condition for at least a year. The company also will not cover elective surgeries, breeding, injuries from intentional abuse or neglect, behavioral treatment, injuries from racing or organized fighting, or treatments for weight loss, among others.

Petplan Insurance for Your Dog

Petplan offers one comprehensive plan that covers accidents, illnesses, and congenital conditions, which can be adjusted to provide different reimbursement levels. Petplan offers coverage for most emergency care, treatments, surgeries, and rehabilitation sessions, among other things. It also doesn’t have any breed restrictions and will cover breed-specific conditions.

Petplan will cover any chronic condition following the end of its waiting period, including allergies and diabetes, and will cover prescription medications.

In case of emergencies, Petplan will also cover reimbursement for surgeries, X-rays, MRIs, CAT scans, laboratory and diagnostic testing, rehabilitation, and alternative therapies. Any of these treatments could add up to thousands of dollars out of pocket without pet insurance.

Petplan will not reimburse pet owners for routine or preventative care. This includes sterilization, vaccinations, exams, or any care related to parasites like fleas or heartworm.

Petplan Insurance for Your Cat

Petplan offers its comprehensive plan for your favorite feline, which covers accidents, illnesses, and congenital conditions. It provides reimbursement for most emergency care, treatment of illnesses and injuries, surgeries, and rehabilitation. It doesn’t have any breed restrictions.

Petplan will cover chronic and congenital conditions that occur after the plan is instated, including allergies, asthma, diabetes, and cancer. In case of emergencies, Petplan also reimburses owners for surgery, rehabilitation, alternative treatments, and specialist care, among other things. Without pet insurance, you might end up having to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket.

Petplan doesn’t reimburse pet owners for routine or preventative care. So you will have to pay for vaccinations, routine exams, or any care related to parasites like fleas or heartworm.

Petplan ’s Services for Breeders

Petplan offers a specialized bundle for breeders that provides a free 30-day trial of Petplan ’s comprehensive insurance for every puppy or kitten sold. According to Petplan ’s website, providing insurance upon a sale reduces the number of puppies or kittens returned due to health problems.

Breeders can also be added to Petplan ’s Breeder Bonus Point program. So you can get points every time someone you sell a pet to activates or continues a Petplan policy. You can redeem the points for vouchers like Amazon gift cards.

Petplan Claims, Deductibles and Benefits

Petplan only offers one policy plan, but pet owners can customize how much they want to spend each month, their annual limits for reimbursement, and how much of their vet bills is covered per claim.

Petplan ’s comprehensive insurance plan offers annual deductibles ranging from $250 to $1,000 and can be adjusted in $50 increments. This means your Petplan insurance policy will kick in once you’ve spent the chosen amount of money on any of the treatments that are covered by the comprehensive plan, which means treatments like surgery and diagnostic testing, not routine veterinary exams or vaccinations.

Since this is an annual deductible and not a deductible per claim, once you’ve paid the chosen amount, your Petplan policy should kick in for the rest of the year up until you reach your maximum annual limit.

Petplan gives pet owners the option to pick a per-condition deductible instead of an annual deductible. This means that if you have to visit your vet multiple times for the same problem, the deductible would be applied only once during the entire course of treatment.

Petplan offers reimbursement options for the amount of coverage per expense. Reimbursement percentages are similar to co-pay. So if you pick an 80 percent reimbursement percentage, Petplan covers 80 percent of the costs while you pay the remaining 20 percent.

Pet owners can choose between a 70 percent, 80 percent or 90 percent reimbursement option for their Petplan policy, which will adjust the monthly cost. The higher the reimbursement percentage, the higher your monthly premium.

You can adjust your deductible depending on how much you would like to spend each month. If you set a lower deductible, you pay a higher monthly fee and vice versa. Lowering your reimbursement could also reduce your monthly premium, but this also means you will get less of your money back when you file a claim.

Your annual payout limit depends on the pet insurance policy you pick and can range from $2,500 to an unlimited amount. An annual payout limit is the maximum amount of money a pet insurance provider will pay to cover your costs for the year. For example, if you were to pick a $10,000 reimbursement, once you’ve paid your chosen deductible, Petplan will pay up to $10,000 a year to cover the cost of your pet treatments, and so forth.

30-Day Money Back Guarantee

Petplan offers its subscribers a 30-day money-back guarantee on its policies for any reason. This means that it will refund the entire premium as long as you haven’t filed any claims within the first 30-days. Customers can still qualify for a refund on the premium after 30-days, but the amount back will depend upon the termination date.

Petplan Discounts

Petplan offers a 10 percent discount for veterans and serving military members. Petplan also offers a 10 percent discount for AARP members, excluding members in Tennessee, Florida, and Hawaii. It also offers discounts to registered medical service animals.

Filing a claim with Petplan

Petplan will reimburse your claim for money spent on veterinary treatment after it receives an upload or copy of your veterinary invoice. Subscribers can fill out personalized claim forms, print and sign, and then submit them. These can be faxed to 1 (866) 599-4654, emailed to claims@ gopetplan.com, sent via the Petplan mobile app, or mailed to:
Claims Department, Petplan 3805 West Chester Pike, Suite 240
Newtown Square, PA 19073.

According to Petplan ’s website, all claims will be entered into its system and accessible from your online portal within one business day of receiving them. Following the collection of all necessary material and assessment, Petplan will reimburse veterinary costs within 30 days of processing.

Petplan ’s Waiting Period

Petplan implements a 15-day waiting period for illness and accidents, and a six-month waiting period for hip dysplasia, cruciate injuries, and patellas. However, this waiting period can vary per state.

If your pet were to fall ill or get injured before the end of these waiting periods, any claim filed would not be covered by your Petplan policy, and you would have to pocket those costs.

The six-month waiting period can be waived following an orthopedic exam by your general veterinarian within the first 30 days of your policy. This exam must specifically note that your pet does not have pre-existing conditions related to its knees.

If your pet is found to have issues with either of its knees before the end of the six-month waiting period, the other knee is automatically disqualified for coverage.

Petplan vs. Competitors

To see how Petplan ’s quotes stacked up to those from its competitors, Insurify’s data team compared pet insurance quotes from Trupanion, Embrace, Healthy Paws, and Petplan.

Below are the pet insurance quotes for a two-year-old purebred golden retriever named Sally who lives in San Jose, California:

Company Name
Quotes
Petplan$89/mo
Trupanion$133/mo
Healthy Paws$66/mo
Embrace$46/mo

These are the pet insurance quotes for a one-year-old German shepherd named Jerry who also lives in San Jose, California:

Company Name
Quotes
Petplan$103/mo
Trupanion$121/mo
Healthy Paws$63/mo
Embrace$61/mo

These are the quotes for a three-year-old labradoodle named Sandy in San Jose. Mixed breed dogs usually have lower insurance premiums since they aren’t as susceptible to genetic conditions:

Company Name
Quotes
Petplan$68/mo
Trupanion$99/mo
Healthy Paws$53/mo
Embrace$46/mo

And for cats, these are the quotes for a three-year-old British shorthair named Simon, who lives in Houston, Texas:

Company Name
Quotes
Petplan$20/mo
Trupanion$63/mo
Embrace$28/mo
Healthy Paws$16/mo

Remember, cat insurance premiums tend to be cheaper than dog insurance premiums.

Finally, these are the quotes for a five-year-old mixed breed long-haired cat named Wesley, who also lives in Houston, Texas:

Company Name
Quotes
Petplan$23/mo
Trupanion$73/mo
Embrace$32/mo
Healthy Paws$14/mo

Petplan’s prices tend to be on the more expensive side, but it’s still cheaper compared to competitors like Trupanion. But again, pet insurance prices rely heavily on information about your pet and where you live, so you should always compare prices across companies before settling down on one.

Make sure you use Insurify to compare pet insurance quotes before settling down on a policy!

Petplan Pet Insurance Reviews from Policyholders

Success stories

Petplan ’s website doesn’t have a seperate section for user reviews, but it does have a few success stories on it’s homepage. These stories have pet parents sharing their gratitude when it comes to saving big on expensive veterinary bills.

Not-So-Successful Stories

Unsurprisingly, Petplan does not publish any negative reviews on its own website, but sites like ConsumerAffairs gives unhappy patrons a platform for their grievances. Petplan holds a 1.25-star rating on ConsumerAffairs, which is significantly lower than competitors like Embrace and ASPCA pet insurance.

Negative reviews typically come from long term clients that are unhappy with their policies being rewritten over time. Other reviews criticize Petplan ’s denial of claims and pre-existing position policy.

Petplan Pet Insurance Contact Information

24/7 Customer Care1 (844) 719-6861
EmailOnline form
Fax1 (866) 599-4654
MailPetplan
3805 West Chester Pike, Suite 240
Newtown Square, PA 19073
Websitewww.gopetplan.com

Frequently Asked Questions: Petplan Pet Insurance

  • Is pet insurance worth it?

    While pet insurance isn’t mandatory, it helps to know your vet bills and treatments are going to be covered regardless of your personal finances. Aside from protecting your pet from future illnesses, pet insurance can also help pay for your regular vet bills and any vaccinations or preventative treatments you want for your pet. In other words, pet insurance can help you prepare for unforeseen medical emergencies and help you pay for regular pet upkeep costs.

  • How much does pet insurance cost?

    Pet insurance rates depend heavily on your pet’s breed, age, pre-existing conditions, and location. On average, however, dog insurance costs about $38 a month, cat insurance costs about $27 a month, bird insurance about $15 a month, and reptile insurance about $8 a month. Again, these rates are heavily subject to the aforementioned factors, as well as how you adjust the factors of your insurance plan. Petplan tends to be on the more expensive side, but you should compare pet insurance plans before settling on one policy.

  • Is Petplan pet insurance good?

    Petplan isn’t the most affordable option, but it still provides mid-tier pricing compared to other competitors. It offers coverage for many non-veterinary fees associated with your pet that can add up to thousands of dollars out-of-pocket. But some say Petplan doesn’t offer enough coverage for routine veterinary work and that customer service doesn’t hold up. Whether Petplan is a good choice for you comes down to what you can afford and what kind of coverage fits you and your pet best. That’s why you should make sure you compare quotes before settling down on a single pet insurance policy.

Compare pet insurance quotes and save up to 57%

See up to 10 quotes from major pet insurers in less than 2 minutes

Secure. Free. Easy-to-use.
4.8/5 (3,806+ reviews)
Shopper Approved
Samantha Vargas
Samantha VargasInsurance Writer

Samantha Vargas is a freelance writer for Insurify. She has a background in comparative English literature and film and has produced a variety of journalistic content for the University at Buffalo's independent student newspaper, The Spectrum. She currently works in Buffalo, NY while finishing her master's degree. She spends her free time baking and working with animal welfare groups.

John Leach
Edited byJohn LeachSenior Insurance Copy Editor
Photo of an Insurify author
John LeachSenior Insurance Copy Editor
  • Licensed property and casualty insurance agent

  • 8+ years editing experience

John leads Insurify’s copy desk, helping ensure the accuracy and readability of Insurify’s content. He’s a licensed agent specializing in home and car insurance topics.

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