Best Pet Insurance Wellness Plans for Routine Care in October 2024

Adding wellness coverage to your pet insurance plan can pay for routine costs like annual checkups, vaccinations, and flea and tick treatments, as well as one-time expenses like microchipping and spaying or neutering.

CNBC Select picked the best pet insurance companies with wellness plans to help you keep your pet healthy while easing the strain on your wallet. (Read more about our methodology below.)

Best pet insurance wellness plans

Compare pet insurance companies 

Best for affordability: Pets Best

Pets Best Pet Insurance

• Cost

  The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

• Policy highlights

  Available in all 50 states, Pets Best is a standout for its affordable rates. Pet’s Best focuses on accident-only and accident and illness policies, although a wellness plan is available, .

• App available

• Standout features

  Pet’s Best offers coverage to cats and dogs as young as 7 weeks with no maximum age limit.

  Read our review of Pets Best pet insurance

Pros

• Affordable accident-only and accident and illness coverage
• Deductible options as low as $50
• No maximum age limit
• Offers direct-payment option

Cons

• Only two levels of maximum coverage
• Multi-pet discount is smaller than other providers
• Doesn’t cover alternative or behavioral therapies

Who’s this for? Pets Best wellness plans offer deductibles, reimbursement limits and maximum annual coverage levels suitable for different budgets.

Standout benefits: You can get a 5% discount when you insure more than one pet. Plus, there’s no age cap for enrollment, making Pets Best a top choice for older dogs.

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Best for teeth cleaning: MetLife Pet Insurance

MetLife Pet Insurance

• Cost

  The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

• Policy highlights

  Metlife pet insurance offers a variety of limits on maximum annual coverage, reimbursements limits, and deductibles to make policies fit your budget. Discounts are available to shelter personnel, military members and healthcare workers, as well as a monthly internet purchase discount for buying online.

• App available

• Standout features

  Standard policies include coverage for hospitalizations, surgeries, diagnostic tests, exam fees, and holistic care for new accidents and illnesses.

Pros

• Holistic care and alternative therapies are included in a standard plan
• Wellness plans are available

Cons

• Unlimited annual coverage is not available

Who’s this for? MetLife Pet Insurance’s Preventive 365 plan includes $100 a year for teeth cleaning, while the Preventative 575 plan has a $150 coverage limit.

Standout benefits: MetLife’s plans include gland expression and behavior training, which not all companies cover.

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Best for medications and prescription food: CarePlus by Chewy

CarePlus® by Chewy Pet Insurance

• Cost

  The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

• Policy highlights

  CarePlus by Chewy offers coverage backed by Trupanion and Lemonade. With customer care and an online veterinarian telehealth service offered seven days a week, CarePlus will help you make sure all of your questions are answered.

• Standout features

  No annual limits are available through Trupanion policies. Wellness plans are available with an accident-only or accident and illness policy, or as a standalone policy.

Pros

• Can buy standalone wellness coverage
• Coverage can include prescription coverage for medications or prescribed diets

Cons

• Not available in five states

Who’s this for? CarePlus’ preventive care plan covers 100% of medications, supplements and prescription food purchased on Chewy.com, as well as flea, tick and heartworm prevention treatments.

Standout benefits: If you don’t want accident and illness coverage, CarePlus is one of the only providers with a standalone wellness plan, available through Trupanion.

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Best for speedy claims processing: Lemonade

Lemonade Pet Insurance

• Cost

  The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

• Policy highlights

  Lemonade offers affordable pet insurance options for base accident and illness coverages, while wellness options are available for an extra cost. There are a variety of additions you can make to a policy, including things like coverage for behavioral conditions, coverage for acupuncture and chiropractic care, and coverage for dental illnesses.

• App available

• Standout features

  A special puppy/kitten preventative care package is available for an extra cost, which can help pay for the cost of vaccines, parasite testing, microchipping and spay or neutering procedures. Lemonade also offers injury coverage with a short 2-day waiting period.

Pros

• Available option to bundle with homeowners or renters insurance
• 2-day waiting period for injury coverage

Cons

• Only available in 37 states

Who’s this for? Lemonade’s AI-powered interface makes the claims process (nearly) pain-free. File through the website or app and your reimbursement is wired directly to your bank account. According to Lemonade, almost 40% of claims are settled in seconds.

Standout benefits: Lemonade’s basic preventative plan pays for one wellness exam and three yearly vaccinations. The plan for puppies and kittens includes two wellness exams and six vaccinations.

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Best for senior pets: Spot

Spot Pet Insurance

• Cost

  The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

• Policy highlights

  Spot Pet Insurance offers accident and illness and accident-only coverage for cats and dogs. It has a variety of choices of reimbursement rates, annual limits (including an unlimited policy), and deductibles to cater your coverage to your needs and budget. The option to cover preventative care procedures and exams (including a dental cleaning and wellness exam) for an extra fee is available.

• App available

• Standout features

  There are no upper age limits for new enrollments and plans include microchipping. Spot offers a 24/7 veterinary helpline to address wellness and health concerns.

Pros

• no upper age limits for new enrollments
• 24/7 veterinary helpline
• Covers prescription food and behavior therapy
• 10% discounts for additional pets

Cons

• 14-day waiting period for accidents
• Average rates for cats is higher than competition

Who’s this for? Spot Pet Insurance doesn’t have an upper age limit for enrollment, making it a great option if you have an older dog. Wellness coverage starts 24 hours after purchase, so you can take advantage of benefits quickly.

Standout benefits: Beyond routine screenings and teeth cleanings, Spot’s Platinum Preventative add-on includes spaying and neutering.

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Best for multiple pets: ASPCA Pet Health Insurance

ASPCA Pet Insurance

• Cost

  The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

• Policy highlights

  ASPCA’s pet insurance has been operating since 1997, making it one of the oldest providers in the space. Coverage is available at eight weeks old, and there’s no maximum age limit. A 30-day money-back guarantee is available for all policies if no covered claims are filed.

• App available

• Standout features

  An app makes for a simple claims filing experience, and reimbursements are available by direct deposit. ASPCA pet insurance also offers coverage for horses.

Pros

• 10% discount on base plan premiums for additional pets

Cons

• 14-day waiting period for coverage

Who’s this for? ASPCA offers a 10% discount for enrolling more than one pet.

Standout benefits: The Basic Preventive Care tier includes teeth cleaning, which many plans make a premium benefit or omit altogether.

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Best for puppies and kittens: Embrace

Embrace Pet Insurance

• Cost

  The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

• Policy highlights

  A variety of maximum annual limits, reimbursement choices and deductibles allow you to tailor coverage to your needs and budget. A two-day waiting period for accident policies can also help get your pet covered sooner, though illnesses have a 14-day waiting period.

• App available

• Standout features

  Embrace offers the option of unlimited annual coverage limits. It also offers coverage for non-invasive treatments, like chiropractic care, hydrotherapy and acupuncture.

Pros

• Unlimited annual coverage is available
• Shorter two-day waiting periods for accident coverage
• Available in all 50 states and Washington D.C.

Cons

• Accident and illness coverage is limited to pets under age 15
• No option for wellness insurance coverage

Who’s this for? Your fur babies can rack up lots of expenses in their first year, but Embrace’s Wellness Rewards plans have annual coverage limits of up to $700 — enough to pay for vaccinations and spaying/neutering.

Standout benefits: Wellness benefits include grooming, nail trimming and burial and cremation costs, which most other providers don’t cover.

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Best for microchipping: Figo

Figo Pet Insurance

• Cost

  The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

• Policy highlights

  Figo pet insurance offers a number of options to customize your pet insurance policy, including a wellness plan option. Its policies cover dental injuries and illnesses and can pay for holistic treatment. Without an upper age limit, it’s a coverage option for pets older than eight weeks old.

• App available

• Standout features

  Figo states that it averages under three days to pay a claim. It also offers 24/7 access to a licensed veterinary expert, allowing for pet owners to get answers at any time.

Pros

• Exclusive discounts available for Costco members to save 15% on coverage
• May cover curable conditions that have been healed for 12 months

Cons

• Veterinary exam fee coverage isn’t included in base price

Who’s this for? Figo’s wellness Powerups include up to $30 for microchipping. Once that’s done, you can use the benefit to receive a health certificate.

Standout benefits: Plans also include up to $75 for spaying or neutering, which can go toward teeth cleaning in future years.

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More on our top pet insurance plans with wellness coverage

Pets Best

Pets Best has insured over 750,000 animals since 2005, with policies underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company and Independence American Insurance Company. In 2024, Pets Best was acquired by International Pet Holdings, which also owns Spot.

There are two tiers of routine care, either of which can be added to Pets Best BestBenefit Accident and Illness Plan.

MetLife

MetLife has been in the insurance industry since the 1860s, but began protecting cats and dogs in 2020 when it acquired PetFirst. There is no upper age limit for enrollment.

Source: Sample rates based on 1-year-old Labrador Retriever in New York

CarePlus by Chewy

Launched by Chewy in 2022, CarePlus offers accident-only and accident and illness plans, as well as one of the few wellness plans that can be bought by itself. CarePlus policies are underwritten by Trupanion and Lemonade, which has a maximum age limit of 14.

Lemonade

Online insurer Lemonade also offers auto, renters, condo, homeowners and life insurance, and customers can earn 10% off when they bundle policies. Get more discounts when you pay for a whole year upfront or insure more than one pet. New enrollments are capped at age 14.

Spot

Spot is available in all 50 states, with policies underwritten by the Independence American Insurance Company and United States Fire Insurance Company. There is no upper age limit for enrollment or coverage.

ASPCA Pet Insurance

Pet insurance from the ASPCA is offered through PTZ Insurance Agency and underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company and United States Fire Insurance Company. There is no age limit for coverage and, in addition to dogs and cats, the ASPCA has policies for horses.

Embrace Pet Insurance

Embrace has been offering pet insurance since 2006, with policies underwritten by American Modern Insurance Group. It’s earned praise for its quick claims processing and easy-to-use mobile app.

Source: Sample rates based on 1-year-old Labrador Retriever in New York

Figo

Figo’s pet insurance policies are underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company. It offers pet owners the ability to add coverage for wellness plans and vet exam fees in addition to accident and illness coverage.

Source: Sample rates based on 1-year-old Labrador Retriever in New York

What do pet wellness plans cover?

Preventive care plans vary but typically cover expected costs, like vaccinations. Most pet parents purchase wellness coverage in conjunction with an accident-only or accident-and-illness plan, but you can find standalone options.

Wellness plans may cover:

• Annual checkups
• Vaccinations
• Teeth-cleaning
• Vitamins and supplements
• Preventatives for fleas, ticks and heartworms
• Deworming
• FIV or FeLV testing (for cats)
• Microchipping
• Spaying/neutering

Wellness plans typically do not cover

• Non-prescription food
• Breeding or treatment related to pregnancy
• Obedience training
• Grooming or nail trimming.
• Non-prescription food
• Treatments for injuries or disease

How does a pet wellness plan work?

A wellness plan is more like a membership than traditional insurance: You pay a monthly fee and, in return, your pet receives access to a set number of services — often with no deductible. The price of each vaccination, blood test or other treatment is then subtracted from your balance.

While a wellness plan may cover testing, it won’t pay to treat an illness if one is detected. That’s why most owners combine preventative coverage with an accident and illness plan.

How to choose the right pet wellness plan

Evaluate any wellness plan for a variety of factors beyond cost.

Availability

Is this plan offered in your state? Can you pick your veterinarian? Can a preventative care plan be bought by itself or is it attached to accident and illness coverage? These questions should be a part of your calculations when deciding on a wellness plan.

Coverage limits

Be sure to learn how many routine wellness visits you get a year and if medications, prescription food and vitamins are discounted or covered.

Exclusions

If you have a newborn puppy or kitty, you might want to see if the wellness plan covers essential services like microchipping and spaying/neutering. If you have an older pet, make sure there aren’t age caps on coverage.

Customer satisfaction

Look the provider up on TrustPilot or check its grade and reviews on the Better Business Bureau website. A major insurer with different lines may be ranked by J.D. Power and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners might have data on the volume of complaints it receives.

Is a pet wellness plan worth it?

A preventative care plan can be a good way to budget for pet care, with predictable monthly costs rather than surprise expenses.

Regular checkups can help keep your cat or dog healthy throughout their lives and enable vets to catch problems before they become more serious (and expensive). But they require a commitment: If you don’t think you’ll come in for checkups or cleanings — or your pet doesn’t need microchipping or spaying — it might not be the right choice.

Pet insurance wellness plan: Pros and cons

Pros

• Often cheaper than paying out-of-pocket
• Encourages a holistic approach to pet health
• Early detection can prevent a more serious problem

Cons

• Added cost on top of traditional pet insurance
• Limits on frequency and type of care
• Requires commitment to routine veterinary visits
• Don’t cover accidents or illnesses on their own

FAQs

What does wellness dog insurance cover?

A wellness plan for a dog can cover annual treatments like teeth-cleaning, checkups, vaccinations, deworming and preventative flea and tick treatments. It may also cover one-time expenditures like microchipping and spaying or neutering.

What are the benefits of pet insurance?

In general, pet insurance is good for providing a financial cushion if your pet requires unexpected medical treatment, whether because of an illness or accident. A wellness plan, however, can save you money on more expected costs, whether annual or one-time.

Does pet insurance cover flea treatments?

Many wellness plans cover flea and tick treatment for dogs and cats.

Do pet wellness plans cover pre-existing conditions?

A pre-existing condition is any illness or disability that your pet was diagnosed with before you bought your policy. Pet insurance (including wellness plans) rarely covers them. There are, however, plans that cover pre-existing conditions if your pet has been “cured” for a certain amount of time, like a respiratory infection or broken paw.

How much does a pet wellness plan cost?

The average cost for a pet insurance wellness plan is about $25 a month, But prices can vary greatly depending on the provider, the animal, the benefits, your location and other factors.

Are pet wellness plans worth it?

If you intend to invest in routine care for your cat or dog, a wellness plan can help you save on one-time or annual treatments. Price out what you’d pay for vaccinations, teeth cleanings and other expenses to see if a plan is cost-effective.

Why trust CNBC Select?

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every pet insurance review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of insurance products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best pet insurance wellness plans.

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Our methodology

To determine the best pet wellness plans, CNBC Select analyzed more than two dozen pet insurance companies with wellness plans, based on price, coverage, availability and flexibility.

We examined rates for an accident and illness policy with a wellness benefit, a $10,000 annual coverage limit, a $250 deductible and an 80% reimbursement rate for a 1-year-old, 50-pound mixed-breed dog living in Manhattan.

We compared deductibles, reimbursement rates, maximum annual coverage, exam fees, discounts and customer satisfaction ratings from the Better Business Bureau. We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.

From there, we sorted our recommendations into the best for affordability, for dental coverage, for medications and prescription food, for speedy claims processing, for senior pets, for multiple pets, for puppies and kittens and for microchipping.

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Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.

Originally Appeared Here