Basic pet insurance can help cover veterinary expenses, including treatment for illnesses and injuries.
But a wellness plan reimburses for routine care, like checkups, vaccinations and flea and tick treatments. It can also cover one-time costs like microchipping and spaying or neutering.
CNBC Select has picked the best pet wellness plans to keep your pet healthy and your wallet happy. Read more about our methodology below.
Best pet insurance with wellness plans
Best for teeth cleaning: MetLife Pet Insurance
Who's this for? While not all pet insurance plans cover dental cleanings, MetLife Pet Insurance's Preventive 365 plan reimburses up to $100 a year for teeth cleaning. The Preventive 575 plan ups the limit to $150.
Standout benefits: MetLife wellness plans include gland expression and behavioral training, which many competitors exclude.
MetLife Pet Insurance
Policy highlights
MetLife offers an accident and illness plan and a wellness add-on. Policies are underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company and Metropolitan General (MetGen) Insurance Company
Age limits
No age restrictions for enrollment
Coverage limit
$500 to unlimited
Annual deductible
$0 to $2,500
Reimbursement rate
50% to 90%
Waiting period
14 days for illnesses, 12 months for knee injuries
Discounts
Discounts for buying online and enrolling multiple pets, as well as for animal care staff, military members and health care workers. Deductibles drop up to $50 each year you don't file a claim.
Direct vet pay
No
Pros
- Covers birds, lizards, small mammals and other exotic pet
- Reimbursement for lost pet rewards
- Most claims processed within 10 days
- Covers burial/cremation
Cons
- Doesn't cover microchipping
- No accident-only policy
- Coverage, waiting periods and discounts vary based on the underwriter
Best for affordability: Pumpkin
Who's this for? Pumpkin's wellness plans are great for owners on a budget: Coverage starts at just $14.95 a month for cats and $19.95 for dogs, which is considerably lower than many competitors' rates.
Standout benefits: Unlike most routine care plans, the Pumpkin Wellness Club is available as a standalone plan without a traditional pet insurance policy. You'll be covered for vaccinations, screenings, exams and more, and get 24/7 access to Pumpkin's pet health hotline.
- Plans include exam fees and microchipping
- No upper age limits or breed restrictions
- Unlimited coverage standard
Best for puppies and kittens: Embrace
Who's this for? Your pet can rack up lots of expenses in its first year. Embrace's Wellness Rewards plans have annual limits of up to $700, enough to cover vaccinations, chipping, neutering and more.
Standout benefits: Embrace's wellness plans include grooming, nail trimming and nutritional consultations, which most providers exclude. Its standard accident and illness policies cover periodontal disease, abscesses, gingivitis and other dental issues up to $1,000 each policy term.
- Covers dental illnesses for up to $1,000 per year
- Two-day waiting period for accidents
- Available in all 50 states and Washington D.C.
- Coverage limited to pets 14 and younger
- $25 policy activation fee
Best for medications and prescription food: CarePlus by Chewy
Who's this for? If your furry friend is prescribed medications or a special diet, Chewy's CarePlus plan can cover the full cost of prescription food and drugs on Chewy.com, as well as flea, tick and heartworm prevention treatments.
Standout benefits: If you select a Trupanion plan through Chewy, your veterinarians can be paid directly by the insurer, saving you the trouble of getting reimbursed.
CarePlus® by Chewy Pet Insurance
Policy highlights
CarePlus offers accident-only, accident and illness and wellness plans through Lemonade and Trupanion.
Age limits
Pets from 8 weeks old to 14 years old can be enrolled
Coverage limit
$20,000 or unlimited
Annual deductible
$250, $500 or $1,000
Reimbursement rate
70%-100%
Direct vet pay
Yes, with Trupanion policies
Pros
- Some plans have 100% prescription coverage
- Video consultations
- Direct vet pay option available
Cons
- Does not issue its own policies
- Trupanion policies don't cover curable pre-existing conditions
- Lemonade not available in all states
Best for speedy claims processing: Lemonade
Who's this for? Lemonade's AI-powered interface makes the claims process fast and easy: 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: Through its Giveback program, Lemonade donates a portion of unused premiums to nonprofits, including animal rescue groups. In 2024, it donated more than $2 million to 43 charities.
- 10% bundling discount available
- 2-day waiting period for injury coverage
- Not available in all states
- 5% multi-pet discount is lower than competitors
- Strict age limits may make it hard to enroll older pets
Best for senior pets: Spot
Who's this for? Spot 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: This plan includes $25 for travel health certificates each year, which can be helpful If you travel often with your pet.
- no upper age limits for enrollment
- Exam fees covered
- 10% discounts for additional pets
- 14-day waiting period for accidents
- 30-day money-back guarantee not available in New York or Maine
- Average rate for cats is higher than competition
Best for multiple pets: ASPCA Pet Health Insurance
Who's this for? If you have several furry friends at home, 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.
- 10% discount for enrolling multiple pets
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Coverage for horses
- Bilateral conditions not covered
- Must call to get info on some plans
Best for microchipping: Figo
Who's this for? Figo's wellness coverage includes up to $30 for microchipping and a health certificate for traveling.
Standout benefits: Plans include up to $75 for spaying or neutering, which can go toward teeth cleaning in future years.
- Costco members can save 15%
- No upper age limit for enrollment
- 100% reimbursement option available
- Claims close on average in under 3 business days
- Covers curable conditions that have been healed for 12 months
- Vet exam fee not covered by basic plan
- Doesn’t offer an accident-only plan
- Multiple-pet discount lower than many competitors
What do pet wellness plans cover?
Wellness (or preventive care) plans vary, but they typically cover expected costs, rather than accidents or illnesses. Most pet parents purchase wellness coverage alongside 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, obedience training, grooming, breeding or treatments related to pregnancy.
How do pet wellness plans 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 for treatment if an illness 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 up the provider 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 wellness plans: pros and cons
- Often cheaper than paying out of pocket for routine care
- Encourages a holistic approach to pet health
- Early detection can prevent a more serious problem
- Added cost on top of traditional pet insurance
- Limits on frequency and type of care
- Requires commitment to routine veterinary visits
- Doesn't cover accidents or illnesses alone
FAQS
What does a wellness plan for a dog 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 expenses like microchipping and spaying or neutering.
Do pet wellness plans cover pre-existing conditions?
A pre-existing condition is any illness or disability 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 period, such as a respiratory infection or a 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.
Our methodology
To determine the best pet wellness plans, CNBC Select analyzed more than two dozen pet insurance companies with routine care coverage.
Carriers were reviewed based on:
- Cost
- Coverage limits
- Nationwide availability
- Deductibles
- Reimbursement rates
- Exam fees
- Customer satisfaction (based on ratings from the Better Business Bureau).
Rates were based on an accident and illness policy with a wellness add-on for a 1-year-old, 50-pound mixed-breed dog living in New York City. The plan had a $10,000 annual coverage limit, a $250 deductible and an 80% reimbursement rate.
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 winners into the best for the following categories:
- Best for teeth cleaning: MetLife
- Best for affordability: Pumpkin
- Best for puppies and kittens: Embrace
- Best for meds and prescription food: CarePlus by Chewy
- Best for speedy claims processing: Lemonade
- Best for senior pets: Spot
- Best for multiple pets: ASPCA Pet Insurance
- Best for microchipping: Figo
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 financial decisions. Every pet insurance list 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.
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