Spot Pet Insurance Review
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4.5 NerdWallet rating | Plans offered: Accident and illness, accident-only, wellness. | |
Breadth of coverage: Excellent. | Range of plan options: Excellent. | Can pay your vet directly: No. |
The bottom line: Spot offers a wide range of coverage choices for pet owners but won’t pay your vet directly. | ||
Spot pet insurance sells plans for cats and dogs nationwide. It has two main plans: accident and illness, and accident-only. For both plans, Spot has no upper age limit for pets, and customers can opt for unlimited annual payouts.
Spot also offers two preventive care plans that can be added to your pet’s policy. These plans reimburse you for expenses like wellness exams and dental cleanings, up to your coverage limit.
Spot pet insurance
4.5
NerdWallet ratingSpot earned 4.5 stars out of 5 for overall performance. NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account consumer experience, coverage options and financial strength ratings.
Based on this rating, Spot is on NerdWallet's list of the Best Pet Insurance Companies.
Spot pros and cons
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Covers things many insurers don’t, such as prescription food and behavioral modification. | Will not pay your vet directly. |
Covers some pre-existing conditions if they have been cured and treatment-free for 180 days. | |
Unlimited annual coverage option available. |
State availability
Spot pet insurance is available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
» MORE: The best pet insurance companies
Spot pet insurance plans
Spot pet insurance offers the following three types of coverage.
Accident and illness
Spot’s accident and illness plan provides coverage for your dog or cat if they sustain injuries such as bites, cuts or broken bones. This plan will also cover treatment for cancer, urinary tract infections or other illnesses.
Accident-only
Spot’s accident-only plan covers unexpected injuries, but does not provide coverage for illness.
Additional preventive care plans
A preventive care package can be added to either of the plans above. Spot offers two preventive care options: gold and platinum.
The gold option is more affordable and covers things like dental cleanings, wellness exams and deworming. Spot’s platinum care option has higher limits and adds coverage for flea and heartworm prevention and certain screening tests.
What Spot pet insurance covers
Spot’s standard accident and illness policy covers:
Alternative therapy like acupuncture and stem cell therapy. The treatment must be conducted by a veterinarian at a medical facility.
MRI or CT scans and X-rays.
IV fluids, IV medications and prescription medication.
Prescription food and supplements to treat a covered medical condition.
Exams, surgery and hospitalization.
Tooth extractions.
Cancer treatments.
Treatment for behavioral issues when conducted or prescribed by a veterinarian.
Microchip implantation.
Hereditary conditions.
Pre-existing conditions that have been cured and treatment-free for 180 days. This does not include any pre-existing knee or ligament conditions.
Spot’s accident-only plan covers:
Alternative therapy, such as acupuncture or hydrotherapy, when performed or supervised by a licensed veterinarian.
Prescription food and supplements to treat a covered condition.
Prescription medications.
Stem cell therapy.
Exams, surgery and hospitalizations.
Tooth extractions.
Spot’s gold preventive plan covers:
Dental cleanings.
Annual exams.
Deworming.
Certain vaccinations and screening tests.
Spot’s platinum preventive plan covers everything the gold plan does, plus:
Blood tests.
Spay or neuter surgery.
Urinalysis.
Heartworm and flea prevention.
Additional vaccinations.
The platinum plan also offers higher coverage limits than the gold plan for certain services.
What’s not covered
Spot’s accident and illness plan doesn’t cover:
Aesthetic, cosmetic, endodontic or orthodontic dental services.
Anal sac expression or resection.
Costs associated with breeding or pregnancy.
Pre-existing conditions that occur during the waiting period or before you bought your policy, unless symptom-free for at least 180 days.
Prescription food or supplements that don’t treat a covered condition.
Funeral services.
Experimental treatment.
Illness or injury due to mistreatment, racing or organized fighting.
Spot’s accident-only plan will not cover the above or treatment for any illness.
Spot’s preventive plans won’t pay for anything other than the wellness services listed in the coverage section above.
Spot coverage options
Deductibles: A deductible is the amount you need to pay yourself before your plan will start reimbursing you for vet expenses. For Spot’s accident and illness plan and accident-only plan, deductible options are $100, $250, $500, $750, and $1,000 per year. Preventive care plans do not have a deductible.
Reimbursement amounts: After you meet your annual deductible, Spot pet insurance will reimburse you for a certain percentage of your vet expenses, up to your coverage limit. For both of Spot’s main plans you may choose a reimbursement percentage of 70%, 80% or 90%. Reimbursement percentages don’t apply to preventive care plans.
Coverage limits: Spot’s annual coverage limits range from $2,500 to unlimited.
Restrictions and waiting periods
Age restrictions: Spot has no upper age limit and will insure pets 8 weeks or older.
Waiting periods: A waiting period is the time between when you buy your policy and when your coverage starts. Spot pet insurance has a waiting period of 14 days.
Discounts
Spot offers a 10% multi-pet discount.
» MORE: Is pet insurance worth it?
Consumer experience
Website: Spot offers an easy-to-navigate website that allows consumers to get a free quote and enroll their pet right from the site. It also has a robust FAQ page that answers many questions customers may have. There are sample policies on the website for those who want a more detailed look at their coverage options.
App: Spot’s app is available for both Android and iOS. Customers can view their policy and file and track a claim, right from the app.
Claims: You can file a claim from Spot’s website or via its mobile app. You have 270 days from the date of treatment to file a claim. With Spot, you pay your vet bills upfront, then submit your bills to the company for reimbursement.
Customer service: You can contact Spot customer service Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time. Spot’s phone number is 800-905-1595. You can also submit an email via the company’s contact page.
Spot vs. competitors
Here’s how Spot stacks up against two other popular pet insurance companies.
Spot vs. Pumpkin pet insurance
Pumpkin sells an accident and illness plan and an add-on for wellness expenses, but unlike Spot, it doesn’t have an accident-only option. Both companies offer an unlimited annual coverage option for dogs and cats.
All Pumpkin plans reimburse consumers 90%, while Spot’s reimbursement rates vary. Pumpkin may be able to pay your vet directly. With Spot, you pay your bills upfront and then are reimbursed.
Coverage options | Spot | Pumpkin |
Deductible range | $100 to $1,000 per year. | $100 to $1,000 per year. |
Reimbursement | 70%, 80% and 90%. | 90%. |
Annual limit range | $2,500 to unlimited. | $7,000 to unlimited for cats; $10,000 to unlimited for dogs. |
Spot vs. Healthy Paws
Unlike Spot, Healthy Paws pet insurance offers only one accident and illness plan, with no options for accident-only or wellness coverage. Healthy Paws’ standard accident and illness plan is less comprehensive than Spot’s, with no coverage for exam fees, prescription food or supplements.
Like Spot, Healthy Paws has an unlimited annual coverage option and various reimbursement percentage levels. Whereas Spot does not specify a typical claims processing time, Healthy Paws handles most claims within two to ten days.
Coverage options | Spot | Healthy Paws |
Deductible range | $100 to $1,000 per year. | $100 to $1,000 per year. (Not all options are available to all pets.) |
Reimbursement | 70%, 80% and 90%. | 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% or 90%. (Not all options are available to all pets.) |
Annual limit range | $2,500 to unlimited. | Unlimited. |
NerdWallet’s pet insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, coverage, plan options, discounts and more. Our “consumer experience” category looks at factors such as website transparency and how easy it is to file a claim. To calculate each insurer’s rating, we adjusted the scores to a curved 5-point scale. See our full pet insurance methodology.
These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
