Spot Pet Insurance Review 2023

Spot pet insurance boasts a wide breadth of coverage and offers both an accident and illness plan and an accident-only plan.
Ciarra Jones
By Ciarra Jones 
Updated
Edited by Sarah Schlichter

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Spot

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Spot offers a wide range of coverage choices for pet owners but won’t pay your vet directly.
Get a Quote
from Spot

Pay vet directly

No

Scope of coverage

Excellent

Ability to customize plan

Excellent
insurance-product-card-logo
Get a Quote
from Spot

Spot

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Spot offers a wide range of coverage choices for pet owners but won’t pay your vet directly.

Pay vet directly

No

Scope of coverage

Excellent

Ability to customize plan

Excellent

Our writers and editors follow strict editorial guidelines that ensure fairness and accuracy to help you choose the financial products that work best for you. In our pet insurance reviews, our editorial team considers the customer and the insurer. These are some of the factors we take into account:

Plans offered. Pet insurance companies generally offer the following three types of plans:

  • Accident and illness policies reimburse you for medical treatment if your pet gets sick or injured.

  • Accident-only policies pay expenses if your pet is injured.

  • Wellness plans help you budget for preventive care costs.

Scope of coverage. We looked for plans that cover a wide range of potential expenses.

Ability to customize plan. This category looks at how many ways you can customize what you pay for your plan and how you’re reimbursed.

Can pay your vet directly. This indicates whether an insurer can pay your vet directly for medical expenses. With this service, you don’t have to pay the money yourself upfront and then wait for reimbursement.

Dive deeper with our criteria for evaluating pet insurance companies.

Spot pet insurance sells plans for cats and dogs nationwide. It has two main plans: accident and illness, and accident-only. Spot has no upper age limit for pets; customers can opt for unlimited annual payouts.

Spot also offers two preventive care plans to add to your pet’s policy. These plans reimburse you for expenses, such as wellness exams and dental cleanings, up to your coverage limit.

Note: Coverage options and availability may vary depending on where you live and the age and breed of your pet.

Spot pet insurance

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

Spot 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 Best Pet Insurance Companies.

State availability

Spot is licensed to sell pet insurance in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Spot pet insurance plans

Spot pet insurance offers the following three types of coverage.

Accident and illness

Spot’s accident and illness plan covers 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

You can add a preventive care package to either of the plans above. In addition, Spot offers two preventative care options: gold and platinum.

The gold option is more affordable and covers services such as 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 the following:

  • 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 pre-existing knee or ligament conditions.

Spot’s accident-only plan covers the following:

  • Alternative therapy, such as acupuncture or hydrotherapy, when performed or supervised by a licensed veterinarian.

  • MRI or CT scans and X-rays.

  • IV fluids, IV medications and prescription medication.

  • Prescription food and supplements to treat a covered condition.

  • Stem cell therapy.

  • Exams, surgery and hospitalization.

  • Tooth extractions.

  • Microchip implantation.

Spot’s gold preventive plan covers the following:

  • 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 the following:

  • 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 an amount you must pay before your plan reimburses 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 70%, 80% or 90% reimbursement percentage. 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.

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 full FAQ page that answers customers' questions. In addition, the website has sample policies 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 use it to view their policies, find vet clinics, and file and track claims. However, the app’s poor user ratings suggest it’s not always a seamless experience.

Claims: You can file a claim from Spot’s website or 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 Standard Time. Spot’s phone number is 800-905-1595.

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. In addition, Pumpkin doesn’t have a mobile app that you can use to manage your policy, while Spot does.

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 accident-only or wellness coverage options. 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. However, whereas Spot does not specify a typical claims processing time, Healthy Paws handles most claims within two to 10 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.

Frequently asked questions

Spot’s platinum preventive care plan reimburses customers up to $150 for spaying and neutering, with no deductible. None of Spot’s other plans covers this service.

You can cancel your policy by phone, email, or writing to the company. In addition, you can reach customer service at 800-905-1595.

Spot advertises rates starting at $10 a month for an accident-only plan and $13 a month for an accident and illness plan. The cost of your plan will depend on information like where you live and the age and breed of your pet.

Spot’s optional preventive care platinum plan costs an additional $24.95 per month, while its preventive care gold plan costs an additional $9.95 per month.

Methodology

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, scope of coverage, the ability to customize your plan and more. Our “consumer experience” category looks at factors such as website transparency and mobile app ratings. To calculate each insurer’s star 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.

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