Frequently Asked Questions

A pre-existing condition is defined as any condition that was present before the end of your waiting periods, even if it wasn’t formally diagnosed by a veterinarian. If signs or symptoms were present before the policy started there will be no coverage for that condition, even if you weren't sure what was wrong with your pet.

All pet insurance providers, including Pets Best, do not cover pre-existing conditions in order to keep premiums lower for all pet parents.

If your dog or cat has been previously diagnosed with a condition prior to starting your policy with Pets Best, you can still enroll, but there wouldn't be coverage available for these specific issues or issues related to them.

Although we can't guarantee coverage until you submit a claim and we review your pet's specific conditions, we are happy to answer any questions you have about your policy.

For more information on coverage, get a quote or download your policy in your Customer Account.

A waiting period refers to the amount of time after enrolling before your pet is eligible for coverage. Waiting periods vary by the type of coverage and start on the effective date of your policy. Once met, waiting periods are waived for continuous, uninterrupted policy renewals.

Current customers: Please view your pet's waiting periods on your Policy Declarations Page in your Customer Account.

Pets Best offers some of the shortest waiting periods in the industry following the policy effective date. Get a quote, or view your state for specific information on waiting periods.

The effective date is the day your policy starts. For most customers enrolling online, the effective date of your policy is at 12:01 AM Mountain Time the day following when you enrolled. Your policy effective date will be displayed when you finish enrolling your pet.

If you're enrolling your pet through your employer or a benefit platform your policy may have a pre-determined policy effective date in the future and be based on open enrollment dates, or after verifying your employment.

Current customers: Please review your Policy Declarations Page for your policy effective date.

Pets Best has no upper age limits, so you can insure your dog or cat at any age over 7 weeks. As your pet ages, more medical problems may develop and the need for pet health insurance will likely increase. Chronic disorders and medical problems that wouldn't be dangerous when young can be easily life threatening as your pet grows older.

You may enroll your dog or cat as early as 7 weeks of age. Like children, young dogs and cats have the highest risk of accidents. And because their immune systems aren't mature, they're more susceptible to infectious diseases. Pets Best plans have no upper age limits, so senior dogs and cats get the same great coverage as kittens and puppies.

Pet insurance, as with all insurance, is for unexpected accidents and illnesses. Unfortunately pet insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions. However, getting coverage for your pet will cover most future accidents and illnesses should something happen. We also offer accident only coverage for pets with severe chronic conditions, and wellness coverage to help manage the cost of routine care for your pet.

If your pet has a pre-existing condition, you can use the CareCredit credit card at veterinarians in the CareCredit network to help pay for expenses not covered by pet insurance. Learn more about CareCredit.

If your pet has one of several pre-existing severe chronic conditions, you may be offered an Accident Only plan. These plans offer coverage for accidents that might occur with your pet, and you can add wellness to Accident Only plans.

If you haven't purchased a pet insurance policy from us, you can get a quote, or download a policy for your state.

Current customers: Please log in to your Customer Account to view your pet's policy documents.

Good dental care is vitally important to the overall health of your pet. Our Accident and Illness plans include coverage for periodontal disease and other dental issues.

For more information, download a sample policy or if you are a current Pets Best customer log in to your Customer Account to view your pet's policy.

Routine care coverage, called BestWellness or EssentialWellness, can be added to any regular pet insurance plan to help pay for spay/neuter, blood work, vaccinations and much more. Click here for more details on routine care. 

Our routine care options are designed to save you money on expected and preventative care for your pet. If you prefer, you can simply pay the annual expenses of routine care, like dental cleaning, vaccinations and blood work, on your own. Here's a list of items available in our routine care plans.

Please note: If you purchased a discounted wellness package from your veterinary clinic prior to enrolling with Pets Best, the routine care options available from Pets Best may not be the best option for you.

Yes. Our insurance is accepted at any licensed veterinary office in the US and Canada, including specialty and emergency clinics.

People who would rather save for a rainy-day fund may not feel comfortable purchasing insurance. We respect that. We also know that many pet owners end up with large medical bills before they've been able to save enough money to cover them. As more and more people consider pets part of their families, pet insurance especially helps those who would do whatever it takes to keep their pets healthy and happy.

For policies paid by debit or credit card, check, or a bank account, you can view or update your payment information in your Customer Account.

If your premium payment is arranged through your employer, we recommend contacting your Human Resources department or Benefit Administrator to understand your pet insurance premium payments due to payroll frequency being unique to your respective organization.

Your policy premium is set up to be automatically paid based on the payment frequency you chose when signing up.

For example, if you enrolled on the 11th of the month and selected a monthly payment frequency, your premium payments would be charged on the day you signed up for the first month, and on the 12th of each month going forward due to your policy having an effective date of the 12th.

If you chose a monthly payment frequency and your policy has an effective date on the last day of the month, you'll be charged on the last day of each month going forward.

You can view or update your payment information in your Customer Account.

If your last payment failed, you can pay for your pet insurance premiums today in your Customer Account. From the home screen, you'll be able to find your past due amount and select "Pay Now".

You'll be able to save this new payment method for future premium payments. Additionally, if you're paying with a checking or savings account, you'll be able to automatically sign up for direct deposit for faster claims reimbursement.

To receive claims reimbursements faster, you can sign up to have them deposited directly to your checking or savings account in your Customer Account on the Payment Information page.

A $2.00 processing fee is applied to premium payments when paying monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually. You can reduce the fee by selecting a quarterly or semi-annual payment frequency. The transaction fee is not charged if premiums are paid annually or if you live in Alaska, Maryland, or New Hampshire. To change your payment frequency after enrolling, please contact Customer Care.

Yes! When you enroll more than one pet, you can earn a 5% discount on BestBenefit plans. If you are an existing customer enrolling a new dog or cat, please log in to your Customer Account to see if your new pet qualifies for a multi-pet discount.

Pets Best calculates pet insurance premiums based on your pet's age, breed, and where you live. Similar to humans, as your pet ages, they face an increased risk in needing veterinary care due to age associated conditions such as cancer, heart disease, kidney failure, and other problems being more common.

Learn more about how pet insurance premiums change over time.

The best way to submit, update, and see the status of your claims is through your Customer Account. You can access your Customer Account from any device, or download our mobile app for your iOS or Android device.

When submitting claims, we do require an itemized invoice showing where you pet was seen, your pet’s name, how much the services cost, and proof of payment.

For more helpful tips and claims filing help, view our claims page.

Once your claim has been submitted for processing, we will keep you informed if we need additional information throughout the process. Adding documentation to your claim can be done in your Customer Account by viewing or updating your claims.

When submitting claims online or through one of our mobile apps, there's no need to upload a picture of your paper claim form. The online submission process takes the place of your paper claim form.

To submit a claim you'll need to upload documents or images with the following:

• An itemized invoice showing the vet hospital or clinic where your pet was seen
• Your pet's name
• The total cost of all services
• Proof of payment

For periodontal claims we'll also need:

• Records showing a teeth cleaning under general anesthesia within the last 13 months.

View our claims page for more helpful tips and claims filing help.

No! Our BestWellness and EssentialWellness routine care coverage does not have a deductible to meet. These plans help pay for routine diagnostic testing, spaying/neutering, teeth cleaning, blood work, vaccinations and more. For more details check out our Routine Care page.

Pets Best offers accident and illness or accident only plans with annual deductibles. The deductible you picked during enrollment is valid during your policy term and begins on your policy effective date.

With an annual deductible, there is only one deductible to meet per policy term. For example, if your pet was seen by their veterinarian for something they shouldn't have eaten in the second month of coverage, and for a cut on their paw in the 10th month of coverage, there would be only one deductible to meet between both visits.

Pets Best offers accident and illness pet insurance plans with annual deductibles which must be met only once per annual policy term before receiving reimbursement. You can check to see if you've met your deductible in your Customer Account by visiting the My Pets page, and clicking on the "Details" link next to your deductible.

If you don't see a "Details" link next to your deductible, this means you have one of our legacy plans with a per-incident deductible. To better understand if you've met your per-incident deductible, please contact our Customer Care department.

Claim payments are calculated according to your Pets Best policy after a claim has been adjusted and is eligible for reimbursement. View a claim example for your policy.

Pets Best strives to process claims as quickly as possible, with online claims submission from any device. Choosing to receive claim payments via direct deposit is the fastest way to be reimbursed, with payments deposited in as little as two days after we've finished processing your claim. If you haven't signed up for direct deposit, you can expect to receive a paper check in 5-7 days after we've processed your claim to account for mailing times.

For the fastest reimbursement after processing, sign up for direct deposit in your Customer Account.

No, our Accident and Illness plans do not use a benefit schedule, which is a list that puts a limit on what each type of treatment can cost. Instead, we reimburse your choice of up to 70%, 80%, or 90% of your actual vet bill after meeting your chosen deductible, up to your plan’s maximum benefit.

Claims that contain both wellness or routine care services and medical services will be processed as two separate claims. These two claims may finish processing at different times, and you will receive two explanation of benefits.

You can view your claim status for both claims in your Customer Account.