Petplan Reviews – Get all the Facts before Using Petplan Insurance

Petplan Reviews – Get all the Facts before Using Petplan Insurance

When a medical emergency happens, it’s a huge relief to have health insurance to cover the medical costs. Most people think it’s a good idea to get health insurance for themselves, but a lot of folks don’t realize they should get it for their pets, as well.

Emergency vet bills can be a huge blow to your wallet. As pet health insurance grows in popularity, increasing numbers of people are signing their four-legged friends up.

Still not convinced? There are a lot of skeptics. However, many veterinarians are now suggesting that pet insurance is a good idea. In addition to that, several Fortune 500 companies (such as Delta Airlines and T-Mobile) are getting into the game by offering their employees health insurance plans for their fur children.

So, how do you go about finding a pet insurance company? Today, let’s take a look at Petplan.com, as well as various Petplan reviews, to see what the company offers and what their customers think.

Petplan is based in Newtown Square, PA, and is the sister company to Petplan UK, which is the world’s oldest pet health insurance provider. The United States branch of the company was started by Natasha and Chris Ashton after their cat fell ill.

Both in business school at the time, they weren’t prepared to deal with such huge vet expenses. Finally, they made the decision to move into a smaller apartment in order to cover the cost for their ailing kitty. After graduating, the two moved to Philadelphia from the UK (where pet health insurance is more common) and got the U.S. license for Petplan UK. 

They are proud to offer coverage for chronic and hereditary conditions that other providers refuse to cover. “No other insurer offers it,” Chris says of this level of coverage. 

  How Does Petplan Pet Insurance Work?

The instructions outlined on www.petplan.com are pretty simple. When your pet needs medical treatment, you take them in for it. Afterward, file a claim through their website. Depending on your plan, Petplan will reimburse you 80 to 100% of the cost of the medical expenses. You are allowed to use any licensed veterinarian in the United States or Canada.

While Petplan doesn’t cover routine exams, wellness care, or dental care, this is par for the course for most pet insurance companies (although some providers offer this coverage as an additional package).

Petplan has three levels of coverage: bronze, silver, and gold. Bronze is their basic level of coverage, with more features/coverage added on as you move up to gold.

Bronze Level:

• Veterinary exam fees
• Diagnostic treatments
• Surgery
• Rx medications
• Imaging such as MRIs, CAT scans, ultrasounds
• Cancer treatments
• Non-routine dental treatments
• Rehabilitation
• Alternative therapies
• Treatment by a specialist
• Behavior therapies

Silver Level:

Everything that’s covered under the Bronze level, plus:

• Boarding kennel fees
• Advertising & reward for lost pet
• Loss due to theft or straying (reimbursed the price you paid for your pet)

Gold Level:

Everything that’s covered under the Bronze and Silver levels, plus:

• Death from illness or injury (reimbursed the price you paid for your pet)
• Vacation cancellation due to pet illness/injury

Although petplan.com requires users to enter their information in order to get a Quick Quote, Pet Insurance University lists Petplan prices between $7.80 and $64.00 a month, with the exact price depending on factors such as your deductible as well as your location and the age of your pet.

Perusing the Petplan website reveals various discounts that are available.  For instance, for Petplan dog insurance, the following is offered:

• 5% discount for registering online
• 10% discount for registering multiple pets
• 10% discount for enrolling a medical service dog
• 10% discount for serving/retired members of the military
• 15% discount for veterinary professionals
• 10% if plan is offered as part of employee benefits package
• 5% discount for strategic partners of Petplan

(Clicking the “Kitty discounts” link takes the user to a page that mentions the “range of Petplan discounts,” indicating that the above discounts are applicable to cat owners, as well as dog owners.)

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Overall, Petplan pet insurance reviews are extremely positive. Customers who were initially very skeptical at the idea of purchasing pet insurance have been happy with their coverage and relieved that they purchased plans before their pets got sick.

Multiple customers purchased plans when their dogs were younger, only to discover later that their dog had some sort of congenital disorder that needed treatment. They were relieved that Petplan honored its pledge to cover those conditions.

Many reviewers talked about having positive experiences with Petplan customer service representatives who were sensitive and helpful during a stressful time when the customer’s pet was ill or had recently passed away.

One pet owner described having just lost her husband and then suddenly facing emergency vet bills for her Papillon that totaled a whopping $17,000. Petplan told her that a check was being cut to cover the expenses.  

Often, the negative reviews posted were from customers who had delays in communication with Petplan customer service. Many displeased reviewers said that they had purchased coverage while their pets were very young, and they disagreed with things that Petplan had deemed “pre-existing conditions.” Other reviewers were displeased with the cost of the plans and the potential for rates to increase as pets age or if the plan is moved to another area.

A sampling of Petplan insurance reviews:

Positive:
“Recently, our dog had a front leg amputation due to bone cancer. This surgery (about $5,000) is being followed up by six doses of chemo therapy (about $670 each). Pet Plan is providing coverage in a timely manner. I was just informed by the Pet Plan rep that a check was just mailed out for 80% of the cost of the surgery.”—James Weisser, Pet Insurance Review 1/15/2016

“During this difficult time, Petplan has been nothing but kind and prompt in the handling of our claim, which was very expensive. Two weeks after submitting the first part of the claim, it has already been processed and approved. Because of Petplan, we didn’t have to worry about the financial burden and instead focus on care and quality of life for our sweet girl.”—Bo W., Yelp 1/4/2016

“All up we spent around $12-$15k in treatments and 2 hospital stays until we were advised after a sudden and rapid deterioration that it was time to help our little one move on. Even then, when we informed Petplan of his passing through choked up tears, they treated us with respect, empathy and support and advised us that donation on his behalf was being made to an Animal Welfare Charity (something they do automatically when a pet covered by them passes) as well as effortlessly cancelling his policy and refunding the balance.”—Andy H., Yelp 8/19/2015

Mixed:

“Been a client for more than five years. Amazing customer service. Easy claims process and quick payment. Coverage for heredity diseases not covered by other plans. Only con is it is a bit expensive and does not cover preventative/routine care. Still the “best in the biz.” Thanks, PetPlan!”—Suzanne S., Yelp 11/22/2015

“I’ve had Petplan for years now on all 4 of my dogs. Now that they are older, the plans have gotten so expensive, I may have to drop the insurance. $600 per year for each dog for a $200 deductible and 80% coverage? A little much! Not sure what I’m going to do. I have had good experience with them other than the dramatic cost increase.”—Tracy McNichols, Pet Insurance Review 1/19/2015

Negative:

“I have been unhappy with the (recent) lack of email response from this insurance provider.  In the past I was very happy with the plan and customer service.  When you used to submit a claim it would be recognized in about a day, but I’ve submitted claims recently and do not get email notifications back on the claim until one or two weeks later.”— Lindsay S., Yelp 8/18/2015

“Petplan is expensive. I paid $65/month for my 10-year-old Pomeranian (I enrolled him at 9 worrying that he would encounter more health issues in his “golden years”), which btw, was more than my car insurance premium. My premium went up to $82 this year, when my Pom turned 10. I filed 3 claims during the 1.5 years I was with Petplan and none got reimbursed. I got 2 out of my 3 claims rejected due to pre-existing conditions, and I never heard back about the last one.”—Vania, Pet Insurance Review 10/19/2015

“I’ve had pet plan now for almost 4 years and I just canceled it. Two major reasons, they didn’t cover 70% of the claims I submitted due to “pre-existing conditions”. I had my dog covered at 4 months of age. They covered 1 large claim which I appreciated greatly.”—T.B., Yelp 9/10/2015

The Good: 

• You can use your current vet.
• No premium increases based on claims
• Coverage of genetic/congenital conditions such as hip dysplasia
• Customer service is sensitive and helpful
• Fast reimbursement of expenses

The Bad: 

• Pre-existing conditions are not covered.
• Routine checkups and care are not covered.
• Rates can jump if you move.
• Rates increase as pet gets older.
• Pet must be current on routine exams for coverage to stay active.

We hope this helps you decide if Petplan pet insurance coverage is right for you!

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