A trip to the vet can often be a nightmare. It’s scary enough for your poor pooch or kitty, but it’s pretty scary for your wallet, too. Bills can easily reach five digits for surgeries, but you can unload part of that bill onto companies like Pet Assure.
Even though this is not an insurer in the traditional sense, many people still consider it a vital part of their and their pets’ lives.
Pets covered All
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- No limit for coverage
- Large network of partnered vets
- No deductible required
- Accepts pets of all ages
- Pre-existing conditions accepted
- Instant savings
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- ThePetTag service
- Covers just 25% of the vet bill
- Only accepted at partnered facilities
Pet Assure Program Overview
Founded in 1995, Pet Assure started as sort of a protest against a pet insurance carrier that refused to insure a pet. The reason? The owner’s pet was from a breed that was considered “prone to diseases” and the pet insurer didn’t want to cover a pet that had the potential to get ill at some point during its senior years.
And that’s how Pet Assure came to be. It is a service that accepts any pet, big or small, horse or a goldfish, cub or senior, and reduces their vet bills permanently.
So, is Pet Assure an insurance carrier? Well, not exactly. The company’s owners prefer to call it a veterinary plan. It’s a membership program that you pay either through a flat annual fee or via monthly subscription, granting your pets an ID card. With it, they gain a permanent discount for almost every type of veterinary exam and procedure undertaken at facilities throughout the Pet Assure vet network.
Even better, it works immediately. Instead of having to pay everything out of pocket at the vet’s office and then file claims and wait for reimbursement, the entire medical bill is reduced before you’ve even opened up your wallet.
The Pet Assure savings program is also affordable and comes without any complicated monthly rate calculations. When you’re signing up your pet, the price only depends on the size of the animal, not their age, or the state you live in. The company doesn’t even take into account your pet’s health conditions, nor does it put any limits on how many times per year it will provide you a discount.
There is no deductible required, as the program always pays for the percentage of the total bill, and your pet gets enrolled the moment you finish the signup process. It’s nice to have fixed rates, for a change.
How Does Pet Assure Compare to Other Pet Insurance Providers?
Usually within 14 days
$22 for cats and $36 for dogs
Two business days
$15 for cats and $20 for dogs
Within 15 business days
$10 for cats and $16 for dogs
Pet Assure Coverage
The owners of Pet Assure made a lot of pro-consumer moves while designing their pet discount plans. The company is, therefore, BBB-accredited with an A+ rating and dozens of five-star user reviews. There are no limits on your pet’s per-accident, per-exam, or lifetime benefits.
Getting your pet a Pet Assure card grants them a flat 25% discount for any exams, procedures, and even wellness visits throughout the network of participating partners.
Since the program always pays for that exact portion of each bill, there’s no deductible. A lot of pet owners prefer this option over more traditional insurance as they often end up paying the full amount out of their pocket due to a very high deductible for certain dog and cat breeds.
While you do end up paying for every visit to the vet, Pet Assure coverage often compares favorably to any pet insurance policy. Even when some insurers say they don’t discriminate against certain breeds, health conditions, or even senior pets, they will still deny accepting quite a lot of animals into their programs.
Pet Assure, on the other hand, accepts pets with pre-existing conditions, covers both preventive and emergency vet visits, and even covers wellness visits. That includes spaying and neutering, dental care, x-rays, cancer and diabetes treatments, vaccinations, ultrasound, and parasite screening.
That said, there are certain limitations on your discount. First and foremost, it can only be used at participating vets, so be sure to check whether veterinarians in your surrounding area have enrolled in this program.
The discount can’t be applied to non-medical services: grooming, toys, or any third-party services like blood testing in a non-participating laboratory. Aside from these aforementioned restrictions, there aren’t any other limitations.
Is Your Pet Eligible?
Insurance companies will ask you a lot of questions about your pet. That is because the pet insurance reviews your pet’s medical condition and then decides whether it’s “worth it” to accept them in the first place.
Some prefer to insure pets of a certain age, or increase their prices based on the pet’s breed, while others may outright deny any pet that’s more exotic than a dog or a cat. That’s a lot of hoops to jump through just to get your pet insured.
But it only takes a few minutes to get your pet a card. Since Pet Assure takes into consideration only how many pets and their size/species you sign up for the program, there really aren’t any special conditions the critters need to meet.
It doesn’t matter whether your pet walks on four or two legs, crawls, slithers, or gallops, it will be accepted and given an ID card. Exotic pets are welcome in this program, too, which is a rarity.
Pet Assure Policy Plans
Simplicity is the key word here. Instead of picking and choosing plans, every single one of your pets will get the same treatment. Prices only differ based on the number of pets you want to sign up and their size. There aren’t even any policy add-ons.
Granted, some customers would probably like more customization to the discount ranges, for example if they own an animal that doesn’t really need frequent veterinary care, but the program simply doesn’t work like that.
Further Reading
Find the Best Insurance Product for Your Pet
Pet Assure Policy Details
Let’s take a more detailed look at the plan and what services it provides:
- 25% discount for all exams and procedures at participating vets.
- There are no annual or per-incident limits.
- No filing of the claim required – the discount is applied on the spot for the entirety of the bill.
- ThePetTag pet recovery service is included in the plan at no extra charge.
- The pet is enrolled in the program immediately and you get a digital copy of the policy that can be used to take advantage of your discounts; it takes up to 10 business days for the physical ID card to arrive at your home.
- 45-day money-back guarantee.
- AAA and Pet Benefit Solutions discounts are available.
- Additional discounts may be provided throughout the network with a valid Pet Assure ID.
Pet Assure Pricing & Discounts
Once again, Pet Assure keeps everything simple and very clear. It’s also a very affordable membership, cheaper even than the most affordable pet insurance plans. Even if you’re insuring just one pet and get a monthly membership instead of an annual one, it will cost you just $10 per month. Some insurance policies can cost three or four times more.
And then, luckily though, you may never need them.
Still, you’ll be paying for regular check-ups, vaccinations, and the spaying and neutering of your pet completely out of your pocket, so the costs can add up quite quickly.
We’ve mentioned time and time again throughout that it’s a very affordable pet discount program. Plans start at $6.58 per month for a single cat or any other small animal and go as high as $21.95 to cover every animal in your household. You can choose to pay a monthly recurring fee, or decide to go for a one-time annual payment that saves you even more money in the long run.
Since you pay a single price instead of per animal, the more animals you sign up, the less you will end up paying per animal. A Family plan is the best option for most households with several pets. Of course, if you’re running a ranch or farm, the Unlimited plan is the very best choice for you.
If you’re on the hunt for a bargain, Pet Assure offers discounts for members of the AAA and Pet Benefit Solutions. The latter is a membership for companies, so check with your employer whether they’ve enrolled in this plan.
As for the membership at Pet Assure itself, there are seasonal discounts appearing from time to time, as well as coupons at Pet Assure providers.
With the membership, your pet will get The Pet Tag for free. It’s a little tag used for pet recovery, consisting of a pet’s ID and the phone number a person will call to report your pet missing. It’s not quite as good as a tracker chip, but hey, it’s free.
Now for the pricing. These are the four plans on offer currently, with prices for monthly and annual payments:
Type | Single cat | Single dog | Family | Unlimited |
Number of animals | 1 | 1 | 2-4 | Every animal in a household |
Monthly price | $9.95 | $11.95 | $16.95 | $21.95 |
Annual price | $79 | $99 | $149 | $199 |
Annual limit | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Pet Assure Customer Service
Contacting Pet Assure customer service couldn’t be simpler. The company’s phone number is visible on the website and, if you’re already on your smartphone, you can just tap on it and initiate a call. Other options include live chat, email, and social media channels. Or, if the road ever leads you to Lakewood, NJ, you can visit the company’s office in person.
The working hours are pretty standard – Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. There is an FAQ section on the website for any quick questions that may arise. If you need to check what vets are available or manage a pet policy, you can do so via your account. This is also the place where you can request additional tags and print out the membership card if you lose it or are still waiting for one.
The Bottom Line
We’ve gone through what Pet Assure is and isn’t, how it differs from classic dog insurance and cat insurance, and looked at its pricing and the discounts it provides. The final question we need to address is simple: Should you buy it or not?
This isn’t a question with a short answer, though, especially considering many pet owners already pay for some insurance and maybe don’t care about veterinary discount plans.
What we really like about this system is that there isn’t a minimum or maximum fee this discount applies to, nor are there any situations where you need to pay out of pocket and hope the policy will kick in at some point – it’s a straightforward 25% discount.
Even if you’re already satisfied with the insurance coverage, the best solution is to combine this service with existing insurance. That would be our recommendation, too. Not only will your pets be insured in case of an accident, but you’ll know that the initial vet bill will already be reduced. That’s a combo that’s hard to beat.
FAQ
How do Pet Assure veterinarians work?
A veterinarian can apply to become a part of the Pet Assure network via the website. Once accepted, their office will be put on the map and they’ll even get a profile on the site. Then the pet owner just needs to show the pet’s membership card and they’ll immediately get a 25% discount for the whole bill.
Where is Pet Assure accepted?
Any veterinarian in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico that has enrolled in the program accepts Pet Assure. You can check on the website whether the vets in your area accept Pet Assure.
How do I cancel my Pet Assure?
You may cancel your Pet Assure plan at any time you like either by contacting customer support or through the website at your account page. If you cancel within 45 days of the initial sign up, you’ll get your money back.