Review of pet insurance in 2025

Spot pet insurance, though a relative newcomer, has quickly become one of our top picks for pet insurance. It offers no age limit for enrollment, making it ideal for senior dogs, and has a comprehensive wellness plan that covers annual exams, nutritional consultations, flea and tick prevention treatments, and more. Additionally, Spot allows you to choose an unlimited annual coverage limit, ensuring that your pet's well-being is never compromised for financial reasons.

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Pros and cons of Spot pet insurance

Spot pet insurance plans

Pet insurance provides accident-only, accident and illness, and two wellness plans for routine care.

Accident-only

This budget-friendly option only covers emergency expenses, such as broken bones, swallowed objects, snakebites, and traumatic dental fractures.

Spot's accident-only plans offer a rare benefit among insurers by covering alternative therapies to treat your pet's injury, but they do not cover medical issues such as parasites, cancer, or cruciate ligament injuries.

Accident and illness

One accident and illness policy is available from Spot, which encompasses all accident-only benefits in addition to illness coverage.

• Emergency care, hospitalization and surgery
• Veterinary exams (for most plans)
• Prescription medication
• Chronic illnesses like cancer, diabetes and arthritis
• Hereditary conditions like hip dysplasia and glaucoma
• Diagnostic, including bloodwork, MRIs and CAT scans
• Behavioral conditions
• Dental coverage
• Microchipping
• Euthanasia

Wellness

Spot offers two wellness plans as add-ons to accident-and-illness plans: the Gold plan and the Platinum plan. The Gold plan includes annual wellness exams, vaccinations, flea and heartworm prevention, deworming, and dental cleaning, with an annual benefit limit of $250. The Platinum plan offers the same benefits as the Gold plan, plus spaying/neutering, urinalysis and blood testing, flea, tick, and heartworm protection, as well as a $25 health certificate fee, with an annual benefit limit of $450.

Cost

We opted for a 1-year-old domestic shorthair cat and a 1-year-old, 55-pound mixed-breed male dog as our sample pets, both with a $500 deductible, 90% reimbursement, and a $5,000 annual coverage limit.

Accident and illness

Our accident and illness policy quote for our dog is $56 per month, which is in line with the average rate cited by the North American Pet Health Insurance Association in 2023. However, the quote for our cat, Spot, is significantly cheaper than the $32 national average cited by NAPHIA.

Wellness

• Gold plan: $9.95 per month
• Platinum plan: $24.95 a month

Discounts

Enrolling two pets with Spot earns you a 10% discount on the coverage for your second pet.

Processing fees

If you pay your premiums monthly, Spot charges a $2 surcharge. To avoid this fee, pay for a year in full.

Coverage options

Pet insurance is available in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., but coverage limits and waiting periods may differ based on your location.

Coverage limits: $2,500, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, $10,000 or unlimited; Reimbursement rates: 70%, 80%, or 90%.

Deductible: $100 to $1,000

There is a minimum age requirement of eight weeks for pets to be enrolled, but there is no maximum age limit.

Spot's accident and illness coverage isn't immediately available, as with most pet insurance plans. Waiting periods can differ by state but are usually:

• Accident coverage: 14 days
• Illness coverage: 14 days
• Orthopedic conditions: 14 days
• Wellness plans: One day after enrollment

How does Spot compare to other pet insurance?

How does Spot compare to CNBC Select's top-rated pet insurance providers?

Spot vs. Pets Best

Both Pets Best and Spot provide unlimited coverage and cover for prescriptions, behavioral issues, and alternative therapies, including acupuncture and chiropractic care.

Senior pets are welcome as neither company sets an age limit for enrollment.

Spot offers prescription food and supplements, while Pets Best does not. Additionally, Spot's 10% discount for enrolling multiple pets is double Pets Best's 5% discount.

Spot has higher rates than Pets Best, according to quotes from both companies.

The waiting period for accident coverage with Pets Best is shorter than with Spot, as it begins three days from the policy date instead of 14 days.

Spot vs. Pumpkin

Both Pumpkin and Spot have accident and illness plans that cover exam fees, prescription medication, and food.

If you require higher coverage limits, Pumpkin may be a better option as it offers $10,000 and $20,000 caps, in contrast to Spot's $10,000 limit or unlimited coverage.

While both companies offer wellness exams, vaccines, and blood tests, Spot goes above and beyond by also covering flea and heartworm prevention, urine testing, deworming, spaying/neutering, and health certificates.

Our cat's rates were comparable, but we discovered a slight difference in monthly premiums for dogs, with Pumpkin being a few dollars cheaper.

How do I get Spot pet insurance?

You can purchase a policy on the Spot website and obtain a rate quote.

You will need to provide your location, pet type, breed, gender, age, and weight to determine your coverage limit, deductible, and reimbursement rate. If you agree to Spot's rate quote, you will set up a payment method and choose whether to pay monthly or annually. After purchasing, you will be able to manage your policy, make claims, and more through the brand's mobile app.

Customer service

Generally, Spot has a good reputation for customer satisfaction, earning an A- rating from the Better Business Bureau and receiving 90% of its reviews on Trustpilot with 4- or 5-star ratings.

You can submit claims, update your pets' health records, chat with a live vet 24/7, and contact the customer service team at 800-905-1595, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on the mobile app.

While some pet insurance companies allow for direct payment to veterinarians, Spot does not offer this option. As a result, customers will need to pay out of pocket at the time of service and then submit a claim for reimbursement.

Is Spot pet insurance right for me?

If you own an older dog or cat, Spot is a great option due to its unlimited coverage.

Although Spot offers a range of services not typically provided by other companies, such as exam fees, teeth cleaning, prescription medications, and food, it may not be the most affordable option available.

Why trust CNBC Select?

Our goal at CNBC Select is to deliver top-notch service journalism and in-depth consumer advice to our readers, enabling them to make well-informed decisions when it comes to their finances. Each pet insurance review we publish is the result of thorough reporting by our team of expert writers and editors, who possess extensive knowledge of pet insurance products. At CNBC Select, we take pride in our journalistic standards and ethics, and we ensure that our content is free from any commercial influence or external third-party input. While we do earn a commission from our affiliate partners on many offers and links, our editorial team remains independent and uninfluenced by any commercial considerations.

Our methodology

CNBC Select evaluates pet insurance products based on various factors, such as the types of plans offered, covered procedures, availability across the country, cost of premiums, coverage limits, deductibles, and customer satisfaction.

We also draw on research from various independent sources, including the North American Pet Health Association.

Pet insurance rates may come from the provider or other sources.

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