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In this article: Pet Insurance vs. Pet Wellness Plans | Best Pet Wellness Plans | Is a Pet Wellness Plan Worth It? | Waiting Periods | Preexisting Conditions | The Bottom Line | Other Resources | FAQs | Methodology
Most pet insurance providers offer a standard plan and wellness plan. The difference is that typical pet insurance covers unexpected costs related to accidents and illnesses, such as surgery and medication. Pet wellness plans cover preventive health care, such as routine vet visits, vaccinations and spaying/neutering.
Many of the best pet insurance companies offer excellent pet wellness plans. We at the Home Media reviews team have provided our top recommendations and compared their pros and cons to help you find the right coverage.
 
 
Pet insurance plans typically cover costs associated with accidents and illnesses. They don’t include wellness coverage. A pet wellness plan covers routine health care such as annual vet checkups, lab work, blood work, vaccines, dental treatments and more. 
Because a wellness plan often covers preventive care, some companies call their wellness plans a preventive plan. 
The table below compares coverage for a pet insurance policy versus a pet wellness plan.
 
 
Here are our top picks for pet insurance providers that also offer pet wellness plans:
 
Known for its renters and homeowners insurance, Lemonade offers pet insurance to customers across the United States. Its pet insurance policies are more affordable than many competitors, making them ideal for pet parents on a budget. Lemonade also offers an impressive mobile app to manage your pet’s health, file claims and track your policy coverage and billing.
Lemonade offers two add-on plans for preventive and routine care. Each plan has a different cost and coverage level. The less expensive plan covers a wellness exam, a fecal test, three vaccines, a heartworm test and a blood test. The more expensive plan adds coverage for flea, tick and heartworm medications and routine dental cleaning.
+ Offers extra preventive care treatments for puppies and kittens under 2 years old
+ Has a waiting period of two days for accidents, shorter than many competitors
+ Offers a 10% discount for bundling your pet insurance policy with Lemonade home insurance or renters insurance
— Isn’t available in 15 states
— Requires complete records from a recent vet exam to qualify for coverage
— Doesn’t cover pets over 14 years old
The Lemonade Preventative Package is the company’s cheapest wellness add-on. It costs $15 to $20 for dogs and $10 to $15 for cats. Coverage includes the following treatments with certain per-item limits, depending on your policy’s reimbursement rate:
The Lemonade Preventative+ Package has higher monthly payments of $20 to $27 for dogs and $15 to $22 for cats. It includes everything in the table above plus the following treatments, with certain per-item limits based on your policy’s reimbursement rate:
Lemonade settled a class-action lawsuit regarding its alleged collection of biometric data in 2022. The company did not respond to our request for comment regarding the lawsuit. However, we still consider it one of the top providers in the industry due to its charitable giveback initiative and the above-highlighted features.
To learn more: Lemonade Pet Insurance review
Get your quote: Fill out Lemonade’s quote form
 
 
Spot Pet Insurance has more customizable policies than most competitors, allowing you to find the right amount of coverage at an affordable rate. Its annual limit options range from $2,500 to unlimited.
Spot’s policies also cover items many other pet insurance providers don’t, such as exam fees and microchipping. You can add one of Spot’s preventive care plans for routine care coverage.
+ Provides an unlimited annual coverage option
+ Doesn’t have an age limit for older animals, unlike some competitors
+ Covers microchip implantation and exam fees in standard policies, which competitors don’t typically cover
– Has a waiting period of 14 days for accidents, longer than some competitors
– Doesn’t have customer service on weekends
You can purchase one of Spot’s preventive care plans for your pet’s routine care. The Gold preventive plan costs an additional $9.95 per month and comes with $250 per-treatment limits per year. Below is a list of each covered item in the Gold plan and its annual benefit:
Spot’s Platinum preventive plan is more expensive at an additional $24.95 per month for $450 of total per-item limits per year. It includes the following treatments:
To learn more: Spot Pet Insurance review
Get your quote: Fill out Spot’s quote form
 
 
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance is one of the most well-known providers in the pet insurance industry, with more than 15 years of experience. Reputable insurer Crum and Forster Pet Insurance Group services ASPCA’s claims, and the company also partners with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
ASPCA offers two comprehensive wellness plans, including coverage for core vaccines and the option for an unlimited annual limit. 
+ Offers two levels of optional wellness care
+ Covers microchipping in every plan
+ Offers an accident-only plan at a low monthly cost
– Has a max annual coverage limit of $10,000, lower than most providers
– Charges a transaction fee for monthly premium payments
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance offers two wellness add-ons. The Preventative Basic add-on is the cheaper plan at $9.95 per month for a total of $250 in annual routine care coverage. Below is a breakdown of what’s covered in the Preventative Basic add-on:
The Preventative Prime add-on is more comprehensive. It costs $24.95 per month and includes the following procedures and annual limits for total annual coverage of $450.
*Distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza and parvovirus vaccine
To learn more: ASPCA Pet Insurance review
 
 
Embrace stands out for its additional savings, including a 10% discount for each additional pet policy you purchase, a 5% military discount and a 10% discount for employees of companies that offer Embrace pet insurance.
Embrace also offers the Healthy Pet Deductible benefit, which credits pet owners with $50 toward your co-payment each year that you don’t file a claim. This credit could lower your deductible to $0 if your pet goes without getting sick or injured for multiple years.
+ Reduces your deductible by $50 each year you don’t file a claim
+ Covers all routine pet costs through a comprehensive wellness plan
+ Provides online customer support via live chat
– Includes a $650 annual limit for its wellness plan
– Excludes supplements and prescription food from coverage
Embrace’s Wellness Rewards add-on provides preventive care coverage for an extra $18 to $53 per month. You can choose between $250, $450 or $650 of annual coverage limits. This plan pays 100% of costs up to the annual limit, rather than only paying specified per-treatment limits like most competitors. Below are the items covered in Embrace’s Wellness Rewards add-on:
Note: The Wellness Rewards plan is not available in Rhode Island.
To learn more: Embrace Pet Insurance review
Get your quote: Fill out Embrace’s quote form
 
 
Pets Best is an excellent option for people with older pets. The company has no upper age limit, so you can enroll your pet anytime. Pets Best also offers two wellness plan options, so you can pick the one that best fits your budget.
+ Offers an unlimited coverage limit option
+ Has no upper age limits for coverage
+ Includes a 24/7 Pet Helpline
– Limits annual coverage caps to $5,000 or unlimited
– Is more expensive than some competitors
Pets Best offers two wellness plans. Its EssentialWellness plan is $16 per month* and provides annual benefits of $305. Below are the plan’s covered items and their annual limits.
*$14 per month in Washington.
The company’s other wellness plan, BestWellness, is $26 per month* with annual benefits of $535. It covers everything from the EssentialWellness package with a higher level of reimbursement.
*30 per month in Washington.
 
 
A pet wellness plan can be worth it. Though routine pet care costs less than surgeries or cancer treatments, you’ll ultimately spend more on preventive care throughout your pet’s lifetime if you don’t have a wellness plan.
According to health care financing company Care Credit, vet exams, core vaccinations, and procedures such as spaying or neutering and microchip implantations can total $1,800 in a puppy’s first year. The first-year cost for a cat is nearly $1,200.
Without a wellness plan, pet owners should plan to spend $7,600 to $19,000 in veterinary care over their cat or dog’s lifetime. A wellness plan offers anywhere between 80% to 100% reimbursement for this necessary health care. Instead of accumulating high costs over time, you pay a small monthly fee to ensure your furry companion remains happy and healthy.
 
 
Every pet insurance company has waiting periods before coverage begins, which also applies to wellness plans. The average waiting period for a pet insurance policy is one to two weeks. Be sure to enroll in a pet insurance plan with an additional wellness plan before starting routine care to receive coverage.
 
 
No, pet wellness plans don’t cover preexisting conditions. Unfortunately, no pet insurer currently covers preexisting conditions. Insurance companies see pets with these medical conditions as costly and high-risk investments, especially since they’re guaranteed to need veterinary care in the foreseeable future.
However, some companies will distinguish between curable and incurable conditions, opting to cover curable conditions with specific stipulations. In addition, some routine treatments covered in wellness plans may help cure these conditions.
 
 
Pet wellness plans cover preventive care for your animal needs and make these routine costs more affordable in the long run. A wellness plan eases the financial burden of your pet’s regular care and health issues when paired with a comprehensive accident-and-illness plan. 
We recommend getting three quotes from top pet insurance companies to closely compare their accident-and-illness and wellness plans. Use the tool below to get free quotes from some of our top recommendations.
 
 
Read some of our additional pet insurance resources below:
 
 
A dog or cat needs a routine wellness exam every year. 
Most pet insurance plans don’t cover neutering, but most pet wellness plans do cover it.
A wellness plan should cover the common medications a dog may need, such as antibiotics, antifungals, steroids and pain relievers.
 
 
Our review of pet insurance companies is based on in-depth industry research that includes reading hundreds of customer reviews, simulating the quote and purchasing process, speaking to representatives on the phone to assess the customer service experience and surveying 1,000 dog and cat owners nationwide to determine the most important elements of pet insurance coverage.
We scored each provider on a 100-point scale based on those elements. We then divided the points earned for each provider’s final score on a 5-point scale.
Here are more details about each factor and how they’re weighted: 
We use our rating system to compare and contrast each company against key factors to help us determine the best pet insurance companies in the industry. Additionally, we keep our research up to date and revisit our reviews on a regular basis.
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