Spot Pet Insurance provides comprehensive pet insurance, including a unique allowance for end-of-life memorials. Some plans also cover dental cleanings and other potentially expensive services. Business Insider’s personal finance team compared Spot to other leading pet insurance companies to determine its value.
Spot Pet Insurance: An Overview
Spot distinguishes itself with a broad range of coverage options. However, these comprehensive plans come at a cost, with higher premiums compared to some competitors.
Pros
- Relaxed policy towards pre-existing conditions
- Uncommon coverages, such as end-of-life expenses
- Unlimited coverage options
- Wellness plan that includes spaying/neutering
- 10% multi-pet discount
- Relatively short 14-day waiting period for ligament and knee conditions
- Offers low-cost accident-only plans
Cons
- Relatively high premiums
- Premiums increase annually dependent on pet’s age
Insider’s Take: Spot pet insurance provides comprehensive pet insurance, including an allowance for end-of-life memorials. Some plan upgrades cover dental cleanings and other costly services.
Spot Pet Insurance Plans and Coverage
Spot offers both accident-only and accident and illness plans. Accident-only plans cover unexpected injuries, whereas accident and illness policies include illness and medical conditions as well, provided they’re not pre-existing.
Spot’s accident and illness plan covers:
- Alternative therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic care
- Behavioral problems
- End-of-life expenses
- Intravenous fluids
- Medical supplies
- MRI or CT scans and X-rays
- Poison control consultation fees
- Prescription food and medication
- Stem cell therapy
- Supplements
- Pet surgery and hospitalization
- Tooth extractions
- Vet treatments
Customers can choose between different annual limits, reimbursement rates, and deductibles:
- Annual limits: $2,500, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, $10,000, unlimited
- Reimbursement rates: 70%, 80%, 90%
- Deductible: $100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000
Additional Coverage Options
Spot offers two levels of optional preventive care: Gold and Platinum plans. The Gold plan covers wellness exams, vaccines, and tests, while the Platinum plan offers more extensive coverage with benefits like heartworm and flea prevention, urinalysis, and blood tests.
- Gold Preventive Care Plan: Wellness exams, vaccines, and tests
- Platinum Preventive Care Plan: Wellness exams, vaccines, tests, dental cleaning, flea & heartworm prevention, blood tests, and more.
Customer Reviews
Customer reviews note that if a new condition is found during a wellness exam, the exam may not fall under wellness.
Spot Pet Insurance Cost
The average cost of pet insurance with accident-only coverage is $19.93 for dogs and $10.85 monthly for cats. Accident and illness coverage averages $48.66 for dogs and $28.57 per month for cats. Spot’s rates are more expensive than the industry average, but premiums depend on factors like your pet’s age, sex, annual limit, reimbursement rate, medical history, and annual deductible.
Here are some example monthly premiums for a Spot accident and illness plan with a $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement, and a $10,000 coverage limit in New York City:
- French Bulldog: $113.07 (2-year-old), $161.53 (6-year-old)
- Labrador Retriever: $88.73 (2-year-old), $126.76 (6-year-old)
- Golden Retriever: $88.73 (2-year-old), $126.76 (6-year-old)
- German Shepherd: $74.13 (2-year-old), $105.90 (6-year-old)
- Standard Poodle: $88.73 (2-year-old), $126.76 (6-year-old)
- Mixed Medium (26-50 lbs): $65.30 (2-year-old), $93.28 (6-year-old)
For a New York City cat with a $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement, and a $10,000 coverage limit:
- Ragdoll: $34.32 (2-year-old), $45.76 (6-year-old)
- Maine Coon: $43.52 (2-year-old), $58.03 (6-year-old)
- Devon Rex: $34.32 (2-year-old), $45.76 (6-year-old)
- Exotic Shorthair: $31.75 (2-year-old), $42.34 (6-year-old)
- Persian: $47.81 (2-year-old), $63.74 (6-year-old)
- Non-Pedigree: $34.32 (2-year-old), $45.76 (6-year-old)
Spot’s Gold preventive plan costs $9.95 monthly, and its Platinum plan is $24.95 monthly.
How to Purchase and Manage a Spot Pet Insurance Policy
To purchase a Spot Pet Insurance policy, you’ll need to get a quote on their website. You will need to enter in your pet’s breed, age, and sex. Once you get your quote, you can adjust your needs for the reimbursement, deductible, and annual limit. You can also add a Gold or Platinum wellness package.
Before you check out for Spot, you can get a 10% discount on your policy for enrolling multiple pets. Additionally, you can save by choosing to pay annually rather than monthly.
How to File a Claim
Filing a claim with Spot is straightforward. You can file online or via the Spot insurance app and upload a picture of your bill. You have 270 days from the date of treatment to file a claim.
Spot Customer Support and Claims Experience
Spot receives high customer ratings, averaging 4.7 out of five stars on Trustpilot. Customers often praise the speed of reimbursements and the quality of customer service. However, some express frustration with claim denials or partial payouts, particularly concerning pre-existing conditions.
Alternatives to Spot Pet Insurance
Trupanion
Spot offers wider coverage options compared to Trupanion. Spot covers exam fees and microchipping in its standard plan, as well as both preventive wellness and accident-only policies, unlike Trupanion.
Trupanion’s coverage limit is more rigid. Trupanion applies its deductible per condition over the policy’s lifetime. Spot offers more comprehensive coverage but both companies are on the expensive side.
Figo
Figo has one accident and illness plan, while Spot offers an accident and illness plan and a cheaper accident-only plan. Figo premiums are cheaper than Spot’s accident and illness policies. Spot provides more options for annual coverage and deductible options, whereas Figo offers up to 100% reimbursement.
Ultimately, Figo and Spot are very similar. Figo has some unique options that Spot lacks at a lower base price. However, there are certain situations where Spot could be better, like if your pet has been recently cured of a pre-existing condition or if you’re particularly worried about orthopedic conditions.
Healthy Paws
Healthy Paws is more expensive than Spot and does not provide as much coverage. It lacks certain features that Spot includes, like coverage for behavioral issues, exam fees, microchip implants, and coverage for curable conditions. Spot also covers prescription food and supplements. Healthy Paws only provides accident and illness policies and will not insure pets over 14. Spot has no upper age limit.
Conclusion
Spot Pet Insurance offers comprehensive pet insurance with several benefits, particularly its wide range of coverage and its approach to pre-existing conditions. However, its relatively high cost and policy options may not be the best fit for everyone. When choosing pet insurance, pet owners must consider their individual needs and budget and compare plans to ensure they get the best value.
