Petsecure

Apr 18, 2023

Pets Plus Us Pet Insurance Review 2023 2023-04-18T13:19:39Z Twitter icon Twitter Copy Link Redeem now Our experts answer readers' insurance questions and write unbiased product reviews ( here's how we assess insurance products ). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners ; however, our opinions are our own. Pets Plus Us Pet Insurance 3.11/5 JD Power Customer Satisfaction Rating NR NR 3.11/5 JD Power Customer Satisfaction Rating NR NR Pets Plus Us Pet Insurance Details NR NR Pros & Cons Pros Reimbursements are available for vets in all 50 US States and Canada Check mark icon Accident only plans available for cheaper premiums Check mark icon Wellness plans offered at low premiums Cons Low ratings on sites like TrustPilot Dash icon High premiums when considering low annual coverage limits Dash icon Only available to pet parents in Canada Pets Plus Us caters to Canadian pet owners with short waiting periods and flexible coverage. However, Canadian pet parents can use any licensed vet in the US or Canada. Depending on the plan, annual benefits are limited to $5,000 to $15,000. Pets Plus Us is a Canadian pet insurance provider that has been active since 2013. It offers accident-only and accident and illness plans, and eligible pets can see licensed vets in the US or Canada. However, you have to be based out of Canada to qualify. The company stands out from competitors in a few areas, including its Blue Ribbon Benefits, which help you get emergency assistance for your pet over the phone. It also partners with Costco to offer Canadian members discounts on any Pets Plus Us Pet Insurance plan. Costco Executive members are eligible for a 15% discount, while other membership levels are eligible for a 10% discount. Its site specifies it is not government funded and has no connection to the Canadian medical care system. So how does this pet insurer compare to other established pet insurance providers? More importantly, do human and furry customers get what they need from its plans? Types of Pet Insurance Plans from Pets Plus Us Pets Plus Us coverage is offered in a few different tiers, which include a starter tier of accident-only coverage. This pet insurance does not cover illnesses like cancer or liver disease. Instead, it protects against accidents like a broken bone or accidental toxic substance ingestion. Its accident-only coverage is affordable, with a short 48-hour waiting period before coverage. However, coverage is limited to $5,000 yearly with an 80% reimbursement and a $100 deductible. The second type of coverage you can buy for your pet is accident and illness coverage, which provides more financial protection. However, the company is straightforward on its site stating pet dental insurance , preexisting conditions, and any illness within the 14-day waiting period (48 hours for accidents) will not be covered. Its accident and illness pet insurance plans have annual limits of $7,500 or $15,000. Reimbursement tiers include 70%, 80%, or 90%, and pet parents can choose annual deductibles as low as $100. Compared with companies like Pets Best and Figo (Costco's US partner), its low limits become painfully apparent. A pet parent who has never faced an emergency may feel protected with low limits. Unfortunately, pet parents who have faced a serious medical emergency (some serious illnesses could accrue $20,000 in vet bills between one surgery and the subsequent hospitalization) know all too well how impactful small annual limits can be. Note that its accident-only and accident and illness plans offer an additional $1,000 benefit for: Kennel boarding fees if you are hospitalized and cannot care for your pet Holiday-trip-cancellation coverage if your pet requires emergency care and you have to cancel your trip Lost pet advertising and reward Cremation or burial costs for your pet The annual limits may be discouraging for some pet parents. However, Pets Plus Us has no breed exclusions and guarantees that your pet policy will never be canceled based on your pet's age. Plans also include Blue Ribbon Benefits such as: A 24/7 emergency phone line to get veterinary advice A compassionate care phone line to help with serious illness, injuries, and bereavement A 24/7 pet poison phone line $1,000 in pet insurance if your pet incurs a severe injury while lost Subscription to Modern Dog or Modern Cat magazine Additional Coverage Options from Pets Plus Us Pets Plus Us Pet Insurance offers a wellness plan to reimburse 100% of included items for your pet based on their age. For example, the company's wellness plans have separate benefits for puppies and kittens, adult animals aged one to seven, and senior dogs or cats aged eight and older. Limits range from $250 to $1250 annually. Flex Care is available in all Canadian provinces except Quebec. Other wellness plans set reimbursements for individual services. So, for example, another provider might give you up to $150 for a spay or neuter surgery. But if your vet completes the procedure for $100, the provider will not reallocate the extra $50. If it costs more than $150, you would be on the hook for the remainder. The company simplifies this with one annual limit to reimburse you for 100% of included services until you reach your yearly limit allowing pet parents to maximize the benefit while minimizing stress around their pet's everyday healthcare. Items that may be covered (depending on your pet's age) with a pet wellness plan include the following: Annual exams and vaccinations Flea prevention $67.52 As you can see from the quotes above, Pets Plus Us coverage is expensive. This is especially true when considering the annual coverage limits we set at $15,000 for accident and illness coverage to get these quotes. Costco members in Canada can qualify for 10-15% off. Pet insurance plans in the US in the $50 range also come with unlimited coverage with most pet insurance providers, and Pets Plus Us charges over $100 for all dog profiles we ran. There are ways to tweak plans to pay less each month. For example, you could opt for $7,500 in coverage for accidents and illnesses per year instead of $15,000, and you can choose a lower reimbursement amount and a higher deductible. Just note lower coverage, higher deductibles, or lower reimbursements mean you'll have to pay more out-of-pocket if something happens to your furry family member. How to File A Claim Pets Plus Us is similar to other pet insurance companies in that you pay for treatment upfront and then request reimbursement. Once you have a claim, you'll also want to take note of your expected reimbursement after taking your deductible and coinsurance amount into account. If your pet runs up a $4,000 pet insurance bill for surgery and you have an accident and illness plan with $7,500 in annual coverage, a $300 deductible, and 90% reimbursement, for example, you would file a claim to get $3,330 back. That's the amount left after taking the $4,000 vet care bill, deducting the $300 deductible, and reimbursing 90% of the remaining amount. To file a claim with Pets Plus US, you can: Submit a claim online at Portal.PetsPlusUs.com Begin a claim by emailing submissions@petsplusus.com Fax claims information to 1-855-456-PETS (7387) You can also file a pet insurance claim through the mail using the following address: Pets Plus Us Oakville, ON L6K 3V7 Does Pets Plus Us offer pet insurance plans in the United States? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Pets Plus US offers pet insurance plans for Canadian residents. Policyholders can use vets in the US and Canada, but it's not available for US residents. Can you buy a wellness plan through Pets Plus Us? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Pets Plus Us offers optional wellness plans to take the bite out of pricey wellness care. Does Pets Plus Us pay your vet upfront? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. No. You pay your veterinarian upfront and then ask for reimbursement from Pets Plus Us after the fact. Does Pets Plus Us cover pet dental care? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. If you choose its wellness plan, the company offers preventative dental care. However, as we've seen with other pet insurance companies, there's a fine line between dental care and disease as a preexisting condition. If you have any questions about dental care, we recommend talking to a company representative before scheduling your pet's dental appointment. Methodology: What Went into Our Pets Plus Us Pet Insurance Review Before we wrote this Pets Plus Us review, we gathered information from more than 20 pet insurance providers offering similar pet health coverage. We analyzed and compared similar plans and considered factors like annual and lifetime limits, per-incident limits, deductibles offered, and included perks. We also compared companies based on wellness plans when available. In addition to facts gathered from pet insurance companies, we searched for user reviews and complaints to get a feel for the company's claims process. This allows us to rate and compare popular pet insurance options. Pets Plus Us Pet Insurance Competitors PetSecure Pet Insurance Compare Pets Plus Us vs. Petsecure PetSecure Pet Insurance is another Canadian pet insurer offering plans for dogs and cats. This company offers four tiers of accident and illness coverage with varying caps on per-illness and per-accident coverage, and annual limits. In comparison, Pets Plus Us only offers two annual limits for accident and illness and one for its illness-only plan. Petsecure also offers unlimited annual coverage compared to the $15,000 maximum we see with the product being reviewed here. Petsecure is also available to pet parents in Australia, but coverage differences may apply between the two countries. For example, its Canadian website states no age limits apply, but pets age eight and up may need to submit more questions or medical documentation. Its Australian website discloses a strict age cutoff of nine years old for its accident and illness plan. So senior pets in Australia may not be eligible for the full benefits. Still, Petsecure's unlimited coverage option holds a significant appeal, particularly if you're signing your pet up for coverage early in life. Compare Pets Plus Us vs. PHI Direct PHI Direct Pet Insurance also covers 80% of veterinary costs for pets insured in Canada, and plans come with annual limits of $5,000 or $10,000. All plans are subject to a $200 deductible with an 80% reimbursement. The only thing pet parents get to choose is the annual limit. $5,000 may be a negligible difference when comparing a $10,000 or $15,000 limit. Even with the Costco discount, Pets Plus Us is substantially more costly. The steep price difference is not easily justified by a difference of $5,000 in annual limits. PHI Direct does not appear to offer wellness plans, which is a great thing about Pets Plus Us. Both providers may fall short in preparing pet parents for serious medical emergencies. However, Pets Plus Us' flexible wellness plan that pays 100% of approved services until you reach the annual limit is unmatched by other providers. Above all else, it seems between the two, Pets Plus Us offers options. Compare Pets Plus Us vs. Fetch Fetch offers accident and illness plans in the United States and Canada, making it an option for more pet parents. When you run a quote with Fetch, you'll get its recommended plan, but you can customize the reimbursement rate, deductible, and annual limits to adjust the price. Its highest yearly limit is $15,000, meaning the two companies are highly conservative. However, its lowest deductible is $300, whereas Pets Plus Us offers the option for a $100 deductible. We ran a sample quote to compare pricing. Fetch is one of the more expensive providers in the US, ironically being one of the few companies unwilling to offer unlimited annual coverage. Our quote for $15,000 yearly limits, $300 deductible, and 80% reimbursement came back with a monthly premium of $92.92 for a 6-year-old mixed breed dog. We also have yet to see a Fetch wellness plan.