Pros, Cons & Coverage Options

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PetPartners pet insurance may not be as familiar as names like Pumpkin Pet Insurance, Figo Pet Insurance, or Healthy Paws Pet Insurance. However, PetPartners has the policies, add-ons, and customer service to compete with the best pet insurance companies.

Introduction to PetPartners Pet Insurance

PetPartners Pet Insurance offers a wide variety of pet insurance options for policyholders in the United States and Canada. Policies are underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company, which received a financial stability rating of A- from AM Best.

PetPartners offers a high degree of flexibility, including a plan with unlimited coverage, preventive care add-ons, and various miscellaneous riders such as breeding coverage. Policyholders can go to any vet, including specialty and emergency vets. Additionally, PetPartners offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, an option for unlimited coverage, and coverage for pre-existing conditions after a 365-day waiting period.

That said, PetPartners coverage significantly drops off once your pet turns 9, as it no longer offers pre-existing condition coverage and pets aren't eligible for illness-inclusive accident coverage. Pets may live much longer and require coverage for many health conditions after that age. So finding a company that takes pets well into their golden years could save you some hassle later.

PetPartners also isn't the cheapest pet insurance around. While it offers a 5% discount for enrolling multiple pets, there are multi-pet insurance companies that offer greater discounts. Additionally, while some insurance plans only increase premiums according to local vet prices and inflation, PetPartners can also raise your premiums according to your pet's age. 

Types of Pet Insurance Plans from PetPartners

PetPartners Pet Insurance offers accident and illness and accident-only plans. Buyers can choose a custom plan that offers options of 70%, 80%, or 90% reimbursement rates; deductibles of $100-$1,000, and annual limits of $2,500 to $20,000. It also offers a basic plan that has sets deductibles at $100, reimbursement 80%, and incident limits at $500. However, it comes with unlimited annual limits.

Whichever plan piques your interest, PetPartners offers a 30-day guarantee on all policies. If you are unsatisfied within the first 30 days (and no claims have been filed), it will send you a full refund of your premiums.

In the sample policy we read, PetPartners used a broad definition of “pre-existing conditions,” excluding even undiagnosed and asymptomatic conditions your pet may have before you sign up or during the initial waiting period. However, after 365 days, pre-existing conditions will be covered, according to its website.

On the other hand, pets must be enrolled in the comprehensive plan before they turn 9 to qualify for illness-inclusive accident coverage. PetPartners institutes a strict cutoff on its more comprehensive accident and illness policies at age 9.

Additional Coverage Options (Riders)

PetPartners Pet Insurance offers additional coverage for various ailments, incidents, and unexpected health expenses. Prices for the following add-ons were quoted at the rate attached to the Basic plan:

• ExamPlus: Covers the cost of exam fees for healthy or injured pets
• HereditaryPlus: Coverage for hereditary, congenital, and chronic conditions
• Breeding Coverage: Pays for pregnancy, birth or nursing-related expenses, including emergency C-sections
• SupportPlus: Covers costs related to the loss of the insured pet

PetPartners also offers a preventive care add-on that comes in two tiers: Defender and DefenderPlus. These vary in covered items and limits. The breakdown of these plans is as follows:

How Much Does Pet Insurance from PetPartners Cost?

Factors Affecting PetPartners Premiums

PetPartners Pet Insurance offers a staggering 169 potential pricing options — 168 possible custom plans plus the basic plan — before factoring in optional add-ons. The company also provides a basic plan with fixed pet insurance coverage options, which we'll show below.

Quotes from PetPartners

To get an idea of how much PetPartners' coverage cost, we'll look at how much a pet owner living in New York City would pay in pet insurance premiums. We chose New York City for our quotes because it is one of the most expensive places to receive vet care, which insurance premiums will reflect. Your premiums will likely be lower than the prices below.

Covering the most common dog breeds under PetPartners custom plan with a 80% reimbursement, $250 deductible, and $10,000 annual limit would cost the following: 

Let's go over premiums for cats covered by a comprehensive policy from 24Petprotect with a $10,000 annual limit, 80% reimbursement, and $250 deductible.

How to Purchase and Manage a PetPartners Policy

To purchase a PetPartners Pet Insurance policy, which you can do so on its website, you'll want to be prepared to provide the following information about yourself and your pet. 

• Your pet's name
• Your ZIP code
• Pet species
• Breed
• Pet age
• If your dog has been diagnosed or showed symptoms of diabetes, Cushing's disease, or FELV/FIV
• Email address

PetPartners has a 30-day free-look period. Within this window, you'll be able to cancel your policy and receive a full refund as long as you haven't filed a claim yet.

How to File A Claim PetPartners

PetPartners offers several options to file claims. You can visit the PetPartners website to start your claim. Other options include the following:

Phone: (866) 774-1113

Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST

Fax: (919) 859-8193

Email: help@petpartners.com or claims@petpartners.com

Mailing address:

PO Box 37940

Raleigh, NC 27627

PetPartners Customer Service and Claims Experience

PetPartners Pet Insurance received an average score of 3.6 on Trustpilot, though reviews were too sparse to get a complete consensus on customer service experience. Claims experienced varied across customers but were generally complimentary of the speed of reimbursements.

Consistently, customers spoke highly of the customer service, specifically mentioning that they were able to speak to a human representative to get their questions answered.

How Does PetPartners Compare to Its Competitors?

Compare PetPartners vs. Healthy Paws

If you value simplicity and have a healthy pet, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance may be the company for you. While customers cannot buy a wellness policy or rider, this provider does not limit how much or how many payouts you can receive in a year. Healthy Paws has limited flexibility compared to PetPartners, only offering 70% or 80% reimbursement and a $250 or $500 annual deductible.

However, Healthy Paws insures senior pets, and its rates stay steady even for aging pets. More importantly, it doesn't have a 365-day waiting period for coverage. PetPartners may be appealing if you buy early. But it seems to serve only a limited group of low-risk pets.

Read our Healthy Paws pet insurance review here.

Compare PetPartners vs. Pumpkin

These two companies offer similar coverage limits, reimbursements, riders, etc. PetPartners and Pumpkin Pet Insurance also offer discounts for pet owners who insure more than one furry friend. PetPartners offers reimbursement tiers ranging from 70% to 90% on all eligible claims, while Pumpkin only provides a single reimbursement tier of 90%. So PetPartners has more flexibility if you want to lower your monthly premiums.

However, Pumpkin wins on price across the board. At the high end of coverage, Pumpkin was only 3% cheaper than PetPartners for a plan with a $100 annual deductible and unlimited annual payout. On the low end, Pumpkin's quote was 20% lower than PetPartners' for a $1,000 annual deductible and $10,000 yearly payout cap. Again, Pumpkin offers coverage for seniors that is not available with its competitor.

Read our Pumpkin pet insurance review here.

Compare PetPartners vs. Nationwide Pet Insurance

PetPartners limits its accident and illness plans with early age cutoffs. However, it offers comprehensive coverage, and it's the only plan we've seen willing to cover pre-existing conditions, including cancer and other deadly diseases, after 365 days. So for some pet parents, the trade-off is well worth it.

Nationwide Pet Insurance offers limited coverage for minor incidents. It has low coverage limits, surprisingly high monthly premiums, and low reimbursement rates. The one thing Nationwide has going for is its coverage of exotic pets. You can insure your ferrets, birds, reptiles, and other not-so-furry family members alongside your cats and dogs. However, if you only have dogs and cats, PetPartners is a superior choice.

Read our Nationwide pet insurance review here.

PetPartners Pet Insurance FAQs

Why You Should Trust Us: What Went into Our PetPartners Pet Insurance Review

We evaluated PetPartners based on several criteria. We consider the price, policies offered, optional add-ons, and what each provider covers. We also research consumer feedback regarding the overall customer experience and the claims process.

Pet insurers are credited for quick claims processing, reasonable prices, and flexible options for aging pets or those with curable pre-existing conditions. Similarly, strong online reviews and financial ratings increase companies' likelihood of providing reliable coverage for the foreseeable future. All these factors go into our insurance rating methodology.

Katherine Fan

Senior Credit Cards Editor

Katherine has been writing about credit cards and award travel since 2015. Her personal finance and travel content has been published by The Points Guy, NerdWallet, LendingTree, Slickdeals Money, CreditCards.com, Bankrate, Newsweek, Forbes Advisor, and USA TODAY Blueprint.She's also an experienced photojournalist who has covered Austin City Limits, South by Southwest and other global events for the Austin American-Statesman, Associated Press, Google and MSN. 

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Evelyn He

Compliance and Operations Associate