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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. Business Insider's personal finance team compared Spot to the best pet insurance companies and found it an above-average product for its broad coverage, for which you'll have to pay higher premiums.
Spot Pet Insurance
Spot Pet Insurance covers a long list of treatments and conditions, particularly if you buy accident and illness coverage. It's available in all 50 U.S. states, and is a top pick in several of them, including in our guide to the best pet insurance in Minnesota.
While many of its coverages are standard among pet insurance companies, it offers a few standouts, including end-of-life expenses, prescription food for covered conditions (not general maintenance), vet exam fees, and microchip implantation. Its Platinum wellness plan also covers spaying/neutering fees.
While Spot doesn't cover pre-existing conditions, it has a relatively relaxed definition of pre-existing conditions. If your pet has been cured of a condition and is symptom-free for 180 days, those conditions are no longer considered pre-existing. However, it's important to note that this only applies to certain curable conditions. Additionally, Spot has a 14-day waiting period for accidents and illnesses, which is standard for the pet industry. However, it also has a 14-day waiting period for ligament and knee conditions, which is relatively short compared to many of its competitors.
Spot's other coverage feature worth noting is its unlimited coverage option. Pet owners can choose an annual limit of $2,500 to $10,000 or unlimited coverage, which significantly increases monthly premiums. While unlimited coverage is a nice benefit, we would've liked to see some additional limit options between $10,000 and unlimited coverage.
This brings us to Spot's cost. It's not the most expensive pet insurance plan, but it's certainly not the cheapest. Additionally, Spot increases your premiums each year based on a number of factors, including your pet's age. However, pet owners can save 10% on their policy if they enroll multiple pets.
- Wellness plans and accident and illness plans available
- Available in all 50 states with comprehensive coverage options
- Coverage available for senior dogs and cats
- Pets have to be at least 8 weeks for coverage
- Does not offer coverage for exotic pets
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 Pros and Cons
Spot Pet Insurance Pros
- Relaxed policy toward pre-existing conditions
- Uncommon coverages
- Unlimited coverage option
- Wellness package includes spaying/neutering
- 10% multi-pet discount
- 14-day waiting period for ligament and knee conditions
- Offers low-cost accident-only plans
Spot Pet Insurance Cons
- Premiums are relatively high
- Premiums increase annually based on pet's age
Spot Pet Insurance Plans & Coverage
Spot offers accident-only and accident and illness policies.
Accident-only policies will only cover unexpected injuries such as bites, cuts, broken bones, lodged foreign objects, auto accidents, and poison ingestion. On the other hand, accident and illness policies will include all coverages from your accident-only policy on top of sickness, disease, and medical conditions like cancer and chronic illnesses as long as it's not pre-existing conditions.
Spot's accident & illness plan covers the following for qualifying accidents, hereditary conditions, illnesses, and chronic issues:
- Alternative therapies like acupuncture, chiropractic care, and hydrotherapy
- Behavioral problems like anxiety, excessive licking, and aggression
- End-of-life expenses
- Intravenous fluids and medication
- Medical supplies
- MRI or CT scans and X-rays
- Poison control consultation fees
- Prescription food
- Prescription medication
- Stem cell therapy
- Supplements
- Pet surgery and hospitalization
- Tooth extractions
- Vet treatments (examinations, consultations, and lab tests)
- Microchipping
- Cancer treatments
With both its accident-only and accident and illness plans, customers will have the following choices of 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 Pet Insurance offers two tiers for its optional preventive care: its Gold plan and Platinum plan. The Gold plan covers wellness exams, vaccines, and tests, offering up to $250 in benefits. Its Platinum plan provides more extensive coverage with benefits like heartworm and flea prevention, urinalysis, and blood tests.
| Gold Preventive Care Plan | Platinum Preventive Care Plan | |
| Dental cleaning | $100 | $150 |
| Wellness exam | $50 | $50 |
| Flea & heartworm prevention | N/A | $25 |
| DHLPP or FVRCP vaccine/titer | $20 | $25 |
| Rabies, Lyme, or FIP vaccine/titer | $20 | $25 |
| Bordatella or FELV vaccine/titer | N/A | $25 |
| Fecal test | $20 | $25 |
| Heartworm or FELV testing | $20 | $25 |
| Blood tests | N/A | $25 |
| Urinalysis | N/A | $25 |
| Deworming | $20 | $25 |
| Health certificate | N/A | $25 |
Customer reviews note that if your doctor finds a new condition during a wellness exam, the exam no longer falls under wellness.
Spot Pet Insurance Cost
According to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, the average cost of pet insurance with accident-only coverage for dogs is $19.93 and $10.85 monthly for cats. The average price of accident and illness coverage for dogs is $48.66 and $28.57 per month for cats.
At face value, the rates for Spot pet insurance policies are more expensive than the industry average. However, your pet insurance premium varies based on several factors, including your pet's age, sex, annual limit, reimbursement rate, medical history, and annual deductible.
To get a better idea of how much Spot pet insurance costs, 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.
We acquired the following Spot dog insurance quotes for ab accident and illness plan with a $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement, and $10,000 coverage limit:
| Breed | 2-year-old (monthly) | 6-year-old (monthly) |
| French Bulldog | $113.07 | $161.53 |
| Labrador Retriever | $88.73 | $126.76 |
| Golden Retriever | $88.73 | $126.76 |
| German Shepherd | $74.13 | $105.90 |
| Standard Poodle | $88.73 | $126.76 |
| Mixed Medium (26-50 lbs) | $65.30 | $93.28 |
Let's go over premiums for a New York City cat covered under a Spot plan with a $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement, and a $10,000 coverage limit.
| Breed | 2-year-old (monthly) | 6-year-old (monthly) |
| Ragdoll | $34.32 | $45.76 |
| Maine Coon | $43.52 | $58.03 |
| Devon Rex | $34.32 | $45.76 |
| Exotic Shorthair | $31.75 | $42.34 |
| Persian | $47.81 | $63.74 |
| Non-Pedigree | $34.32 | $45.76 |
In our quotes, Spot's preventive Gold plan was $9.95 monthly, and its Platinum plan was $24.95 monthly. Prices did not change, regardless of the age, breed, or species of the pet.
How to Purchase and Manage a Spot Pet Insurance Policy
To purchase a Spot policy, you'll need to obtain a quote on its website. Be prepared to provide your pet's name, species, breed, age, and sex. You'll also provide your ZIP code, as your location is one of the most important factors when pet insurance companies calculate your premiums.
Once you receive your quote, you can select the accident and illness plan or the accident-only plan. You'll also be able to adjust your reimbursement level, deductible, and annual limit to your needs. Lastly, you can add the Gold or Platinum wellness package.
Before you check out, you can enroll multiple pets and receive a 10% discount on your policy. You may also add pets after you finalize your policy. You'll have another opportunity to save when you check out by choosing to pay your insurance bill annually, rather than monthly.
How to File a Claim With Spot
Filing a claim with Spot Pet Insurance is easy. You can file a claim online or on the Spot insurance app by clicking the claims icon and uploading a picture of your bill. You have 270 days from the date of treatment to file a claim.
You must pay the required deductible to start receiving reimbursements for your claim. With Spot, you can choose a deductible between $100 and $1,000; the higher your deductible, the lower your premiums.
You can call spot insurance at 1-800-905-1595 from Monday to Friday between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm EST.
Spot Customer Support and Claims Experience
Spot is very highly rated among customers, receiving an average of 4.7 stars out of five on its Trustpilot page. Customers were very pleased with reimbursement speeds and the quality of customer service.
On the other hand, 11% of customers gave Spot three stars or lower. Customers expressed frustration with Spot denying claims or only partially paying out, determining that costs were for the treatment of pre-existing conditions. Additionally, some customers wrote that Spot doesn't cover enough to justify its high premiums.
Compare Spot Pet Insurance
See how Spot compares to three other options for pet insurance coverage: Trupanion, Figo, and Healthy Paws.
Spot vs. Trupanion Pet Insurance
Trupanion has limited coverage options next to Spot. Spot covers exam fees and microchipping in its standard plan. Additionally, Spot has preventive wellness and accident-only policies for purchase, while Trupanion doesn't. With such diverse programs, pet parents can customize pet insurance to meet their needs.
Trupanion's coverage limit is also more rigid than Spot's. It has a set 90% reimbursement and unlimited coverage, which can result in high premiums. Additionally, Trupanion's deductibles are applied per condition over the policy's lifetime, not annually. If you've fulfilled the deductible on one condition, you won't have to pay a deductible for the same condition until your policy ends. This is great for chronic conditions, but costs will rack up if your pet keeps getting sick with different conditions.
However, while Spot offers more comprehensive coverage, you may fancy Trupanion for paying claims directly to qualifying vets. With Spot, you must pay the bill to your vet and get reimbursed later. This is a significant perk for pet parents who worry about waiting for some claims to be paid.
However, Trupanion's biggest flaw is its price. You'll have to pay exorbitant prices with a Trupanion policy, and Spot isn't even all that cheap in the grand scheme of things.
Between the two companies, Spot is the winner for its extensive coverage, relatively affordable rates, policy options, and shorter waiting periods.
Read our Trupanion pet insurance review.
Spot vs. Figo Pet Insurance
Figo Pet Insurance only offers one accident and illness plan, compared to Spot's offerings for a comprehensive accident and illness and a cheaper accident-only plan. However, Figo's pet insurance premiums are cheaper than Spot's accident and illness policy. Additionally, Costco members can receive a 15% discount on Figo policies.
We also noticed Spot covers vet exam fees and microchipping in its standard plan. Figo, on the other hand, covers exam fees and microchipping at an additional cost in its preventive plan. However, Figo covers final expense costs and boarding fees for an extra charge, which Spot doesn't offer.
With Spot, you have a broader range of policy options for maximum annual coverage and deductible options. However, with Figo, you can get up to 100% of your vet's bill paid after the deductible.
Figo has a waiting period of one day for accidents, 14 days for illness, and 30 days for orthopedic conditions. In contrast, Spot has a waiting period of 14 days for accidents, illnesses, and ligament and knee conditions. Figo delivers accident and illness faster than Spot, but Spot covers orthopedic conditions faster.
On a similar note, while both Figo and Spot don't cover pre-existing conditions, Spot will cover cured conditions after 180 symptom-free days while Figo won't begin to cover these conditions until 12 months have passed.
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.
Read our Figo pet insurance review.
Spot vs. Healthy Paws Pet Insurance
Despite being more expensive than Spot, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance doesn't provide as much coverage. It lacks certain features that Spot includes, like :
- Behavioral issues
- Exam fee
- Microchip implant
- Curable condition coverage
- Prescription food and supplements
Spot also offers an accident-only plan. Meanwhile, Healthy Paws only provides accident and illness policies. Additionally, Healthy Paws won't insure pets over 14. As mentioned previously, Spot doesn't have an upper age limit. So between these two insurance providers, senior pets may only qualify for coverage with Spot.
We think Spot is the clear choice regarding coverage. However, it can be pretty expensive compared to Healthy Paws.
Read our Healthy Paws pet insurance review.
Spot Pet Insurance FAQ
Yes, Spot has a 14-day waiting period for accidents, illnesses, and ligament/knee conditions.
No, Spot doesn't cover pre-existing conditions. However, Spot no longer considers certain conditions pre-existing if your pet goes more than 180 days without exhibiting symptoms.
Spot has no upper age limit for qualifying pets. So both young and senior dogs can be eligible for pet insurance coverage with Spot.
Yes, Spot offers a 10% multi-pet discount.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed Spot Pet Insurance
We base our ratings on cost, coverage options, customization, and customer service for a consistent rating system for different products.
- Cost - How do its rates compare to the industry average? Does the company offer affordable options, or is it more expensive than competitors?
- Coverage - This is bang for buck. What range of treatments is covered by the insurance company? What riders and add-ons does the company in question offer? More coverage could offset a high price as long as it's coverage customers want.
- Policy customization - To what extent can consumers choose a reimbursement level, deductibles, and annual limits?
- Customer service - Is the insurance provider's customer service team available when you need help? How long does it take to process a claim according to honest customer reviews? We scour different sources to determine what customers think of each product before we rate it.
You can get more information on how Business Insider rates pet insurance here.
