Spot Pet Insurance Review – 2022 Coverage And Cost – MarketWatch

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In this article: Pros and Cons | Plans and Coverage | Premiums | Customer Reviews | Competitor Comparison | Conclusion | FAQs
A pet insurance policy can keep your pet safe and healthy if it experiences an unexpected injury or illness. Pet insurance can be a smart purchase for people who don’t have the funds to pay for expensive treatments and want peace of mind that their pet will get the care it needs during an emergency.
Pet parents have access to dozens of pet insurance providers. We at the Home Media reviews analyzed thousands of customer reviews, compared rates, and consulted experts in our analysis of the best pet insurance companies. Use our Spot pet insurance review to learn why the company is one of our top picks and to get a customized quote.
Spot scored a 4.45 out of 5 in our analysis, thanks to its flexible range of policies, affordability and customer service. It’s our top pick for customizable coverage, offering six annual coverage limit options and five deductibles. With so many deductibles and coverage limits, budget-conscious pet parents can tweak their pet’s coverage to lower premiums.
The company also stands out for its comprehensive accident and illness coverage, which includes some benefits typically excluded by competitors. For example, Spot covers microchipping and alternative therapies like acupuncture. These benefits are often offered as paid add-ons by other pet insurance providers.
 
+ Provides an unlimited annual coverage option for those who don’t want limited maximum payouts
+ Doesn’t have an age limit for older animals, unlike some competitors
+ Includes coverage for microchip implantation and exam fees in standard policies, which aren’t typically covered by other pet insurance providers
– Has a waiting period of 14 days for accidents, which is longer than some competitors
– Doesn’t offer customer service availability on weekends
 
 
Spot Pet Insurance opened its doors in 2019. The company’s pet health insurance policies are underwritten by the United States Fire Insurance Company through Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group. The United States Fire Insurance Company is a reputable insurer established in 1822.
Both the United States Fire Insurance Company and the C&F Group have an A rating from AM Best, suggesting the company is in good financial standing and able to pay out claims.
 
 
Accident-only plan: This is Spot’s least expensive pet insurance plan. It covers accidents such as injuries, swallowed objects and toxic ingestions. It’s ideal for those on a budget who want coverage for emergencies and aren’t worried about covering illnesses or other conditions.
Accident and illness plan: This plan covers the accidents in the Accident-only plan in addition to general illnesses, behavioral issues, dental disease, hip dysplasia, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and more. As the most comprehensive option, it costs more than the Accident-only plan. It’s ideal for those who want complete coverage if their pet experiences an accident or illness.
Gold preventative plan: If you want help paying for your pet’s routine care and want to keep it healthy throughout the year, you can purchase one of Spot’s preventative care plans. The Gold plan costs $9.95 extra per month, and it comes with $250 of per-treatment limits per year. Below is a list of each covered vet service and its annual benefit included in the plan:
Platinum preventative plan: You can purchase Spot’s more expensive wellness plan for an additional $24.95 per month for $450 of total per-item limits per year. It includes the following treatments:
Spot excludes pre-existing conditions that your pet has before the end of the 14-day waiting period. These are defined in the policy as an, “illness, disease, injury or change to your pet’s health that first occurs or shows symptoms before coverage is effective or during a waiting period. This includes conditions that are related to, secondary or resultant from a pre-existing condition.”
Other exclusions include anal gland expression, aesthetic or cosmetic procedures, any elective procedures, boarding, breeding, pregnancy, whelping, herbal products and organ transplants.
For a full list of coverage, exclusions and policy limitations, review Spot’s sample pet insurance policy.
Spot stands out for having the most customizable plan options compared with the other companies we reviewed. In addition to its two standard plan options, it offers the following choices for customizing your premium:
Note: These options are based on the dozens of quotes we received during our research.
 
 
For the cheapest pet insurance premiums from Spot, you can purchase the Accident-Only policy. Prices for that policy don’t vary depending on your pet’s age or breed, so it could be ideal if you have a particularly unhealthy breed or an older animal.
Standard prices for accident and illness plans will vary depending on your pet’s information. Here are some prices from sample quotes we received for various pets in Columbia, S.C., for a policy with $5,000 of annual coverage, a $250 annual deductible and an 80% reimbursement rate:
Spot provides a 10% multi-pet discount, lowering premiums when you enroll more than one pet in your policy. It also offers 10% off premiums for employees who enroll in a Spot policy through a workplace benefits program. Likewise, Spot offers 10% discounts to members of some associations. You can contact your employer or association to see if you’re eligible for a Spot policy or discount.
 
 
Spot has an A rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and it has a favorable percentage of positive reviews on Trustpilot.
While many Spot customers rave about the company’s informative customer service, easy policy management and fast claims, there are some dissatisfied customers who mention long wait times for claims processing and denied claims for unclear reasons.
We reached out to Spot about the negative reviews and received the following comment in response:
“When Spot hears of a negative customer experience, we gather as much information as we can to address the issue promptly and specifically. If we see a customer has waited for a long period of time to get a hold of someone, we ask a rep to reach out as quickly as possible.
If a customer is dissatisfied with a claims experience, we encourage the customer to call us for a detailed explanation of the results and discuss what we might do to resolve the issue or avoid confusion in the future. We always strive to diffuse the situation and turn a complaint into a good experience.”
Here are some examples of Spot Pet Insurance reviews on Trustpilot:
“My claim was processed so quickly. I uploaded the info from my cat’s medical visit on Sunday. I received an email Monday that it was being processed and the money was reimbursed via direct deposit by Tuesday. No hassle and simple instructions.” — Shaneaka R.
“It’s been almost two months since my last claim on [preventative care], and still, they say they require more information. My pup had been on their policy since she was 12 weeks old. They already have every medical piece of info but still are taking time to pay reimbursement.” — Cady R.
“I recently changed my insurance to Spot. … We just had an awful summer with both dogs either injured or sick from one thing or another. Seven claims in six weeks and every one of them was paid to the amount expected. Even with the backlog, it was still within two weeks.” — Paula B.
“Shortly after starting [my Spot policy], my dog was stung by a bee (I didn’t know why she wouldn’t walk on her hind leg), and I took her to the vet. This should be considered an accident, not [a pre-existing condition]. I have not gotten anything back from this insurance [company], and it’s been over a month since I made the claim.” — Cindy H.
 
 
*The monthly cost is based on sample quotes for accident-and-illness plans for a 4-year-old mixed dog in Columbia, S.C.
 
 
Spot is an excellent choice for pet parents looking for an affordable policy that can be customized to their exact needs, whether they need unlimited annual coverage or are looking for an accident-only plan with basic coverage. Get a free quote from Spot and customize your policy to fit your needs by using this online quote tool.
If you’re looking for a shorter waiting period for accidents, Lemonade might be a better fit. Additionally, Healthy Paws could be a good alternative for those looking for a company with more years of experience in the industry. We ultimately recommend getting quotes from multiple pet insurance providers to compare plan pricing in your area.
 
 
To get in touch with Spot for any customer service questions you may have, you can reach out to [email protected] or call 855-941-3839 during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. You can also fill out an online contact form or use the website’s live chat feature to talk to a customer service representative. If you want to submit a claim, you can use Spot’s online portal or mobile app to request reimbursement for your covered vet bill.
Yes, Spot’s waiting period for all conditions is 14 days. This means that any incident that happens to your pet between signing up for the policy and your coverage start date would be considered a pre-existing condition and wouldn’t be eligible for a claim.
No, Spot offers policies only for dogs and cats.
No. One of the benefits of Spot is that you are not required to send in your pet’s medical records for your pet to be eligible for coverage upon signing up for your policy. However, it could be a good idea to provide the records if they’re available so you can inform Spot of any pre-existing conditions and determine what would and wouldn’t be covered by the company.
Yes, you can file a claim with Spot to receive reimbursement on vet bills from any licensed vet in the U.S.
 
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 have scored each provider on a 100-point scale based on those elements.
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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