Spot Pet Insurance Review 2025

Spot sells plans similar to the ones offered by the best pet insurance companies. Spot provides an accident and illness plan—the most common type of pet insurance plan that covers a large range of problems—and an accident-only plan. You can also buy additional coverage for expenses related to wellness and preventative care.

Accident and Illness Coverage

If your pet gets sick or injured, Spot’s accident and illness plan covers treatment costs such as:

	Accidents Such as broken bones, ligament sprains or poisoning.
	Illnesses Such as ear or skin infections, cancer, and hereditary and congenital conditions like eye disorders and hip dysplasia.
	Hospitalizations Such as emergency care, surgeries (including anesthesia), vet/technician time and rehabilitation services.
	Specialist Care This includes behaviorists, oncologists and internal medicine experts. Alternative therapies, such as acupuncture, stem cell therapy and treatment for behavioral issues, can also be included.
	Prescription Medication This includes prescription medicine for a problem covered by your policy, such as an eye infection. It can also include prescription food and supplements if prescribed by your veterinarian due to an issue covered by your policy, such as urinary stones.
	Diagnostics and medical supplies This includes tests like CAT scans, X-rays, MRIs and blood tests. It also includes medical supplies such as bandages, splints and casts.

Accident-Only Policy

An accident-only plan covers expenses related to accidents such as a broken bone, a swallowed object and toxic ingestions. This includes costs related to diagnostics, hospitalizations, surgeries and medications.

Spot Add-Ons

Spot offers two wellness and preventive care coverage options: Gold and Platinum. You can add either option to a Spot accident and illness plan for an additional cost.

Gold Preventative Care Coverage

With this add-on, Spot will reimburse you up to $250 per year for preventive care expenses such as:

• Wellness exams
• Dental cleanings
• Vaccinations
• Fecal tests
• Canine heartworm test
• Feline FELV test
• Deworming

Platinum Preventive Care Coverage

With this add-on, Spot will reimburse you up to $450 per year for preventive expenses. In addition to covering all of the Gold plan expenses, the Platinum plan will cover additional costs, including:

• Dental cleanings
• Spaying/neutering
• Bordetella vaccination for dogs
• Flea and heartworm prevention
• Blood tests
• Urinalysis
• Health certificate

Keep in mind, Spot applies a payout limit for every expense covered under each plan. For example, the Gold plan will only reimburse up to $50 per year for a wellness exam and the Platinum plan will only reimburse up to $25 per year for flea and heartworm prevention.

Unfortunately, Spot’s accident and illness plan won’t cover every health-related expense. Some expenses excluded from coverage include:

• Pre-existing conditions.
• Boarding and daycare.
• Breeding, pregnancy, whelping or nursing.
• Elective or cosmetic procedures.
• Any illness or injury resulting from intentional, malicious or negligent activities.
• Supplement and vitamins for preventative or general health maintenance.

Maximum Annual Limit Options

Some pet insurance companies limit the amount the company will pay in total annual benefits. Spot offers a choice of several coverage caps:

• $2,500
• $3,000
• $4,000
• $5,000
• $7,000
• $10,000
• Unlimited

Deductible Options

A deductible is an amount you must pay for covered expenses before your policy begins reimbursing you for expenses. Spot offers several deductible options:

• $100
• $250
• $500
• $750
• $1,000

Reimbursement Options

The percentage of vet expenses a pet insurer will pay annually is the reimbursement level. Spot offers three options:

• 70%
• 80%
• 90%

After buying a pet insurance policy you must wait a specific period of time before your coverage kicks in. This is known as the waiting period. Spot’s waiting periods are:

• 14-day accident waiting period.
• 14-day illness waiting period.

Some insurance companies also apply an extended waiting period for specific conditions such as hip dysplasia or cruciate ligament issues. Spot doesn’t have an extended pet insurance waiting period.

With Spot you can buy a pet insurance policy for dogs and cats 8 weeks and older. There is no upper age limit for buying a new policy.

Company	Accident waiting period	Illness waiting period	Special waiting period
Pets Best Elite	3 days	14 days	6 months for cruciate ligament conditions
Figo	1 day	14 days	6 months for cruciate ligament conditions (can be waived with an orthopedic exam)
Chewy Essential Plus	5 days	14 days	None
Embrace	Begins at 12:01 a.m. ET the day after you purchase your plan	14 days	6 months for orthopedic conditions (can be waived with an orthopedic exam)
Spot	14 days	14 days	None

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Spot pet insurance costs an average of $46 a month for dogs and $23 a month for cats, according to a Forbes Advisor analysis of pet insurance costs. That’s for $5,000 of annual coverage, a $250 deductible and an 80% reimbursement level. The average cost of Spot pet insurance is $93 a month for dogs and $45 a month for cats for unlimited annual coverage, a $250 deductible and an 80% reimbursement level.

Spot Price Comparison for Dogs

Dog breed	Average cost per month for puppies age 3 months	Average cost per month for dogs age 3 years
Beagle	$90	$90
Bulldog	$145	$145
Dachshund	$64	$64
French bulldog	$159	$159
German shepherd	$94	$94
Golden retriever	$111	$111
Labrador retriever	$111	$111
Mixed breed (large)	$90	$90
Mixed breed (medium)	$76	$76
Mixed breed (small)	$54	$54
Poodle	$111	$111
Rottweiler	$159	$159

Source: Forbes Advisor research. Costs are based on unlimited annual coverage with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement level.

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Spot Price Comparison for Cats

Cat breed	Average cost per month kittens age 3 months	Average cost per month for cats age 3 years
Abyssinian	$69	$69
Bengal	$54	$54
Bombay	$36	$36
British shorthair	$62	$62
Exotic shorthair	$71	$71
Maine coon	$62	$62
Mixed breed	$39	$39
Persian	$62	$62
Ragdoll	$39	$39
Siamese	$39	$39

Source: Forbes Advisor research. Costs are based on unlimited annual coverage with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement level.

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Spot Costs vs. Other Top Insurers

Company	Forbes Advisor rating	Average monthly cost for dog insurance	Average monthly cost for cat insurance	Learn more
Pets Best Elite	5.0	$52	$24	See Plans Via Forbes Advisor's Partner
Figo	4.3	$75	$30	See Plans Via Forbes Advisor's Partner
Chewy Essential Plus	4.2	$89	$44	See Plans Via Forbes Advisor's Partner
Embrace	4.2	$75	$63	See Plans Via Forbes Advisor's Partner
Spot	4.1	$93	$45	See Plans Via Forbes Advisor's Partner

Source: Forbes Advisor research. Costs are based on unlimited annual coverage with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement level for dogs and cats, ages 3 months, 2 years, 5 years and 7 years. Chewy Essential Plus does not offer a 80% reimbursement level, rates are based on 90% reimbursement level.

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Spot pet insurance is available in all 50 states.

You can file a pet insurance claim with Spot online via its members portal or mobile app.

Once on the portal’s home page or app, submit your claim by:

1. Click the “Start New Claim” button.
2. Choose the pet you’re filing the claim for.
3. Choose the services and conditions your pet was treated for.
4. Enter the name of the vet clinic and other relevant information.
5. Upload your itemized vet bill.
6. Upload medical records (optional, but may speed up the processing of your claim).

You will receive an email when your claim has been received. You can check on its status in the member center or app. Spot says claims are generally processed in five to seven business days and preventive care claims in two business days. You must submit a claim within 270 days of the treatment date.

We examined the digital experience offered by Spot and found it to be adequate but lagging behind top competitors like Embrace and Pets Best. Spot has a good mobile app that garnered an average score of 4 out of 5 from Android and Google users. From its app you can manage a policy, submit a claim, find a vet and access the 24/7 vet chat.

But Spot’s website is less useful, lacking site search and live chat functionality.

Spot Pet Insurance is underwritten by the United States Fire Insurance Co., which began writing pet insurance in 2006. Spot offers pet owners a robust pet insurance plan as well as resources such as telehealth.

To find the best pet insurance, we collected data and scored each pet insurance company for several categories. Only pet insurers offering annual maximum coverage of $100,000 or unlimited were scored, so that comparisons were fair among companies. If a company has more than one top-scoring policy we show only the policy with the highest score.

• Pet insurance rates for mixed breed dogs (20% of score): We calculated average rates for medium sized mixed breed dogs age 3 months, 2 years, 5 years and 7 years for plans with unlimited coverage, a $250 deductible and a 80% reimbursement level, or the closest options available.
• Pet insurance rates for purebred dogs (20% of score): We calculated average rates for French bulldogs, German shepherds, golden retrievers, labrador retrievers and poodles age 3 months and 3 years for plans with unlimited coverage, a $250 deductible and a 80% reimbursement level, or the closest options available.
• Direct payment to vet (10% of score): Pet insurance companies that have the ability to pay a vet directly earned points. In order to receive points, this feature must be stated on the pet insurer’s website.
• Special waiting period (5% of score): Many pet insurance companies have a special waiting period for problems such as cruciate ligament issues and hip dysplasia. Plans that have no special waiting period, a waiting period of fewer than six months or the ability to have the waiting period waived scored higher. In certain states waiting periods are dictated by state law and may vary.
• 24/7 vet health line (5% of score): Insurers that provide access to a 24/7 vet health line earned points.
• Routine wellness plans (5% of score): Insurers that offer optional wellness plans earned points.
• Multipet discount (5% of score): Many pet insurance companies offer a discount if you insure more than one pet. Insurers that offer a multipet discount earned points.
• Digital experience (5% of score): We evaluated pet insurers on mobile app ratings for both Android and Apple, if there’s a useful website search function and if there’s a live chat that provides helpful information. 
• Behavioral therapy (2% of score): Insurers that cover behavioral therapy in their base policies earned points.
• Alternative therapy (2% of score): Insurers that include alternative therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic care and hydrotherapy in their base policies earned points.
• Dental illness (2% of score): Insurers that include coverage for dental illnesses, such as gingivitis and periodontal disease, earned points.
• Pays veterinary exam fees (1% of score): Policies that cover the vet exam fee received points. Not all insurers cover exam fees, even if the fee is for an illness or accident-related visit that’s covered by insurance.
• Stem cell therapy (1% of score): Insurers with coverage for stem cell therapy in their base policies earned points.
• Coverage for prescription food and supplements (1% of score): Insurers that reimburse for food and supplements prescribed by a veterinarian earned points.
• Euthanasia or end-of-life expenses (1% of score): Insurers that cover end-of-life expenses, such as euthanasia, cremation or burial fees, received points.
• Forbes Advisor customer satisfaction survey (15% of score): We conducted two surveys of current pet insurance customers. 1) We surveyed 1,300 American pet owners with insurance that have purchased a new policy within the last 12 months, 100 per company. This online survey was commissioned by Forbes Advisor and conducted by market research company Talker Research, in accordance with the Market Research Society’s code of conduct. Data was collected from October 11-29, 2024. The margin of error is ± 1.5 point with 95% confidence. This survey was overseen by Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR). 2) We surveyed 1,300 American pet owners who have filed a pet insurance claim within the past 12 months. This online survey was commissioned by Forbes Advisor and conducted by market research company Talker Research, in accordance with the Market Research Society’s code of conduct. Data was collected from October 11 to November 4, 2024. The margin of error is ± 1.9 point with 95% confidence. This survey was overseen by Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).

Read more: How Forbes Advisor rates pet insurance companies