Pet Assure Review – Flat Discount on Vet Expenses
Joy Wallet is advertiser-supported: we may earn compensation from the products and offers mentioned in this article. However, any expressed opinions are our own and aren't influenced by compensation. To read our full disclosure, click here.
Fast Facts
Service:
Offers a flat 25% discount on vet expenses
Waiting period:
None
Coverage:
All pets including exotic animals
Spaying or neutering:
Covered
Discount offered to members:
Only when consulting in-network vets
Wellness plan cost:
$18-$57 monthly
When it comes to managing your budget, unexpected costs can really ruin the momentum you’ve been generating. However, just because a cost is unexpected doesn’t mean it’s unpredictable. If you have a car, you know you’re going to need to replace its tires or brakes at some point in time. The same is true of owning an animal. If you have a pet, you know you may need to go to the vet and pay for treatment.
While pet insurance is one way to help protect yourself against vet costs, many times pet insurance doesn’t cover as much when it comes to routine care. This is where companies like Pet Assure come in. Pet Assure offers a veterinary discount plan that helps customers lower the cost of caring for their animals when they head to the vet.
Is Pet Assure any good? What should you know about Pet Assure when comparing it to other forms of pet insurance, like the policies offered by Trupanion, Lemonade, or Healthy Paws? This Pet Assure review will help you decide whether it is worth it.
Jump To
What is Pet Assure?
Pet Assure is different than other options for pet insurance in that instead of reimbursing you for certain procedures and treatments, and it just offers you a flat discount on covered veterinary services. Generally, this is a 25% discount for participating veterinarians, meaning you can realize immediate cost savings when using Pet Assure. All you need to do is show your membership card as a Pet Assure member.
When it comes to medical services provided in-house, Pet Assure has no exclusions. Depending on the treatment in question, this may even mean you can receive a discount on certain procedures for pre-existing conditions, too.
Discount plans
- Instant savings at the vet
- Thousands of participating providers
- No claim submission needed
- Routine & emergency coverage
Wellness plans
- Money back on vet bills
- Visit any veterinarian
- Simple online claim submission
- Routine wellness coverage
How does Pet Assure work?
Pet Assure describes how it works on their website with a simple infographic illustrating the three-step process. To begin with, you’ll enroll your pet by filling out a simple web form. From there, you’ll receive an ID membership card you can utilize at local network veterinarians. You can use Pet Assure’s website to find in-network veterinary care near you.
Once you show the vet your Pet Assure membership card, you’ll get an instant discount on in-house medical services. It is that simple to save 25% on your veterinary care with Pet Assure.
Discount plans
- Instant savings at the vet
- Thousands of participating providers
- No claim submission needed
- Routine & emergency coverage
Wellness plans
- Money back on vet bills
- Visit any veterinarian
- Simple online claim submission
- Routine wellness coverage
How much does Pet Assure cost?
Just like insurance policies for your pet, Pet Assure’s cost depends on a few different factors, so there’s no hard-and-fast rule for what you’ll pay with the service. Even so, most pet owners should expect to pay between $6.50 and a little over $20 a month. The price you pay is partly due to factors like how many pets you’re covering, your pet’s size, and where you live.
If you want to save on your overall plan, you can pay annually instead of monthly. For example, a Family Plan is billed at a rate of $149 a year instead of $16.95 a month, meaning you’ll save about $50. Especially considering how much just a single vet visit can cost, Pet Assure can quickly pay for itself in an expensive year at the vet.
Pet Assure features
Broad coverage
A major benefit of Pet Assure is the number of types of procedures covered under its program. Since all in-house treatments and procedures fall under the Veterinary Discount Plan, Pet Assure offers everything from dental cleanings to x-rays, blood work, spaying and neutering, and even wellness visits, which are discounted.
Flat 25% discount
Rather than worrying about what percentage will get reimbursed and whether or not pet care is covered by your insurance plan, Pet Assure discount offers a simple 25% discount on all in-house services and procedures. While this savings percentage is less than the reimbursement amount other insurers offer, it does mean that you don’t have to worry about pre-existing conditions or other factors that traditional pet insurers consider when providing coverage.
Lost pet recovery
Did you know that about 33% of pets will eventually become lost? If you’re concerned about that happening to your furry friend, you’ll be happy to know that when you register your pet with Pet Assure, you are automatically enrolled with a unique ID for your animal’s collar. This feature, called ThePetTag, allows anyone who comes across your pet to look them up on an online database and report that they have been found.
Digital or physical member ID
Receiving your 25% discount through Pet Assure is as simple as heading to an in-network veterinary care provider in the Pet Assure network and showing your member ID. You can do this with a physical membership card or through a digital membership card, which you can save to your phone’s digital wallet for easy access.
Fast to get set up and use
Pet Assure advertises its sign-up process as taking only about two minutes, and with its simple form and easy-to-navigate website, that’s not an exaggeration. Beyond its quick registration process, you’ll also be able to use Pet Assure once you’ve registered with no waiting period involved.
Discount plans
- Instant savings at the vet
- Thousands of participating providers
- No claim submission needed
- Routine & emergency coverage
Wellness plans
- Money back on vet bills
- Visit any veterinarian
- Simple online claim submission
- Routine wellness coverage
Who is Pet Assure best for?
Lower-income pet parents
If you’re concerned about having enough money budgeted to meet your pet’s insurance deductible, then it can be tough to justify pet insurance when you must wait for reimbursement. As such, some consumers who have less cash on hand or are living paycheck-to-paycheck may benefit from the predictability and broad coverage Pet Assure’s 25% off discount offers.
Pet owners who don’t yet have a vet
One of the only big drawbacks of Pet Assure is that you have to find a vet in the Pet Assure network to utilize their service. If you don’t have a vet yet, this isn’t necessarily bad since you can select a vet once enrolled. However, if you have a vet already, and they aren’t in-network, you may be faced with a tough decision.
Who shouldn’t use Pet Assure?
Consumers who want more reimbursed
As noted in this review, Pet Assure only offers 25% savings on veterinary costs. Most pet insurance plans will typically reimburse over 50% of your vet expenses, even if you have to meet deductibles.
Pet owners with a solid relationship with their vet
Pet Assure offers a broad network of participating veterinarians across the United States, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your vet is in the Pet Assure network. If they aren’t, you may not be willing to switch to a different vet to save 25%, especially if routine care is what you primarily need savings on.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Savings right off the bat. A nice thing about Pet Assure is that you can use it the second you enroll. This means you don’t have to worry about waiting periods if your pet needs care just to save some money.
- Any pet is covered. While some pet insurance policies only apply to cats or dogs, Pet Assure customers can get coverage for all types of pets, including exotic animals such as guinea pigs, lizards, and snakes.
- No age limits. Some pet insurance companies have age limits for when you can enroll your animals, but Pet Assure doesn’t have any such restrictions for eligibility for its Veterinary Discount Plan.
Cons
- Have to use an in-network provider. If you and your animal already have a vet that you love and they aren’t in-network, you won’t be able to use Pet Assure during your visit.
- Only 25% savings. 25% savings is nothing to sneeze at, but when many procedures and treatments are reimbursed by traditional pet insurance policies at a rate of 50% to 90%, you are leaving money on the table when you use Pet Assure.
- Must have your ID card to get discount. To save 25%, you’ll need to have your ID card on hand. If you don’t have it, you can’t submit claims later after the fact to get reimbursed.
Pet Assure vs. competitors
Service | Reimbursement Rate on Covered Bills | Waiting Period? |
Pet Assure | 25% | No |
Lemonade | 70-90% | Yes |
Trupanion | 90% | Yes |
Healthy Paws | 50-80% | Yes |
Lemonade
Lemonade offers pet insurance, which is different than what Pet Assure offers. As such, you’ll have to deal with deductibles, claims, and exclusions when using Lemonade. On the other hand, you’ll get reimbursed on covered bills anywhere from 70% to 90%, which is significantly more savings on vet bills than the 25% savings offered by Pet Assure.
Trupanion
Like Lemonade and Healthy Paws, Trupanion is also traditional pet insurance. As such, their coverage has a wait period, on top of dealing with a claims process and deductibles. They offer a high reimbursement rate of 90% on covered treatments and procedures, significantly more than Pet Assure’s 25% off.
Healthy Paws
Healthy Paws is another form of pet insurance you may consider as an alternative to Pet Assure. It offers savings of between 50% and 80% if you’re willing to front the costs and file a claim for reimbursement. However, just like any other pet insurance policy, you’ll need to wait before utilizing your coverage, unlike Pet Assure.
Discount plans
- Instant savings at the vet
- Thousands of participating providers
- No claim submission needed
- Routine & emergency coverage
Wellness plans
- Money back on vet bills
- Visit any veterinarian
- Simple online claim submission
- Routine wellness coverage
FAQs
Is Pet Assure available in all 50 states?
Yes. Pet Assure advertises on their website that each state has in-network veterinarians in their Pet Assure Network.
Does Pet Assure cover spaying or neutering?
Yes, as long as the spaying or neutering happens as part of the in-house medical services offered by an in-network veterinary clinic, you will be able to save 25% on your pet’s spaying or neutering procedure.
Does Pet Assure come with a waiting period?
No. Unlike traditional pet insurance companies, you won’t have to worry about a waiting period when using Pet Assure.
The bottom line
Pet insurance can be costly, but the cost can pay off when you have a serious medical emergency with your animal. Even though it has its merits, some people can’t afford to front the costs of certain procedures to file a claim and get reimbursed. This is one scenario where a veterinary discount program like Pet Assure may provide you with some protection from high costs at the vet.
Of course, compared to traditional pet insurance, Pet Assure’s 25% discount isn’t ultimately as helpful as a higher reimbursement level. For example, if your dog has an x-ray after hurting itself, you may have a $1,000 bill from the vet. With Pet Assure, as long as you head to an in-network vet for the x-ray, you’ll only owe $750 to the vet. However, if you had Trupanion pet insurance and they covered the x-ray, you would pay $1,000, part of which would go towards satisfying your deductible, and the rest would be reimbursed at a much higher rate of 90%.
Whether Pet Assure’s discount program is a better option than paying for traditional pet insurance depends a lot on your budget and personal financial situation.
Joy Wallet is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor, financial advisor, loan broker, insurance producer, or insurance broker. Its articles, interactive tools and other content are provided to you for free, as self-help tools and for informational purposes only. They are not intended to provide investment advice. Joy Wallet does not and cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information in regard to your individual circumstances. We encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific investment issues. Featured estimates are based on past market performance, and past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.
Our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market. We are compensated by our partners, which may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on our site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice. Our editorials are grounded on independent research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services.
We value your privacy. We work with trusted partners to provide relevant advertising based on information about your use of Joy Wallet’s and third-party websites and applications. This includes, but is not limited to, sharing information about your web browsing activities with Meta (Facebook) and Google. All of the web browsing information that is shared is anonymized. To learn more, click on our Privacy Policy link.
Images appearing across JoyWallet are courtesy of shutterstock.com.
Writer
Brent Ervin-Eickhoff is a Chicago-based writer, stage director, and filmmaker with a background in digital marketing and content creation. In addition to Joy Wallet, Brent has written for Complex, Volkswagen, HowlRound, Picture this Post, and Third Coast Review, among others. He currently serves as the Associate Director of Marketing for Content Creation at Court Theatre at the University of Chicago. Brent graduated from Ball State University with Academic Honors in Writing.
Share this article
