Nationwide vs.
Fetch Pet Insurance

The best time to sign up for pet insurance is when your pet is young. Puppies and kittens are the ideal candidates because they’re more likely to be in good health with no pre-existing conditions. It’s important to sign up when your pet is healthy because Fetch does not cover pre-existing conditions. In general, no pet insurance policy does. A pre-existing condition is any injury, illness or condition your pet has exhibited before you enroll in pet insurance or during your waiting period. Mature pets without health concerns can also benefit from coverage, but the cost of covering an older pet will be more expensive.

Not all pet insurance plans are created equally. If a provider doesn’t cover a condition your pet has or treatment they need, you won’t be able to file a claim and get paid back for it — which means you could run up some serious costs. Take a close look at all limitations and exclusions for a given pet insurance plan, which can include factors like upper age limits and exclusions for breed-specific conditions.

Fetch provides the most complete coverage for your pet, which includes what other providers charge extra for or don’t cover at all. We’re committed to transparency when it comes to spelling out what’s covered and what isn’t. Explore what’s covered with Fetch here, and for a list of exclusions, click here to see a sample policy.

Getting a plan that works for your pet and your budget is key. With Fetch, you can customize your plan, including choosing your deductible, max annual payout and reimbursement rate. Not all providers let you customize your price like this.

Our policy is similar to other types of insurance, like auto and home insurance. It comes with an annual “deductible” and “copay” that you can customize to fit your budget. The deductible is a one-time amount you have to pay each year before receiving  benefits from Fetch. The copay is different. It’s the portion of each bill you’re responsible for paying every time you submit a claim. Copays and deductibles can be confusing, so here’s a simple example for a dog with a broken leg.

After meeting your annual deductible, you only have to pay the copay. For example, if the dog with a broken leg got hit with another vet bill in the same 12 months of their policy period for $1,000, their parent would be responsible for the copay of 10% (or $100) and we’d reimburse $900. Important to note: the deductible resets itself every year.

Every plan is different, and every pet parent is, too. Some people only want protection in case of injury and illness — the unexpected stuff you can’t see coming — while others also want coverage for things like chronic conditions. Make sure that what you’re paying for is what is best for your pet’s needs and your budget.