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Nationwide Pet Insurance Review

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Nationwide is a Fortune 100 company with unparalleled financial stability and claims-paying ability that has recently ventured into the pet insurance marketplace.

The company stands out because they offer expanded coverage beyond just cats and dogs, as well as wellness plans that cover things like checkups and vaccinations.
 
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How is Nationwide rated?

Breakdown

5.0/5
Coverage
3.0/5
Cost
4.0/5
Extras

Overall Rating: 4.3 / 5 (Excellent)

Nationwide's Whole Pet with Wellness Plan is one of the most comprehensive on the market, and it will, as a result, cost you more than most standard pet insurance plans.

Nationwide is one of the few pet insurance providers that will extend coverage beyond dogs and cats, covering birds and all manner of other pets.

Truly unlimited coverage, however, is only offered if you choose the top tier plan.

Be aware that all plans besides Whole Pet with Wellness operate on a benefit schedule.

Nationwide Coverage

Coverage - 5 / 5

Nationwide's Whole Pet with Wellness plan is a great option for a complete pet insurance plan.

In addition to the normal accident and illness coverage, it also provides for yearly physical exams, vaccinations, and flea/heartworm prevention. It is, however, on the pricey side as a result. Its Major Medical plan is more in line cost and coverage-wise with the standard accident and illness plans offered by most companies.

You can also purchase the wellness plan on it's own, and it is relatively inexpensive. Finally, Nationwide recently released a more inexpensive Whole Pet plan without the wellness component.

This plan has many of the same characteristics of Whole Pet with Wellness, operates on a percentage reimbursement basis, but is subject to different annual caps.

It is interesting to note that Nationwide is the only company we are aware of that extends pet insurance beyond cats and dogs.

The company will cover most birds and a wide range of exotic pets.
Pets Covered
Dogs
Cats
Birds
Exotic Animals
Coverage Types
Medical
Wellness
Vet Selection
Unrestricted
Out-of-State Coverage
Yes
Commercial Pets Covered

Medical Conditions Covered

  • Accidental
  • Illness
  • Hereditary
  • Congenital
  • Cancer
  • Chronic
  • Accidental Dental
  • Dental Illness

Medical Treatments Covered

  • Diagnostic Testing
  • Surgery
  • Hospitalization
  • Prescription Medications
  • Emergency Care
  • Specialty Care
  • Alternative Care
  • Behavioral Therapy

Benefit Limits

Benefit Limits - 5 / 5

Both Nationwide models -- Whole Pet with 90% reimbursement, and all other plans with a benefit schedule -- offer unlimited annual maximums. The new Whole Pet plan without wellness, though, is subject to a $10,000 annual cap.

Additionally, you must remember that any plan but the Whole Pets are going to limit you by condition or procedure.

So even though technically there is no limit to the dollar amount they will spend on your pet in a year in total, there are limits on a condition and service basis with the lower two plans.
Benefit Limit Types
Unlimited

Reimbursement & Deductibles

Reimbursement - 5 / 5

Nationwide's top tier Whole Pet with Wellness, as well as the new Whole Pet (alone) plan, both reimburse 90% of the total vet bill.

However, Major Medical and Pet Wellness reimburse according to a benefits schedule.

These schedules cap payouts by condition or service. If you are going with one of these plans we suggest you scrutinize your policy carefully before purchase, as your pet's breed may be susceptible to certain conditions with low coverage limits in the plan.

Benefits schedules, and no choice in customizing the reimbursement percentage in the top tier plan, limit the flexibility of Nationwide's offerings.
Reimbursement Model
Actual Cost
Benefit Schedule
Minimum Percent Reimbursement
90%
Maximum Percent Reimbursement
90%

Deductibles - 5 / 5

Nationwide Whole Pet with Wellness offers one annual deductible of $100.

This is in some ways good because it is so low. But you will not have the flexibility of choosing higher deductibles should you want a lower monthly premium or should it somehow fit your needs in other ways.

Most of our top companies offer customizable deductibles.

The new Whole Pet without the wellness component, as well as the Major Medical plan, both have annual deductibles set at $250.
Deductible Type
Annual
Minimum Deductible Offered
$100
Maximum Deductible Offered
$250

Pricing: How much does Nationwide cost?

Cost - 3 / 5

Nationwide's plans are comprehensive, but you are going to pay the price. Their monthly premiums are a little on the high end as opposed to our other companies.

Starting Monthly Premiums

Dog: Sample Monthly Premium, 1 year old male Golden Retriever in zip code 92683
$34.25
Cat: Sample Monthly Premium, 1 year old male American Shorthair in zip code 92683
$18.84
Rate Details: Annual Deductible: $250, Benefits Cap: Annual & Unlimited, Reimbursement Model: Benefits Schedule
Available Discounts: 5% discount on current Nationwide member

Enrollment & Waiting Periods

Enrollment - 3 / 5

Like our other companies, Nationwide will enroll pets starting at 6 weeks. Unlike our other companies, Nationwide has a relatively lower age restriction with older pets at 10 years.

However, if the pet is enrolled before age 10, and the policy never lapses, they will be covered for the duration of their lives.

Waiting periods are industry standard at 14 days, although Wellness starts 24 hours after approval.
Min Enrollment Age
6 weeks
Max Enrollment Age
10 years
Accident Waiting Period
14 days
Illnesses Waiting Period
14 days
Free Look Period
10 days

Claims & Service

Extras - 4 / 5

Nationwide's claims procedure is standard for the pet insurance industry.

Like other companies, you must first pay the vet directly, download Nationwide's claim form, and submit the form with all paid invoices. You can submit via mail, fax or email.
Advertised Response Time
14 days
Claim Form
Mail
Email
Fax

Contact & Additional Information

Homepage URL
https://www.petinsurance.com/
Headquarters Address
One Nationwide Plaza, Columbus, OH, 43215
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 2344, Brea, CA, 92822
Year Founded
1981
What We’re Hearing From Our Readers
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Customer Comments

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Christina L

3/1/2017
Horrific to deal with. Have to send entire file and still deny. I paid for wellness plan - I haven't had a single pay out. Their focus is not paying out for services offered
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Ahmed C

2/25/2017
When our cats were very young about 14 years ago, we decided to protect them and purchase pet insurance for them. We purchased from VPI pet insurance. Their coverage was great and assisted us in our cats health issues. One of our cats (Anyanka) passed away 8 years ago. Our boy cat Osbourne is still alive at 16 years of age and dealing with diabetes. Our yearly premium for Osbourne has been at $262.00 for as long as I can determine. Today we received our renewal quote for Osbourne for $351.21 a near $90 increase of about 33%. I spoke to a customer representative (Laura) who was polite and professional. She stated that the increase was due to Osbourne's age and that all health Insurance... Read More
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meredith

2/14/2017
My cat was diagnosed with pancreatitis and diabetes a few years ago. They covered her for both conditions for the 1st couple years. They recently dropped her pancreatitis coverage. I tried to explain to the rep who has no medical training that the diseases are related and that pancreatitis can NEVER be cured. I asked for my claims to be reviewed by a vet and I sent them documentation from my vet. They sent me a "final answer" letter telling me that they would no longer cover the pancreatitis. They were great when I first got them several years ago, but they are terrible now!
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Susan K

2/13/2017
I have 2 dogs, the older is 11 and the younger is 2. I insure both of them with Nationwide. Last year my older dog had serious abdominal surgery and Nationwide reimbursed his quite substantial expenses quickly and easily. I would absolutely recommend Nationwide to anyone looking for coverage for their pets.
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Staci B

2/1/2017
I would not even give them a star. I had vpi. I found a kitten and took it to two different vets and got 2 clean bills of health. The kitten had brown debri in the ear and it sneezed but the vets said he is healthy all the way around. I took it to a vet when we first found him and 2 days later took it to our normal vet as a double check he was only a few weeks old. So now that our kitten is a few months old he was diagnosed with a upper respiratory infection and they don't want to pay and they keep sending letters of oh we need 30 more days. Then I was told today that from the 4 week visits that my kitten had an ear infection and an upper respiratory which makes him pre existing.... Read More
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Rhonda M

1/30/2017
they are full of sh-t. they made me upgrade to a major medical after 6 years of being with them and told me a dental cleaning for her breed would be covered and now when I called they said only 100 would be covered and nothing else. NO more bood tests nothing....I pay 70 month for nothing.
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Marlene G

1/27/2017
I wanted to give you feedback on our pet insurance. One of my dogs had emergency surgery for bladder rupture with several days overnight post surgically. I submitted all the claims was underwhelmed when I saw the reimbursement. One claim was $8,948.54 and they reimbursed $3,111.00. Just called to speak to a supervisor and she said they have set prices they pay for a diagnosis. She also said if the animal were to have another problem this calendar year they would not pay any more until the policy renews the next year. I told her this was inadequate for reimbursement. I also told her I would inform H.R. of my disappointment and would not take out their insurance next year.
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Sad

1/25/2017
Stay far away from Nationwide. THEY WILL NOT TELL YOU IF THEY WILL COVER A PROCEDURE UNTIL AFTER YOU DO IT REGARDLESS OF IF IT APPEARS THAT THEY SHOULD COVER IT. I got the most expensive plan they had and got the wellnes plan. My 5 year old German Shepherd went from perfect health to very sick in less than a week. Input her in a pet hospital. NATIONWIDE refused to tell me or the hospital what would be covered. I spent nearly $5,000 in two days just doing tests. All a gamble as to IF Nationwide would pay for anything. The hospital told me they could not figure out what was wrong and wanted to do more tests. Because I had no idea what if any test would be covered that were already completed... Read More
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Tina H

1/24/2017
I was skeptical to purchase pet insurance especially since Mia is only almost 4. However, after a couple of incidents where the lawn crew left our gate open and Mia got out an toured the neighborhood and busy streets I felt it may be a good idea just in case one time she had a run in with a car or a rogue animal. Mia also had an unfortunate encounter with fireworks last year that has turned her into a nervous doggie now during thunderstorms and holidays where fireworks are set off now. Working with her vet we have found the right therapy for her and Nationwide has made the process seamless and economical for us. Claims process through our vet is very easy and Nationwide is quick in... Read More
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David G

1/24/2017
I was a customer with VIP insurance for years. Then, Nationwide took it over. They are terrible. They deny claims on the smallest pretext. For my latest claim, they denied coverage for a fecal exam that was necessary to determine why my dog had diarrhea. They claimed that "wellness" procedures are not covered under the policy. When I explained to them that this procedure was not done as part of a routine exam but was necessary to determine why he was sick, they would not budge. It's the most rediculous reasoning I've ever heard from an insurance company -- and I used to work for one. The total bill was $260, of which they paid $48. In the meantime, my premiums are over $900 a year. DON'T... Read More
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Top Rated
  • 25% discount on all in-office medical care 
  • Pet wellness plans available
  • No age restrictions
  • Covers pre-existing and hereditary conditions
  • Discounts available immediately on sign-up
  • A+ BBB accredited company
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