24PetWatch Pet Insurance Review
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Your pet’s health is your number-1 priority as a pet owner. Unfortunately, things can happen unexpectedly and dealing with an unplanned vet fee can be difficult. If you’re looking for a little bit of protection to help you in times like this, pet insurance could be just what you need.
Pet insurance is a little different than a traditional healthcare plan for people, but the idea is the same: you get financial help when you need it to ensure your pet gets the care they deserve.
When it comes to pet insurance, there are many different companies to consider. Not all pet insurance plans are created equal, however. You need to take the time to compare premiums, coverage, and deductibles to find the right option for you and for your pet.
Read on to learn what you need to know about 24PetWatch to decide if it’s the right option for you.
- Four Plan Options. Choose from four different levels of coverage with customizable deductibles.
- Optional Wellness. Add wellness coverage for $10 or $25/month.
- Immediate Accident Coverage. No waiting period for accidents, only illnesses.
- Chronic Conditions Covered. Recurring/chronic conditions covered if symptom-free for 24 months.
- Age Restrictions. Only accepts dogs 8 weeks to 10 years, cats 8 weeks to 12 years.
- No Bilateral Coverage. Existing cruciate ligament injuries negate coverage for the other side.
- Slow Claims Repayment. Claims may take up to 60 days for processing.
- Four Plan Options. Choose from four different levels of coverage with customizable deductibles.
- Optional Wellness. Add wellness coverage for $10 or $25/month.
- Immediate Accident Coverage. No waiting period for accidents, only illnesses.
- Chronic Conditions Covered. Recurring/chronic conditions covered if symptom-free for 24 months.
- Age Restrictions. Only accepts dogs 8 weeks to 10 years, cats 8 weeks to 12 years.
- No Bilateral Coverage. Existing cruciate ligament injuries negate coverage for the other side.
- Slow Claims Repayment. Claims may take up to 60 days for processing.
About 24PetWatch Pet Insurance
A company made up of animal lovers, 24PetWatch has been a subsidiary of Pethealth Inc. since 2003. This company provides Pet Protection Services as well as Pet Insurance policies for pet owners to help them prepare for the unexpected with services and products that put pets first.
All 24PetWatch insurance programs are underwritten by the North River Insurance Company and EmergencyCare is underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company. 24PetWatch programs are offered by PTZ Insurance Agency, Ltd, a subsidiary of Pethealth Inc.
24PetWatch aims to help you give your pet the care they deserve without having to worry about costly vet bills. A vet fee should never stand in the way of your pet getting the care they need.
Here’s what they say about their mission:
“We want to help your pet have the best care possible, and in the last year we reimbursed over $42 million in claims to pet owners like you in the U.S. and Canada.”
24PetWatch offers flexible policies with coverage for accidents and illnesses or, for just a little more each month, you can add wellness coverage. This optional coverage includes reimbursement for routine and preventive care. Best of all, claims are generally processed in less than a week.
Here are some of the other benefits 24PetWatch has to offer:
- Coverage for illnesses available 3 days after enrollment
- One annual deductible (no per-incident deductible)
- Coverage includes sick exam fees
- Routine and preventive care coverage available
- Optional Vet Direct pay (vs. reimbursement)
- All illnesses have 14-day waiting period (including cruciate ligament/skeletal injuries)
Read on to learn the basics about 24PetWatch, their plans, and their coverage.
How Does 24PetWatch Pet Insurance Work?
Before you start comparing pet insurance companies, it’s important to have a basic understanding of how it works. When you go to the doctor, you typically pay a co-pay or co-insurance fee upfront. Your plan will then pay the provider directly through your benefits and you’ll get a bill for anything leftover.
With pet insurance, you pay everything upfront, but the plan will reimburse you up to a certain percentage, minus deductibles. With 24PetWatch insurance, the process is similar. You take your pet to the veterinarian, you submit your claim online, and you receive reimbursement through direct deposit.
Here are the details you need to know for 24PetWatch pet insurance:
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Pet Insurance Plans
When it comes to pet insurance, many companies offer different levels of coverage. These plans may differ based on the monthly premium, annual deductible, coverage limits, and types of coverage.
Here are the four plans 24PetWatch offers:
- Extra Plan – Up to $3,000 in annual coverage ($100 or $250 deductible)
- Classic Plan – Up to $5,000 in annual coverage ($100, $250, or $500 deductible)
- Super Plan – Up to $10,000 in annual coverage ($100, $250, $500, or $1,000 deductible)
- Champion Plan – Up to $20,000 in annual coverage ($100, $250, $500, or $1,000 deductible)
These four plans differ primarily in the total amount of coverage per year as well as the options for deductibles. The coverage itself is similar and covers both accidents and illnesses.
Here are some of the categories 24PetWach insurance covers:
- Exams and diagnostic testing fees
- Hospitalization and surgeries
- Physical and rehabilitative services
- Hereditary and congenital conditions
- Lab tests, x-rays, and ultrasounds
- Medications and therapeutic diets
- Alternative treatments
These plans also include coverage for catteries, trip cancellation, additional living expenses, and lost pet recovery. If you want to add coverage for wellness, you can do so for a little extra each month and receive reimbursement for routine and preventive care.
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Pricing
Costs vary from one pet insurance plan to another but how it generally works is that you pay a monthly premium in exchange for coverage. Your premium may vary according to the state you live in, the type of pet you have, and your pet’s age. Some companies also factor in things like whether your pet is spayed/neutered and whether they have any current medical problems.
With 24PetWatch, your monthly premium depends on the plan you choose. Generally speaking, the higher your coverage limit, the higher your premium. You can reduce your premium, however, by increasing your annual deductible.
The best way to find out how much 24PetWatch costs is to request a quote. To give you an example of two different pets, we’ll use a 3-year-old mixed-breed male dog weighing 50 pounds and a 2-year-old female mixed-breed cat.
Here’s the breakdown of the dog plan pricing:
| Extra Plan | |||
| Reimbursement % | Annual Reimbursement Limit | Annual Deductible | Monthly Premium |
| 80% | $3,000 | $100 | $48.84 |
| 80% | $3,000 | $250 | $39.07 |
| Classic Plan | |||
| 80% | $5,000 | $100 | $60.04 |
| 80% | $5,000 | $250 | $48.03 |
| 80% | $5,000 | $500 | $42.02 |
| Super Plan | |||
| 80% | $10,000 | $100 | $69.46 |
| 80% | $10,000 | $250 | $55.47 |
| 80% | $10,000 | $500 | $48.62 |
| 80% | $10,000 | $1,000 | $34.74 |
| Champion Plan | |||
| 80% | $20,000 | $100 | $85.33 |
| 80% | $20,000 | $250 | $65.27 |
| 80% | $20,000 | $500 | $59.73 |
| 80% | $20,000 | $1,000 | $42.67 |
Here’s the breakdown of the cat plan pricing:
| Extra Plan | |||
| Reimbursement % | Annual Reimbursement Limit | Annual Deductible | Monthly Premium |
| 80% | $3,000 | $100 | $28.42 |
| 80% | $3,000 | $250 | $22.73 |
| Classic Plan | |||
| 80% | $5,000 | $100 | $32.08 |
| 80% | $5,000 | $250 | $25.66 |
| 80% | $5,000 | $500 | $22.46 |
| Super Plan | |||
| 80% | $10,000 | $100 | $38.55 |
| 80% | $10,000 | $250 | $30.84 |
| 80% | $10,000 | $500 | $26.98 |
| 80% | $10,000 | $1,000 | $19.27 |
| Champion Plan | |||
| 80% | $20,000 | $100 | $43.63 |
| 80% | $20,000 | $250 | $34.91 |
| 80% | $20,000 | $500 | $30.54 |
| 80% | $20,000 | $1,000 | $20.82 |
To help reduce your premium costs, 24PetWatch offers a 5% discount for pets who have been microchipped – simply enter your pet’s microchip number when requesting a quote.
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Waiting Periods
Pet insurance plans require a waiting period for new customers to prevent insurance fraud. Basically, you can’t sign up for a new plan when you pet gets sick and ask the company to cover the costs. Pet insurance is supposed to be for unexpected veterinary fees.
Here are the 24PetWatch waiting periods for illnesses:
- Essential – 30 days
- Extra – 14 days
- Classic – 14 days
- Super – 14 days
- Champion – 14 days
Certain conditions may have a shorter waiting period of 2 days, so coverage would begin on the 3rd day of the policy. This includes ear or eye illnesses, flea allergy dermatitis, intestinal parasites, tick-borne disease, heartworm, mange/mites, ringworm, urinary tract infection, upper respiratory tract infection, parvovirus, and feline panleukopenia.
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Claim Limits
Many pet insurance companies set a limit on the amount you can request reimbursement for per accident or illness. When requesting a quote or signing up for 24PetWatch, you can choose the annual limit for your plan – all plans have an 80% reimbursement rate.
Here’s a quick reminder of the plan options:
- Extra Plan – $3,000 annually
- Classic Plan – $5,000 annually
- Super Plan – $10,000 annually
- Champion Plan – $20,000 annually
If you want to make changes to your plan, you can contact 24PetWatch via live chat or phone. If you’re changing to a higher coverage amount, you may need to enroll in a new plan which would terminate your existing plan and would likely involve an increase in premium.
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Deductibles
A deductible is the amount you pay for covered services before the plan starts to offer reimbursement – deductibles are on top of your monthly premiums.
Here’s how 24PetWatch defines it:
“The stated dollar amount You must pay for a payable and covered claim before We become liable for Benefits listed on the Policy. The Amount and Frequency of the Deductible is shown on Your Document of Insurance and/or Product Coverage Chart.”
24PetWatch offers different deductibles depending which plan you choose. The Extra and Classic plans offer $100 or $250 deductibles while the Super and Champion plans offer $100, $250, $500, and $1,000 deductibles. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium and vice versa.
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Medical History Review and Pre-Existing Conditions
No pet insurance plan covers pre-existing conditions, though policies and definitions can vary. A pre-existing condition is generally one for which your pet has been treated or shown symptoms (whether or not they have been diagnosed) prior to enrollment.
Here’s how 24PetWatch defines it:
“Medical conditions that are noted, symptomatic or diagnosed prior to enrollment or within the Policy’s Illness Wait period are pre-existing to Coverage and not available for coverage.”
There are a few cases in which 24PetWatch may cover chronic or recurrent conditions as long as your pet hasn’t shown clinical symptoms for 24 months. In cats, this includes Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and/or Feline Leukemia Virus (FELV). In dogs, this includes adult-onset Demodex.
In order to process your first claim, 24PetWatch will need to obtain all of your pet’s medical records. If your pet hasn’t been to a veterinarian in the last 12 months, you’ll need to have a complete exam completed at your own cost within 30 days of the effective date.
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Optional Coverage
Pet insurance is generally designed to cover unexpected costs. When you add a pet to your family, you expect to pay for things like your pet’s annual wellness exam and vaccinations as well as procedures like spay and neuter. If you want some additional coverage for these things, however, 24PetWatch offers two options in Wellness Coverage plans.
Here’s a summary of what’s covered in each plan:
| Covered Service | Routine Plan Reimbursement | Advanced Plan Reimbursement |
| Dental Cleaning | N/A | $100 |
| Fecal Screening | $15 | $15 |
| Heartworm/Flea Prevention | N/A | $55 |
| Heartworm Test or FELV Screening | $15 | $15 |
| Microchip and/or Urinalysis | $20 | $20 |
| Spay or Neuter Procedure and/or Wellness Blood Test | $80 | $100 |
| Wellness Exam | $40 | $50 |
| Canine Bordetella or FELV Vaccine | N/A | $15 |
| Canine DHLPP or Feline FVRCP Vaccine | $15 | $15 |
| Rabies, Canine Lyme Disease, or Feline FIP Vaccine/Titer | $15 | $15 |
The cost to add Wellness Coverage is the same for cats and dogs. The Routine plan is $10/month, and the Advanced plan is $25/month. The former has an annual benefit limit of $200 and the latter $400.
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Pets Covered
24PetWatch only offers coverage for dogs and cats at this time. They accept puppies and dogs between 8 weeks and 10 years of age along with cats between 8 weeks and 12 years of age. We couldn’t find any additional information on the FAQ page or in the sample policy regarding 24PetWatch’s age restrictions.
24PetWatch Customer Reviews
Every pet insurance company is different, and it can be hard to tell how those differences manifest just by doing some research online. Before you choose a pet insurance company, you may want to look around to see what real customers are saying about their experience.
Here are some positive reviews and negative reviews from real customers:
Positive Reviews
“My dog will be 14 in June and she has had health insurance through 24 PetWatch for 13 years. I cannot say enough good things about this company. I have watched this company grow and change over the years- it only gets better and more efficient. Their plans for level of coverage are very clear, their online service portal could not be easier, and I have never been denied a claim. Even when claims were done by mail and email, the phone service was compassionate and excellent (but I do love the online portal!!!).”– Amy of Marblehead, MA
“24PetWatch has been my dog’s insurance since he was a puppy. It was not until he was older when medical issues began to arise and his pet insurance was put to the test. With some years his bills were very expensive but 24PetWatch honored his policy and paid promptly. We are still renewing our insurance each year without any issues. 24PetWatch has made some tough decisions a lot easier. Thank you 24PetWatch for always being honest and reliable in your coverage!”– Wayne of Concord, CA
Negative Reviews
“I am submitting this review due to the very bad experience I had with this company. I would give it “Zero” stars, but that is not an option. I had this pet insurance with all of my cats (all were rescues). Never had a problem until I filed a claim for one of my furbabies. He had to have eye surgery to remove an eye that was causing him pain. After the procedure, I submitted all of the paperwork needed. That is when the troubles started. They said I was missing paperwork and needed to resubmit.”– Andre of Pleasant Hill, MO
“I adopted an FIV+ kitten last year. I initially purchased this insurance for her after scouring the document to make sure she would be covered for any illness that might affect her worse because of her condition. A month, a respiratory infection claim was denied as a “pre-existing condition” – FIV is not a respiratory infection. After fighting over semantics of the policy agreement, I gave up on getting any reimbursement. Luckily for the rest of the year, she was healthy, and I never ended up using the insurance at all.”– Allison of Schertz, TX
How Do You Sign Up?
Before you can sign up for pet insurance, you generally need to request a quote. Premiums are based on your pet’s age as well as your location, so you’ll need to provide some basic information to get a quote.
Here’s the information you’ll need to provide:
- Your pet’s name and sex
- Your pet’s species (dog or cat)
- Your pet’s breed
- Your pet’s birthday
- Any pre-existing conditions
- Your zip code and email address
After submitting this information, you’ll be taken to a quote page which shows your monthly premium options for all four plans. You can adjust the plan deductible to see higher or lower premiums before making your final selection. Once you do, you’ll then decide whether you want to add optional Wellness Coverage or not. From there, simply provide your payment information to enroll.
Is 24PetWatch Pet Insurance Worth It?
It’s difficult to say definitively whether any given pet insurance company is worth it because it depends on your situation. Some pet owners are lucky enough that their pets never develop serious health problems while others are not. If your pet stays healthy, you could end up paying a monthly premium for no reason – it just depends whether you’re willing to take the risk.
When it comes to 24PetWatch in particular, we like that they offer four different options for their plans as well as the option to customize your deductible. That being said, we wouldn’t mind seeing a few different options in that coverage – the only real difference is the annual benefit limit.
We do appreciate their offer of add-on Wellness Coverage, however, and we saw several positive comments about their online claims portal. The waiting periods are pretty average for the industry, though we do like the shorter waiting period for accidents.
Click Here to Get A Quote on 24PetWatch Pet Insurance
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns 24PetWatch pet insurance?
24PetWatch has been a subsidiary of Pethealth Inc. since 2003 and all 24PetWatch insurance programs are underwritten by the North River Insurance Company.
How to cancel 24PetWatch pet insurance?
You can change or cancel your plan at any time by contacting 24PetWatch via live chat or phone. Some plans require you to submit a cancelation request in writing, so you can also email them. If you cancel, you’ll be refunded the unearned premium paid subject to the retention of a minimum of one month’s premium plus 100% any paid fees.
Does 24PetWatch pet insurance cover cremation?
Yes, 24PetWatch insurance covers euthanasia and cremation related to covered accidents and illnesses.
Does 24PetWatch pet insurance cover hip dysplasia?
Yes, 24PetWatch insurance covers treatment related to covered accidents and illnesses which includes hip dysplasia, as long as it isn’t a pre-existing condition. They also don’t cover bilateral conditions, so if your pet has hip dysplasia on one side of the body, it may not be covered on the other.
Does 24PetWatch pet insurance cover allergy testing?
Yes, 24PetWatch insurance covers diagnostic testing related to covered accidents and illnesses. This includes allergy testing as long as it is not a pre-existing condition.
Does 24PetWatch pet insurance cover blood work?
Yes, 24PetWatch insurance covers diagnostic testing related to covered accidents and illnesses. This includes blood work.
Does 24PetWatch pet insurance cover dental?
Yes, 24PetWatch insurance covers dental treatment related to covered accidents and illnesses. They do not, however, provide coverage for dental cleaning except with the Complete Coverage Wellness Plan.
Does 24PetWatch pet insurance cover emergency visits?
Yes, 24PetWatch covers emergency visits, including exam and diagnostic fees.
Does 24PetWatch pet insurance cover neutering?
No, 24PetWatch does not cover neutering and spaying. If you add Wellness Coverage to your plan, however, you could be reimbursed for up to $100 for the procedure or wellness blood test.
Does 24PetWatch pet insurance cover medication?
Yes, 24PetWatch insurance covers treatment related to covered accidents and illnesses which includes prescription medications.
Does 24PetWatch pet insurance cover prescription food?
Yes, 24PetWatch insurance covers treatment related to covered accidents and illnesses which includes prescription diets. Coverage provides 50% reimbursement up to an annual maximum of $500.
