Banfield Dog Insurance Honest Review (2020 Review)
Banfield is a pet wellness and medical services provider partnered with PetSmart to provide high-quality veterinary care to dogs and cats. You can find Banfield services in over 800 locations across the United States.
Banfield is known for its commitment to pet health care, including educating youngsters about pet health with the FutureVet program. The company shares information with veterinarians to provide to children, including presentation and curriculum materials, to further their knowledge.
Additionally, Banfield provides Optimum Wellness Plans to cover puppies, kittens, dogs, and cats with coverage for check-ups, diagnostics, vaccinations, surgeries, and more. This review takes a look at Banfield’s dog and puppy insurance options to help you decide if its plans are beneficial for you and your dog.
Need an Alternative? Try Healthypaws Pet Insurance:
Banfield Dog Insurance Rating
Banfield Dog Plans Review
It’s important to note that Banfield is not health insurance for your dog. Rather, it’s a Wellness Plan. Both can be helpful in relieving the costs of healthcare for your dog, but they aren’t the same. The key differences between the types of coverage lie in the way they’re charged and the services they cover.
Therefore, note that I will be reviewing Banfield Wellness Plans for what they are, Wellness Plans, rather than insurance plans. Banfield explains the purpose of its Wellness Plans in this video:
Pros
Monthly Payments And No Deductibles
Since Banfield provides Wellness Plans rather than insurance, there are no deductibles to worry about. Instead, you will sign up for an annual contract. Then, you can choose to pay that contract cost annually or monthly, to help spread out the cost over the year. For a spayed or neutered dog over 6 months of age, the average cost runs between $25 to $45 per month, depending on your plan.
No Breed-Specific Fees
Unlike insurance plans that have varying fees for different breeds, Banfield Wellness Plans’ fees don’t take breed into consideration. All breeds will have the same costs. The only things that will affect your dog’s plan costs are your location and whether or not your dog is spayed or neutered.
Unlimited Office Visits
All of Banfield’s Wellness Plans provide your dog with unlimited office visits. You can bring your dog in for existing or new conditions, and they’ll be covered with your plan.
Discounts For Uncovered Services
Banfield provides its members with discounts for services not covered under their plans. There are discounts ranging from 5% to 20% to cover services like parasite prevention and other medical tests or services. Additionally, you can save money on Banfield products for grooming and lotions or prescription medications.
Cons
Must Pay Full Annual Cost
Because you sign up for a contract when you enroll in a Wellness Plan, you’re agreeing to an annual plan cost. This means that, even if your dog passes away or you decide you no longer want the plan, you’re still responsible for that year’s full plan cost. Customers have noted that, if their pet died and they tried to change to a lower plan, they also were not able to do so to save money.
No Emergency Care Coverage
As a Wellness Plan, a Banfield plan will not provide your dog with emergency care services. Instead, you’ll receive preventative and routine care services. This isn’t necessarily a negative thing. However, if you’re looking for coverage for accidents and emergencies, Banfield probably isn’t for you.
Does NOT Provide Insurance Coverage
Many customer complaints of Banfield relate to the company providing Wellness Plans rather than insurance coverage. Your services may not be fully covered on a Wellness Plan from Banfield. Instead, you’ll receive substantial discounts for frequently used services. Banfield will still make profits and you’ll still pay money.
However, the complaints don’t necessarily lie in just the fact that Banfield only provides Wellness Plans. Instead, customers dislike the fact that Banfield tends to be a bit deceptive in how they label their services. Still, it’s important to note that there is plenty of information on its website describing its differences with insurance plans. You just have to be careful when doing your research.
Several Customer Complaints
Banfield doesn’t seem to be popular with many of its customers, and that’s concerning for me. Although many say the plans are worth the cost for puppies, others say the annual cost is wasteful for most older dogs.
Additionally, customers seem concerned with some of Banfield’s medical professionals that provide services covered under the plans. Some customers have suggested that Banfield’s employees have highly recommended services dog owners later found to be unnecessary, simply to increase their profits.
Popular Plans Of Dog Insurance Banfield Offers
The following are the plans of dog health insurance Banfield offers:
Puppy Early Care: For puppies under 6 months of age, the Early Care plan will provide coverage for 2 physical exams per year, vaccinations, and other preventative care services, like deworming, fecal exams, and diagnostics. You’ll get a 5% discount on other Banfield services.
Puppy Early Care Plus: The Early Care Plus plan for puppies covers everything in the Early Care plan, plus spaying or neutering for your puppy. This plan will give you a 10% discount on uncovered Banfield services.
Dog Essential Wellness: This plan is for dogs over 6 months old. You’ll get two physical exams per year, vaccinations, diagnostics, fecal exams, and deworming services covered. You’ll also receive a 10% discount on most other Banfield services.
Dog Active Prevention: With the Active Prevention plan, your dog will receive all the services of the Essential Wellness plan. Additionally, the plan provides dental cleaning, urine testing, and a 15% discount on other Banfield services.
Dog Special Care: The Special Care plan provides all services from the Essential Wellness and Active Prevention plans. Additionally, it covers preventative x-rays, eye pressure tests, and electrocardiograms. Banfield will also give you a 20% discount on uncovered services.
Conclusion: Banfield Dog Insurance Review
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As far as Wellness Plans go, Banfield provides what you'd expect. The plans cover your dog's routine care and exams. Plus, you'll have peace of mind knowing that the plan will help with the cost of some of your dog's medical bills, especially for puppy care. However, customer complaints of Banfield are plentiful, and that's a big concern. Plus, you can not use Banfield plans like health insurance. You must pay the plan after your pet dies, until you pay off the annual cost.
Banfield can help with medical costs, but if you're looking for insurance, it's not the way to go. Instead, I recommend Healthy Paws. They have low monthly premiums and excellent coverage options with its fully personalized plans. You choose how much coverage and what services you need and can fit within your budget, making it a better option for long-term coverage and emergency care.
