Progressive Pet Insurance Review 2024

About Progressive pet insurance

Progressive earned 5 stars out of 5 for overall performance. Progressive provides pet insurance policies in partnership with Pets Best. It gets high marks for offering a wide variety of options to customize its accident and illness plans. It also offers coverage for hereditary conditions and behavioral issues, as well as alternative treatments and holistic therapies, which not all pet insurers provide.

» MORE: The best pet insurance companies

Plans and coverage

Progressive and Pets Best offer two pet insurance plans for dogs and cats, plus two tiers of add-on coverage for routine care and wellness visits.

Note: Coverage options and availability may vary depending on where you live and the age and breed of your pet.

Accident and illness coverage

The BestBenefit plan is an accident and illness plan that typically covers:

• Treatment for accidental injuries and for illnesses, including cancer.

• Emergency care.

• Hospitalization.

• Surgery.

• Diagnostic testing.

• Behavioral conditions.

• Prosthetic devices and wheelchairs.

• Euthanasia.

Prescription medication coverage is also included by default in most plans, but you may be able to opt out by contacting Pets Best.

If you choose to upgrade your accident and illness plan, it can also include:

• Exam fees.

• Acupuncture and chiropractic care.

• Physical therapy and hydrotherapy.

Accident-only coverage

Progressive and Pets Best’s accident-only plan helps pay for issues like broken bones, bite wounds or injuries that occur if your pet accidentally swallows a foreign object. The accident-only plan is the cheapest pet insurance plan, offering a fixed price based on whether your pet is a dog or cat. Though it covers accidental injuries, it won’t pay for treatment if your pet gets sick.

Wellness plans

Progressive and Pets Best offer two tiers of wellness plans that help pay for routine care.

The EssentialWellness plan helps you pay for:

• Wellness exams.

• Microchipping.

• Vaccinations.

• Routine diagnostic tests and bloodwork.

• Heartworm, flea and tick preventive medication.

• Deworming.

The BestWellness plan covers everything the EssentialWellness plan does, though it offers higher reimbursement amounts for some services. It can also pay for:

• Spaying and neutering.

• Teeth cleaning.

» MORE: What does pet insurance cover?

What’s not covered

Progressive and Pets Best plans don’t cover:

• Pre-existing conditions, unless they’ve been healed or cured and require no further treatment.

• Elective and preventive procedures, like anal gland expression, tail docking, ear cropping, nail trimming and declawing.

• Parasitic testing, treatment and prevention.

• Food, vitamins and supplements.

• Herbal, holistic and alternative medications and treatments.

Plan options

Deductibles: A pet insurance deductible is the amount you have to pay before your plan reimburses you for vet expenses. Progressive and Pets Best accident-only plans have a $250 deductible. Accident and illness plan deductibles range from $50 to $1,000. Like most pet insurers, Pets Best applies the deductible on an annual basis, rather than per claim.

Reimbursement amounts: 90% for the accident-only plan; 70%, 80% or 90% for accident and illness plans. Your reimbursement amount is applied to your vet bill before the deductible. So if your cat needed a $2,500 surgery and you have an 80% reimbursement level and a $500 deductible, your plan would reimburse you as follows:

• $2,500 vet bill x 0.8 (80% reimbursement level) = $2,000.

• $2,000 - $500 deductible = $1,500 reimbursement.

Coverage limits: $10,000 per year for the accident-only plan; $5,000 per year or unlimited coverage for accident and illness plans.

Restrictions and waiting periods

Age restrictions: Pets under 7 weeks old aren’t eligible for coverage. There’s no upper age limit.

Waiting periods: A waiting period is the time between when you buy your policy and when your coverage starts. Progressive says typical waiting periods for its plans are three days for accidental injuries, 14 days for illnesses and six months for cruciate ligament conditions. There’s no waiting period for routine care if you add coverage to your policy.

Sample rates

The cost of Progressive pet insurance from Pets Best will depend on where you live and your pet’s age and breed. Below are sample monthly rates for six common dog breeds at ages 2 and 8. Our sample pets lived in Katy, Texas, and had coverage with a $250 deductible, an 80% reimbursement rate and $5,000 in annual coverage.

Below are sample monthly rates for six common cat breeds at ages 2 and 8. Our sample cats had the same coverage limits as above and lived in Katy, Texas.

» MORE: The best cheap pet insurance

Discounts

Pets Best offers the following discounts:

• 10% discount for veterinary staff.

• 5% discount on a BestBenefit policy when you get a quote through Progressive.

• 5% multipet discount.

• 5% discount for military members and their families.

Discounts may not be available in all states.

State availability

Progressive’s pet insurance policies are available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Availability may change at any time. Coverage may not be available to all pets in a given state.

Consumer experience

Website: Progressive’s website gives you basic information about the types of pet insurance plans available, but it will direct you to Pets Best’s website if you want to get a quote or purchase a policy. The Pets Best website also features a frequently asked questions page and sample policies.

App: Pets Best’s mobile app is available in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The app lets you submit claims and access information about your pet’s benefits using your mobile device.

Claims: Pets Best says it’s easiest to submit a claim using its mobile app, but you can also file claims via its website or by email, fax or mail. You’ll need to include a copy of your invoice when you submit a claim. You can easily snap a photo and submit it using the app. Pet parents also have the option of requesting that Pets Best pay their vet directly. Pets Best says you can receive reimbursement in as little as two days after your claim is processed if you sign up for direct deposit.

Customer service: Pets Best customer service representatives are available by phone at 877-738-7237. Hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. MT Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. MT on Saturdays. There’s also a live chat service for customer support. For questions about your pet, you can access the 24/7 emergency vet helpline through the app or your online account.

Getting a quote

To get pet insurance quotes from Progressive online, you’ll start by entering your ZIP code. From there, you’ll be directed to the Pets Best website, where you’ll need to provide the following info about your pet:

• Name.

• Age.

• Type of pet (dog or cat).

• Gender.

• Breed.

• Veterinarian’s name (optional).

You’ll also be asked whether your pet has ever been diagnosed with or treated for an illness.

Next, you’ll provide the following information about yourself in order to get your quote:

• Name.

• ZIP code.

• Email.

• Phone number (optional).

• Whether you’re a military member (for discount purposes).

After you hit “get your quote,” you’ll have the option to choose between the accident-only or the accident and illness plan.

If you choose the accident and illness plan, you can customize your policy by adjusting the deductible, annual limit and reimbursement level. Under the accident and illness plan, you’ll also have the option to add routine care coverage for an extra cost. Note that the accident-only plan doesn’t allow you to customize your coverage.

You’ll also have the option to add another pet to the policy. To purchase your pet insurance plan, you’ll then need to provide your payment details.

Progressive vs. competitors

Here’s how Progressive stacks up against other popular pet insurers.

How we review pet insurance

Our writers and editors follow strict editorial guidelines that ensure fairness and accuracy to help you choose the financial products that work best for you. In our pet insurance reviews, we consider coverage, discounts, financial strength ratings from AM Best and more to determine our star ratings.

Our rating system rewards companies that cover a wide range of potential expenses, offer many ways to customize your plan and have a strong financial rating. Within the consumer experience category, we looked at features such as mobile app ratings and whether the company offers direct vet payments. To calculate each insurer’s rating, we adjusted the scores to a curved 5-point scale.

Dive deeper with our criteria for evaluating pet insurance companies.

Methodology