Pets Best vs Nationwide: budget tiers vs big-carrier backing
For dogs and cats this is the least close matchup in our series: Pets Best wins nearly every row of the table. Nationwide stays on the page for one reason, and if you own a parrot, a rabbit, or a bearded dragon, that reason is the whole decision.
Side by side
Typical accident and illness configurations. Details vary by state and plan tier, so treat this as a map and confirm terms on the insurer's current policy documents.
| Dimension | Pets Best | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost range | Dogs ~$32 to $48, cats $20 to $29 | Dogs ~$43 to $94, cats $19 to $41 |
| Payout caps | $5,000 or unlimited | $2,500 to $10,000 on current retail plans |
| Deductible | Annual, $50 to $1,000 choices | Annual, $250 flat on retail plans |
| Reimbursement | 70% / 80% / 90% | 50% to 80%; no 90% option exists anymore |
| Exam fees | Included on most plans | Plan-dependent; unverifiable on current official pages |
| Dental illness | Eligible conditions, plan-dependent | Covered on comprehensive plans; cleanings are add-on territory |
| Curable pre-existing | Healed conditions no longer count (roundups cite 180 days) | Standard exclusion, no published requalification window |
| Direct pay / claims | Optional direct pay, 24/7 vet line | Reimbursement only |
| Waiting periods | 3 days accident, 14 days illness, 6 months cruciate (waivable) | ~14 days illness, accident shorter or none on current forms; cruciate rider only addable after 12 months |
The dog-and-cat case, briefly, because it is brief
Run the rows. Nationwide's current retail lineup (a modular plan, a benefit-schedule Major Medical, and a restructured Whole Pet) tops out at 80% reimbursement and a $10,000 cap, with a flat $250 deductible and a cruciate rider you're not even allowed to add until a year in. Pets Best offers 90% reimbursement, an unlimited cap, deductible choices from $50 to $1,000, exam fees on most plans, and optional direct pay, usually at a lower monthly price. There's also the trust ledger: Nationwide non-renewed roughly 100,000 legacy pet policies in 2024 and 2025, a decision now in class-action litigation, while continuing to sell new plans. Insurance is a promise about the distant future; recent history is fair evidence about promises. This is why Nationwide sits last at 7.7 in our rankings and Pets Best holds 8.9.
The exotic exception is real, though
Everything above applies to dogs and cats. For birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, reptiles, and other exotics, Nationwide is essentially alone among major carriers: dedicated avian and exotic plans from about $5 a month for small birds, with a $10,000-cap Whole Pet version above it. Pets Best, like nearly everyone, insures dogs and cats only. If your pet has feathers or scales, stop comparing and take Nationwide; an imperfect policy beats the industry's alternative, which is nothing. Budget for the wellness add-on separately, and read the current plan documents carefully; Nationwide has restructured its lineup repeatedly, and the plan your neighbor bought in 2022 is not the plan on sale today. Our policy-reading guide pays for itself here.
Choose Pets Best if
- You're insuring a dog or a cat. That's the whole condition; the table does the rest.
Choose Nationwide if
- Your pet is a bird, rabbit, ferret, reptile, or other exotic: it's effectively the only major-carrier game in town.
- You're offered a rich legacy employer-benefit plan at group rates; some are better than the retail lineup.
If you're here for a dog or cat, the stronger question isn't which of these two; it's what the top-ranked structure costs. Free quote, two minutes.
Get your Trupanion quote →Bottom line
Pets Best wins the dog-and-cat comparison on price, caps, reimbursement, deductible flexibility, and recent track record, and it isn't particularly close. Nationwide's franchise is the pets nobody else will insure, and within that franchise it's not just the best option; it's approximately the only one.
Is Nationwide pet insurance being discontinued?
No, but it restructured. Nationwide non-renewed about 100,000 legacy policies (mostly the old Whole Pet with Wellness plan) across 2024 and 2025, a move now subject to a class-action lawsuit, and its current retail lineup is a modular plan capped at $10,000 with 50 to 80% reimbursement. It is actively selling new policies.
Does Nationwide still offer 90% reimbursement?
Not on current retail plans; the menu runs 50% to 80%, and the restructured Whole Pet plan offers only 50% or 70%. Pets Best offers 90% on standard plans, including its unlimited tier.
Who insures birds, rabbits, and reptiles?
Nationwide, essentially alone among major carriers, with dedicated avian and exotic plans starting around $5 a month for small birds. Pets Best and most competitors insure dogs and cats only, which is the one scenario where Nationwide wins this comparison outright.
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