Standard pet insurance — accident and illness plans — does not cover routine care. Annual wellness exams, vaccines, flea and tick prevention, heartworm tests, and dental cleanings are all considered expected expenses, not insurable events. To get reimbursed for these, you need a wellness add-on or a separate preventive care plan.
About half of major pet insurance providers offer wellness add-ons in 2026. Monthly costs range from $9.99 to $36/month, and annual reimbursement limits range from $100 to $650. The right plan depends on your pet's routine care needs and whether the add-on saves you money versus paying out of pocket.
Providers with Wellness Plans: Quick Comparison
| Provider | Wellness Add-on Cost | Annual Reimbursement Limit | Key Items Covered | Requires Base Policy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets Best | $16–$26/mo | Up to $535 | Exam, vaccines, dental cleaning, spay/neuter, flea/tick, heartworm, microchip | Yes |
| Embrace | $250–$650/yr (annual pool) | $250, $450, or $650 | Any routine/preventive expense — open-ended allowance | Yes |
| ASPCA | $9.95–$24.95/mo | $100–$250 | Exam, vaccines, flea/tick, heartworm prevention, dental cleaning | Yes |
| Pumpkin | $18.95/mo (cats) / $24.95/mo (dogs) | Up to $500/yr | Exam, vaccines, dental cleaning, flea/tick, microchip, blood panel | Yes |
| Lemonade | $9.99–$15.99/mo | Up to $700/yr (Extended) | Exam, vaccines, flea/tick, heartworm test; Extended adds dental, spay/neuter | Yes |
| Spot | $9.95–$24.95/mo | Up to $450/yr | Exam, vaccines, flea/tick, heartworm, dental, spay/neuter, microchip | Yes |
| Fetch | From $10/mo | Varies by plan | Exam, vaccines, preventive medications | Yes |
| AKC | Available | Varies | Wellness exams, vaccines, preventive care | Yes |
| MetLife | Available add-on | Varies | Routine exams, vaccinations, preventive medications | Yes |
| Healthy Paws | ❌ Not available | — | — | — |
| Trupanion | ❌ Not available | — | — | — |
Provider Deep Dives
Pets Best — Best Overall Wellness Plan Value
Pets Best offers two tiers of routine care coverage that add to any accident and illness plan:
- Essential Wellness ($16/mo): Annual exam ($50), vaccines ($30 each, up to $15), flea/tick prevention ($15), heartworm test ($25), routine blood/fecal/urine tests ($25 each)
- Plus Wellness ($26/mo): Everything in Essential, plus dental cleaning ($150), spay/neuter ($150), and microchipping ($25)
Total annual coverage with Plus at $26/month = $312/year premium, up to $535/year reimbursement. If you use the dental cleaning benefit alone ($150), you're already recouping a significant portion of the add-on cost.
Embrace — Most Flexible Wellness Reimbursement
Embrace's Wellness Rewards is the most flexible option on the market. Instead of fixed per-item caps, it provides an open-ended annual pool ($250, $450, or $650) that reimburses 100% of any routine care expense. This includes items competitors don't cover — grooming, nail trims, nutritional consultations, acupuncture, even training classes at some plans.
The flexibility is especially valuable for owners who use multiple preventive services or want to use the benefit toward a large spay/neuter or dental cleaning without hit per-item limits.
Lemonade — Cheapest Entry-Level Wellness
Lemonade's preventive care add-ons start at just $9.99/month for dogs and slightly less for cats:
- Basic Preventive Care (~$9.99/mo): Annual exam, core vaccines, flea/tick, heartworm test
- Extended Preventive Care (~$15.99/mo): Adds dental cleaning reimbursement, spay/neuter contribution, and microchipping
The Extended plan at ~$16/month = $192/year can reimburse up to $700/year if all benefits are used. For a young, healthy pet with predictable routine needs, Lemonade is the most cost-effective way to add preventive care coverage.
ASPCA — Best for Budget-Conscious Routine Care
ASPCA offers two preventive add-on tiers:
- Basic Preventive Care ($9.95/mo): Annual exam ($50), flea/tick prevention ($40), heartworm prevention ($36), core vaccines ($40–$60)
- Prime Preventive Care ($24.95/mo): Higher per-item limits + dental cleaning ($100), spay/neuter ($150), FeLV/FIV test ($30)
ASPCA is one of few providers to include the FeLV/FIV test for cats in the wellness plan — relevant for new cat owners or multi-cat households.
Pumpkin — Best for Cats
Pumpkin's Preventive Essentials add-on costs $18.95/month for cats and covers:
- Annual wellness exam: up to $75
- Core vaccines: up to $50/each
- Flea/tick/heartworm prevention: up to $50
- Dental cleaning: up to $150
- Blood panel: up to $75
- Microchip: up to $50
Total maximum annual reimbursement: ~$500 at $18.95/month ($227/year). The cat-specific pricing is the lowest among mid-tier wellness plans, and the dental cleaning benefit alone covers a significant portion of annual cleaning costs ($300–$750 typical).
What Wellness Plans Cover (and What They Don't)
| Service | Typically Covered by Wellness | Covered by Accident/Illness | Not Covered by Either |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual wellness exam | ✅ Most plans | ❌ | |
| Core vaccines | ✅ Most plans | ❌ | |
| Flea/tick prevention | ✅ Most plans | ❌ | |
| Heartworm test/prevention | ✅ Most plans | ❌ | |
| Dental cleaning (routine) | ✅ Some plans (Pets Best Plus, Lemonade Extended, Pumpkin) | ❌ | |
| Spay / neuter | ✅ Some plans | ❌ | |
| Microchipping | ✅ Some plans | ❌ | |
| Blood / urine / fecal tests | ✅ Some plans (routine context) | ✅ (if diagnosing illness) | |
| Dental illness / tooth extraction | ❌ | ✅ Most plans | |
| Grooming, nail trimming | ✅ Embrace only | ❌ | |
| Emergency vet visit | ❌ | ✅ | |
| Prescription medications (chronic) | ❌ | ✅ | |
| Cosmetic procedures | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ Not covered anywhere |
Is a Wellness Plan Worth It? ROI Analysis
Whether a wellness add-on pays back depends on which services you actually use each year. Here's a break-even calculation for a typical dog owner:
Scenario: Pets Best Plus Wellness at $26/month ($312/year)
- Annual exam: $75 reimbursement (you pay ~$75–$125 at vet)
- Rabies + DHPP vaccines: $60 reimbursement (2 vaccines at $30 each)
- Flea/tick prevention (3 months): $15 reimbursement
- Heartworm test: $25 reimbursement
- Total if you skip dental: ~$175 back on $312 paid → loss of $137
- Add dental cleaning ($150 reimbursement): ~$325 back on $312 → break even or slight gain
Conclusion: Wellness plans pay off primarily when you use the dental cleaning benefit AND most of the vaccine/exam benefits. If you skip the vet or have an older pet that gets annual bloodwork instead of just an exam, the math often doesn't work out. The exception is Embrace's Wellness Rewards, which has no per-item caps — if you spend $450 or more on any routine care services annually, the $450 pool option at ~$37/month ($450/year) roughly breaks even.
Wellness-Only Plans vs. Add-ons
All of the wellness plans listed above are add-ons to accident and illness base policies. There are also standalone wellness-only plans — most notably Banfield's Optimum Wellness Plans ($35–$80/month, paid monthly regardless of visits), available at Banfield Pet Hospital locations inside PetSmart stores. These are subscription-based plans rather than reimbursement insurance and work differently: you pay monthly and get bundled services at Banfield clinics only.
For most pet owners, the wellness add-on to a full accident and illness policy is the better choice — it combines catastrophic protection with routine care reimbursement under one plan.
Which Providers Have No Wellness Option
Healthy Paws and Trupanion do not offer wellness add-ons. Both focus exclusively on unexpected illness and accident coverage with no routine care component. If preventive care coverage is important to you, these two providers are not viable options regardless of how strong their core policy is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does pet insurance cover annual vet visits?
Standard accident and illness pet insurance does not cover annual wellness exams — they are considered routine/expected expenses. To get reimbursed for annual exams, you need a wellness add-on from providers like Pets Best, ASPCA, Lemonade, Pumpkin, Embrace, or Spot. These add-ons are purchased separately and cost $10–$37/month on top of the base policy premium.
Does pet insurance cover vaccines?
Vaccines are not covered by standard accident and illness policies. They are covered by wellness add-ons from most providers that offer them. Typical reimbursement is $30–$60 per vaccine, limited to core vaccines (rabies, DHPP for dogs; rabies, FVRCP for cats). Non-core vaccines may not be covered or may require the higher-tier wellness plan.
Does pet insurance cover spaying and neutering?
Spay and neuter procedures are not covered by standard accident and illness plans (they are elective procedures). Wellness add-ons from Pets Best (Plus tier), Lemonade (Extended), Pumpkin, and Spot include spay/neuter reimbursement, typically $50–$150. Embrace's Wellness Rewards pool can be applied toward spay/neuter up to the annual limit.
Does pet insurance cover flea and tick prevention?
Flea and tick prevention medications are not covered by accident and illness policies. Wellness add-ons from most providers include flea and tick prevention reimbursement, typically $15–$50/year toward approved preventive medications (e.g., NexGard, Frontline, Bravecto).
Is Embrace Wellness Rewards worth it?
Embrace Wellness Rewards is the most flexible option and the best choice if you spend $450+ annually on any combination of routine care — including services competitors don't reimburse, like grooming, nail trims, or nutritional consultations. The open-ended pool structure (no per-item caps) avoids the frustration of hitting sub-limits. If your routine care spending is lower or concentrated in standard items (exam + vaccines), a cheaper plan like Lemonade ($9.99/mo) or Pets Best Essential ($16/mo) may provide better value.
Can I add a wellness plan to my existing pet insurance?
Yes, if your current provider offers a wellness add-on and you are still within the enrollment window. Most providers allow you to add wellness coverage at renewal or at initial enrollment. Some (like Embrace) allow you to add Wellness Rewards at any time during your policy year. If your provider doesn't offer wellness (Healthy Paws, Trupanion), you cannot add it — you would need to switch providers or purchase a standalone wellness plan separately.