:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Banfield-b55c8fa9125841b1a425832862a01f85.jpg)
Banfield
Our Take
Banfield Pet Hospital helps pet owners keep up with routine pet care by covering the cost of common wellness services including checkups and vaccines for a moderate monthly fee. Unlike traditional pet insurance, however, the company doesn’t cover accidents and illnesses and is only available at 975 locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
- Pros and Cons
- Key Takeaways
- Specifications
No waiting period
Simple pricing structure
Covers wellness and preventive care services
Accepts animals with pre-existing conditions
Custom plans for pets of all ages
Not pet insurance
No coverage for accidents and illnesses
Not available in all locations
- Banfield Pet Hospital offers monthly plans that cover 100% of the cost of routine pet care at nearly 1,000 locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
- You can also get 5% to 20% off additional pet care services.
- Simple pricing plans are offered for adult and juvenile pets regardless of breed.
- Year Founded 1955
- Average Cost $26.95 to $56.95 per month
- Types of Services Available Complete coverage for preventive care plus discounts for additional services
- Additional Features 24/7 online vet chat
- Official Website www.banfield.com
Banfield Pet Hospital is a network of pet clinics in the U.S. that offers full coverage for basic wellness services for a set monthly price. Because it’s not pet insurance, Banfield’s plans require no deductibles or co-payments and accept animals of any age, even those with pre-existing or hereditary conditions.
Banfield offers simply-priced plans for adult and juvenile dogs and cats regardless of breed or health. You can also get between a 5% to 20% discount on additional pet products and services and extend your coverage with additional paid dental, parasite, spay/neuter, and genetic testing add-ons.
Here, we cover how Banfield’s plans work, what coverage it offers, additional services, pricing, and more to help you decide if its plans are right for you
Company Overview: Simple Subscription-Based Pet Care
Originally founded as a veterinary practice in Oregon in 1955, Banfield Pet Hospital expanded its services to educate pet owners about preventive health care during the late 1980s. In 1994, the company established a partnership with PetSmart to offer on-site wellness services at pet stores across the country. Today, Banfield operates 975 locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Instead of offering pet insurance with deductibles, reimbursement amounts, and annual coverage limits, Banfield offers full coverage for a list of common routine pet care services for a fixed monthly fee plus discounts on additional pet products and services.
Unlike pet insurance, Banfield offers no coverage for services due to accidents and illnesses. However, it does cover dogs and cats of any age and health, even if they have pre-existing or hereditary conditions.
Banfield gets average reviews on Yelp and below-average reviews from Trustpilot. While some Yelp reviewers praise the fast and easy service at some locations, others cite difficulty and inconsistent service at other locations. Complaints on Trustpilot typically involve misdiagnosed conditions and poor veterinary service.
Because it is not an insurance provider, Banfield is not rated by AM Best or similar agencies. However, the company has earned an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
Services Available: Wellness Plans
Banfield offers a variety of simple wellness plans that cover the cost of the following preventive and routine care services through Banfield’s network of clinics:
- Unlimited office visits
- Routine vaccinations
- Comprehensive physical exams
- Diagnostic testing
- Product and service discounts
- Online access to your pet’s records
- 24/7 pet care advice
Although you get unlimited office visits, unless your visit falls under one of the services below, you will need to pay for it out of pocket using the discount offered by your plan. Your discount also applies to these extra services:
- Parasite preventives when purchased outside your plan
- Prescriptions and medications (except custom compounded medications)
- Shampoo, conditioners, and lotions
- Medical tests or services
Adult Wellness Plans
Banfield’s three adult wellness plans cover cats and dogs six months and older for the following services. Numbers in parentheses indicate how many times that service is covered in one year.
Service | Active Care | Active Care Plus | Special Care |
---|---|---|---|
Physical exam (2) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Vaccinations | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Diagnostic testing | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Fecal exams (2) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Deworming (2) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Dental cleaning | ✔ | ✔ | |
Urine testing (2) | ✔ | ✔ | |
Additional diagnostic testing* | ✔ | ||
Preventive X-rays (3) | ✔ | ||
Eye pressure test (2) † | ✔ | ||
Electrocardiograms† | ✔ | ||
Unlimited office visits | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Virtual pet care services | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Discounts on other services & products | 10% | 15% | 20% |
* Cats only
† Dogs only
Juvenile Wellness Plans
Banfield’s two juvenile wellness plans apply to cats and dogs under six months of and cover the following services. Numbers in parentheses indicate how many times that service is covered per year.
Service | Early Care | Early Care Plus |
---|---|---|
Physical exam (2) | ✔ | ✔ |
WISDOM PANEL Health* | ✔ | ✔ |
Vaccinations | ✔ | ✔ |
Diagnostic testing | ✔ | ✔ |
Fecal exams (3) | ✔ | ✔ |
Deworming (4) | ✔ | ✔ |
Spay or neuter surgery | ✔ | |
Unlimited office visits | ✔ | ✔ |
Virtual pet care services | ✔ | ✔ |
Discount on other services & products | 5% | 10% |
* Dogs only
Banfield does not cover the costs of vet services related to any accidents or illnesses suffered by your pet.
Other Add-ons: Dental Care, Chronic Care and More
Banfield also lets you add certain coverage to any plan that doesn’t already include those services. For instance, spaying and neutering are only offered for juvenile pets but can be added to an adult wellness plan. Prices vary depending on age and species, and you will need to request a quote online to get a price estimate.
Additional Dental
Because some dog breeds are more prone to dental issues, Banfield offers the option to pay for additional dental cleanings in its Active Prevention Care and Special Care Plans.
Parasite Control
This includes coverage for a variety of flea and heartworm medications, including Simparica, FirstShield, Interceptor Plus, Tri-Heart Plus, and Trifexis.
Spay/Neuter
This routine surgical procedure includes coverage for pre-anesthetic blood testing, monitoring throughout the procedure and recovery, and pain medication before and directly after.
WISDOM PANEL Health
Using a small blood sample, Banfield can screen for over 200 genetic disease mutations in over 350 breeds, types, and varieties of cats and dogs.
Chronic Care
You can add coverage to help your pet with some of the following chronic conditions by working with your Banfield vet first:
- Renal (for dogs with chronic kidney disease or kidney failure)
- Diabetes (for dogs with diabetes mellitus)
- Otitis (for dogs with mild to severe ear infections)
Plan Exclusions: Wellness Coverage Only
Because Banfield’s wellness plans aren’t health insurance, pre-existing conditions are included in your plan coverage. Outside of the services that are covered by your plan, you can also get discounts on other Banfield products and services. You will need to contact your local Banfield pet hospital to get a list of services it offers.
Cost: Fixed Adult and Juvenile Pet Plans
Banfield offers fixed monthly pricing for adult (over six months old) and juvenile (under six months old) dogs and cats regardless of breed.
Adults Dogs & Cats | |||
---|---|---|---|
Coverage | Active Care | Active Care Plus | Special Care |
Adult dog | $33.95 per month | $44.95 per month | $56.95 per month |
Adult cat | $26.95 per month | $39.95 per month | $47.95 per month |
Juvenile Dogs and Cats | ||
---|---|---|
Coverage | Early Care | Early Care Plus |
Puppy (under 6 months) | $37.95 per month | $47.95 per month |
Kitten (under 6 months) | $34.95 per month | $41.95 per month |
In addition to your monthly fee, Banfield charges a one-time setup fee of $49.95 which is due with your first payment. You can pay monthly or annually, and you can take $15 off of your membership fee if you have multiple pets.
Although Banfield’s plans only cover dogs and cats, you can contact your local Banfield Pet Hospital to ask about services for small mammals and exotic pets.
Customer Service: Phone, Email, Chat and 24/7 Vet Consultation
Banfield offers membership and enrollment support by phone and email during standard business hours, which are unspecified. You can also contact your local Banfield hospital directly during normal business hours which vary by location.
As a Banfield member, you also get access to Vet Chat which lets you text online or through the Banfield app with a licensed vet about general pet health issues any time of day or night.
Competition: Banfield vs. Pet Assure
We compared Banfield to Pet Assure which offers discounts on routine pet care through participating veterinary practices in the U.S.
The main difference between the two is that Pet Assure is a discount program rather than a network of physical pet clinics. As a result, it offers a blanket 25% discount for any veterinary service rather than 100% coverage for specific wellness services. Pet Assure also works with over 5,000 participating pets in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada while Banfield currently has fewer than 1,000 locations in the U.S and Puerto Rico.
In short, Pet Assure will save you money on fees at a handful of vets in your area, making it a good option if you want to save on vet visits due to accidents and illnesses. With Banfield, however, you get 100% coverage for common routine care services which is good like to be proactive with your pet’s health.
Banfield | Pet Assure | |
---|---|---|
Animals covered | Cats and dogs | All types |
Example cost | $31.95 for an adult dog | $11.95 for an adult dog |
Coverage type | Wellness Program | Discount Program |
Waiting period | None | None |
Network size | 975 locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico | 5,600 locations in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico |
At first glance, Banfield appears to offer a good range of wellness pet services with consistent care across its locations. However, you’ll need to take advantage of nearly every service it offers to make it worth the price, based on our methodology.
Banfield’s wellness coverage fees are higher than many accident and illness policies with add-on wellness riders offered by other pet insurers. And even if you were to take advantage of every routine care service offered by your Banfield plan, you still wouldn’t be covered if your pet becomes sick or injured.
Unless you prefer a wellness-only plan or have pets with pre-existing conditions that wouldn’t be covered by another provider, we can’t think of any reason to choose Banfield over any number of pet insurance companies that offer add-on wellness coverage. Its preventive care plans are more expensive than most wellness riders, offer no additional perks, and can only be used at around 1,000 locations.