ASPCA vs Nationwide: We Choose A Clear Winner

October 17, 2023 Kar-Bay-Inc

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Both ASPCA and Nationwide offer detailed pet insurance coverage, but Nationwide doesn’t enroll pets older than 10. However, Nationwide has a much faster claim processing average of only four days compared to ASPCA’s 15 to 30 days. If price is your main concern, you can typically get lower pricing from Nationwide. However, getting a quote for your specific pet will give you the best idea of what pet insurance will cost you. Let’s go into more detail and help you decide if one is better.

Policy Coverage

Policy Coverage Winner

The table below shows precisely what ASPCA and Nationwide cover. Both companies cover emergency care, surgery and hospitalization, specialized exams and specialty care, X-rays, blood tests, ultrasounds, cat scans, MRIs, rehabilitation, cancer, chronic conditions, euthanasia, hereditary conditions, congenital conditions, non-routine dental treatment, and prescription medications. Neither covers pre-existing conditions, cremation and burial costs, pregnancy and breeding, or unnecessary cosmetic procedures.

*Waiting periods for California, Maine, and Mississippi are as follows:

Accidents – 0 days
Illnesses – 14 days
Cruciate Ligament Conditions – 30 days
Routine Care – 0 days

While at a glance, it may appear that ASPCA and Nationwide offer similar, detailed coverage. However, there are some things you’ll want to be aware of before making your decision. First, some of Nationwide’s pet insurance policies use a benefit schedule. This is different than any other pet insurance policy.

A benefit schedule outlines the maximum coverage amount you should expect to be reimbursed per incident when you make a claim. This is different from other pet insurance companies (like ASPCA), where the claim repayment calculation is based on your vet’s receipt, and thus, the amount you paid your vet vs a figure reflected in the benefits schedule that may not cover what you paid.

Another key deciding factor for you may be the age restrictions attached to Nationwide, which doesn’t enroll pets older than 10.

One thing Nationwide has going for it is that it doesn’t list any bilateral exclusions for CCL injuries. Many other pet insurance companies we review exclude CCL injuries if one leg has experienced pre-existing issues. This makes Nationwide a good option for those of you with dogs with pre-existing knee conditions because they’re more likely to cover a second, currently healthy knee than their competitors. However, it’s always important to read your contract carefully because the sample policies we’ve examined may differ from yours.

In the end, ASPCA has more well-rounded coverage for the average pet. But Nationwide may be a good fit for you if your dog’s breed is prone to bilateral conditions.

Customer Service & Reputation

Customer Service & Reputation Winner

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance has many customer complaints regarding low reimbursements, slow claim processing, conditions flagged as pre-existing, and more. This is frustrating for customers because they purchase a policy expecting certain things to be covered and reimbursed but feel disappointed by what they get when they need ASPCA Pet Health Insurance the most.

Unfortunately, finding negative reviews for Nationwide isn’t too tricky. However, it’s more common for people to post poor reviews since they’re upset instead of positive reviews when they’re happy, especially with such a large customer base. According to feedback from our readers, consumer complaints about Nationwide include its benefit schedule not having enough coverage, not paying out claims, low claim reimbursements, being told false information about coverage, high premiums, and more.

In the end, Nationwide wins this category because of its massive customer base compared to the number of complaints. The ratio of negative reviews for Nationwide is better than ASPCA’s.

Claim Processing

Claim Processing Winner

Nationwide allows 30 days to process its claims but averages four days. A four-day claim process is among the fastest in the industry.

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance averages 15 to 30 days for claim processing. This is among the companies that take the longest to process claims.

One perk you may wish to explore for ASPCA Pet Health Insurance is to have them pay your vet directly. If your vet office allows this, you could work with your insurance company to have them pay the vet directly for the covered portion of your bill. In this case, you are not left paying a hefty vet bill in advance and then waiting for reimbursement. But this isn’t available everywhere, so check with your vet to see if it’s an option for you. Nationwide doesn’t offer a direct payment option, no matter which veterinarian you use,

Because of Nationwide’s shorter claim processing average, it wins this category.

Price Of Policy

Price Of Policy Winner

ASPCA has customizable plans with no enrollment fees and a $2 transaction fee for each payment. Meanwhile, Nationwide has four different plans, but not all are available for each dog. Nationwide has no enrollment fee but charges a $2 transaction fee, which can add up over time.

Pricing is based on your pet’s details (age, breed, location, etc.). We recommend obtaining quotes from each company for your specific pet. You can also visit our pet insurance comparison quotes to see a few sample prices we’ve gathered.

On average, Nationwide has some of the lowest premiums, while ASPCA’s prices tend to fall in the middle but are occasionally among the most expensive. Nationwide is the winner here due to premiums that are typically lower than ASPCA.

Remember that it’s always best to get quotes for your specific dog to compare what pet insurance could cost you. You can use our pet insurance quote form below to get multiple company quotes when you complete this one-quick form.

Coupons

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance offers the following discount:

10% off for multiple pets

Use this link to take advantage of the best possible price. No promo code is needed.

Nationwide

Nationwide Pet Insurance offers the following discounts:

5% off for 2-3 pets covered
10% off for 4 or more pets covered

Use this link to take advantage of the best possible price. No promo code is needed.

Plan Customization

Plan Customization Winner

Nationwide offers four different plan options: Whole Pet, Whole Pet With Wellness, Major Medical, and Major Medical With Wellness. The two Whole Pet plans are similar to other pet insurance plans in that they reimburse a percentage of what you paid the vet for treatment. The two Major Medical plans use a benefit schedule that outlines the maximum amount you can expect as reimbursement for any given condition or treatment, regardless of what your vet charges you.

ASPCA’s plans are similar to Nationwide’s Whole Pet plans, where the policyholder can customize their coverage. Below are the options from each company. As you can see, ASPCA has more options than Nationwide.

	ASPCA Pet Health Insurance	Nationwide
Deductible Options	$100, $250, $500	$100, $250, $500
Payout Options	$3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, $10,000	Limited Per Condition, $5,000, unlimited
Reimbursement Options	70%, 80%, 90%	50%, 70%, 80%, 90%
Optional Wellness Plan
Accident-Only Plan

What’s The Verdict?

Overall Winner

Nationwide wins by a smidge in this comparison against ASPCA. Nationwide is the longest-standing pet insurance company with a faster claim processing average and lower pricing. However, if your dog is older than 10, it’s worth getting a quote from ASPCA.

If you didn’t find what you were looking for in this comparison, our experts have gone in-depth with individual reviews of ASPCA and Nationwide.

Our experts have spent thousands of hours researching to bring you our comprehensive and frequently updated pet insurance reviews, including our top picks, along with details on each of the most popular pet insurance companies. So, if you want to know how other providers compare against one another, you may find this review helpful in your pet insurance search.