Hartville Pet Insurance Review 2023

Pets are a beautiful part of millions of families across the world and the United States. Whether you have a moody cat or a happy dog, you want them to be as healthy as you and other members of your family. And if they get sick, your priority is usually to get them the best care possible. Unfortunately, it’s costly to get your pet the care they need, especially if it’s something complicated.

About Hartville Pet Insurance

That’s where Hartville Pet Insurance comes in – A brand that offers an affordable and comprehensive healthcare insurance plan for your pets. Its parent company, the Crum & Forster Pet Insurance, is New Jersey-based and is owned by United States Fire Insurance Company.  It was formerly named the Hartville pet insurance group. It’s been in business since 1997 and is partnered with ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).  Make sure that you also take a look at our list of the best pet insurance providers.

Most Hartville pet insurance reviews are positive. The company’s customers love it for its quick turn-around time, excellent customer service, and easy claim process. Hartville 

How we Reviewed

We analyzed Hartville pet insurance on multiple factors, including:

• Types of coverage it provides
• Cost of coverage compared to its peers
• Range of incidents covered by the policy
• Reimbursement Ease and percentage
• Hartville pet insurance reviews online
• How it differs from its competitors

Where Is It Available

The policy is available in all 50 states, three territories (Guam, Virgin Isles, and Puerto Rico), and Canada. You can use your insurance for treatment at any licensed vet in either country. The company has its own headquarter in Akron, Ohio.

Hartville Pet Insurance Review

To make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck while covering all the bases when it comes to the health and well-being of your pet, you need to understand the types of coverage Hartville Pet Insurance provides.

Types of Insurance coverage

There are primarily three types of coverage:

Complete Coverage: It covers almost all healthcare aspects: Illness, injury, hereditary conditions, and even behavioral issues. But even it doesn’t cover cosmetics procedures, pre-existing conditions, and breeding costs.

Accident-Only Coverage: If your pet gets injured in an accident, diagnosis and treatment are fully reimbursed (up-to-the annual limit). Surgical procedures or treatments required due to illness are not covered.  

Preventive Care (Basic and Prime): It’s optional, and you can apply for it with the complete coverage plan. It pays for preventive care, neutering surgery, vaccinations, and dental treatment. The price, options, and limits vary between basic and prime packages.

Additional Coverage

Hartville pet insurance complete coverage takes care of most pet illness and injury-related issues, but the pet insurance company has gone the extra mile and provides additional coverage that is not typically part of the plan. For example, it’s one of the few companies that offers pet wellness plans (as part of preventive care packages) and dental expenses. 

Its complete coverage plan is comprehensive enough. Unless your pet is suffering from pre-existing conditions, the complete pet insurance for dogs or pet insurance for cats will be enough to cover most of the expenses you might encounter. It also provides pet insurance policies for horses, but fewer people might be interested in that, especially in urban cities.

What’s Covered and not Covered

One of the most consistent grievances that people have with their pet insurers is that they don’t get reimbursed (or covered) for something they thought they were covered for under the policy. It usually happens when they don’t know what’s covered and what’s not covered under their policy.

So that’s the first thing you should learn about your pet insurance policy. As for Hartville, the company covers a lot of range.

Type of incidents and Illnesses Covered Under The Policies

Type of incidents	Complete Coverage	Optional Preventive Coverage
Accidents	Yes (Including broken bones, toxic ingestions, and bites)
Illness Vomiting/upset stomach Diarrhea	Yes Yes Yes
Cancer	Yes
Allergic reaction Ongoing allergies	Yes (But not if it’s a pre-existing condition), But doesn’t cover prescription food as a preventive measure.
Skin Diseases Hot spots	Yes Yes
Hereditary Conditions	Yes (Including heart diseases, Eye disorders)
Wellness And Preventive Care Vaccinations Nail Trimming Neutering	——–	Yes Yes No Yes
Diabetes	Yes
Dogs and Worms Heartworms Deworming Tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms	———-	Yes Yes Yes
Ear infections	Yes
Urinary blockages and bladder issues	Yes
hip dysplasia Cruciate ligament Arthritis	Yes Yes Yes
Kennel Cough Distemper Parvovirus Hepatitis (Adenovirus) Parainfluenza Lyme disease Rabies Ringworm	Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Seizure disorders	Yes
Dental	——-	Yes
Other Please mention other important diseases they cover here or in the relevant row

 

It bears repeating that the company doesn’t pay for pre-existing conditions. If any of the illnesses and injuries that Hartville does provide coverage for is determined to be pre-existing, the company might not pay.

Type of Expenses Covered

Types of expenses covered	Complete Coverage  (* For Additional Preventive Care)
Examination fee	Yes
Emergency care
Diagnostic testing (X-rays, MRIs, and other imaging)	Yes
Blood tests Fecal Test	Yes Yes*
Hospitalization	Yes
Surgeries	Yes
Prescription medication	Yes (For covered condition, not preventive)
Diet and supplements	Yes (Only for covered injury/condition)
alternate care	Yes
Euthanasia	Yes

 

Hartville Pet Insurance Prices

The prices are not uniform, and you have to get a Hartville pet insurance quote after filling in details about your pet. Whether it’s a dog or cat, the breed, current health conditions, and age have a significant impact on your monthly payments. For one-year-old dogs, complete coverage can lie somewhere between $27 and $78. For the same dog, accidental coverage would cost between $16 and $43. But it won’t cover any illnesses.

The costs change with age. For example, the starting complete coverage cost for a twelve-year-old dog can be $87, and go up as much as $250 a month. The pricing doesn’t vary with age if you are only going for accidental coverage. 

Cats cost significantly less. The maximum you might have to pay for a one-year-old cat is $46 a month for complete coverage. Though like old dogs, old cats cost more too. A twelve-year-old cat might cost you somewhere between $44 and $135. While costly, it’s still about half of what a dog would cost.

The preventive coverage costs around $10 to $25.

You can choose your payment frequency based on your own convenience. If you pay annually, no transaction fee will be charged (which can go up to $22). But you can choose to pay monthly, quarterly, and semi-annually. 

Deductibles, Reimbursement, and Guarantee

The company offers three annual deductible options: $100, $250, and $500, which are required to be paid annually. And there are three reimbursement coverage options: 70%, 80%, and 90%.  The minimum average coverage limit is $5,000, and the maximum can go up to unlimited. The company offers a money-back guarantee, provided that you confer with their cancelation policy, and you haven’t been reimbursed within a certain period.

Hartville Pet Insurance Discounts and Features

Discount

There are currently no discounts for new policy buyers available. The company may offer discounts to its existing policyholders at its own discretion.

There is, however, a multi-pet discount. For each additional pet (after your first insured pet), you get a 10% multi-pet discount. 

Features

Hartville pet insurance has a mobile app that you can use to make the claims process significantly easier. You can submit a claim online, and in due time, get reimbursed for your expenses.

Ease of Buying

The policy is very easy to buy and maintain. If you are up-to-date on your monthly payments and pay your deductibles in time, you won’t have any problems getting your claim processed (if it’s covered under the policy). 

If your pet doesn’t have a pre-existing condition, you won’t need to submit any documentation to start your policy. But it’s better if you have records from your vet going back 12 months, ensuring that your pet doesn’t have a pre-existing condition. It will make it easier for you to contest your claims. You will need to provide your credit card details to start the term.

Adding a new pet is very quickly done through the customer portal.

Claims

Claim Processing

Hartville pet insurance claims are relatively easier to process. If you’ve paid your deductibles and made your claim (ideally via the online portal), you will be reimbursed within 30 days or less. On average, it takes about nine to ten days for the company to process a claim and reimburse you. 

When you are claiming through the portal, the company will already have all your info, so there is no need for reiteration. You just need to login, describe the nature of the claim, and provide all the accompanying records (i.e., bills, receipts, proof of transaction, etc.).

How does the reimbursement work?

The reimbursement percentage (like your deductibles) is pre-decided. If your claim falls neatly into what’s covered by the policy, you will be reimbursed via direct deposit. The company can deny your claim if you are behind on your monthly payments or deductibles. 

What Are The Given Company Pet Insurance Restrictions?

One of the best reasons for buying Hartville pet insurance (despite the cost) is that the company has relatively few restrictions.

• You can take your pet to any registered vet.
• There are no age restrictions, but complete coverage would cost more for older pets.
• The company offers insurance for all domestic breeds, except exotic ones.
• Only the incidents that happened (or illnesses started) in the US, three territories, and Canada will be covered.
• The maximum amount covered for most animals is $10,000 (though the unlimited option is also available). There are annual caps on preventive coverage elements.
• There are no lifetime limits.

Waiting Period

The waiting period is 14 days for:

• Illnesses
• Accidents
• Ligament and knee conditions

Customer Satisfaction Review and Financial strength

Hartville BBB rating, or rather, its parent company’s BBB rating is A+. It has been accredited with BBB since 2015. The customer rating on BBB is terrible (1/5), but it’s only based on five reviews.  

A better indicator of its customer satisfaction review would be its stellar Trustpilot rating of 4.6 (based on 197 reviews). 

Fairfax Financial Holdings is the parent company of its parent company and has a market cap of CAD$11 billion. 

There are a few Hartville pet insurance complaints on both BBB and Trustpilot, but the overall customer satisfaction level seems adequate.

Customer Support

Customer support is mainly done through the online portal that the company has provided. Additionally, you can reach out to the company via:

E-mail: [email protected]

Call: 1-800-799-5852

As far as we’ve figured out from the reviews, Hartville’s pet insurance customer service is good. They routinely contact their regular policyholders, and people claim that the company genuinely seems to care about the well-being of their pets.

Comparison to Competitors

Hartville is a premium pet insurance institution with a powerful history. It does have its fair share of competitors, like Geico, Embrace Pet insurance, Figo pet insurance, and Nationwide pet insurance.

Hartville vs. Geico 

Geico prices start relatively lower than Hartville’s, and the monthly premiums are almost 50% lower. Geico also has a better waiting period (2-days) for injuries. Hartville wins at behavioral therapy and microchipping the pets being included in the policy. It also wins by a huge margin when it comes to Trustpilot rating.