Banfield Wellness Plan Info & Review: Everything You Need to Know
Director of Marketing & Foster/Rescue Parent - Pawlicy Advisor
General Information about Banfield Pet Hospital
Banfield Pet Hospital was founded in 1955 in northeast Portland, Oregon by veterinarian Warren J. Wegert. It was named after the nearby Banfield Freeway. The company was purchased by Scott Campbell in 1987, and Medical Management International, Inc. (MMI) was created to own the clinic. In 2007, Campbell sold his shares of the company to Mars, Incorporated.
Banfield partnered with the pet store PetSmart in 1994 to open clinics inside PetSmart store locations. At the time, the clinics were branded “VetSmart.” Today, the veterinary hospital company has grown to more than 975 locations across the United States and Puerto Rico. Banfield owns clinics in Mexico and the United Kingdom as well.
Clinics in PetSmart locations usually include about four veterinarians and provide standard veterinary care. The company’s headquarters is in Vancouver, WA.
In addition to veterinary services, Banfield offers a pet wellness plan called the “Optimum Wellness Plan,” (OWP) which is available in three tiers. Banfield does not offer traditional pet insurance.
A Banfield wellness plan differs from a pet insurance policy and offers less financial protection.
What kinds of pets are eligible for Banfield Optimum Wellness Plans?
Banfield’s Optimum Wellness Plans are available to dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens. No other types of pets are covered through Banfield at this time.
What plans are available through Banfield?
Banfield offers three versions of its Optimum Wellness Plan:
- Active Care: “Designed for keeping healthy pets healthy and establishing health baselines for comparison as your pet ages.”
- Active Care Plus: “Designed for keeping healthy pets healthy – with additional dental services for a healthy mouth.”
- Special Care: “For pets that require extra care or have chronic conditions that require an extra level of screening.”
Each type of plan can apply to either a dog or cat, and prices are different depending on which type of animal you intend to cover. Banfield Pet Hospital is not a pet insurance company and does not offer any type of traditional pet insurance plan.
How Much Does Banfield Cost?
Banfield lists a flat monthly rate for all three of its plans. However, those rates differ depending on the animal you intend to insure. Plans for dogs cost more than plans for cats.*
Costs for Dogs:
- Active Care: $37.95/month or $455.40/year.
- Active Care Plus: $46.95/month or $563.40/year.
- Special Care: $58.95/month or $707.40/year.
Costs for Cats:
- Active Care: $26.95/month or $323.40/year.
- Active Care Plus: $37.95/month or $455.40/year.
- Special Care: $46.95/month or $563.40/year.
All plans include a one-time startup fee of $59.95.
According to Banfield Pet Hospital’s website, these rates are much lower than the actual retail value of their plans, which range from $903.32/year to $2,043.40/year for dogs and $821.75/year to $1,599.03/year for cats.
*These rates are based on the registration of dogs and cats of different ages through the Banfield website.
What makes Banfield plans worth it?
The biggest benefit to a Banfield Optimum Wellness Plan is the availability of Banfield clinics themselves. They are situated in PetSmart stores throughout the U.S., which are located near most population centers. If you’re already a Banfield customer, or if you plan to take your pet to Banfield Pet Hospitals for their regular checkups, a Banfield Optimum Wellness plan might be a good investment.
Unlike other pet insurance and wellness plans, you don’t have to wait for reimbursements from Banfield. All covered services are free at the point of purchase when you have a plan.
If you want wellness care but don’t want traditional accident/illness insurance for your pet, Banfield might be a good option, too. The most basic plan covers all necessary vaccinations, diagnostic testing, fecal exams, and deworming. Higher-tier plans cover urinalysis, preventive X-rays, and additional diagnostics. You can get parasite prevention services for an additional cost.
If you buy prescriptions and other products and services directly through Banfield and have an Optimum Wellness Plan, you can get a discount of up to 20%, depending on which plan you choose.
How does the price compare to other plans?
Banfield’s pet wellness plans are slightly more expensive than some competitors. For example, Wagmo’s wellness plans start at just $20 per month and it is also sold as a stand-alone product instead of an add-on.
If you intend to cover your pet with traditional accident/illness pet insurance, you may be able to get a better monthly rate on a wellness plan than you might with Banfield.
Some pet insurance plans start as low as $9 per month.
Important Information to Know About Banfield
How are Banfield’s reviews?
The Banfield Optimum Wellness Plan has mixed reviews. According to one pet owner, the wellness plan is a good deal for preventative care, and many others have left favorable reviews of their experience with the plans in conjunction with their local Banfield clinics. But others complain about the quality of the customer service they’ve received. Others say it is difficult to cancel plans.
It’s worth noting that it can be difficult to separate reviews of the wellness plan from reviews of Banfield Pet Hospital locations themselves.
Investopedia rates Banfield’s pet wellness plans at 3.4 out of 5 stars. Meanwhile, Canine Journal rates Banfield’s plans at 2 out of 5 stars and ConsumersAdvocate.org rates them at 2.3 out of 5 stars.*
*Keep in mind that reviews only offer a shade of context. Simple review aggregators do not illuminate the real data points and fine print as it relates to your unique pet, location, and financial standing. To get a data-driven, personalized recommendation you can use Pawlicy Advisor’s .
What to know before investing in Banfield
- Policy Duration: Annual
- Payment Plan Frequency: Monthly, Annual
- Payment Transaction Fee ($): Overdraft/Reprocessing Fee of $20
- Minimum Age Eligibility to Enroll (Months): None
- Change of Insurance Ownership Allowed: No
- Residency Requirement: None Listed
- Geographic Coverage: The United States and Puerto Rico
- Vet Direct Pay: Yes (Banfield Pet Hospital Vets Only)
When should you consider wellness coverage for your pet?
As with most plans, the sooner you sign up for coverage, the better. If you sign up for a Benfield Optimum Wellness Plan while your pet is still young, you’ll be able to enjoy coverage and discounts at Banfield locations throughout their lifetime.
Ideally, you should consider a pet insurance policy and/or a wellness plan within the first six months of adopting your pet — regardless of whether you adopt from a shelter, rescue, or breeder.
Customer Service for Banfield
You can get customer service from Banfield by contacting or visiting your local Banfield Pet Hospital. You can also send Banfield a message through the Contact Us page on the Banfield.com website, contact the company via email, or call one of their customer service phone lines.
Contact Portal: https://www.banfield.com/about-us/contact-us
Corporate Headquarters
- Phone: 866-894-7927
- Address: 18101 SE 6th Way, Vancouver, WA 98683
Hospital Experience Feedback
- Phone: 877-500-2288
- Email: internet.inquiries@banfield.net
Optimum Wellness Plan Clients
Enrollments and Information
- Phone: 877-277-7387
- Email: OWP@banfield.net
Billing and Payments
- Phone: 866-935-5738
- Email: CST.inbox@banfield.net
Questions and Plan Cancellation
- Phone: 888-649-2716
- Email: wellnessplanrelations@banfield.net
Home Delivery Questions
- Phone: 866-277-7387
- Email: home.delivery@banfield.com
Website Questions and Comments
- Phone: 877-656-7146
- Email: Banfield.WebSupport@banfield.com
Discount Opportunities for Banfield
Banfield offers a $15 multiple pet discount off the membership fee of its Optimum Wellness Plan. Banfield offers discounts of up to 20% off some prescriptions, products, and services.
According to the Banfield website: “Discounts range from 5% to 20% off depending on the plan level selected and office visits are always no additional charge. Discounts apply to nearly all non-wellness plan Banfield services and products. Exceptions include therapeutic diets and PetSmart services or merchandise.”
The Optimum Wellness Plan discount applies to:
- Parasite preventives, including FirstShield®, Wormshield®, and Comfortis® when purchased outside your plan. (Parasite Control Options that can be added to your plan are already discounted.)
- Prescriptions and all medications except custom compounded medications.
- Products like shampoo, conditioners, and lotions.
- Medical tests or services.
What’s Covered Under Banfield’s Optimum Wellness Plan?
Banfield’s Optimum Wellness Plan only covers routine care and preventive health services at Banfield Pet Hospital locations. Higher-tiered plans cover more types of preventive care than lower-tiered plans.
Becuase Banfield’s Optimum Wellness Plan is a wellness product (rather than traditional pet insurance), it does not cover accidents, illnesses, hereditary and congenital conditions, alternative therapies, chronic conditions, prescription medications, prescription food and supplements, and microchip implantation. However, their wellness plan does provide discounts on other health services at Banfield Pet Hospital locations.
Flea, tick, and heartworm prevention services can be covered for an additional cost. You can also get your pet a DNA test to determine their risk of certain diseases for an extra cost.
List of services covered by Banfield
Office Visits: Unlimited
VetChat: Online or Through App, Unlimited
Comprehensive Physical Exam: 2/Year
Vaccinations: Varies
Diagnostic Testing: 1/Year
Fecal Exams: 2/Year
Deworming: 2/Year
Dental Cleaning: 1/Year (Active Care and Special Care Plans)
Urinalysis: Varies (Active Care and Special Care Plans)
Preventive X-Rays: 1/Year (Special Care Plan)
Eye Pressure Test: 1/Year (Special Care Plan)
Electrocardiogram: 1/Year (Special Care Plan)
Flea, Tick, and Heartworm Prevention: Available at Extra Cost
DNA Disease Testing: Available at Extra Cost
Discounted Products:
- Parasite Preventives
- Prescriptions (Except Compounded)
- Shampoos, Lotions, and Other Banfield Pet Products
What’s Not Covered?
Banfield’s pet wellness product doesn’t cover cosmetic procedures or breeding costs, including animal pregnancy costs. Cosmetic procedures include tail docking, ear cropping, claw removal, and others.
Banfield does not cover the treatment of pre-existing conditions (any medical condition that exists before benefits go into effect).
Unlike pet insurance, Banfield wellness plans do not cover the treatment cost for pet illnesses or injuries.
Claims Reimbursement
Unlike other pet insurance providers, there is no claims reimbursement with a Banfield Optimum Wellness Plan. Instead of submitting a claim after paying for veterinary services, Banfield’s wellness plan pays for covered services at the point of purchase at Banfield locations.
Cancellation Information
If you wish to cancel your Banfield plan, you can email wellnessplanrelations@banfield.com or call 888-649-2716 to discuss final financial obligations. Plans are provided under an annual agreement. These agreements can be canceled at any time.
However, under the monthly payment option, you’re still responsible for any services that may not have been paid for. That means you must pay for either the full retail value of the services or the remaining associated monthly payments on your plan (whichever is less).
Keep in mind that Banfield plans are renewed automatically. To opt-out of automatic renewal, log onto your MyBanfield account, navigate to the Account section, and click the “Manage Plan” button beside the pet whose plan you’d like to set not to renew.
Pre-Existing Conditions
Pre-existing conditions are not covered by Banfield’s Optimum Pet Wellness Plan. However, they don’t exclude you from being eligible for Banfield’s plans.
Furthermore, pre-existing conditions are treated equally as other conditions, regardless of when they appeared, under Banfield’s plan. That’s because Banfield’s plan only covers routine and preventative care services, not expenses associated with the treatment of accidents or illnesses.
PRO TIP: Some pet insurance companies can cover pre-existing conditions that are considered curable if pets are symptom-free for a certain amount of time.
Key Takeaways
- Wellness plans start at just $37.95/month for dogs and $26.95/month for cats.
- Every Banfield wellness plan includes unlimited office visits.
- Every Banfield wellness plan includes coverage of routine vaccines.
- Get discounts of up to 20% on some prescriptions and other Banfield products and services.
- Online access to pet health records.
- Locations throughout the U.S.
- Coverage begins the moment you sign up.
- Up to a 20% discount off Fetch pet insurance plans.
- You must sign a 12-month contract and the plan renews automatically every 12 months.
- You can’t choose your vet (only usable at Banfield locations).
- No accident/illness insurance plans.
- Like all pet insurance companies, Banfield doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions.
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Director of Marketing & Foster/Rescue Parent - Pawlicy Advisor
Edwin Plotts rescues and rehomes cats in Savannah, GA - while leading Pawlicy Advisor's brand growth. He's a pet parent of two rescued sibling cats: Greyson and Babs. He's also an avid volunteer with Flatbush Cats and The Toby Project.
