When most people think of pet insurance, they think about dogs and cats. Nationwide is one of the few major providers that goes further, covering everything from parrots and hamsters to iguanas and potbellied pigs. As one of the oldest and largest pet insurers in the country, Nationwide has built a reputation around broad, customizable coverage — but that breadth comes with tradeoffs worth understanding before you sign up. This guide walks through what Nationwide actually covers, how much it costs, and how it stacks up against the competition.
A Quick History
Nationwide’s pet insurance business didn’t start under that name. It traces back to Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), founded in 1982 as the very first pet insurance company in the United States. Nationwide Mutual Insurance acquired VPI in 2008 and rebranded it as Nationwide Pet Insurance in 2015. Today, the company insures well over a million pets, backed by a Fortune 500 parent company with roots in insurance dating back to 1926. That financial backing matters in an industry where smaller insurers sometimes struggle to keep up with rising veterinary costs.
What Plans Does Nationwide Offer?
Nationwide’s biggest differentiator is flexibility. Rather than a single one-size-fits-all policy, it offers several distinct plan types:
Modular Pet Insurance Plan. This is Nationwide’s most customizable option for dogs and cats, letting you build a policy around accident-only or accident-and-illness coverage, then adjust your deductible, reimbursement rate, and annual coverage limit. You can also layer on optional add-ons like a wellness rider for routine care such as vaccinations and flea-and-tick prevention.
Whole Pet with Wellness. This broader accident-and-illness plan covers hereditary and congenital conditions, dental illness, behavioral therapy, alternative treatments like acupuncture, and prescription medications. It comes with a $250 deductible and a choice between 50% and 70% reimbursement, though it caps annual payouts at $5,000 for accidents and $10,000 for illnesses rather than offering unlimited coverage.
Major Medical plans. A scaled-back accident-and-illness option that excludes some of the extras included in the Modular or Whole Pet plans, generally at a lower price point.
Injury Plan. An accident-only policy that covers things like bite wounds and other injuries but excludes illnesses such as cancer. As with most insurers, accident-only coverage is the cheapest tier available.
Avian and Exotic Pet Plan. This is where Nationwide truly stands apart. It’s the only major U.S. pet insurer writing policies for birds, reptiles, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, and other exotic species, covering species-specific conditions that most mainstream insurers won’t touch at all. If you own a cockatoo, bearded dragon, or potbellied pig, Nationwide is likely the first and possibly only major carrier that can insure it.
Nationwide also offers employer-based plans, such as My Pet Protection Choice, available through more than 9,000 companies and associations that include pet insurance in their employee benefits packages. Group rates through an employer are often meaningfully cheaper than buying retail.
What Does It Cost?
Pricing varies widely based on your pet’s age, breed, species, location, and the specific plan and deductible you choose, but recent industry data gives a useful range. Monthly premiums for dogs commonly fall somewhere between $42 and $94, while cat coverage tends to run between $22 and $41 per month. Location has a real impact too — the same coverage might cost significantly more in a high-cost state like Washington than in a lower-cost state like Arkansas.
Most Nationwide plans use a standard $250 deductible, with reimbursement typically set at 50%, 70%, or 80% depending on the plan and options selected. Annual coverage limits vary by plan: some cap out at $10,000, while others use per-condition limits rather than a single annual cap, which is worth reading closely if your pet has or develops a chronic condition.
Strengths Worth Knowing
- Exotic pet coverage. No other major national insurer matches Nationwide’s willingness to underwrite birds, reptiles, and small mammals.
- Coverage breadth. The Modular and Whole Pet plans cover a long list of conditions, including hereditary and congenital issues, behavioral therapy, and alternative treatments like chiropractic care and acupuncture — categories some competitors exclude entirely.
- 24/7 vet helpline. Policyholders get unlimited access to licensed veterinary professionals through video chat at no extra cost, which can be useful for quick guidance before deciding whether an in-person visit is needed.
- International coverage. Unlike some insurers that restrict coverage to in-network providers, Nationwide’s coverage travels with you, with no network restrictions.
- Curable pre-existing conditions. If a condition is considered cured for a set period (subject to Nationwide’s review of medical records), it may become eligible for coverage again, which isn’t universal across the industry.
Where Nationwide Falls Short
No insurer is perfect, and Nationwide has some real drawbacks worth weighing carefully.
Pricing isn’t the cheapest. Independent rankings consistently place Nationwide in the middle-to-lower tier for affordability compared to competitors like Lemonade or Healthy Paws, particularly for dog coverage.
Claims can be slow. Nationwide states that claims may take up to 30 days to process, which is on the longer end compared to digital-first competitors that emphasize fast turnaround.
Coverage caps rather than unlimited payouts. Several of Nationwide’s plans use fixed annual or per-condition limits instead of unlimited coverage, which some competitors offer. For pets with expensive chronic conditions, this cap could mean out-of-pocket costs once the limit is reached.
Mass policy cancellations. In 2024, Nationwide announced it would not renew roughly 100,000 pet insurance policies over the following year, citing rising veterinary care costs. The move led to a pending class-action lawsuit alleging the company had promised policies would never be canceled due to a pet’s age. This is a meaningful trust issue for anyone considering a long-term policy, and it’s worth asking directly about renewal guarantees before enrolling.
Enrollment age limits. New illness coverage is generally only available for pets younger than 8, which rules out enrolling an older pet in full accident-and-illness protection, though some accident-only options may still apply.
How Nationwide Compares to Other Pet Insurers
Against newer, digital-first competitors like Lemonade, Nationwide tends to lose on price and claims speed but wins on coverage breadth and species variety. Compared to Healthy Paws, which doesn’t offer wellness plans or exotic pet coverage, Nationwide offers more customization but often at a higher monthly cost. Against Pets Best, which allows higher reimbursement rates up to 90% and has no upper age limit for enrollment, Nationwide’s rigid $250 deductible and lower reimbursement ceiling can look less competitive for senior pets specifically.
Who Nationwide Makes the Most Sense For
Nationwide is a strong fit if you own an exotic pet, since it remains one of the only realistic options in that category. It also makes sense for pet owners who want a wellness add-on bundled with accident-and-illness coverage, or who have access to Nationwide through an employer benefits program, where group rates typically beat retail pricing. It’s a reasonable, if not the cheapest, choice for dog and cat owners who prioritize broad coverage and don’t mind a somewhat slower claims process in exchange for flexibility.
If your top priorities are the lowest possible premium, unlimited annual payouts, or fast digital claims processing, it’s worth comparing quotes from at least two or three other insurers before committing. As with any insurance decision, running the math on your specific pet’s age, breed, and health history against Nationwide’s deductible and reimbursement structure will tell you far more than any general review can.
