Overview
Year Company Started: 1955
Website: www.banfield.net
Phone: 1866-277-7387
Banfield Pet Hospital has been around since 1955, so it’s certainly a reputable establishment. However, contrary to popular belief, the hospital does not offer traditional veterinary health insurance. Banfield is a membership plan that offers wellness benefits. Members must go to Banfield pet hospitals, which are located within PetSmart stores throughout the United States.
Banfield offers several “Optimum Wellness Plans” for cats and dogs. Think of them as annual health-maintenance plans that cover the basics and provide additional discounts. You can pay for the year upfront or make monthly payments.
According to the Banfield Pet Insurance website, these plans provide:
- Up to 50 percent savings over standard care with free office visits for life
- Discounts on many veterinary services
- A vaccination of up to $1000
- The freedom to use any of Banfield’s locations in the US and overseas
But be cautious. Once you buy the plan, it’s yours for the year—no cancellations allowed. That means Banfield won’t reimburse you if your pet passes away a month after you bought the plan. If you opted to pay monthly, you’ll still have to finish making payments for the year.
Banfield Healthcare Plans Review
Rating: 7
Our review process starts with calling each of the insurance providers over the telephone.
I spoke with Ilirio at Banfield Pet Hospital to get quotes for 3 pets:
- A 2-year old male Yorkshire Terrier
- A 6-year old male Cocker Spaniel
- An 8-year old female mixed breed cat
Unlike traditional pet insurance companies, Banfield does not reimburse you for a percentage of treatment after you meet deductibles and copayments. Instead, they offer wellness plans—bundles of pre-paid preventative services— to help eliminate illnesses before they occur. You commit to an annual term with payments broken into 12 installments. Once you purchase a plan, you choose one of 800 national Banfield-affiliated locations to serve as your “home hospital” where your pet will receive all the treatments.
The Plans:
I have several choices for the dogs:
The Adult Pet Health Care Plan
Primary $25.95/month
Basic $31.95/month
Basic Plus $39.95/month
Optimum $49.95/month
The Primary plan is the least comprehensive, whereas the Optimum plan covers almost everything, from vaccinations and exams to dental hospitalizations. The Primary offers 5% off additional services; the Basic, 10%; the Basic Plus, 15%; and the Optimum, 20%.
And for the cat:
The Kitten Health Care Package
Basic $15.95/month
Basic Plus $22.95/month
Includes yearly physical exams, leukemia/feline AIDS test, intestinal parasite fecal exams, dewormings, and more. The Basic plan offers 5% off additional services, whereas the Basic plus offers 10%.
Although I did not get this information on the phone, I learned by visiting the website that Banfield also has a Puppy Care Package for dogs six months old or younger.
The Details:
Since you are purchasing plans that cover the cost of treatments, there are no co-payments or deductibles. The first year, you must pay a one-time fee of $69.95. If you cancel the plan before a year’s up, you must either complete the remaining payments in a lump sum, or reimburse Banfield for the services they covered.
According to Ilario, many customers choose to purchase traditional pet health insurance in addition to their wellness plan. This way they have extra coverage for accidents and illnesses. If you opt not to buy a separate insurance policy, you’ll still receive discounts at Banfield-affiliated hospitals, as indicated above. Also, you get free unlimited office visits for the life of the plan.
Conclusions:
Surprisingly, Ilirio didn’t do a fantastic job selling me on Banfield. In fact, despite his friendly, helpful demeanor, I had to call three times to get all the information I needed. Still, I’ve decided a Banfield Wellness Plan is a smart bet weighing the following pros and cons:
Pros:
- Office visits are free, so you’ll feel comfortable going in for problems even if they appear minor.
- The most important preventative services are included in even the basic plans.
- The annual cost of each wellness plan is far less than the combined services would cost.
- Banfield provides a small discount on services that aren’t covered.
Cons:
- You commit to a year of payments no matter what—even if your dog gets lost or dies.
- The policies automatically renew.
- You may have to deal with longer than usual wait times.
i had banfield and their vet misdiagnosed the dogs illness. by the time i got a second opinion was too late. i am still paying on the policy even thopugh the dog died and was a result of their vets misdaignosis of renal insufficiency instead of cushings disease.
They are HORRIBLE!!!!! Do not sign up and get stuck a whole year with them. They rip you off and add all kinds of fees to a bill you should not even have since you pay a monthly fee. Before you sign up they make you think so much is covered for you to then find out there are hidden fees. They even charged me fees for an additional person to hold my 4 pound calm Yorkie still for the Vet to perform her regular routine. They gave my dogs shots they were not due to get even though I told them not to. My dog was so sick and I thought I was loosing him. I would not recoment Banfield to my worse enemy!!!
Banfield is the worst thing you can do for your pet! Banfield is not pet insurance. Their wellness plans only provide vaccinations, teeth cleaning, and free office visits.
Banfield misdiagnosed my dogs cancer and never even sent the aspiration to a lab. Banfiels said it would go away in three months. Three months later we took her to a real vet and the cancer had spread to her entire body and she will die in 2 to six months.
You are much better off buying a real pet health insurance policy. They are cheaper and cover more illnesses.
Don’t use Banfield if you’re attached to your vet. I was a loyal client for 11 yrs. Within the last 5 mos they wiped out the entire staff of veterinarians. I’m still locked into 2 Wellness Plans but will never set foot in Banfield again. I will follow my favorite vet after whom I named my whippet.
I too, was a loyal customer of Banfield’s for over 10 years, back when it was called “Vetsmart.” I’ve had their Wellness Plan’s for about 9 years. Just recently, the Banfield in Superior, CO performed a dental on my cat and tore his trachea. He had severe subcutaneous emphysema, pneumothorax and a pneumomediastinum (meaning, air was all over his body, under his skin and moving organs and collapsing lungs). Banfield denied all responsibility. Losing me permanently as a customer of 10+ years was better than making it right. Unless you want to be treated as a number and a means to profit rather than a client who cares for your pet, avoid them at all costs.
Here’s a picture of what they did to my cat: http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/7306/rahmisubqemphysema.jpg
We had a Wellness Plan for our Basset Hound, Harley, for at least 13 years! We took her in for her annual check-up in January and confirmed our suspicions that she needed to be put down. We had her put to sleep January 19th. Now, we are being told that because of her check-up (which is supposed to be included in her plan), we have to keep paying for her wellness plan until November? This is outrageous! We’ve had issues with her treatment in the past, but this tops the cake! This is the most cold-hearted customer-service I have EVER received. Not only will we NEVER take another pet to Banfield, we will NEVER shop at PetsMart either!
Horrible. If you want your dog to die from being continuously misdiagnosed and pay hundreds of dollars on “tests”, this is the vet for you. Luckily I got a second opinion and with surgery and a proper diet, my dog is healthy again. They deny being wrong, imagine that..
RIPOFF KILLED MY BASSET AND THEN TRIED TO SCREW ME ON THEIR “INSURANCE” PLAN. NEVER AGAIN, I LOKKED PAST THE POSTS I SAW ONLINE, DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKES I DID.
I have never had a problem with Banfield, but be sure to read the contract before signing. You must keep paying even after your dog passes away during the term of the plan.
I also make sure I am not charged for anything covered on my plan. My dog goes there for routine checkups that are part of the wellness plan. If there is ever something really really serious I will go to another vet if I feel that my current vet isn’t doing what I think is best for her. So far so good, but like finding a good human doctor a good pet doctor is hard to find.
I just want to know if whats the best plan for my cat his name is bootsy and hes 8 months old. I wanted to choose in between Banfeild and Purina insurance can any body help me make a decision? Although I read the posts. and I kinda know what my desicion is.
Rafiq, 8 mth is still very young. I’ll wait until around 1-2 yrs old unless you’ve sense something unusual. I’m not familiar with either Purina or Banfield. I was previously with VPI but switch to Embrace recently. So far their customer service is pretty good. My advice, don’t let your kitty out!
I have our 4 dogs signed up with Banfield. I have NEVER had a problem with Banfield, and have found ALL of the doctors, and their assistants to be EXCELLENT! They are very caring, really take their time with your pet, and you, and always take time to answer my questions, and explain procedures. I’m very happy with them. I was signed up with one Banfield for about 5 years, then we moved 38 miles from that one… I continued to go there because I liked the staff so much… but it was just that bit too far, so I tried one a lot closer to my home, and found the new Banfield to be just as friendly and helpful with great doctors as well!!
I recently got a 8week old chihuahua male.. I decided to go with banfield, when I first took him (last week) it seemed that all they were into was the money part, AND THEY WERNT GOOD AT EXPLAINING ANYTHING!!!! I asked tons of questions to make shure I was at the right place, after that they took a tiny look at my pup and said he might have parisites in his belly (after he had just had his lunch) I told her that’s impossible because of the fact his small an full, and I told them I will think about it and re schedule if I decide to sign up.
The next day I called to schedule an appointment and decided to sign up just because it’s inexpensive and he’s a pup
I’m planning to just stick with them throughout the year and then finding someone else..
Wish Me Luck!
So for the most part I’m not that satisfied and they aren’t all that bad YET.
BUT THEY ARE MONEY HUNGRY!!