Hartville Pet Insurance Review

Hartville Pet Insurance offers a range of policy options and wide-reaching coverage.
Georgia Rose
By Georgia Rose 
Edited by Caitlin Constantine

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4.5

NerdWallet rating 

Plans offered: Accident and illness, accident-only, wellness.

Breadth of coverage: Excellent.

Range of plan options: Good.

Can pay your vet directly: Yes.

The bottom line: Offers a range of coverage options, including two preventive care packages.

Our writers and editors follow strict editorial guidelines that ensure fairness and accuracy in order to help you choose the financial products that work best for you. In our pet insurance reviews, our editorial team considers both the customer and the insurer. These are some of the factors we take into account:

Plans offered. Pet insurance companies generally offer the following three types of plans:

  • Accident and illness policies reimburse you for medical treatment if your pet gets sick or injured.

  • Accident-only policies pay expenses if your pet is injured.

  • Wellness plans help you budget for preventive care costs.

Breadth of coverage. We looked for plans that cover a wide range of potential expenses.

Range of plan options. This category looks at how many ways you can customize what you pay for your plan and how you’re reimbursed.

Can pay your vet directly. This indicates whether an insurer can pay your vet directly for medical expenses. With this service, you don’t have to pay the money yourself upfront and then wait for reimbursement.

Dive deeper with our criteria for evaluating pet insurance companies.

Hartville Pet Insurance is a branded arm of Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group, an insurance agency founded in 1997. Hartville offers plans for cats and dogs ages eight weeks and up in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The company sells one accident and illness policy and one accident-only policy, as well as two optional preventive-care packages. Policies are underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company, which is owned by Crum & Forster.

Hartville pet insurance

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

Hartville earned 4.5 stars out of 5 for overall performance. NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account consumer experience, coverage options and financial strength ratings.

Based on this rating, Hartville is on NerdWallet's list of the Best Pet Insurance Companies.

Hartville pros and cons

Pros

Cons

Annual coverage limits range from $5,000 to unlimited.

Does not cover herbal supplements.

You can visit any licensed vet in the United States and Canada.

There’s no maximum age limit.

State availability

Coverage is available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Hartville pet insurance plans

Complete Coverage

Complete Coverage is the name of Hartville’s standard accident and illness plan. In addition to covering accidents and illnesses, the plan covers hereditary conditions and behavioral issues, as well as more advanced services like stem cell therapy and cancer treatments.

Accident-only coverage

Hartville’s accident-only plan covers a range of treatments and services, such as end-of-life expenses, medical supplies, MRIs, poison control consultation fees and tooth extractions.

Preventive care

Hartville offers two preventive-care plans: basic and prime. These packages are optional and can be added to your policy for a fee. There are no deductibles or copayments; instead, you’re given a set budget per year for certain treatments. The basic package can help pay for services like dental cleaning, vaccinations and blood tests. The prime plan offers higher annual maximums, as well as coverage for spaying and neutering.

What Hartville pet insurance covers

Hartville’s accident and illness plan covers the following services, conditions and treatments:

  • Hereditary conditions.

  • Behavioral issues.

  • Alternative therapy.

  • End-of-life expenses.

  • Intravenous fluids and medications.

  • Medical supplies, such as casts and splints.

  • MRIs, CT scans and X-rays.

  • Poison control consultation fees.

  • Prescription food (only for a covered condition).

  • Prescription medications.

  • Stem cell therapy.

  • Supplements (only for a covered condition).

  • Surgery and hospitalization.

  • Tooth extractions.

  • Vet exams and tests.

  • Cancer treatments.

  • Behavioral problems.

  • Microchip implantation.

  • Curable preexisting conditions (only if the pet is cured and symptom-free for 180 days). Ligament and knee conditions are not included.

What’s not covered

Services, conditions and treatments not covered by Hartville’s accident and illness plan include:

  • Dental procedures.

  • Boarding fees.

  • Breeding treatments.

  • Cosmetic or elective procedures.

  • Dental cleanings (unless due to covered illness).

  • Experimental treatments.

  • Funeral services.

  • Grooming.

  • Herbal supplements.

  • House call fees.

  • Illnesses or injuries resulting from intentional actions or gross negligence.

  • Ligament and knee conditions.

  • Organ or heart valve transplants.

  • Incurable preexisting conditions.

  • Training.

Hartville coverage options

Deductibles: You can choose an annual deductible of $100, $250 or $500.

Reimbursement amounts: 70%, 80% and 90%.

Coverage limits: Coverage limits range from $5,000 per year to unlimited.

Restrictions and waiting periods

Age restrictions: Dogs and cats ages eight weeks and up are eligible to apply. There is no maximum age limit.

Waiting periods: A waiting period is the time between when you buy the policy and when the coverage takes effect. Hartville has a 14-day waiting period for all conditions. If an accident or illness occurs during this time, it is considered a preexisting condition.

Discounts

Hartville offers a 10% discount for each additional pet you insure.

Consumer experience

Website: The website includes key details for each type of coverage available and allows you to download sample policies. You can log in to the member portal on the Hartville website, where you can view your policy, add pets, submit claims and access a 24/7 veterinary helpline.

App: The Hartville smartphone app offers many of the same features available in the web portal. You can file and track claims, add pets, view your policy, and find vets in your area.

Claims: You can submit and track claims using the online member portal or smartphone app. Claims must be submitted within 270 days of the service date.

Customer service: If you need assistance, you can reach Hartville by phone or email. Call centers are open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

Other pet insurance companies to consider

Not ready to make a decision? You may be interested in these other pet insurance companies:

Frequently asked questions

No, Hartville does not cover dental care. But the company may cover dental cleaning if used to treat a covered condition.

Hartville’s standard accident and illness policy does not cover spaying and neutering. However, if you add the company’s Prime preventive care package to your policy, you get an annual maximum of $150 to cover these services.

You can email, write or call Hartville to cancel your policy. You must provide the future date on which you want the coverage to end. Written notifications can be sent via email, fax or mail.

Methodology

NerdWallet’s pet insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, coverage, plan options, discounts and more. Our “consumer experience” category looks at factors such as website transparency and how easy it is to file a claim. To calculate each insurer’s rating, we adjusted the scores to a curved 5-point scale. See our full pet insurance methodology.

These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.

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