The American Kennel Club (AKC) is well-known in the pet world for its expertise in breed, health and training for dogs. PetPartners, Inc. partnered with AKC in 2003 and administers AKC Pet Insurance.
But, in 2009, they also started selling the exact same pet insurance policy under their own brand name: PetPartners. So, you can choose which brand name you’d prefer to represent your pet without any change in coverage.
But, regardless of the brand name, what does this policy cover? That’s precisely what we’ll dive into here.
Visit AKC Pet Insurance Website | Visit PetPartners Pet Insurance
Article Overview
AKC Pet Insurance
Pros
- No vet records or exam required to enroll
- Option to add on a wellness plan, exam fee, memorial coverage and hereditary condition coverages
- BBB rating: A+ through PetPartners, Inc. (which administers AKC Pet Insurance & PetPartners)
- Your pet is covered when they travel with you in the United States or Canada
- 5% multi-pet discount
- Claims are typically paid within 7 days
Cons
- No illness coverage for dogs enrolled after age 9
- Must purchase coverage for inherited/congenital conditions
- Hip dysplasia and congenital and hereditary conditions are only available for coverage if you enroll your dog at 2-years-old or younger
- $3-$4 transaction fee (depending on state), highest in the pet insurance space
Alternatives To AKC & PetPartners
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Key Features
- Underwriter: Independence American Insurance Company (same as PetFirst)
- A.M. Best rating: A-
- Policies administered by PetPartners, Inc.
- No exam required
- Bilateral exclusions include cruciate ligament, lameness and other conditions or diseases that affect both sides of the body
- Must purchase HereditaryPlus plan if you want hereditary, congenital and chronic conditions (e.g., hip dysplasia, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, etc.) covered. This is not available for dogs enrolled after the age of 2.
- Processes most claims in 7 days or less
- The Basic plan has a $500 incident limit (which we aren’t fans of because you never know how costly an incident may be). These incident limits are over the lifetime of the pet, not annual. The Custom plan does not have an incident limit.
- Must submit claims within 180 days via email, fax, mail or the online customer portal
- 30-day “Free Look” period (similar to a money back guarantee)
Pre-Existing Conditions
Defined by AKC Pet Insurance as:
any Illness or injury which occurred, reoccurred, existed or showed Symptoms, whether or not diagnosed by a Veterinarian, prior to the Pet Original Start Date, Coverage Period or during the Waiting Period.
Customer Service Hours
- Phone, live chat and email: Monday – Friday: 8:30am-8pm (EST) and Saturday: 10am-3pm (EST)
Waiting Periods
- 14 days: Illness
- 2 days: Accidents
- 6 months: Cruciate ligament events
- 30 days: Hip dysplasia (only covered if you purchase the HereditaryPlus Plan)
What Does AKC Pet Insurance & PetPartners Cover?
Services included are not limited to this list and are subject to change.
| Covered | Not Covered |
|---|---|
| Accidents | Pre-existing conditions |
| Illnesses | Breeding and whelping costs |
| Cancer | |
| Allergies | |
| Behavioral therapies | |
| Alternative treatment | |
| Wellness and routine care (Optional DefenderPlus Coverage) | |
| Vaccinations, titer test, flea control, heartworm medication, de-worming (Optional DefenderPlus Coverage) | |
| Spay/neuter procedures (Optional DefenderPlus Coverage) | |
| Exam fees (Optional ExamPlus Coverage) | |
| Hereditary and congenital conditions (Optional HereditaryPlus Coverage) | |
| Diabetes (Optional HereditaryPlus Coverage) | |
| Arthritis | |
| Final respects memorials and urns (Optional SupportPlus Coverage) |
Routine Care Coverage
AKC Pet Insurance and PetPartners offer 2 wellness care plans shown in the table below. Included are the maximum amounts that AKC Pet Insurance and PetPartners will pay for each specific routine care.
| Defender | DefenderPlus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price Per Month | $17 | $29 |
| Rabies | $15 | $15 |
| Flea/Tick Prevention | $50 | $65 |
| Heartworm Prevention | $30 | $30 |
| Vaccination/Titer | $30 | $40 |
| Wellness Exam | $50 | $50 |
| Heartworm Test of FELV Screen | $25 | $30 |
| Blood, Fecal, Parasite Exam | $50 | $70 |
| Microchip | $20 | $40 |
| Urinalysis or ERD | $15 | $25 |
| Deworming | $20 | $20 |
| Spay/Neuter - Teeth Cleaning | $0 | $150 |
| Total Annual Benefits | $305 | $535 |
Other Add-On Packages
Prices vary based on the pet insured.
- ExamPlus: Covers primary care vets, emergency hospitals and specialty clinics.
- HereditaryPlus: Covers heart disease, elbow dysplasia, arthritis, hip dysplasia, diabetes, luxating patella, spondylosis, eye disorders and more.
- SupportPlus: Covers cremation, burial, urns and memorials.
Is Hip Dysplasia Covered?
You must purchase the HereditaryPlus Plan for hip dysplasia coverage, and your dog must be enrolled before they’re 2 years old. There’s an additional 30-day waiting period, as long as your dog doesn’t have any symptoms or signs of pre-existing hip dysplasia.
We’re disappointed that AKC Pet Insurance and PetPartners require you to purchase an add-on plan to obtain hip dysplasia coverage. Most companies cover hip dysplasia in the standard accident and illness plan offered.
Pricing Quotes
We’ve gathered some sample prices from AKC Pet Insurance and PetPartners for its accident and illness coverage plan.
You can choose from a wide range of deductibles starting at $100 and going up to $1,000. You can select your reimbursement level as well: 70%, 80% or 90%. For the annual coverage limit, you can choose anywhere from $2,500 up to unlimited.
Below are the prices for random breeds in various locations with different limitations. Quotes are from February 2020.
| Breed | Labrador Retriever | English Cocker Spaniel | German Shepherd | Mixed Breed Cat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 2 years | 8 years | 4 years | 2 years |
| Location | Florida (33601) | Illinois (60290) | California (90001) | Washington D.C. (20001) |
| Reimbursement Level | 80% | 80% | 90% | 80% |
| Annual Deductible | $250 | $500 | $500 | $250 |
| Annual Limit | Unlimited | $7,500 | $5,000 | Unlimited |
| Price Per Month | $49.55 | $71.34 | $58.05 | $24.78 |
You can get personalized price quotes for your pet(s) from reputable companies when you fill out just 1 short form. You can also visit our pet insurance quotes page to see how the cost of AKC Pet Insurance and PetPartners stacks up against the competition.
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AKC Pet Insurance Customer Reviews
Positive Reviews
I’ve known about AKC for years. My experience with them has been great. I had gotten like a free 30-day and it had lapsed and thankfully, I was still in the grace period. I didn’t realize that, but my mom had died and other things had been on my mind. AKC was very kind and let me go ahead and get my policy backdated with no lapse. I was impressed with the understanding and support. – M., Consumer Affairs 9/27/2019
AKC Pet Insurance is well worth the premium. It provides me with peace of mind knowing I can get the care my dogs need without panicking over the cost. Claims are very easy to submit and reimbursement is sent promptly. I know it is there when we need it! – Violet’s mom, TrustPilot 10/25/2019
Negative Reviews
If I could leave 0 stars, I would. Our 1 year old pup has had to have 2 total hip replacement surgeries and now a knee surgery all by a phenomenal specialist from Blue Pearl (5 stars for them). AKC did not and will not cover any of those ($20,000 when it’s all said and done) even though we have the premium package and our fur babies are AKC Good Citizen Certified. They lead you on into thinking you are fully covered but then fill you in on a 30-180 day waiting period, hidden fees, etc. After the poor customer service displayed by the AKC staff, we ended up canceling our coverage and they offered a $50 reimbursement which yes was appreciated, but at the end of the day, not enough. We would do any and everything for our dogs but unfortunately I can’t say the same about AKC. Save your money and find a different pet insurance company. Just sad. – Holly, Consumer Affairs 11/20/2019
This insurance doesn’t worth it. They charge you at least 8-9 time more that they will agree to reimburse. None of my 3 claims was reimbursed. And these claims were associated with such popular and wide-spread cases as my cat soft tissue trauma (X-ray), annual health check-up and vaccination, diarrhea.
I pay additional money every month for their add-ons such as ExamPlus and AlternativePlus but that didn’t help me to get reimbursement for my claims. – Nimira, TrustPilot 9/14/2019
AKC Pet Insurance & PetPartners Competitors
Visit AKC Pet Insurance Website | Visit PetPartners Pet Insurance
AKC Pet Insurance and PetPartners have some great things going for them. With a big name backing this product, customers are instantly intrigued by its offerings. However, AKC Pet Insurance and PetPartners requires additional fees for coverage we’ve come to expect in a standard pet insurance plan. Find out how AKC Pet Insurance and PetPartners compares against other top pet insurance providers in our pet insurance reviews article.
Are you considering AKC Pet Insurance or PetPartners?