Our Thoughts on Banfield Optimum Wellness Plans
Banfield Pet Hospital started as a local veterinary clinic in Portland, Ore., in 1955. In 1994, Banfield partnered with PetSmart to open clinics in or attached to stores. Mars, the conglomerate known primarily for its candy business, also owns Banfield Pet Hospitals.
Banfield Veterinary Hospital helps to provide animal care to otherwise underserved areas, and its OWPs can make it easier for pet parents to care for their furry friends. A Banfield OWP can help cover recommended preventive and routine care services each year, including annual dental cleanings, which some pet owners may skip due to cost. Unlike wellness plans offered by pet insurance companies, which cover preventive care visits to any licensed veterinarian, Banfield OWPs only work at Banfield hospitals.
We think Banfield OWPs offer a good choice for pet owners looking for ways to save on preventative care and who live near a clinic, which you may find inside a nearby PetSmart store. Unlike wellness plan add-ons with traditional pet insurance, Banfield OWPs cover the entire cost of each service included in the package. Because packages also include office visit fees, Banfield OWPs can offer a deal for puppies and kittens that must visit the vet frequently during their first year of life.
OWPs cover a specified set of wellness services each year, which you pay for in monthly installments. If you cancel mid-year for any reason, including for the death of a pet, you must still pay the full cost of the plan. Pet owners looking for illness and injury coverage or more flexibility in wellness options may benefit from choosing a standard pet insurance provider over a Banfield OWP.
If you choose to enroll your pet in a Banfield OWP, our team recommends visiting your local pet hospital and meeting the veterinarians before officially signing up. According to customer reviews, many Banfield veterinarians are compassionate and helpful, but some facilities seem overworked and cannot provide individualized attention and care for each pet.
Banfield Pet Hospitals have markedly mixed reviews on platforms such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot. Customers often comment that Banfield’s quality of care varies from location to location. While some reviewers praised their local Banfield veterinary practice, others refused to return.
Banfield Optimum Wellness Plans and Pricing
You can sign up for a Banfield OWP online by choosing from three options for adult pets and two options for puppies and kittens. To confirm your plan details and enroll in coverage, you must visit your preferred location within 30 days. Banfield’s website clearly explains what’s included with each plan choice and how much it costs, based on our experience.
What Do Banfield Optimum Wellness Plans Cover?
Banfield OWPs are annual service bundles that pet owners can pay for in monthly installments or once upfront. The service bundles cover pet wellness services meant to prevent future health issues and offer a few extras, such as discounts on services and products outside of the plan.
Each plan covers basic preventive care services, such as routine exams, vaccinations, deworming and diagnostic screening tests. Plans also include access to a 24/7 vet chat line and a nutrition consultation. Different plan levels are available to suit puppies and kittens and adult and senior pets.
Early Care
Puppies and kittens that have already been spayed or neutered or are scheduled for surgery can sign up for an Early Care plan. Plans include the following services over a puppy or kitten’s first year:
- Unlimited office visits
- Unlimited pet chat
- Two virtual visits
- Pet wellness one-on-one consultations
- Two comprehensive physical exams
- Necessary vaccinations
- Heartworm and tick disease screening (for dogs only)
- Feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus screening (for cats only)
- Ear swab and microscopic exam for mites
- Three fecal examinations
- One Wisdom Panel DNA test (for dogs only)
- Four deworming treatments
- Unlimited interstate health certificates
- A 5% discount on additional products and services
Early Care Plus
A separate and upgraded plan is available for puppies and kittens under 6 months old. The Early Care Plus plan includes all services listed above and adds a spay or neuter surgery with pre-anesthetic blood tests for safety. This plan includes a 10% discount on products and services — double what’s offered by the Early Care plan.
Active Care
Active Care is the cheapest plan available for pets older than 6 months. It covers most wellness needs, except for annual dental cleanings. The plan includes the following services that renew each year, with a few exceptions:
- Unlimited office visits
- Unlimited pet chat
- Two virtual visits
- Pet wellness one-on-one consultation
- Two comprehensive physical exams
- Necessary vaccination boosters
- Blood panel, heartworm test and tick screen (for dogs only)
- Blood panel (for cats only)
- Heartworm, feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus (only in a cat’s first year)
- Ear swab and microscopic exam for mites (in the first year only)
- Two fecal exams
- Two deworming treatments
- Unlimited interstate health certificates
- A 10% discount on additional products and services
Active Care Plus
The Active Care Plus plan is meant for young to middle-aged adult dogs and cats, based on our review. The plan includes the same coverage as under the Active Care plan plus a urine screening test and a professional dental cleaning with pre-anesthetic blood work. It also includes a 15% discount on additional products and services.
Special Care
The Special Care plan is recommended for senior pets or those with chronic health issues that require more frequent monitoring. It includes all services listed on the Active Care Plus plan plus a few additions as outlined below. Instead of the 10% to 15% discount on products and services offered on lower plans, the Special Care plan offers a 20% discount.
Additional services on the Active Care Plus plan include:
- One additional urine screening
- One set of preventative X-rays
- Two eye pressure tests
- Two electrocardiograms
Optional Add-On Coverage
After choosing a base Banfield OWP, you can add other services that provide extra protection for your pet’s health. If you already know what your pet needs, you can add specific coverage when you register online. If you are unsure, you can skip this step or choose preliminary options and discuss it with your Banfield vet during your pet’s first visit, which is required in order to complete enrollment.
For example, your Banfield veterinarian may recommend a specific parasite control regimen based on where you live and your pet’s lifestyle. If you choose, your OWP could cover that regimen. We were offered the following add-on and cost options based on a 5-year-old, 50-pound dog living in Illinois.
- Flea, tick and heartworm prevention for $25 per month
- Flea and heartworm prevention for $20 per month
- Heartworm prevention for $10 per month
- Flea and tick prevention for $16 per month
Only one parasite control product is offered for cats — a 3-in-1 combination flea, tick and heartworm product. For a 5-year-old, 10-pound cat living in Illinois, we were quoted $18 per month for this add-on.
How Much Do Banfield Optimum Wellness Plans Cost?
Our team collected quotes for Banfield OWPs to determine an average cost of $60 per month for dogs and $54 for cats, with a one-time enrollment fee of $75. To get a general idea of costs in different parts of the country, we obtained quotes for base plans for four sample pets in three U.S. cities — New York, Denver, Colo., and Knoxville, Tenn.
- A 3-month-old, mixed-breed kitten weighing 5 pounds
- A 5-year-old, mixed-breed adult cat weighing 10 pounds
- A 3-month-old, mixed-breed puppy weighing 25 pounds
- A 5-year-old, mixed-breed adult dog weighing 50 pounds
Banfield OWPs are prepaid, discounted service bundles that customers can redeem at any Banfield location. Because Banfield OWP services cost the same for pets regardless of age, breed or size, pricing is fixed in a given region. Costs can vary in different parts of the country and may increase in areas with higher costs of living.
Each OWP requires a one-time enrollment fee, which also varies by location. You can choose to pay for your plan in a lump sum or over 12 months. If you choose the monthly recurring billing option, your plan will auto-renew each year. Customers can cancel coverage at any time but must continue to pay monthly payments for the remainder of the year regardless of whether they use the allocated benefits.
Early Care Plans Cost
The chart below shows how the Early Care and Early Care Plus plans vary in cost based on your location and type of animal.
Active and Special Care Cost
Compare the Active Care and Special Care plans based on cost across three locations and dogs and cats using the table below.
Policy Sign-Up, Claims Filing and Payout Processes
Banfield’s Waiting Periods and Age Restrictions
What Customers Think About Banfield Optimum Wellness Plans
To determine what Banfield OWP customers think of their pet’s plans, we read through dozens of reviews on Trustpilot and threads on Reddit. Our team identified trends in what customers like and dislike about the company, which we outline below.
What Customers Like
- Caring teams: According to a few reviewers on Reddit, Banfield veterinary staff took their time and seemed to care genuinely about the pets.
- Plan value: Some reviewers noted that although care quality is subpar in some locations, the plans offer value for the money.
- Temporary solution: Several reviewers noted they would not use Banfield long-term, but the plans provided them access to some veterinary services during major life transitions when it was difficult to establish care with a new clinic.
What Customers Don’t Like
- Overbooking: Reviewers in urban and metro areas felt nearby clinics were always too busy for appointments, forcing them to visit emergency clinics when their pets were ill.
- Quality of care: Many reviewers cited concerns about mistakes made with their pets’ charts, rushed appointments, overworked employees and misdiagnoses.
- Drop-offs: Some locations require drop-offs, and pet owners complained that they didn’t get updates until the end of the day or that their pet’s services were not completed.
- Difficulty canceling: Many customers were upset that Banfield refused to cancel or prorate their plans after their pet’s death, citing poor customer service as a reason they would not return to the company.
We contacted Banfield for comment on the negative customer reviews included throughout this guide but have not received a response.
