Pets Best vs Figo Pet Insurance (2026): Payout Order, Waits, Exam Fees

Pets Best and Figo both sell accident-and-illness policies with annual deductibles, percentage reimbursement, and no upper age limit. The resemblance ends there. Pets Best subtracts the deductible first and then pays 70%, 80%, or 90%, includes exam fees on most plans, and offers Vet Direct Pay. Figo applies your co-pay percentage first and the deductible second, sells exam fees as a Powerup, and adds a 100% reimbursement tier. Pets Best’s standard form waits 3 days for injuries, 14 for illness, and 6 months for cruciate events, with a newer California form that drops the injury wait and cuts cruciate to 30 days; Figo’s coverage page says 1 day for accidents (5 in its California disclosure), 14 days for illness, and 6 months orthopedic unless you complete its waiver in the first 30 days. Limits run $5,000 to unlimited at Pets Best against Figo’s three plans at $5,000, $10,000, and unlimited; deductibles go to $1,000 at Pets Best and $750 at Figo; enrollment starts at 7 weeks and 8 weeks. A cured condition stops being pre-existing “once cured” at Pets Best, with no fixed period stated, against Figo’s 12 symptom-free months.

Pets Best next to Figo, term by term

Source: each insurer’s pages, checked October 23, 2026.

Deductible-first versus co-pay-first: the $25 that moves on every claim

This is the structural difference. Pets Best’s FAQ describes the common order: take the deductible off the bill, then pay the chosen percentage of what’s left. Figo’s California disclosure describes the reverse: apply the co-pay percentage to the bill first, then subtract the deductible from Figo’s share. Figo’s own example: a $1,000 claim at a 10% co-pay with a $50 deductible pays $850.

The same bill under both, as example arithmetic with numbers we’ve chosen: the bill is $2,000, reimbursement is 90%, and a $250 annual deductible hasn’t been met.

The $25 gap between the first two rows is the deductible multiplied by the co-pay share, 10% of $250, and it recurs every time the deductible applies. At 100% the order stops mattering, because there’s no co-pay to multiply, and the $1,750 is just the bill minus the deductible. So Figo’s order costs a little on every claim at 90% and pays more than Pets Best can at 100%, if that tier is sold in your state, which Figo’s pages don’t promise. Reimbursement explained covers the common order; the reimbursement calculator reruns the sums with your bill.

Three days, one day, or five: the waiting periods and their two versions

Each insurer has two versions of its waiting periods in print, and neither says on its public pages which one you’ll get. Pets Best’s standard form, IAIC-PBI0001-ILL 02/2023, sets 3 days for injuries, 14 days for illnesses, and 6 months for cruciate ligament events; its newer California form, APIC-PBI0012-CA 10/2024, keeps 14 days for illness, cuts cruciate to 30 days, and lists no injury wait. Figo’s coverage page says 1 day for accidents; its California disclosure says injury cover begins 5 days after the effective date. Both agree on 14 days for illness.

The knee is where the detail bites. Pets Best’s 6-month cruciate wait on the standard form can be reduced or waived through a vet exam done up to 3 days before or 7 days after the effective date, with the form returned within 30 days of the exam. Figo’s 6-month orthopedic wait, which covers cruciate and patella conditions, has an Orthopedic Conditions waiver available in the first 30 days through its Pet Cloud app. The cruciate surgery guide explains why that clause can be worth thousands on a large young dog, and the waiting period guide covers waits in general. In California, read Pets Best’s newer form and Figo’s 5-day figure; the policy document you’re issued is what settles it. Switching between the two restarts every wait, as how to switch explains.

Exam fees included versus exam fees as a Powerup

Pets Best’s plans page says most plans include exam fees for covered visits, removable to lower the premium along with acupuncture and chiropractic cover; physical therapy is in most plans. Figo’s base policy doesn’t pay the exam fee; it needs the exam fee Powerup, which covers exam and consultation fees for accident and illness visits. A Figo quote without the Powerup and a Pets Best quote with exam fees on aren’t the same product; add the Powerup before comparing.

Wellness is a bolt-on at both, BestWellness at Pets Best and the Wellness Powerup at Figo, both on fixed payout schedules; pet insurance vs wellness plan and vaccinations cover what those schedules usually hold. Dental is documented only at Pets Best, with its 13-month cleaning-or-exam condition for periodontal disease. Figo’s pages don’t detail dental, hereditary, or behavioral cover, and Pets Best’s don’t detail behavioral, so those are policy-document questions.

Vet Direct Pay, and the direct-pay question Figo’s pages don’t answer

Pets Best’s FAQ describes Vet Direct Pay precisely: it’s optional, it needs a signed release form, and the reimbursement goes to the vet after the claim has been processed. You still pay the deductible and your coinsurance share to the clinic, so it helps when a hospital will wait for the insurer’s portion and not when it wants the whole bill on the day. A Figo direct-pay arrangement is not published on the pages we checked, so we can’t say it exists or doesn’t. Figo does state that its percentage isn’t reduced at specialist or emergency hospitals. The emergency visits guide covers bridging the gap between checkout and reimbursement under either model. On timing, the insurers’ own statements are 5 to 7 days to direct deposit after processing at Pets Best and most claims closing in about 3 working days at Figo.

Which owner Pets Best fits, and which owner Figo fits

Pets Best fits an owner who wants exam fees inside the base plan, the option of the insurer’s share going to the vet, a deductible as high as $1,000, or the deductible-first order most policies use. Figo fits an owner who wants the 100% tier, who is comfortable with a $750 deductible ceiling, who will complete the orthopedic waiver inside 30 days, and who will add the exam fee Powerup and compare on that basis. Neither has an upper age limit, so both are worth a quote for an older dog, with Figo’s renewal-time wellness testing for dogs 8 and older factored in. Both publish 5% multi-pet discounts, so the multi-pet discount guide won’t separate them.

What neither page can tell you: which one costs less for your pet. There’s no verified premium comparison; the only figures are Pets Best’s own attributed ranges, and the cost guide and cost calculator explain what moves a premium. Open items at each: which underwriter’s form a new Pets Best policy is issued on, its current plan tier names, and the price of its exam-fee option; and which accident wait, 1 day or 5, applies to Figo in a given state, what its Extra Care Pack contains, and whether every reimbursement tier is sold everywhere. Terms vary by state too; the annual limit menu and pre-existing conditions wording you’re offered may differ from these pages. For other pairs compared the same way, see Trupanion vs Lemonade and Healthy Paws vs Embrace.

Terms vary by state and change over time. This page reflects published terms as of October 23, 2026, drawn from the Pets Best review and the Figo review and the insurer pages they cite. Read both policy documents for your state before buying.

This article is general information, not insurance or veterinary advice. Coverage, prices, and terms vary by insurer, pet, and location. Always read the policy and confirm details with the provider before buying.