How recommendations are made

1. Hard filters

First, any plan that simply cannot cover your pet is removed: wrong species, your pet is over the insurer's maximum enrollment age, the plan isn't sold in your state, or it doesn't offer the coverage type you asked for (accident-only, accident & illness, or accident & illness with wellness).

2. Weighted scoring

The remaining plans are scored against your preferences. Each factor is weighted by how much it typically affects owners:

• Monthly cost & annual payout limit — highest weight
• Reimbursement %, direct vet billing, exam fees, dental, deductible style, cover for cured pre-existing conditions — medium weight
• Alternative therapy & multi-pet discount — lighter weight

A plan that fully meets a preference earns full points; a partial fit earns half; a clear miss earns none. The score is the percentage of available points earned — only factors you expressed a preference on are counted. Coverage sold only as a paid add-on (for example exam fees on some plans) earns half points.

3. The result

You get the single highest-scoring plan as the recommendation, plus up to three alternatives — one from each of the next-best providers, for genuine variety. Every card spells out what didn't match so the final call is yours.