AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
A unique benefit has appeared for those with The Platinum Card® from American Express who have pets. Through the enrollment-required monthly Walmart+ statement credit benefit, Card Members can enroll in Pawp telehealth support, providing 24/7 guidance on how to care for their pets.
Here are the details of this benefit, how to claim it, and whether you really need Pawp.
What Is Pawp?
Pawp is an online veterinary and pet insurance platform. The website does not give any pricing details on the homepage. However, if you click the tiny button at the bottom of the page, you can get the pricing notice. A full plan for 24/7 telehealth triage coverage and a once-per-annum $3,000 emergency reimbursement costs $24 per month.
If you only want 24/7 telehealth support, the price is $99 per year. You can then pay an additional $24 per month (for a total of $32.25 per month) for the emergency reimbursement.
The telehealth service is available on demand through the app for unlimited questions. Service through a desktop or laptop is unavailable, but you can link your phone to a desktop. After your online chat, you will receive a personalized care plan for your pet. You can register up to six pets on a single plan.
An Overview of Walmart’s Partnership With Pawp
In 2023, Walmart partnered with Pawp to offer the 24/7 telehealth support service for all Walmart+ members. As Walmart+ costs $98 per year, you're practically getting both memberships for the price of one.
What's more, you can get a monthly statement credit for Walmart+ with The Platinum Card® from American Express or American Express® Business Gold Card.
“At Pawp, our mission is to make high quality, convenient pet care accessible to a much larger part of the population and, for over a year now, Walmart+ has been an incredible partner in helping us realize this vision,” said Marc Atiyeh, CEO of Pawp. “We’re excited to deepen this relationship by incorporating Pawp as an ongoing, first-of-its-kind pet health benefit for Walmart+ and look forward to supporting Walmart+ members with their pets care for years to come.”
Leverage the Walmart+ Benefit To Get Pawp 24/7 Telehealth
With Walmart's partnership with Pawp, Amex Platinum and Amex Business Gold Card Members can claim the 24/7 telehealth service with their monthly Walmart+ statement credit of $12.95. The service will remain available as long as your Walmart+ membership is active.
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
How to activate Pawp benefits
To activate your Walmart+ statement credit (which also comes with discounted gas, Paramount Plus, and more), pay the monthly subscription fee with your enrolled Card. You will receive a $12.95 statement credit at the end of the month, plus the taxes and fees. Note that this does not work with the annual membership fee.
After you are enrolled in Walmart+, log in to your account and click on the “Free online pet care” button on your benefits page. Enter your phone number and then the OTP (one-time password) you receive by text.
At this point, you can add the optional emergency insurance for $19 per month. You should uncheck that, as it's not recommended. Finally, confirm your order, which should be no additional cost.
Should you take advantage of the Pawp online pet care benefit?
The Pawp service has some drawbacks. First, while Pawp claims the 24/7 care team is available in under 1 minute, some users have had other experiences. For example, one TrustPilot review mentions a 27-hour wait for help.
In fact, TrustPilot and Reddit are full of 1-star reviews for Pawp. Most of these are related to never receiving payment for the emergency insurance fund. It seems the fund is only available for life-threatening circumstances, requires a crazy amount of paperwork, and is not issued if the pet dies. Many more negative reviews mention incorrect automatic renewal charges. And Pawp has a strict no-refunds policy.
While others still value the service, it's still hard to recommend paying $24 per month for pet insurance. But for the complimentary 24/7 telehealth service provided with a Walmart+ membership, you've got nothing to lose — as long as they don't send you an automatic renewal charge and answer your calls when you need them to.
Related: Our Favorite Unheralded Card Benefits
Our Take
The Pawp benefit available with an Amex Platinum or Amex Business Gold is an interesting gimmick. On its own, Pawp is not the kind of trustworthy insurance you want to pay for. However, getting the 24/7 telehealth service for no cost means you have nothing to lose.
H/T: Thrifty Traveler
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.