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Being a pet owner is one of life’s greatest joys, but caring for your beloved animals comes with a significant amount of work and expense. That’s where the Petco Vital Care loyalty program can help, as it offers savings on everything from food to services such as grooming and veterinary care.
Petco Vital Care is a two-tiered rewards program consisting of Petco Vital Care Core and Petco Vital Care Premier. Both tiers offer points on every purchase toward future savings, exclusive members-only perks, personalized reminders about your pet’s care and more.
Wondering whether Petco Vital Care Core or Vital Care Premier is better for your needs? We did a deep dive so you can make an informed choice as to which one is best for you and your cat/dog/reptile/fish/bird/small pet.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about the Petco’s rewards program. And make sure you do your shopping with RetailMeNot, as you can score extra discounts and cash back on your purchases at Petco. Like the Petco Vital Care program, it’s free to sign up for a RetailMeNot account. Right now, there’s a promo for $15 off eligible items on orders of $49+ for new customers.
What Is Petco Vital Care?
Petco Vital Care is a loyalty program for pet owners that offers rewards for shopping at Petco stores, online at Petco.com or through the Petco app. Vital Care members have access to digital tools such as reminders to buy pet food or to set up vet and grooming appointments as well.
What Are the Petco Vital Care Tiers?
Vital Care Core
The first tier, Vital Care Core, is free to join and receives the following perks:
- You earn points on all Petco purchases, whether you’re buying products like clothing, food, toys or wellness services.
- Every eighth groom appointment is free after you’ve paid for the first seven. The only way you can redeem this, though, is if you unlock the perk in the Petco app.
- Personalized care notifications, such as when your pets’ vaccinations have expired.
Vital Care Premier
Vital Care Premier is the paid membership tier. It costs $24.99 per month for one cat or dog or $9.99 per month for one bird, fish, reptile or small pet. Cat and dog owners who choose to pay the annual rate will receive a 20% off discount on their membership.
Petco Vital Care members receive all the benefits of a Petco Vital Core membership list above, plus:
- Dogs and cats receive unlimited routine vet exams at Vetco Total Care or $20 Vital Care Rewards for up to two routine exams done by non-Petco vets.
- You save 20% off all dog grooming sessions. To redeem this offer, these sessions must be full grooms or baths. To see which services qualify for a full groom or bath, check out Petco’s terms here.
- Save 20% off full-price cat litter purchases.
- Receive a $15 Vital Care Rewards each month with the dog or cat plans, or $5 for the companion animal plans (birds, fish, reptiles or small pets).
- Save 10% on full-price nutrition for cats and dogs or 15% off full-price nutrition and supplies for your companion animal.
- A 45-day extension to redeem rewards.
How Petco’s Vital Care Rewards Work
Earning Rewards
You earn points when you spend online, in store or through Petco’s app. For every 167 points you earn, you’ll get a $5 Vital Care Reward to spend. Paying members of the Vital Care Premier membership also get a monthly Vital Care Reward of $15 (for dog or cat plans) or $5 (for small pets, such as fish or guinea pigs). To keep your rewards active, you must make a purchase every 90 days from Petco.
Vital Care rewards can be earned on most Petco purchases, with the exception of membership fees, donations (such as to Petco Love, the charitable arm of Petco), gift cards, taxes, tips, cash back and shipping fees.
Redeeming Rewards
You can redeem your rewards when making a purchase in store, online or through Petco’s app. For online and app purchases, you can easily apply your available rewards in the “edit payment” section of checkout process. If your rewards doesn’t cover your full purchase, the remaining balance will be applied to your credit or debit card of choice.
For in-store purchases, give the cashier your Vital Care number or your phone number or email associated with your Vital Care Rewards account and they’ll apply it to your purchase so you can earn rewards.
There are a few caveats to keep in mind about redeeming Petco Vital Care rewards. You cannot partially redeem your $5, so your purchase must be $5 or more, and your rewards will expire 30 days after you’ve received them for Vital Care Core members and 45 for Vital Care Premier, so use ‘em or lose ‘em!
More Petco Vital Care Rewards FAQs
Is the Petco Vital Care Program Free?
The Vital Care Core membership tier is free to join, whereas the Vital Care Premier tier has a monthly fee of $24.99 for dogs or cats and $9.99 for other small pets (think: birds, reptiles, fish, guinea pigs, hamsters, etc.). If you commit to a year-long Vital Care Premier membership when you sign up, the cost will be $239.88 (20% less than the total monthly rate) for dogs and cats, and $119.88 for small pets.
How Do I Make Sure I’m Earning Rewards for Every Petco Purchase?
To make sure your Vital Care Rewards account is credited every time you make a Petco purchase, you have to supply your Vital Care number first. If you are in the store, you can use the Petco mobile app to look up your number and give that to the sales clerk. If you don’t have your number handy, no problem! Give the cashier the phone number or email address you used to join Vital Care and they can look you up that way.
If you’re shopping online, log in to your account before you check out, and you’ll automatically get your perks credited to your account.
You must purchase something from Petco at least once every 90 days to keep your account active. Once you receive your reward, spend it within 30 (Vital Care Core) or 45 (Vital Care Premier) days or it will expire.
How Do I Know How Many Vital Care Rewards Points I Have?
Log in to your account online or check the “Accounts” section in your Petco app. Your balance will also be included at the top of Vital Care Rewards emails you receive.
What Veterinary Services Are Covered Under the Petco Vital Care Premier Program?
With your membership, you get unlimited routine vet exams for the pet you’ve registered at Vetco Total Care locations. Additional tests, medications and services are not covered. You can also use your benefit to earn $20 in Vital Care rewards for up to two vet exams per year through your preferred vet.
We want to stress that this benefit is not pet insurance, and the included veterinary services only covers the exam fee of a “regular wellness checkup.”
How Can You Cancel Your Petco Vital Care Premier Membership?
When you sign up for Petco Vital Care Premier, you’re making a 12-month commitment, billed monthly. Each year, your membership will automatically renew for another year. If you wish to cancel, either call Petco at 858-657-2035 or access your Vital Care Premier membership online or in the Petco app to stop the auto-renew. You will still have to pay for the entire year before your membership ends.
What’s the Difference Between Petco Vital Care Rewards and the Petco Pay Credit Card?
Vital Care is a loyalty program that rewards members with savings and other benefits. That is not the same as the company’s no-annual-fee Petco Pay credit card. Being a credit card holder does boost your Vital Care benefits: You get two points for every dollar spent at Petco or at grocery stores and one point for every $3 spent elsewhere.
Being a cardholder also gets you a $25 Vital Care rewards gift (when you spend $500 outside of Petco within the first 90 days of receiving your card) as well as a one-year extension on your Vital Care rewards balance. What’s more, you can actually arrange to get your animals face on your card!
The post Everything You Need To Know About Petco’s Rewards Program appeared first on The Real Deal by RetailMeNot.
