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Alex Carver is a writer and researcher based in Charlotte, N.C. A contributor to major news websites such as Automoblog and USA Today, she’s written content in sectors such as insurance, warranties, shipping, real estate and more. big dog harness
Tori Addison is an editor who has worked in the digital marketing industry for over five years. Her experience includes communications and marketing work in the nonprofit, governmental and academic sectors. A journalist by trade, she started her career covering politics and news in New York’s Hudson Valley. Her work included coverage of local and state budgets, federal financial regulations and health care legislation.
Dr. Patrik Holmboe completed his veterinary studies at the University of Melbourne in 2015 and spent over five years working as a companion-animal vet in Australia, Dubai, and the Netherlands. In 2021, he merged his interests in veterinary medicine, technology and innovation by joining Cooper Pet Care, the leading veterinary telemedicine provider in the Netherlands. In his role as Head Veterinarian, he oversees all veterinary operations, focusing on elevating client experience.
5,534 pet owners requested and received a free no-obligation quote from one of the above companies in the last 30 days.
To rate and rank the best pet insurance companies in the industry, we developed a rating methodology that considers factors such as monthly pricing, covered treatments, customer care, industry reputation and more. To accurately rate each provider, we gathered sample insurance quotes using various pet profiles, evaluated customer reviews through third-party aggregators, and surveyed 3,000 pet owners nationwide. We also consulted key members of the pet insurance industry, including licensed veterinarians.
Our expertise is backed by:
Lemonade is our top pick due to its affordable accident-and-illness and wellness plans and excellent customer care. Plans start at around $19 per month, which may appeal to pet parents looking to spend less. Lemonade also offers a 5% annual discount, a 5% discount for enrolling multiple pets and a 10% discount for bundling your policy with Lemonade property insurance.
Standout feature: Lemonade features a best-in-class mobile app that lets customers enroll pets in seconds and get paid for covered claims in minutes. You can also manage your pet’s health, file claims and track policy coverage and billing. While our research shows that most other providers in this review offer a mobile app, we found that Lemonade had the highest mobile app rating in the Apple app store when compared to Pets Best, Embrace, Fetch and more.
Lemonade offers a base pet insurance plan for accidents and illnesses, preventative care packages and a variety of optional add-ons. Its accident and illness plan allows pet owners to choose an annual coverage limit between $5,000 and $100,000, with deductible options ranging from $100 to $500 and reimbursement rates from 70% to 90%.
After gathering quotes from Lemonade and other top providers in the industry, we found that Lemonade was one of the cheapest pet insurance providers overall — notably for dogs. The average Lemonade plan cost for dogs is $52 per month, while the overall average is $60. The average cost of a Lemonade policy for cats is $29 per month, compared to a nationwide average of $32.
To better understand customer experiences, we polled 1,000 pet owners with insurance policies from our top providers in our third annual pet insurance survey in April 2024. Of the 62 respondents who reported having a policy with Lemonade, over half chose the provider for its coverage offerings and low pricing. Most of those pet owners reported reimbursement within one to two weeks.
However, some respondents noted frustration over a long waiting period for reimbursement. Our team reached out to Lemonade for comment on reimbursement times but the company did not offer a response. Still, 27% experienced no issues or frustration, and over 87% of participants felt that, based on their experience with Lemonade, a pet insurance policy is worth the money.
One participant with a Lemonade policy said this about their experience with pet insurance:
“We had an emergency a few years ago that cost almost $10,000. We will never go without pet insurance again.”
We featured the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA Pet Health Insurance ) Pet Health Insurance for its impressive reputation, long-standing industry experience and comprehensive coverage. Born out of a strategic partnership between ASPCA Pet Health Insurance and Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group in 2006, ASPCA’s pet health insurance is one of the oldest in the industry.
Standout feature: In a relatively young industry, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance stands out for partnering with Crum & Foster Pet Insurance Group, which was founded in 1997. If you’re interested in other seasoned providers, Trupanion was founded in 1998, while Nationwide added pet coverage to its insurance lineup in 1999.
We named ASPCA Pet Health Insurance our pick for older pets, as the company has no age-related coverage reductions or enrollment restrictions for senior pets. Available in all 50 U.S. states, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance offers both an accident and illness and accident-only plan, with a preventative care add-on available to cover wellness care services.
According to quotes we’ve gathered, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance is affordable compared to average premium costs nationwide. It ranked in our top five cheapest pet insurance companies, with an average cost of $50 per month for dogs and $22 for cats. The national averages calculated by our team include $60 and $32 for dogs and cats, respectively.
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance was the most popular provider in our April 2024 survey — 295 out of 1,000 pet owners have a policy with the company. Over half of those respondents chose ASPCA Pet Health Insurance due to its coverage and positive online reviews.
Sixty-two percent of respondents with an ASPCA Pet Health Insurance plan have filed a claim, with over half of these policyholders receiving reimbursement within two weeks or less. However, 25% of those pet owners felt frustrated with a long claims review process. Our team reached out to ASPCA Pet Health Insurance for a comment on its claims process but did not receive a response. Despite this, 88% of respondents with a policy felt that pet insurance was worth it based on their experience with the company.
One respondent with an ASPCA Pet Health Insurance plan had the following to say about their experience:
“I think [pet insurance] is worth it for peace of mind. I’ve had other animals in the past that I spent up to $10,000 on for surgery. Having pet insurance makes me feel protected and that I am doing the best for my pet.”
Pets Best is our pick for vet direct pay. Once your claim is approved, reimbursement for eligible vet expenses is sent directly to your veterinarian, rather than you having to wait to submit a claim after receiving service. Pets Best has three different levels of coverage to choose from, as well as two levels of wellness add-ons. The Elite plan covers rehabilitation, acupuncture and chiropractic care, which is not covered by some other plans.
Standout feature: Pets Best offers a 24/7 Pet Helpline with access to veterinary experts for support if you have questions about your pet. It also has an easy-to-use app to submit claims, manage your policy, check your benefits and store your pet’s medical records. If you’re looking for other providers with a helpline, Embrace, Pets Best, Figo offer similar services.
Pets Best offers an accident-only and accident and illness plan, with the latter providing a choice of three coverage tiers. It also offers two wellness add-ons covering preventative care services such as microchipping, vaccinations, heartworm preventatives and more. There are six deductible options and three reimbursement rates to choose from, with your choice of a $5,000 or unlimited annual coverage limit.
According to our research, the average cost of a Pets Best policy is $41 per month for dogs and $23 for cats, which is less than the national averages we calculated of $60 and $32, respectively. Note that this provider’s accident-only plan may suit pet owners looking for cheap coverage, as it costs $6 per month for cats and $9 for dogs.
With 108 out of 1,000 respondents selecting Pets Best, the provider was one of the most popular among pet owners in our April 2024 survey. Many pet owners chose Pets Best because of positive customer reviews, available discounts and their pet’s coverage needs.
Over 60% of pet owners with a Pets Best policy reported having filed at least one claim, with over a quarter of respondents noting issues with the reimbursement waiting period. While over 40% of customers received reimbursement within one to two weeks, over 26% of respondents reported having to wait three weeks or longer. Despite this, 83% of respondents with a Pets Best plan feel that pet insurance is worth it based on their experience.
Our team reached out to Pets Best for comment on its claim process and received the following response from Melissa Gutierrez, the company’s CEO:
“Pets Best strives to offer the best pet insurance plans with coverage options that allow customer control over veterinary expenses. Our well-trained staff is experienced in the veterinary industry, and we’re here to answer any questions about coverage options. We know that pets are part of your family, and we do everything we can to keep every family member’s tail wagging.”
One participant with a Pets Best policy said this about their experience with pet insurance:
“My young dog jumped at the window and went through it. I had great peace of mind knowing whatever she needed would be covered aside from my 20% responsibility after my deductible. I could focus on her getting well instead of wondering if I could afford it.”
Embrace stands out for the additional savings it offers pet owners, including a 10% discount for each additional pet policy you purchase, a 5% military discount and an employee benefit program that offers 10% off to employees of companies that offer Embrace pet insurance.
Standout feature: Embrace offers the Healthy Pet Deductible benefit, which credits pet owners with $50 toward their deductible each consecutive year they don’t file a claim. Based on our research, Embrace, Spot and Fetch are the only providers featured in this review that offer this benefit.
Embrace offers an accident and illness policy covering accidents, injuries, diseases and illnesses. It also provides a wellness rewards program similar to a flexible spending account (FSA) found through many human health insurance plans. You’ll pay a fixed amount monthly and can access a total coverage stipend for your pet, which covers approved preventative care services.
We found the average cost of an Embrace pet insurance plan is $64 per month for dogs and $33 for cats. This is almost 7% more than the national average for dogs and 3% more for cats. While Embrace didn’t make our list of the cheapest pet insurance providers, it does offer stackable discounts that can bring down your overall insurance premium by up to 25%.
Of the 29 respondents who selected Embrace as their pet’s insurance provider, most enrolled with the company due to its positive customer reviews and coverage selection. In addition, 62% of respondents have filed a claim with Embrace at least once, with most payouts occurring within one to two weeks.
While half of the respondents with an Embrace policy have yet to experience issues with the claims process, others noted long waiting periods for reimbursement. Our team reached out to Embrace for comment on its reimbursement processing and received the following response from Amber Batteiger, a company spokesperson:
“I’d like to clarify that initial claims may take slightly longer to process, primarily if we haven’t received the necessary veterinary records in advance. On average, wellness claims are reimbursed within 4.4 days, and accident and illness claims within 8.1 days.”
However, almost 83% of participants felt that pet insurance was worth it based on their experience, with one respondent noting that “it’s good to have if something serious happens to your pet.”
Another respondent with an Embrace plan had the following to say about pet insurance:
“It protects me from paying completely unnecessary amounts of money toward vet bills, especially as my pups get older. I feel better knowing they are backed by insurance.”
Our experts chose Figo as the best pet insurance company with flexible reimbursement rates, scoring 4.7 out of 5 stars according to our rating methodology. The provider also offers unlimited annual benefits and a range of useful add-ons to make your plan comprehensive, such as liability coverage for damages or injuries your pet causes.
Standout feature: While most companies limit reimbursements to 90% of covered veterinary bills, Figo has a reimbursement option of 100%. In addition, it has a one-day waiting period for accidents, which is shorter than nearly all providers in our review. Only Embrace offers a comparable accident waiting period, with accidents covered from your policy’s effective start date.
Figo provides three set accident and illness plans for pet owners to choose from. In addition, it offers a custom plan option that allows you to tailor the reimbursement rate, annual coverage limit and deductible to meet your pet’s needs and your budget. You’ll also find optional add-ons for wellness coverage and vet exam fees. Note that available deductible options depend on your pet’s age.
Figo made our list of the best cheap pet insurance companies, with the average policy costing $27 per month for dogs and $15 for cats. This is less than the national averages we calculated of $60 and $32, respectively. With no upper age limit restrictions, Figo may offer a cost-effective policy for those with senior pets.
The Pet Cloud app allows for policy and claims management and serves as a hub for your pet parenting needs. You can use it for 24/7 pet telehealth, storing your pet’s medical records, connecting with like-minded pet owners, or setting reminders for vet appointments.
Of our 1,000 survey respondents, 30 pet owners reported having an insurance policy with Figo. Almost 30% of those pet owners chose Figo because of its positive online reviews, whereas others liked the company’s coverage offerings. However, 30% of respondents who have filed a claim noted they experienced a long review process. Our team reached out to Figo for comment on its processing times and did not receive a response. Based on their experience with Figo, 83% of respondents felt that pet insurance was worth it.
One Figo policyholder had the following to say about why pet insurance is worth it:
“I have owned all different types of breeds and sizes of dogs, and all of them have had either chronic or acute medical issues at some point in their life. These medical issues generally cost a lot of money out of pocket.”
Spot offers some of the most customizable pet insurance policies due to its seven annual coverage limit options (ranging from $2,500 to unlimited), five deductible options and three reimbursement rates. This allows pet owners to find the right balance between their plan’s level of coverage and affordability. Spot Pet Insurance is also ideal for pet owners who want a low-cost accident-only plan.
dog vest harness Standout feature: Spot’s policies cover a few items that aren’t offered by many other pet insurance providers, such as exam fees and microchipping. Like Embrace and Fetch, Spot also reduces your deductible each year you go without filing a claim.