Pet insurance pays you back for a share of the vet bill when your dog or cat gets hurt or sick. You pay the clinic, send in the invoice, and the insurer sends back 70% to 90% of the covered amount once you have met your deductible for the year. It costs anywhere from $6 a month for a bare accident-only plan to $60 or more for an older dog with high coverage, and every policy on the market excludes anything your pet already had before you signed up.
So the useful questions are not “which company is cheapest” but three others: how much of a big bill do you want back, will you be paying the vet first or will the insurer pay them, and how many pets are you covering. Those three answers sort the nine companies below. The quick picks show what each one does best; tap one to jump to its card and the fine print.
Best Pet Insurance Companies
Ranked by how much of the bill comes back to you, how flexible the plan is, and how fast the money shows up. Every fact here was checked against the company’s own site as of this update; anything a company does not publish is marked “check the quote.”
Pets BestBest overall for coverage you can shape to your budgetup to 90% back · direct vet pay2
LemonadeBest for the lowest starting price and fast app claimsfrom $10/mo3
MetLifeBest for multi-pet homes and a $0 deductible option$0 deductible option4
SpotBest for a 10% multi-pet discount and fast reimbursementup to 90% back5
Healthy PawsBest for unlimited coverage with 2-day claim paymentsunlimited option6
EmbraceBest for curable pre-existing conditions and dentaldental to $1,000/yr7
TrupanionBest for paying the vet at checkout with no payout limits90% back, no caps8
FigoBest for a 100% reimbursement optionup to 100% back9
FetchBest for sick-visit exam fees and behavioral careup to 90% back1. Pets Best
Best overall for coverage you can shape to your budget
Best overall if you want the vet paid directly.
Pets Best lets you dial the deductible, reimbursement rate and annual limit up or down until the premium fits, and Direct Vet Pay means you can skip fronting the bill when your clinic agrees.
Get a quote and pick your deductible, rate and limit
Enroll any dog or cat from 7 weeks old, no upper age cut-off
Send the bill through the app, or have the vet paid directly
Want the fine print? Costs, waiting periods, and what you really get
Accident-only from $6 a month for cats and $9 for dogs. Accident and illness is priced at the quote.
2. Lemonade
Best for the lowest starting price and fast app claims
Best if you want cheap and want it in an app.
Lemonade prices a dog or cat policy from $10 a month, pays claims to your bank account from the app, and stacks a 10% bundle discount if you already hold its renters or home policy.
Get a quote in the app and choose your co-insurance, deductible and annual limit
Add a preventative package if you want routine care with no waiting period
Pay the vet, file from the app, get reimbursed to your bank
Want the fine print? Costs, waiting periods, and what you really get
From $10 a month. 10% off if you bundle with a Lemonade renters or home policy.
3. MetLife
Best for multi-pet homes and a $0 deductible option
Best if you have more than one pet.
MetLife is the only company here that puts up to three pets on a single policy with one shared deductible, and it is the only one with a true $0 deductible choice.
Quote each pet, then combine up to three cats and dogs on one policy
Pick a reimbursement rate from 50% to 90% and a deductible from $0 to $2,500
File the claim; MetLife says most are processed within 5 days
Want the fine print? Costs, waiting periods, and what you really get
Cats from $7 and dogs from $16 a month. One shared deductible for the whole household.
4. Spot
Best for a 10% multi-pet discount and fast reimbursement
Best if you have several pets and file often.
Spot takes 10% off each additional pet, processes most claims in under 2 business days, and covers things a lot of base policies skip, like microchipping, prescription food and behavioral treatment.
Quote each pet and choose accident-only or accident and illness
Add the wellness plan if you want cash back on exams, vaccines and dental cleaning
Submit the bill online or in the app in about 30 seconds
Want the fine print? Costs, waiting periods, and what you really get
Dogs from $15 a month, cats from $9. Most claims processed in under 2 business days.
5. Healthy Paws
Best for unlimited coverage with 2-day claim payments
Best if you want unlimited and hate waiting.
Healthy Paws pays approved claims in about 2 business days on average and offers an unlimited annual limit with no caps, but it does not cover exam fees or any routine care.
Pick $5,000, $7,000 or unlimited annual coverage plus your deductible and rate
Wait out the 15-day waiting period after the policy start date
Submit the bill; approved reimbursements average 2 business days
Want the fine print? Costs, waiting periods, and what you really get
Exam fees and routine care are on you. Everything else pays out in about 2 business days.
6. Embrace
Best for curable pre-existing conditions and dental
Best if your pet had something that cleared up.
Embrace will cover a curable condition again once your pet has been symptom- and treatment-free for a year, and it covers dental illness up to $1,000 a year without a dental exam first.
Quote your pet and choose the optional prescription drug and exam fee coverage
Wait out the accident and illness periods; orthopedic waits vary by state
Snap the invoice in the app; 90% of claims pay within 10 days
Want the fine print? Costs, waiting periods, and what you really get
Curable conditions become eligible again after 12 symptom-free months.
7. Trupanion
Best for paying the vet at checkout with no payout limits
Best if you never want to front a big bill.
Trupanion pays 90% of covered costs with no annual or lifetime payout limit, and at hospitals that run its software it settles the bill at checkout so you only pay your share.
Get a quote; there is one plan, and you set the deductible
Check whether your hospital accepts Trupanion direct payment
At checkout Trupanion pays its 90% and you pay the rest
Want the fine print? Costs, waiting periods, and what you really get
90% paid with no annual or lifetime limit. Deductible and price set at the quote.
8. Figo
Best for a 100% reimbursement option
Best if you want zero copay on covered bills.
Figo is the only company here with a 100% reimbursement choice, three clear tiers ($5,000, $10,000 or unlimited), and a 24/7 live vet line at no charge.
Choose Essential ($5,000), Preferred ($10,000) or Ultimate (unlimited)
Set your reimbursement up to 100% and your deductible
File in the app; most claims close in 3 working days
Want the fine print? Costs, waiting periods, and what you really get
Three tiers, up to 100% back, most claims closed in 3 working days.
9. Fetch
Best for sick-visit exam fees and behavioral care
Best if exam fees keep adding up.
Fetch covers sick-visit exam fees up to $250 inside the base policy and enrolls pets from 6 weeks old, with an optional Fetch Wellness add-on for routine visits.
Get a quote and set your rate, deductible and annual limit
Wait out the accident and illness period of up to 15 days
Submit the bill; claims are typically processed in under 10 days
Want the fine print? Costs, waiting periods, and what you really get
Up to 90% back, exam fees to $250 included, claims in under 10 days.
What Is Pet Insurance and How Does It Work?
Pet insurance is reimbursement insurance. You choose three numbers when you buy: the annual deductible you pay before coverage starts, the reimbursement rate (usually 70%, 80% or 90%, and up to 100% at Figo), and the annual limit, which is the most the insurer will pay in a policy year. A higher deductible, a lower rate or a lower limit all cut the premium.
Here is what that looks like on a real bill. Say your dog needs $4,000 of surgery, you carry a $250 deductible and a 90% rate, and it is your first claim of the year. You pay the clinic $4,000, the insurer subtracts the $250 deductible, and sends you 90% of the remaining $3,750, which is $3,375. Your share is $625. Two companies skip the pay-first step: Trupanion can pay the clinic at checkout where the hospital runs its software, and Pets Best offers Direct Vet Pay when your vet agrees.
Every company also has waiting periods. Accidents are usually covered within a couple of days (MetLife covers them from midnight after you enroll), illnesses typically wait 14 to 15 days, and orthopedic problems like cruciate tears can wait six months to a year. Anything your pet shows signs of during the wait counts as pre-existing.
What Pet Insurance Doesn’t Cover
Pre-existing conditions are the big one. Every company on this page excludes an illness or injury that showed up before your waiting periods ended, whether or not it was ever diagnosed. Two companies soften it: Embrace and Figo will cover a curable condition again once your pet has gone 12 months without symptoms or treatment. Incurable conditions like diabetes or hip dysplasia that started before the policy stay excluded everywhere.
Routine care is the other gap. Annual exams, vaccines, dental cleanings, spay or neuter and flea prevention are not part of a base accident and illness policy. Pets Best, Lemonade, MetLife, Spot and Figo sell a wellness add-on that returns cash for those visits; Healthy Paws and Trupanion do not offer one at all. Breeding, cosmetic procedures like tail docking, and exam fees at Healthy Paws are also out.
What to Look for in a Pet Insurance Company
Six things decide whether a policy is worth the premium. Check them before you buy.
- Reimbursement rate. 90% is the sweet spot for most people. Figo goes to 100% if you want no copay, and MetLife lets you drop to 50% to cut the premium.
- Deductible. A $250 to $500 annual deductible keeps premiums sane. MetLife is the only company here with a true $0 option, and it knocks $50 off each year you go claim-free.
- Annual limit. One emergency surgery can run $5,000 to $15,000. Pets Best, MetLife, Healthy Paws, Trupanion and Figo all offer an unlimited option.
- Who pays the vet. Most plans reimburse you after you pay. Trupanion pays at checkout and Pets Best has Direct Vet Pay, which matters if a $4,000 bill would go on a credit card.
- Claim speed. Healthy Paws averages 2 business days, Spot says under 2, Figo 3 working days, MetLife about 5 days, Embrace says 90% within 10 days, and Fetch under 10 days.
- Discounts. Spot takes 10% off each additional pet, Pets Best and Lemonade take 5%, and Lemonade adds 10% for bundling with its renters or home policy.
Pet Insurance FAQs
Pets Best is our overall pick because you can set the deductible, reimbursement rate and annual limit yourself, it has no upper age limit, and Direct Vet Pay lets the clinic be paid straight from the claim. Lemonade is the pick if the monthly price is what matters, with policies from $10 a month and a 10% bundle discount. MetLife is the pick for two or three pets, since it puts them on one policy with a shared deductible and offers a $0 deductible option.
Accident-only plans are the cheapest way in: Pets Best starts at $6 a month for cats and $9 for dogs. For accident and illness cover, Lemonade starts at $10 a month, MetLife at $7 for cats and $16 for dogs, and Spot at $9 for cats and $15 for dogs. Your real price depends on breed, age, ZIP code and the deductible, rate and limit you choose, so quote at least two companies.
It is worth it if a $3,000 to $10,000 emergency bill would go on a credit card or force a hard decision about treatment. At a 90%% rate with a $250 deductible, a $4,000 surgery costs you $625 instead of $4,000. It is not worth it if you already keep a few thousand dollars set aside for the pet and would rather self-insure, or if your pet is older with several pre-existing conditions that no policy will cover anyway.
No company covers a condition that showed signs before your waiting periods ended. Two soften the rule: Embrace and Figo will cover a curable condition again once your pet has gone 12 months without symptoms or treatment. Incurable conditions such as diabetes or hip dysplasia that began before the policy stay excluded everywhere, which is the strongest argument for insuring a pet while it is young.
Illness waits are usually 14 to 15 days: Lemonade and MetLife use 14 days, Healthy Paws and Fetch use 15. Accidents are faster; MetLife covers them from midnight after you enroll. Orthopedic conditions wait longest, with Lemonade at 30 days and Healthy Paws at 12 months for hip dysplasia in pets under 6. Preventative packages at Lemonade can be used the day after purchase.
Yes. Every company on this page lets you use any licensed vet in the U.S., and Pets Best and Spot also cover Canada. The difference is who pays the clinic. Most reimburse you after you pay, Trupanion can pay at checkout where the hospital runs its software, and Pets Best offers Direct Vet Pay when your vet agrees to it.
Pick the Plan Before the Vet Bill, Not After
The best pet insurance company is the one that pays back the most of a bill you could not comfortably cover, at a premium you will actually keep paying for ten years. For most people with one pet that is Pets Best, because you can shape the plan to your budget and let the vet get paid directly. Lemonade wins if price is the deciding factor, and MetLife wins the moment you have two or three pets to cover.
Whatever you choose, buy it while your pet is young and healthy. Every condition that shows up before you enroll is excluded for life at most companies, and the premium only climbs with age. Insuring a two-year-old today is the cheapest version of this decision you will ever get.
All nine at a glance
| Company | Reimbursement | Deductible | Annual limit | Best for | Get started |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4.5 | 70 to 90% | You choose | Unlimited available | Best overall for coverage you can shape to your budget | |
4.5 | You choose | You choose | You choose | Best for the lowest starting price and fast app claims | |
4.5 | 50 to 90% | $0 to $2,500 | $500 to $25,000 | Best for multi-pet homes and a $0 deductible option | |
4.0 | Up to 90% | You choose | You choose | Best for a 10% multi-pet discount and fast reimbursement | |
4.0 | You choose | You choose | $5,000, $7,000 or unlimited | Best for unlimited coverage with 2-day claim payments | |
4.0 | You choose | You choose | You choose | Best for curable pre-existing conditions and dental | |
4.0 | 90% | You choose | None | Best for paying the vet at checkout with no payout limits | |
4.0 | Up to 100% | You choose | $5,000 to unlimited | Best for a 100% reimbursement option | |
4.0 | Up to 90% | You choose | You choose | Best for sick-visit exam fees and behavioral care |
| Company | Reimb. | Limit | Best for | Go |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 | 70 to 90% | Unlimited | Overall pick | |
| 4.5 | You choose | You choose | Lowest price | |
| 4.5 | 50 to 90% | $500 to $25k | Multi-pet homes | |
| 4.0 | Up to 90% | You choose | Multi-pet discount | |
| 4.0 | You choose | $5k to unlimited | Unlimited, fast pay | |
| 4.0 | You choose | You choose | Curable conditions | |
| 4.0 | 90% | None | Vet paid at checkout | |
| 4.0 | Up to 100% | $5k to unlimited | 100% reimbursement | |
| 4.0 | Up to 90% | You choose | Exam fees covered |
