A New Pet Insurance Option – CanineJournal.com
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Pumpkin is new to the pet insurance industry in 2020. At first glance, it appears to have good coverage, but it comes at a higher price than some of its competitors. Is the high price worth the coverage? Or is it best to hold off and wait for this company to build a more established reputation in the pet insurance space?
We don’t include Pumpkin in our pet insurance rankings due to its inexperience in the pet insurance industry. As a new company, Pumpkin will likely experience many changes in the coming years.
At Canine Journal, we don’t recommend brand new companies to our readers because, in the past, customers who have chosen a brand new pet insurance company for coverage have gotten hit with high premium increases. This, followed by any claims filed, can make it challenging to change pet insurance providers since you may feel locked in due to your dog’s pre-existing conditions. Instead, we recommend choosing a pet insurance company with a more established reputation.
Pumpkin
3.55 / 5
Pros
- Multiple forms of customer support: text, phone, email, FAQ
- Electronic claim filing
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- No age limits
- Your pet is covered when they travel with you in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands
- 10% multi-pet discount
Cons
- No BBB rating or accreditation
- More expensive than competitors
- 14-day waiting period for accidents and illnesses (including CCL injuries and hip dysplasia)
- $2 monthly transaction fee
- Claim repayment timeline is unclear
- Doesn’t cover non-routine dental procedures
- No app, most competitors have an app
Alternatives To Pumpkin
Don’t like the cons or uncertainty of a new company? Our pet insurance experts have analyzed over a dozen established pet insurance providers. Check out our pet insurance reviews to learn more about this year’s top-ranked companies.
What Does Pumpkin Have To Offer? (Video)
Key Features
- Underwriter: United States Fire Insurance Company, a Crum & Forster Company
- A.M. Best rating: A
- No exam required prior to enrollment; however, if your pet’s last vet visit was more than a year ago, you must take them to the vet within 30 days of enrolling
- No bilateral exclusions listed in sample policy, but it doesn’t cover ligament and knee conditions if the condition occurred before effective date or during waiting period
- 30-day money back guarantee
- Submit claims online and track their status via your account
- Claim repayment timeline isn’t clear, but you must submit claims within 180 days of the date of service
- Reimbursement options: Policyholders can opt for direct deposit, eCheck (digital check sent via email) or check in the mail
- If Pumpkin approves, you can transfer your pet’s coverage when you transfer pet ownership by agreement or law
- Covers curable pre-existing conditions that are free of symptoms and treatment for 180 days (except knee and hind leg ligament conditions)
- For an additional cost, Pumpkin offers a Preventive Preventative Care plan that includes reimbursement for a wellness exam, a few vaccines and annual screening tests for select health concerns.
- Formed under Zoetis, the world’s largest global animal health company
Pre-Existing Conditions
Defined by Pumpkin as:
Illness, disease, injury, or change to your pet’s health that first occurs or shows symptoms before coverage is effective or during a waiting period. This includes conditions that are related to, secondary, or resultant from a pre-existing condition.
Customer Service Hours
- Email: help@pumpkin.care
- FAQ
- Live chat: coming soon
- Phone: 866‑273‑6369
- Monday – Friday from 8am to 8pm EST
- Text: 559-853-4779
Phone: 866‑273‑6369
Waiting Periods
What Does Pumpkin Cover?
Pumpkin offers pet insurance and preventative care. The pet insurance services included below are not limited to this list and are subject to change.
| Covered | Not Covered |
|---|---|
| Accidents | Aesthetic, cosmetic, endodontic, or orthodontic dental services (e.g., caps, crowns, crown amputation, fillings, implants, root canals, planing) |
| Alternative therapy | Anal gland expression |
| End of life expenses | Boarding |
| MRI, CT scans, X-rays | Breeding, pregnancy, whelping, nursing |
| Poison control consultation fees | Cosmetic and elective procedures (e.g., claw removal, ear cropping, tail docking) |
| Prescription food | Dental cleanings (unless used to treat a covered illness) |
| Prescription medications | Funeral services, memorial items, urns, caskets or burial plots/fees |
| Stem cell therapy | Grooming |
| Supplements | Herbs |
| Surgery and hospitalization | Pre-existing conditions |
| Tooth extraction | Ligament and knee conditions if condition occurred before effective date or during waiting period |
| Vet treatment (e.g., exams, consultations and lab tests) | Organ or heart valve transplants |
| Cancer treatment | Prescription food used for prevention or general health maintenance |
| Treatment for behavioral problems | Supplements used for prevention or general health maintenance |
| Microchip implantation | Training |
| Treatment when the vet is you or a co-owner on your account |
Preventative Care Plan Coverage
If you opt to pay extra for preventative care through Pumpkin, here’s what you will be reimbursed for.
- Annual wellness exam fee
- Select vaccines each year (2 for dogs, 4 for puppies & 1 for cats)
- Yearly screening tests (dogs: fecal exam and screening for vector-borne diseases or heartworm; puppies and cats: fecal exam)
Pumpkin’s Preventive Care plan costs $227.40 per year for dogs and puppies; $143.40 for cats.
Pricing Quotes
We’ve gathered some sample prices from Pumpkin pet insurance for its accident and illness coverage plan. You can choose your deductible, either $100, $250 or $500. Your reimbursement is set at 90%, and the annual limit is $10,000 for dogs.
The cost of each policy is unique to your pet and depends on many variables, including your pet’s age, breed, location, health conditions and more. Below are sample prices for random breeds in various locations with different limitations. Quotes are from June 2020.
| Breed | Labrador Retriever | English Cocker Spaniel | German Shepherd | Yorkshire Terrier | Mixed Breed Cat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boy or Girl | Boy | Boy | Girl | Boy | Girl |
| Age | 2 years | 8 years | 4 years | 2 months | 2 years |
| Location | Florida (zip code: 33601) |
Illinois (zip code: 60416) |
California (zip code: 90001) |
New York (zip code: 10001) |
New York (zip code: 10001) |
| Reimbursement Level | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% |
| Annual Deductible | $250 | $500 | $100 | $500 | $250 |
| Annual Limit | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $7,000 |
| Pet Insurance Price Per Month | $62.88 | $150.96 | $91.36 | $54.19 | $34.25 |
| Preventative Essentials Pack Price Per Month | $15.95 | $15.95 | $15.95 | $15.95 | $10.95 |
You should expect annual increases on your premiums from any pet insurance company. These rates and increases will vary based on your location, changes in vet costs and more.
Also, visit our pet insurance quotes page to see how Pumpkin’s competitors stack up against one another.
Coupon Code
Customer Opinions
We typically share a couple of positive and negative reviews from customers in our pet insurance reviews, but we’re unable to for Pumpkin because it’s so new. If you have experiences with Pumpkin, we encourage you to share them in our comment section below.
Is Pumpkin The Best Pet Insurance For My Dog?
Pumpkin isn’t our first pick for pet insurance. Since it’s so new to the industry, there’s still a lot of room for this company to experience many changes (we witnessed some even during the 8 weeks we were working on this review!). We like to give companies 5 full years of experience before ranking them in our pet insurance reviews. It’s common for pricing to fluctuate, underwriters to change and customer service and claims experiences to vary because it takes time for a company to get its footing.
Currently, Pumpkin has some higher prices, and it’s difficult to find any customer service reviews for them. This doesn’t mean it is necessarily a bad choice but it doesn’t give us confidence in recommending it to our readers. As Pumpkin pays out more claims, we’ll likely see pricing adjustments and more reviews from its customers, which will give us a better picture of what to expect.
But until then, we’d recommend choosing another pet insurance provider with a more consistent pricing system and established reputation. You can read up on our top 3 picks for pet insurance here.
Why do you think Pumpkin is better than other pet insurance companies?
