Find The Right Coverage – CanineJournal.com


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Dog and cat rubbing each other (caption: Best Pet Insurance)

Did you know the average cost of unexpected veterinary care for dogs and cats is between $800 and $1,500?1 However, only 41% of Americans could cover an unexpected $1,000 expense with their savings, while 37% would need to use a credit card, take out a personal loan, or borrow from a friend or family member.2

There are many unknowns in owning a pet. Will Fido be diagnosed with a chronic condition? Will he tear his ACL during one of your games of fetch? Will he develop an appetite for eating shoes, wood chips, and other foreign objects? All of these can result in unplanned trips to the vet, which means unexpected costs for you.

This is where pet insurance can ease your mind. Instead of facing hundreds or thousands of dollars in vet bills, you can focus on the health of your pet.

To help you select the best pet insurance for your pet, we rank companies based on policy coverage, customer service and reputation, timeliness of claim payment, policy price, and what companies excel in. Below are our experts’ top picks by category.

Best Pet Insurance For

1st Place: Healthy Paws

Healthy Paws App Screenshots

All scores are on a scale of one to five, with one paw being the worst and five paws being the best.

Why Do We Consider Healthy Paws The Winner?

  1. Lots Of Plan Options With No Caps – Healthy Paws offers four annual deductible levels ($100, $250, $500, or $750), four percentage options for actual vet bill payouts (60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%) and no cap (per-incident, lifetime, or otherwise) on any of its claims.
  2. No Yearly Limits – Once you meet your annual deductible, all policy-covered incidents will be paid during that year, while most companies reimburse after you reach each incident deductible. So, if your pet is susceptible to trouble more than once a year or you just want to be on the safe side, this plan could be a good fit.
  3. The Best Customer Service – Healthy Paws has some of the best customer service reviews in the business.
  4. Low Premium Prices – Most consumers report lower premium prices for similar coverage (unlimited lifetime benefits with no claim limits).

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Read Our Full Review Of Healthy Paws

2nd Place: Pets Best

Pets Best Screenshot of App

All scores are on a scale of one to five, with one paw being the worst and five paws being the best.

Why Did We Choose Pets Best As Our #2 Pick?

  1. True Emergency-Only Option – Pets Best offers an “Accident Only Plan” to cover you in case of emergencies, but it doesn’t include exam fees or specialty treatments. This plan has a $10,000 annual limit with a $250 deductible and 90% reimbursement, making it one of the least expensive pet insurance options.
  2. Low Pricing – Pets Best was consistently among the least expensive pet insurance companies when we ran quotes.
  3. Customer Service Options – It offers live chat, phone, email, fax, and FAQs to answer your questions. We’re also impressed with its 24/7 Pet Helpline, which allows you to speak with a vet expert any time of day.
  4. Customizable Plans Tailored To What You Want – You choose what coverage you want to pay for instead of paying more for stuff you don’t want. Deductible options are from $50-$1,000, reimbursement is available for 70%, 80%, or 90%, the annual limit is $5,000 or unlimited, and it offers two wellness plans.

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Pets Best offers two discounts that you may be eligible for when you use this link:

  • 5% multi-pet discount
  • 5% discount for military members and their families

You can also visit our dedicated Pets Best promotions page to discuss current offers.

Read Our Full Review Of Pets Best

3rd Place: Figo

Figo App Screenshots

All scores are on a scale of one to five, with one paw being the worst and five paws being the best.

Why Is Figo Our #3 Pick?

  1. 100% Reimbursement Available – Figo is the only pet insurance company in our reviews to offer 100% reimbursement for claims. If you want your full claims covered, Figo may be the company for you.
  2. Low Pricing – Figo was consistently among the least expensive pet insurance companies when we ran quotes.
  3. Customer Service Options – You can reach Figo in many ways, including phone, text, live chat, email, fax, Facebook Messenger, or Twitter.
  4. Fully Customizable Plans – Pet owners considering Figo can create a plan to best meet their needs and budget with a choice of maximum annual coverage amounts ($5,000, $10,000, and unlimited coverage), annual deductibles ($100 to $750), and reimbursement rates (70%, 80%, 90%, or 100%). Depending on the pet’s location and age, you may qualify for additional options, including a deductible between $50 and $1,500 and/or a 60% reimbursement rate.

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Read Our Full Review Of Figo

Woman Saving Money

Best Price: Pets Best

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While they may not offer the best price in all cases, Pets Best was consistently among the least expensive pet insurance providers in the quotes we ran. It also offers a low-priced “Accident-Only Plan,” which may be a good option for those of you who don’t mind paying for illnesses out of pocket.

If you go with Pets Best, you also have access to a 24/7 Pet Helpline, which allows you to speak with a vet expert any time of day. Pets Best does have a $2 per transaction fee, but if you opt to pay annually, this fee is waived. If you’re looking for detailed coverage at a low price, we’d recommend getting a quote from Pets Best.

Read Our Full Review Of Pets Best

Vet with clipboardBest For Healthy Pet Discount: Petplan

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Petplan has a unique no claims credit, which gives you a 15% discount for each consecutive 12-month policy period without a claim. You can accumulate credits over time to receive a maximum 30% discount. No other pet insurance company currently offers this perk and it can really save you money if your pet is healthy and has no claims from year to year.

Petplan also has a 5% discount for customers who purchase their policy online. Unlike other companies, Petplan doesn’t offer a multi-pet discount. If that’s something you’d like to look into, we’d recommend Figo.

Read Our Full Review Of Petplan

Three stray puppies

Best For Multiple Pets: Figo

If you have multiple pets in your household that you wish to insure, Figo may be worth considering. It offers a 10% multi-pet discount, which is the highest discount by any pet insurance provider we review. Other companies offer a 5% discount or none.

Read Our Full Review Of Figo

dog with a piggy bankBest For 100% Reimbursement: Figo

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Reimbursement is the percentage of a claim that you’re eligible for repayment by the pet insurance company after you’ve paid the coinsurance. Figo is one of two companies we review that offers 100% reimbursement (PetFirst is the other company). Most companies offer 90% reimbursement as their highest levels, but Figo offers to pay 100% of your vet bills.

You can submit claims through the app, fax, email, or mail. Figo is newer to the industry (founded in 2013), but has maintained a spot in our top three picks for best pet insurance with its low prices and detailed coverage.

Read Our Full Review Of Figo

Old dog on the groundBest For Older Dogs: Pets Best

Pets Best is one of the best pet insurance providers for those of you with older pets since it has no age limits. So even if you have a senior dog, you can obtain coverage for him through Pets Best. Most pet insurance providers have age restrictions, so this company is worth considering if your dog is in the later years of life.

Read Our Full Review Of Pets Best

Dog getting teeth examinedBest For Dental Needs: Pets Best

If your dog (or its breed) is predisposed to specific dental ailments, you’ll want a pet insurance plan with detailed dental coverage. Pets Best explains which dental procedures are covered for your pet in its policy. Pets Best covers exam fees, gum disease, tooth extractions, trauma, and more.

You can also purchase an optional preventative plan for an additional cost to help cover dental cleaning and other wellness expenses. You can also learn more about dental insurance coverage and exclusions here.

Read Our Full Review Of Pets Best

Young Female Vet Examining a Golden RetrieverBest For Wellness Coverage: Pets Best

While pet insurance plans cover unexpected accidents and illnesses, wellness plans cover expected routine procedures like annual exams, vaccinations, dental cleaning, spay/neuter procedures, microchipping, and more. These routine expenditures can add up to multiple hundreds of dollars a year, so purchasing a wellness plan can help prevent a large vet bill.

Pet’s Best’s wellness plan must be purchased in conjunction with one of its base pet insurance plan. There are two wellness plans to choose from, starting at $14 per month and offering up to $535 of annual benefits. The plans cover various preventative items such as teeth cleaning, vaccinations, flea/tick or heartworm preventative, and more. You can learn more about pet wellness plans here.

Read Our Full Review Of Pets Best

Dog in wheelchair on beach (caption: Canine Hip Dysplasia)Best For Bilateral Conditions: Trupanion

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A bilateral condition is a condition or disease that affects both sides of the body. Examples include hip dysplasiaCCL injuries, and more. Trupanion has no bilateral exclusions, which is fairly uncommon in the pet insurance industry.

This means if your dog has an injury to one of his legs, then it’s more likely to be covered on another leg by Trupanion as long as it’s not a pre-existing condition. However, before choosing Trupanion, we encourage you to obtain a sample policy for your state because this can vary based on your residential location.

FLORIDA RESIDENTS: The plan reviewed here is not available for new customers in Florida. Contact Trupanion to learn more about what is available in your state and read the policy carefully for details.

Read Our Full Review Of Trupanion

Mixed Breed cat on backBest For Cats: Healthy Paws

Cat insurance works the same as dog insurance. It’s meant to protect you financially in case there’s an emergency for your feline friend. Healthy Paws is our pick for best cat insurance because plans start around $10 per month, which we feel is relatively reasonable. (Prices may vary for your specific cat, so be sure to get a quote).

It also covers many common accidents and illnesses for felines. Healthy Paws offers unlimited lifetime benefits for your cat with no cap. You can learn more about how cat insurance works here.

Read Our Full Review Of Healthy Paws

Pet parrot in birdcage (caption: exotic pet insurance comparison)Best For Exotic Pets: Nationwide

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If you have a parrot, hamster, rabbit, lizard, or other exotic pet, you only have one option. Like dog or cat insurance, exotic pet insurance covers unexpected visits to the vet that are subject to the insurance plan you choose. This may include accidents, illnesses, the death of your pet, and more.

Nationwide is the only company we review that offers exotic pet insurance. So if you want pet insurance for your rabbit, bird, reptile, or other exotic pet, we recommend considering Nationwide.

Read Our Full Review Of Nationwide Pet Insurance

Best Pet Insurance For Small & Large Breeds

Our experts looked into selecting picks for best pet insurance for small and large breed dogs, but there’s no distinguishing factor for canine size in the policies. Instead, we recommend getting a quote from each of our top picks.

If you want to learn more about pet insurance before purchasing, we recommend reading our comprehensive pet insurance 101 guide.

What category aligns most with your pet’s needs? Did you end up going with the company we recommended?

Sources: [1] Petplan, [2] CNBC



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