Pet Insurance Comparison 2019: Who’s Best?

Great Article by Kimberly Alt.

 

When a copperhead snake snuck up and bit Alyssa Singer’s Doberman, Miles, on the muzzle, she didn’t think twice about rushing her pup to the vet. But the $600 vet bill stopped her in her tracks. Miles was fine after a dose of antivenom and some TLC, but Alyssa’s bank account is still recovering.

Melissa Vincent’s Bichon Frise, Fenway, needed not one but two knee surgeries to repair subluxated patellas, a relatively common orthopedic problem in the breed. Melissa ended up shelling out more than $4,000 to get Fenway back up and running again.

Pet Insurance Reviews

Pet insurance has been a growing industry and a passion of ours since 2007. We work hard to bring you honest, unbiased reviews by conducting research and getting customer feedback.

Below are our top three picks for pet insurance this year, including our review criteria and factors we consider most important when it comes to your pet’s health and well-being.

We consistently update our reviews, so be sure to check in regularly for the most current information.

Best	Runner-Up	3rd Place
4.65 / 5.00	4.55 / 5.00	4.50 / 5.00
Read Review	Read Review	Read Review
Visit Website	Visit Website	Visit Website

Finding the best pet insurance can be a daunting task. That’s why we’ve done in-depth research and spoken with real customers to bring you our top 3 picks.

Want to understand pet insurance? We’ve put together a checklist for you:

1. Get Free Pet Insurance Quotes

   Get My Quotes!

   Open our pet insurance quotes to see an example of who offers the lowest prices.

2. See how others compare to our top 3 by reading about the rest of the pack.
3. Become an expert on pet insurance yourself by learning more.
4. View our infographic to see some surprising statistics and fun facts.
5. You may want to open up our pet health insurance terminologypage for an easy side-by-side reference.

Price Of Policy Ratings

Pet insurance stands out among our reviews in that the cost of each policy is unique to your pet and is calculated based on a vast number of variables, including but not limited to your pet’s age, breed, location (e.g., where you live), health conditions and so forth.

We calculate our “price of policy” ratings based on quotes we run in addition to reader and consumer feedback. Since the price for your pet may vary significantly from that of others for a given provider, we encourage you to get quotes from multiple companies.

1st Place: Healthy Paws

All scores are on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 paw being the worst and 5 paws being the best.

		1st
Overall Ranking	4.65 / 5.00
Policy Coverage		Visit Website
Customer Service & Reputation
Timeliness of Claim Payment
Price of Policy

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).

All scores are on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 paw being the worst and 5 paws being the best.

		2nd
Overall Ranking	4.55 / 5.00
Policy Coverage		Visit Website
Customer Service & Reputation
Timeliness of Claim Payment
Price of Policy

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 unplanned emergencies, but it does not 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 options for pet insurance.
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 help 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%, and it offers two wellness plans.

All scores are on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 paw being the worst and 5 paws being the best.

		3rd
Overall Ranking	4.50 / 5.00
Policy Coverage		Visit Website
Customer Service & Reputation
Timeliness of Claim Payment
Price of Policy

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 amount ($10,000 to unlimited coverage), annual deductible ($100 to $750) and reimbursement rate (70%, 80%, 90% or 100%). Depending on location and age of pet, you may qualify for additional options including a deductible between $50 and $1,500 and/or a 60% reimbursement rate.

The Rest Of The Pack

Here’s a list of companies we include in our annual pet insurance reviews (goes above and beyond this comparison by including in-depth reviews of each provider with pros and cons) with their founding year:

• First: Healthy Paws 2009
• Second: Pets Best 2005
• Third: Figo 2013
• 24PetWatch 2000
• AKC Pet Healthcare 2003
• ASPCA/Hartville Pet Insurance 1997
• Embrace 2003
• Nationwide acquired VPI in 2014 and started selling pet insurance as Nationwide (VPI founded in 1982)
• PetFirst 2004
• Petplan U.S. 2003 (Petplan started in the UK in 1976)
• Trupanion 2000

We Do Not Review New Entrants

Many new pet insurance companies are popping up due to the popularity and high demand.

In the past, we’ve seen new companies enter the pet insurance space at meager prices. However, after some time in business and paying some claims, these companies increase rates to make ends meet. This ends up hurting the customers because their premiums increase drastically — and if they submitted a claim, their pet now has a pre-existing condition. So, if they change providers, that condition will not be covered by another pet insurance provider. In the end, they may have been better off going with a different, more well-established company.

Because of these issues, we’ve decided only to review pet insurance companies that have at least 5 full years of national experience. We think this approach gives companies time to establish a consistent pricing system and reputation, which helps give customers and us a better idea of what to expect.

What Is Pet Insurance & Is It Worth It?

Still not sure whether you need or understand pet insurance? We created a pet insurance 101 guide, which includes:

• What Is Pet Insurance?
• How Does It Work?
• Why Do I Need It?
• What Does It Cover?
• How Much Is Pet Insurance?
• Is Pet Insurance Worth It?
• Real Reimbursement Stories

This helpful guide gives you a good understanding of your options when it comes to insuring your furry family members.

What Are The Benefits Of Pet Insurance?

This video is a useful introduction to dog insurance and the benefits of owning a policy.

Reasons To Get Pet Insurance (Infographic)

For those of you still on the fence, you’re probably wondering what kind of common scenarios your pup might get into when pet insurance would apply. Check out our list of common dog health issues to get an idea. For example, removing lumps and bumps is one of the most common surgeries for dogs and can cost more than $1,000 each time.

That’s a lot of money that you weren’t planning to spend, and most of us don’t have that amount of cash lying around. Insuring your pet can lift that weight off of you so you can focus on enjoying your time with your four-pawed friends instead of worrying about having to pay for unexpected medical bills.