How to find the best pet insurance
1. Check coverage details
All pet insurance policies cover medically necessary expenses such as diagnostics, common treatment, prescriptions, surgery and hospitalization. The differentiators are in more specialized coverage, such as alternative therapy.
The very best pet insurance in our evaluation also doesn’t require add-ons to secure basic coverage, like vet-exam fees.
Among the best pet insurance companies in our evaluation, these cover behavioral therapy, alternative therapies and the vet-exam free in their base policies:
2. Consider unlimited annual coverage
For the very best pet insurance, consider unlimited annual coverage, which has no ceiling on the claims you can make. While you likely won’t make eye-popping claims often, unlimited annual coverage lets you hedge your bets. For example, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association reports that the most expensive dog insurance claim last year was $66,600 for a Bernese Mountain dog in Philadelphia that had a chronic illness.
Among the best pet insurance companies in our analysis, these offer unlimited annual coverage:
- Figo
- MetLife
- Pets Best
- Pumpkin
- Spot
3. Watch out for special waiting periods
The best pet insurance policies don’t impose special, long pet insurance waiting periods for orthopedic problems. If your pet had an orthopedic problem before you bought the policy—or develops one during the special waiting period—it will be excluded from coverage. Typical special waiting periods last for six months.
Among the best pet insurance companies in our analysis, these don’t impose a special waiting period:
4. Find out the deductible-calculation method
Some pet insurance companies have a sneaky way to pay less on claims: First applying the reimbursement percentage, and then subtracting the deductible. In our analysis, this almost always results in a lower claim payment than a “deductible-first” calculation.
Among the best pet insurance companies in our analysis, these use a deductible-first calculation:
5. Find out if rates can go up due to your claims
Some pet insurance customers are taken by surprise when their rates go up at renewal time because of claims they’ve made. In our analysis, we gave points to pet insurers that say they don’t raise rates for a pet’s individual claims. (A pet insurer can raise rates for other reasons.)
Among the best pet insurance companies in our analysis, none raise rates due to your own claims.
6. Check for a direct-vet-payment system
Pet insurance that pays the vet directly can be a huge convenience. It greatly simplifies the checkout process because you don’t need to pay the full bill at the vet’s office and then make a claim. You pay only your portion, such as the deductible and/or co-insurance.
Among the best pet insurance companies in our evaluation, ASPCA and Pets Best have systems for paying veterinarians directly.
7. Beware of bilateral exclusions
Bilateral exclusions can end up costing you a ton of money if your pet suffers from certain orthopedic conditions. If certain conditions develop on one side of the body before or during the pet insurance waiting period, the condition will be excluded if it later develops on the other side. This includes expensive cruciate-ligament conditions.
Among the best pet insurance companies in our rankings, Figo and MetLife don’t have bilateral exclusions.