Best Pet Insurance
To find the best pet insurance, match a policy's monthly price, coverage rules, and age limits to the dog or cat you have.
For dogs, the U.S. average premium for accident and illness coverage is $70 monthly ($836 yearly), as the North American Pet Health Insurance Association report shows. For cats, that weighted national average comes to $36 a month, which works out to $435 a year.
For dogs, accident-only policies average $16 a month ($190 a year), and for cats they average $9 a month ($112 a year). Since no single provider suits every household, we group each plan by its published rules so that you can decide.
| Insurer | Monthly, dog | Monthly, cat | Accident wait | Illness wait | Oldest age to join |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $30 to $59 a month | $14 to $23 a month | No wait | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $30 a month | $14 a month | 1 day | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $32 to $157 a month | $20 to $107 a month | 3 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $32 a month | $15 a month | 14 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $35 a month | $17 a month | 14 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $36 to $99 a month | $23 to $51 a month | 5 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $39 a month | $19 a month | 14 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $39 to $69 a month | $19 to $35 a month | No wait | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $39 a month | $19 a month | 14 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $43 a month | $19 a month | 14 days | 14 days | Before age 9 |
 | $53 to $117 a month | $24 to $47 a month | No wait | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | $22 a month | No wait | 15 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | not published | 5 days | 30 days | Before age 14 |
 | not published | not published | not published | not published | No upper age limit |
 | not published | not published | 15 days | 15 days | Varies by state |
 | not published | not published | 3 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | not published | 5 days | 30 days | Before age 14 |
 | not published | not published | 2 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | not published | 5 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | not published | not published | 14 days | not published |
 | not published | not published | 14 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | not published | 5 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | not published | 3 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | not published | No wait | No wait | Before age 14 |
 | not published | not published | 2 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | not published | not published | not published | 13 years old |
 | not published | not published | 15 days | 15 days | Before age 14 |
Sample prices: per-insurer quotes collected by NerdWallet; waiting periods and ages are taken from each insurer's published policy terms.
A quick look at the top ranked pet and animal insurance companies and providers
We group the best pet insurance companies according to the features listed in their published policy terms, so no single winner gets crowned. After you pay your part, the insurer returns a percentage of the covered vet bill. That percentage is the reimbursement. The annual limit is the most a policy pays for covered vet bills over 1 year.
These payout groups show where major providers stand out:
- 100% payout options: Figo offers reimbursement of 70%, 80%, 90%, or 100%. Costco Pet Insurance also returns 70%, 80%, 90%, or 100%, with no cap on annual payouts.
- Tiers that start at 50%: Chubb pays back 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%, while MetLife Pet Insurance offers 50%, 70%, 80%, or 90%.
- When 90% comes with no cap: Trupanion reimburses 90% with no payout limits, and PetSmart adds 90% reimbursement plus an unlimited cap.
- Both Healthy Paws and Spot put no ceiling on yearly payouts for covered care.
Top rated plans for pet health insurance, grouped by what they cover
To compare top rated pet insurance, read what each policy's fine print says about vet exam fees, dental illness, and inherited conditions. For the best animal insurance covering more than dogs and cats, Nationwide covers exotic pets and birds, while Petco covers exotic animals.
Plans for dogs and cats split into clear groups by coverage:
- Dental illness and exam fees are part of the plan: ASPCA Pet Health Insurance covers vet exam costs, hereditary conditions, and dental illness. The base plans of Pumpkin and Fetch cover exam fees, dental illness, and hereditary conditions too.
- Exam fee add-ons: Lemonade offers dental illness and exam fees as add-ons, while Prudent Pet offers exam fees as an add-on option.
- A dedicated plan for accidents only sits alongside the accident and illness policy from Odie.
Best dog insurance
According to a 13-insurer price study, monthly quotes for a mixed-breed 2-year-old dog in Katy, Texas, ranged from $30 to $53. The middle quote came to $39 a month, with prices grouped into 3 tiers:
- Monthly prices of $30 to $36: Figo ($30), Lemonade ($30), Pets Best ($31.50), Pumpkin ($32), Spot ($35), and AKC Pet Insurance ($36).
- The median quote is $39 a month, from ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Embrace, Hartville, and also Wagmo.
- Also $43 to $53 a month: Nationwide ($43), Liberty Mutual ($51), and MetLife Pet Insurance ($53).
When you choose the best pet insurance for dogs, look at the waiting period, meaning the days between enrollment and the first day of coverage. Waiting times for orthopedic and cruciate knee claims differ by insurer:
- 0-day wait: on its worksite plan, Aflac uses a 0-day waiting period covering accidents and illnesses.
- Orthopedic claims wait 14 days at Wagmo, which also waits 14 days for accidents, illnesses, and cruciate injuries. Orthopedic claims also carry a 14-day wait at Spot and Pumpkin.
- 30-day cruciate wait: at Chewy CarePlus, accidents wait 5 days, illnesses and orthopedic care wait 14 days, and cruciate ligaments wait 30 days.
- Longer knee waits: Progressive has a 3-day wait for accidents and a 14-day wait for illnesses. Orthopedic care waits 30 days, and cruciate claims wait 6 months. Orthopedic and cruciate care waits are 180 days at Embrace and AKC Pet Insurance, and 12 months at Nationwide and Healthy Paws.
Best pet insurance for cats and kittens
The same 13-insurer price study looked at a 2-year-old domestic shorthair cat, where monthly quotes ranged from $14 to $24 and the median was $19. For that cat, the quotes fall into 3 groups:
- Between $14 and $17 a month: Figo ($14), Lemonade ($14), Pumpkin ($15), and Spot ($17).
- The $19 a month median applies to ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Embrace, Hartville, Nationwide, and Wagmo.
- Between $20.14 and $24 a month: Pets Best ($20.14), Fetch ($22), AKC Pet Insurance ($23), and MetLife Pet Insurance ($24).
Right away, short accident waiting periods help guard playful kittens. Four insurers set a 0-day accident wait: Lemonade, along with Embrace, Fetch, and MetLife Pet Insurance. Figo's wait is 1 day. GEICO and USAA both require 2 days for accidents and 14 days for illnesses.
Best pet insurance for older, senior and elderly dogs
Several insurers set a maximum age for starting a new policy on an older pet:
- Age 8 cutoff: through its Modular plan, Nationwide limits new illness enrollment to dogs and cats 8 years old or younger.
- Age 13 cutoff: Chubb accepts new enrollments up to age 13.
- Age 14 cutoffs: enrollment must happen before age 14 for State Farm, Trupanion, and Aflac. ManyPets enrolls pets until age 14 (plus 1 day), and Healthy Paws sets its age limit by state.
Past those cutoffs, older dogs can still get coverage: Pawp and Chewy CarePlus accept any age, while Spot, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, plus Embrace, Pets Best, and Figo do the same. No upper age limit applies.
Best pet insurance for multiple pets: two dogs, two cats or a mix
Each insurer in our comparison covers dogs and cats, and Nationwide and Petco can cover exotic pets too. Multi-pet discount rates aren't listed in our policy dataset, so compare household pricing through each insurer's quote tool. Pairing policies is also possible, for example an accident-only plan for 1 pet plus illness coverage for another.
Best pet insurance with wellness coverage
Routine checkups and vaccines stay out of standard policies, unless you add a wellness plan. Wellness plans for dogs average $118 monthly ($1,414 yearly) and for cats $72 monthly ($859 yearly), according to the NAPHIA report.
Optional wellness add-ons are sold by Lemonade, Spot, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Embrace, Fetch, MetLife Pet Insurance, Pumpkin, and Pets Best. For routine care on its own, Banfield offers an Optimum Wellness Plan covering exam fees for dogs and cats. Trupanion, Healthy Paws, State Farm, and Chubb, on the other hand, have no wellness add-on.
The way our pet insurance rankings work
Every insurer gets judged by the same published plan terms, and no company can pay for placement. All the facts trace back to each insurer's sample policies and disclosures, along with published rate studies.
We compare these core rules, and they help you find good pet insurance suited to your pet:
- Published price examples: real monthly quotes for one 2-year-old dog and one 2-year-old cat, the same pets at each of 13 insurers.
- Deductible: it's the dollar amount of your own payment toward covered vet bills, made before your plan begins paying.
- Reimbursement: the portion of a bill your plan pays. That share starts at 50% with Chubb and Nationwide and reaches 100% with Figo or Costco Pet Insurance.
- Yearly cap: some policies set a ceiling on yearly payouts, while others offer an unlimited annual limit.
- Waiting periods: the days or months that pass before accident, illness, orthopedic, and cruciate coverage begins.
- Maximum enrollment age: whether new policies stop at age 8, 13, or 14, or whether any age is accepted.
- Routine care, vet visit fees, and dental illnesses: each may be part of the policy, bought as an add-on, or left out.
Common questions
Which pet insurance is the most recommended?
The right policy for your pet depends on its age, species, and coverage needs, so no one plan works for every pet. For example, Spot, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, and Pumpkin cover exam fees, dental illnesses, and hereditary coverage, and each comes with an unlimited annual limit.
What do most vets recommend for pet insurance?
Policy documents that are published don't track which insurers veterinarians recommend most frequently. Ask your vet about what treatment costs run locally, and review exam fee rules. Trupanion, Healthy Paws, Chubb, Pawp, and State Farm leave exam fees out.
What is the highest rated pet insurance?
Instead of star ratings, look at each insurer's payout caps and reimbursement percentages when you compare them. A 90% reimbursement option comes with MetLife Pet Insurance, Pets Best, GEICO, and USAA, each of which also offers an unlimited annual limit.
What makes pet insurance good value?
Good value means balancing the monthly premium against what the policy pays if your pet is sick or hurt. Figo and Lemonade quoted the lowest prices in the 13-insurer study, at $30 for a dog and $14 for a cat, with exam fees sold as add-ons. Pumpkin ($32 dog, $15 cat) cost a little more in that study, and exam fees were part of its base plan.
For senior dogs, what is the best pet insurance?
No upper age limit plus a short wait for illnesses and for orthopedic care makes sense for an older dog. Spot, Pumpkin, and Wagmo enroll senior dogs whatever their age, with waits of 14 days covering illnesses and orthopedic conditions.
Which 10 pet insurance companies rank at the top?
Because the right policy depends on the age of your pet and on your budget, we don't rank a set list of 10 companies. The lowest quotes in that 13-insurer rate study came from Figo, Lemonade, Pets Best, Pumpkin, Spot, and AKC Pet Insurance. Trupanion, Healthy Paws, Progressive, Chewy CarePlus, and ManyPets are other major providers that offer unlimited annual limits.
How do you decide which pet insurance suits your pet better?
The company's enrollment cutoff is the first thing to check against your pet's age. After that, compare waiting periods and dental illness rules. These insurers include dental illness in their base plans: Figo, Petco, Costco Pet Insurance, Healthy Paws, Pumpkin, MetLife Pet Insurance, Trupanion, Fetch, and Spot. Dental illness care is limited at USAA, AKC Pet Insurance, Aflac, Odie, Chewy CarePlus, Prudent Pet, GEICO, State Farm, Pets Best, Embrace, and Nationwide.
What's the best pet insurance for a golden retriever?
Inherited joint issues can affect golden retrievers, so look for coverage of hereditary conditions and a short orthopedic wait. Hereditary conditions are covered by Spot, Pumpkin, and Wagmo, whose orthopedic claim wait is 14 days instead of 6 or 12 months.
Which non-reimbursement plan is the best pet insurance to pay your vet directly?
Our published policy dataset doesn't say which insurers pay vets directly, and which ones reimburse you after you pay the bill. Before you enroll, check the sample policy and ask your clinic which insurers can pay the clinic's billing system at checkout.
What pet insurance companies give a discount when you insure more than one pet?
Which companies offer a multi-pet discount, and at what amount, isn't stated in the published plan terms in our dataset. As you compare quotes, check the total monthly price for covering your pets together on 1 account against buying separate policies.
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