Cheapest Pet Insurance

Cheapest pet insurance by plan type

Choosing an accident-only plan rather than accident and illness coverage makes the biggest difference to your yearly bill. Willis Towers Watson compiled the NAPHIA State of the Industry report, which provides weighted annual U.S. averages by plan type:

• For dogs, Accident-only plans cost $190 a year; for cats, they cost $112 a year.
• For cats, Accident and illness plans cost $435 a year; for dogs, they cost $836 a year.
• For cats, policies with wellness coverage cost $859 a year ($72 a month); for dogs, they cost $1,414 a year ($118 a month).

The clearest route to cheap animal insurance is Accident-only coverage, which pays for injuries but not for sickness. Among the companies selling accident-only coverage are Nationwide, Spot, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Embrace, Pets Best, Figo, and Odie. By contrast, Lemonade, Fetch, Trupanion, Healthy Paws, and State Farm sell base plans that cover accident and illness only.

Cheap, low cost and most affordable dog insurance

Quotes for one dog in one ZIP code show how far prices can differ between companies. For a mixed-breed dog aged 2 in Katy, Texas, the median quote was $39 a month in NerdWallet's 13-insurer quotes. The quotes below cover that same sample dog and city.

• Figo and Lemonade charge $30 a month.
• For Pets Best, the quote was $31.50 per month.
• [Pumpkin charges $32 a month.
• Spot quoted $35 a month.
• [AKC Pet Insurance quoted $36 a month.
• For ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Embrace, and Wagmo, the monthly price was $39.
• Nationwide quoted $43 a month.
• [MetLife Pet Insurance quoted $53 a month.

Company websites post starting rates, and you'll see them too while shopping for cheap dog insurance. Policies for dogs and cats include monthly rates beginning at $10 from Lemonade. Petco lists dog policies beginning at $13 a month, and MetLife Pet Insurance shows a monthly rate beginning at $16. Quotes can run much higher based on breed and city: for a Manhattan English Bulldog, Trupanion's cost comes to $200 monthly.

Cheap, low cost and affordable pet insurance for cats

At every coverage tier, cat owners pay less each month than dog owners. The median monthly price for a domestic shorthair cat aged 2 was $19 in NerdWallet's 13-insurer comparison. The quotes below are for that sample cat:

• Lemonade and Figo: $14 monthly.
• Pumpkin: $15 monthly.
• Spot: $17 monthly.
• ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Embrace, Nationwide, and Wagmo: $19 monthly.
• Pets Best: $20.14 each month.
• Fetch: $22 monthly.
• AKC Pet Insurance: $23 monthly.
• MetLife Pet Insurance: $24 monthly.

Insurers also post starting rates for cats, and those rates are even lower. For cats, Nationwide and MetLife Pet Insurance both advertise plans from $7 a month. Petco publishes rates starting at $9 monthly. GEICO shows monthly prices from $15 to $45. GEICO's rates change with age, breed, location, and plan settings. In Boise, Idaho, Trupanion shows a rate of $20 a month for one domestic short-haired cat.

Ways to lower your premium

Changing several policy settings during checkout may reduce the cost of inexpensive pet insurance coverage. Before your plan begins covering costs, you pay a fixed dollar deductible that applies to vet bills. Reimbursement returns a percentage of every covered bill to you, while an annual limit caps the total paid in a year.

• Pick a higher deductible: Plans often begin at $100 or $250. Deductibles climb as high as $5,000 from Chubb, $2,500 from Fetch, $1,500 from Figo, and $1,000 at Pets Best.
• Lower the reimbursement rate: Plans often provide 70%, 80%, or 90%. Nationwide, MetLife Pet Insurance, and Chubb offer rates as low as 50%. Their only reimbursement rate is 90%, offered by Fetch, Trupanion, Chewy CarePlus, Aflac, State Farm, plus PetSmart.
• Lower your monthly rate by choosing a $5,000 or $10,000 annual cap rather than unlimited payouts.
• Switch to accident-only cover: Omitting illness coverage lowers your premium compared with full accident and illness coverage.
• Sign up while your pet is still young: a MoneyGeek study modeled 18 insurers, using a $500 deductible, reimbursement at 80%, and a $5,000 limit. For dogs under 1 year old, the monthly average was $46; at age 3 it was $47, and at age 6 it was $64. The monthly average was $99 for ages 8 to 13. Cat averages were $23 under age 1, $26 at age 4, $34 at age 7, and $62 for ages 11 through 14.
• Use multi-pet discounts: A 5% discount comes from Lemonade, Nationwide, Costco Pet Insurance, Pets Best, Figo, Petco, Odie, Wagmo, and AKC Pet Insurance. Several insurers offer up to 10% off for multi-pet savings: USAA, GEICO, Pumpkin, Spot, and ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Embrace, plus Prudent Pet, along with Chewy CarePlus. ManyPets offers up to 15% off, while Fetch, Trupanion, and Aflac give nothing.

Where budget plans fall short

Cheaper monthly rates usually come with stricter coverage rules. Check each policy's treatment of these common vet costs before accepting the lowest quote displayed.

• Illnesses on accident-only policies: Accident-only coverage pays for injuries, but doesn't cover sicknesses or disease treatment.
• Trupanion, Healthy Paws, State Farm, Pawp, and Chubb don't cover vet exam fees. You pay extra for an exam fee add-on through Lemonade and Embrace, as well as USAA, AKC Pet Insurance, Odie, Chewy CarePlus, Prudent Pet, Figo and Costco Pet Insurance. Banfield, GEICO, ManyPets, Nationwide, Spot, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Fetch, MetLife Pet Insurance, Pumpkin, Progressive and Pets Best cover exam fees.
• For routine wellness care, base policies leave this out unless you purchase a wellness add-on. Most carriers offer a wellness rider, but Trupanion, Healthy Paws, State Farm, plus Chubb sell no routine care add-ons.

Common questions

Which plan is the best choice and also the most affordable pet insurance?

Quotes change with your pet's breed, age, ZIP code, and chosen settings; no single carrier is lowest for every household. U.S. News 50-state research used 90% reimbursement and a $500 deductible; at Pets Best, dogs averaged $37.68 monthly and cats $23.23.

Which dog insurance policy is the least expensive?

Policies covering both accidents and illness show Fetch's average of $34 monthly within cheap pet insurance for dogs. MarketWatch sample quotes give Progressive $35 a month for dogs, while Odie's own average is $45 a month.

Is there any cheap pet insurance that covers everything?

Every policy leaves some vet costs uncovered, and extra benefits push your monthly bill higher. The deductible and excluded costs still fall to you after wellness and exam riders are added for 100% reimbursement at Figo or Costco Pet Insurance.

Is inexpensive dog insurance worth the cost?

Whether a low-cost dog policy works depends on your household's needs and which veterinary expenses you want help with. An accident-only policy handles unexpected injuries and helps keep the premium down, while accident and illness plans add sickness coverage at a higher rate.

What monthly cost makes sense for pet insurance?

Published sample averages give you a helpful benchmark when you compare quotes. MarketWatch dog reviews put the monthly average for AKC Pet Insurance at $46. Healthy Paws averaged $60, compared with $56 for ASPCA Pet Health Insurance. Odie reports a $25 monthly average for cats. U.S. News samples put monthly averages at $38.77 at USAA and $39.74 at Costco Pet Insurance.

Who offers the best pet insurance deals along with the lowest prices?

Insurers help you cut what you pay in different ways, and the options available depend on your household. With MetLife Pet Insurance's Family Plan, 1 policy can cover as many as 3 pets. One deductible applies to every pet, and the policy rate gets a discount. Lemonade offers a 5% multi-pet discount. Paying for a bundle takes 10% off the price, and paying for the year saves another 5%.

Which pet insurance policy gives you the most for the money?

Your policy counts as cost effective when the deductible and coverage tier match what you can handle at the vet clinic. Deductibles from $250 to $500 apply at Healthy Paws and Odie, while a $500 deductible applies at Chewy CarePlus. At Wagmo, the range runs $500 to $1,000.

Are free pet health insurance options available to families with low income?

Your household income doesn't qualify you for free coverage through standard pet insurance companies. Every insurer charges regular premiums. To lower monthly costs, the main options are picking an accident-only plan or raising the deductible.

Can senior citizens on a fixed income get pet insurance?

The amount depends on your pet's details, but military members get an extra 10% discount from USAA for a total of up to 25%. If your budget is fixed, Embrace says most of its dog-owning customers pay monthly amounts of $20 to $70, depending on their settings.

Is free pet insurance available for dogs, cats, or puppies?

For pets, including young puppies and kittens, premiums begin as soon as coverage begins. With accident and illness coverage, Chewy CarePlus's starting price of $30 a month for puppies and kittens is also the average. Trupanion, State Farm, Aflac, and Pawp offer a $0 deductible option. You still have to pay the monthly premium.