Best Pet Insurance Plans

Pros

• Official coverage page includes hereditary and congenital conditions when they are not pre-existing.
• Dental illness (up to $1,000 per year on their coverage page) and vet-supervised behavioral therapy are described as standard on accident & illness policies.
• Wellness Rewards is an optional routine-care add-on; accident-only is described for dogs 15+.

Cons

• Exam fees and some prescription-drug coverage are described as optional add-ons, not automatically in every policy.
• Embrace’s 2026 cost page gives a typical dog range of $20–$70/month, not a single nationwide starting price.
• Claims are reimbursement-based; we did not independently time their 'lightning-fast claims' marketing.

Score breakdown

Specs

Plan Type

Accident & illness (accident-only for some senior dogs)

Annual Limit

Customizable; unlimited option described on public comparison coverage pages

Reimbursement

70% / 80% / 90% (Embrace cost page)

Exam Fees

Optional add-on

Wellness

Wellness Rewards (optional, not insurance)

Score Notes

quality 9 = 3 A&I + 2 hereditary base + 2 unlimited option + 0 exam base + 1 wellness + 1 dental/behavioral base. safety 8 = 7+1 (widely sold U.S. pet insurer). value 7 = customizable limits (+4) + wellness/accident-only (+2) + no single official starting quote (+0). ease 7 = public claims + telehealth marketing, not a timed SLA.

Pros

• Official FAQ: choose $5,000, $7,000, or unlimited annual reimbursement at enrollment (unlimited cannot later be increased if you pick a cap).
• Official coverage page: up to 90% reimbursement and a 'most claims are processed in 2 days' statement.
• Accident & illness includes hereditary/congenital, cancer, and alternative care as described on their coverage page.

Cons

• No wellness or accident-only plan on the official product pages we used.
• NerdWallet’s 2026 review says sick-exam fees, behavioral therapy, and prescription food are not covered — we treat exam-in-base as not verified on the insurer’s own coverage page.
• No public starting monthly premium; price is quote-only.

Score breakdown

Specs

Plan Type

Accident & illness only

Annual Limit

$5,000, $7,000, or unlimited at enrollment (Healthy Paws FAQ)

Reimbursement

Up to 90% (Healthy Paws coverage page)

Exam Fees

Not confirmed in base on official coverage page

Wellness

Not offered on pages reviewed

Score Notes

quality 8 = 3 A&I + 2 hereditary + 2 unlimited option + 0 exam + 0 wellness + 1 alternative care. safety 8 = 7+1 (NerdWallet 2026: licensed all 50 states + D.C.). value 6 = customizable deductible/reimbursement/limit (+4) only. ease 8 = official 2-day claims processing claim.

Pros

• Official site: no annual, lifetime, or per-condition payout caps; pays up to 90% of eligible costs.
• Lifetime per-condition deductible: pay the deductible once per condition, then eligible costs for that condition stay covered.
• Trupanion Express can pay participating veterinary hospitals directly at checkout.

Cons

• Plan design is less customizable than rivals: the public site emphasizes a 90% structure rather than a menu of annual caps.
• No wellness/routine-care product on the pages we used.
• No official starting monthly premium published; cost is quote-only and often higher for the unlimited design (we did not invent a number).

Score breakdown

Specs

Plan Type

Accident & illness

Annual Limit

None (official: no annual or lifetime cap)

Reimbursement

Up to 90% of eligible costs

Deductible

Lifetime per-condition

Direct Pay

Trupanion Express at participating hospitals

Wellness

Not offered on pages reviewed

Score Notes

quality 8 = 3 A&I + 2 hereditary/congenital + 2 unlimited + 0 exam + 0 wellness + 1 chronic/diagnostics in base. safety 8 = 7+1. value 5 = deductible choice only, no official start price, no wellness/accident-only. ease 8 = Express direct-pay.

Pros

• Official accident-and-illness page: includes exam fees to diagnose a covered injury or illness (Fetch contrasts this with add-on exam coverage elsewhere).
• Also lists physical therapy and acupuncture in that base description; optional Fetch Wellness for preventive care.
• Underwritten in the U.S. by AXIS Insurance Company per Fetch site disclosures.

Cons

• We did not verify an unlimited annual-limit option on Fetch’s official coverage pages; Fetch discloses a common configuration of $10,000 annual limit / $300 deductible / 80% reimbursement.
• Illness waiting period is described as 15 days; orthopedic waits can be longer (check the policy).
• No official starting monthly premium.

Score breakdown

Specs

Plan Type

Accident & illness

Annual Limit

Not verified as unlimited; Fetch cites $10,000 as a common configuration

Reimbursement

Up to 90% (Fetch marketing)

Exam Fees

Included in base for covered conditions (Fetch A&I page)

Wellness

Optional Fetch Wellness endorsement

Underwriter

AXIS Insurance Company (U.S., Fetch disclosure)

Score Notes

quality 8 = 3 A&I + 2 hereditary (coverage page) + 0 unlimited (unverified) + 1 exam base + 1 wellness option + 1 PT/acupuncture. safety 8. value 6 = customization (+4) + wellness (+2). ease 7 = standard digital claims, no Express-style SLA.

Pros

• Official cost page: policies start at $10/month for basic accident & illness (actual price varies).
• Lemonade says it pays 50% of eligible claims instantly in the app, with the rest averaging within 5 days.
• Optional add-ons: wellness/preventive, vet visit fees, dental, behavioral, physical therapy, end-of-life.

Cons

• NerdWallet 2026: not sold in every state (42 states + D.C. in that review). Confirm availability for your ZIP on Lemonade.
• Same review: no unlimited annual option; limits described as $5,000–$100,000. Exam fees and several extras are add-ons.
• WSJ/Buy Side notes Lemonade applies coinsurance before the deductible, which can reduce the payout versus some rivals.

Score breakdown

Specs

Plan Type

Accident & illness plus optional add-ons

Annual Limit

Customizable; unlimited not offered (NerdWallet 2026)

Reimbursement

Customizable; coinsurance-then-deductible order noted by WSJ/Buy Side

Advertised Start

$10/month (Lemonade pet-insurance-cost page)

Availability

Not all states (NerdWallet 2026: 42 + D.C.)

Score Notes

quality 6 = 3 A&I + 2 illness (cancer/diabetes in 2026 NerdWallet) + 0 unlimited + 0 exam base + 1 wellness option + 0 extras in base. safety 6 = 7−1 not all states. value 9 = customizable (+4) + official $10 start (+3) + wellness/add-ons (+2). ease 9 = instant 50% claims in app.

Pros

• Official site still quotes new policies; advertised accident-only modular example starts at $12/month for a sample Chicago mixed-breed dog.
• Public comparison page: accident-only, accident & illness, and add-on wellness; Nationwide newsroom still describes coverage for birds and exotic pets.
• Visit any licensed U.S. veterinarian, per petinsurance.com.

Cons

• June 2024: Nationwide announced it would not renew about 100,000 Whole Pet with Wellness policies (company statement widely reported; class action filed 2025). That is why safety is 5, not a 'best' badge.
• Congenital & hereditary coverage is described as an optional rider on reimbursement examples — not assumed in the base modular plan.
• The $12/month figure is an accident-only sample quote (1-year mixed dog, Chicago 60615, $5,000 limit, 70% coinsurance, $250 deductible), not a typical full accident-and-illness price.

Score breakdown

Specs

Plan Type

Modular: accident-only, accident & illness, optional wellness

Advertised Start

$12/mo sample accident-only quote (petinsurance.com dog-insurance footnote)

Hereditary

Optional rider on published reimbursement examples

Species

Dogs, cats, birds and exotic pets (Nationwide newsroom / site 'more')

Score Notes

quality 4 = 3 A&I available + 0 hereditary in base + 0 unlimited verified + 0 exam base + 1 wellness option + 0 extra in base. safety 5 = 7−2 mass Whole Pet non-renewal. value 8 = modular customization (+4) + official $12 start (+3) rounded with wellness option. ease 6 = standard quote site, no documented Express/instant SLA.