Trupanion Pet Insurance Review

Covered Treatment
Illness/Injury Plan 

Genetic/congenital conditions
✓

Diagnostics/testing 
✓ 

Surgery/hospitalization 
✓ 

Cancer/chronic conditions 
✓ 

Specialist care 
✓ 

Non-routine dental 
✓ 

Prescription medication 
✓ 

Herbal therapy 
✓ 

Acupuncture 
✓ (with optional rider)

Behavioral modification 
✓ (with optional rider) 

Prescription food/supplements 
✓ 

Available Riders/Add-Ons

This Post: Trupanion Pet Insurance Review

Under Trupanion’s standard plan, expenses related to breeding and rehabilitation aren’t covered. However, you can augment your policy with an optional rider—for an additional cost—to get coverage for those expenses. 

Trupanion has three riders: 

• Recovery and Complementary Care: The recovery and complementary care rider provides coverage for behavioral modification, rehabilitation, and alternative therapies like hydrotherapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic care.

   

• Pet Owner Assistance: The pet owner assistance rider provides liability coverage for damages your pet causes to a third party’s property, advertising and rewards for lost pets, holiday vacation cancellation cost reimbursement, and coverage for cremation or burial fees. 
• Breeding: The breeding rider covers illnesses or injuries related to breeding, whelping (for dogs), or queening (for cats). 

Waiting Periods

As is standard in the pet insurance industry, Trupanion has waiting periods before your pet’s care is eligible for coverage. The waiting period is 30 days for illnesses and five days for injuries.

Cancellation Policy

Trupanion has a 30-day free look period. You have 30 days after the policy effective date to cancel your policy and get 100% of the premiums paid refunded to you, as long as you haven’t been reimbursed for a claim. 

After the free look period ends, you can cancel your policy at any time by sending in a written notification by mail, fax, or email. 

Plan Exclusions

Trupanion’s policies do not cover exam fees, specialist visit fees, or treatments for conditions related to parasites. They also do not cover:

• Pre-existing conditions
• Bilateral conditions
• Virtual vet visits
• Heartworm/FELV/blood/fecal exams
• Heartworm/flea/tick prevention
• Vaccination/titer
• Spay/neuter
• Microchipping

Pre-Existing Conditions

Like other companies, Trupanion doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions—in this case, pre-existing conditions are defined as those that showed clinical evidence during the 18 months before your policy’s effective date or during the policy’s waiting period. 

If your pet has a pre-existing condition on one side of its body—such as cataracts in one eye or cruciate ligament damage in one limb—treatment for the condition on the other side of the body is excluded from coverage. 

Be sure to read your policy documents and follow the requirements. Insurers often require regular wellness visits and dental exams to cover any claims. 

RED : Phenol là gì? Tính chất, điều chế & ứng dụng của Phenol

Plan Pricing

We found that Trupanion’s policies are generally significantly more expensive than other insurers. In fact, its premiums were among the very highest of all the companies we reviewed, using three pet personas (two dogs and a cat). And unlike other companies, you cannot reduce your premium by taking advantage of discounts; Trupanion doesn’t offer discounts for enrolling multiple pets, a common discount in the industry. 

Trupanion doesn’t offer multiple benefit limits or reimbursement percentages. Its policies provide 90% reimbursement and unlimited annual and lifetime benefits. The only portion you can adjust is the deductible amount: You can choose a deductible from $0 to $1,000. In general, the lower the deductible, the higher your premium.

Keep in mind that Trupanion uses a per-condition deductible rather than an annual deductible. That means if your dog has two unrelated health issues—such as a broken limb and an ear infection—you’ll have to pay two deductibles. On the plus side, you only have to meet the deductible once for that condition; for chronic conditions that can require years of treatments, that can be an advantage. 

How Premiums Are Set

For pet insurance premiums, your rates are determined by the following factors: 

• Location: If you live in an area with a higher cost of living—and higher veterinarian fees—your premiums will be more expensive. 
• Pet’s breed: Certain breeds that are more susceptible to health issues will incur higher premiums.
• Pet’s age: In general, older pets are much more expensive to insure than younger ones. In most cases, your premiums will increase as your pet ages. 
• Deductible: Your deductible affects your premiums. A lower deductible means your insurance company will start paying for your pet’s care sooner, but you’ll have a higher monthly premium. Similarly, a higher deductible will lower your premiums, but you’ll have to pay more out of pocket before your insurance will cover claims. 
• Riders: If you add optional riders to your policy—such as Trupanion’s recovery care and rehabilitation rider—you will pay a higher monthly premium. 

Claims

Claims must be submitted within 90 days of the treatment date. With Trupanion, there are two ways to handle claims: 

• Direct pay: If your veterinarian partners with Trupanion and has the company’s software, Trupanion can directly pay your veterinarian for your pet’s care at the time of service. 
• Reimbursement: If your vet is not one of Trupanion’s partners, you must pay for your pet’s care at the office when treatments are provided. You can submit claims online through the customer portal, by emailing claims@trupanion.com, or by sending a claims form through the mail to the following address: 

Trupanion USA
6100 4th Ave
South Suite 200
Seattle, WA 98108

If your claim is approved, your reimbursement will be sent via check or direct deposit. According to Trupanion, 60% of claims are processed within 24 hours.

You can search for veterinarians that partner with Trupanion and are eligible for direct payments online.

Customer Service

Whereas other companies’ customer support teams are only available during normal business hours, you can reach Trupanion’s customer service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

You can contact support via phone, online chat, or email. 

As a policyholder, you can also use the member portal to manage your policy and make payments. 

Third-Party Ratings

Trupanion doesn’t underwrite the policies it issues; instead, its policies are underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company (APIC). Unlike some other companies, APIC isn’t rated by AM Best. Instead, it was evaluated and rated by Demotech, another credit rating agency. Demotech issued an “A’” (Unsurpassed) rating to APIC in 2022. Such a high rating means that Demotech believes APIC to be financially stable and able to honor current and future policy obligations. 

No consumer complaints about Trupanion are listed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. However, Trupanion is very highly rated by customers on Trustpilot and has thousands of positive reviews. It has a rating of 4.5 out of five based on over 3,900 reviews, giving it an “Excellent” distinction. As one reviewer wrote: 

“Beyond grateful! My sweet Cookie, [a] 13-year-old Boston Terrier, was diagnosed with bladder cancer. I am so thankful that I have Trupanion to help me to be able to provide treatment she needs to at least give us some more time together. The invoices and reimbursement are both completed so quickly and customer service is always so kind and helpful.” —Ruth A. 

Alternative Choices

There are many pet insurance companies out there. According to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA), there are at least 20 pet insurance companies in North America. Choosing the right one can be challenging, so consider the following when evaluating different insurers and policy options: 

• Policy type: There are three main kinds of pet insurance: accident and illness coverage, accident-only coverage, and wellness plans. Accident and illness plans are the most common, while accident-only coverage is less expensive. Wellness plans are different from other pet insurance options and reimburse you for a portion of preventative care treatments, up to an annual maximum. 
• Annual, lifetime, and condition limits: Depending on the insurer, there may be annual, lifetime, or per-condition limits. These limits are the maximum your insurer will cover for eligible claims. If your pet’s care exceeds that amount, you’ll have to cover the remainder yourself. 
• Age or breed restrictions: Some insurance companies have restrictions on pets’ ages or breeds. If you have a senior pet or own a breed of dog or cat susceptible to health issues, you may have difficulty finding coverage, or you may have to pay a higher premium. 
• Waiting periods: Pet insurance companies usually have waiting periods—a period of days or weeks after the policy effective date—before treatments will be covered. 
• Exclusions: Exclusions vary by insurer. For example, some companies cover holistic or alternative care options like chiropractic treatments, while others exclude them. Review policies carefully to ensure your pet’s care is covered. 

Looking for other coverage limits and benefits that Trupanion doesn’t offer? Check out the best pet insurance companies and plans available today.

RED : CUCHARA, Houston – Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews – Tripadvisor

Competition

 
Trupanion
Trusted Pals 
Lemonade 

Annual Deductible Options
$0 to $1,000
$0, $100, $250, $500, $750
$100, $250, $500, $750

Reimbursement Percentage 
90% 
70%, 80%, 90%, 100% 
60%, 70%, 80%, 90% 

Average Claim Turnaround Time 
5–7 days 
10 days 
12–18 days 

Illness Waiting Period 
30 days 
14 days 
14 days 

Injury Waiting Period 
5 days 
14 days 
2 days 

Exam Coverage 
No 
Yes 
Add-On 

Dental Illness Coverage 
Yes (non-routine) 
Yes 
No 

Max Enrollment Age Limit 
14 years 
None 
14 years 

Final Verdict

For pet owners who don’t want to worry about paying for expensive emergency procedures upfront, Trupanion could be an excellent choice. If your veterinarian is one of Trupanion’s partners, the company can pay the vet directly—a major benefit over other companies that only work via reimbursement. 

Trupanion can also be a good option for breeders or those who have adopted very young pets; with no minimum age restriction, Trupanion allows you to enroll pets at birth, minimizing the risk of pre-existing conditions. 

However, Trupanion’s plans can be expensive, and it doesn’t give policyholders the option of adjusting reimbursement percentages or annual benefit maximums to lower premiums. Before purchasing a policy, compare rates from other companies to find the right coverage for your budget.

Get a Quote

Our Methodology: How We Review Pet Insurance Carriers

Investopedia is dedicated to providing consumers with unbiased, comprehensive reviews of pet insurance companies. We rated 25 providers and collected over 2,000 data points, including information about plan options, company features, and fees and limits, to ensure that our reviews help users make informed decisions for their pet insurance needs.

Our full pet insurance methodology, including our data collection process and weighted data points, is available for review.