We evaluate each pet insurance company based on the factors that are most important to pet parents like you. To inform our reviews, we surveyed 1,000 dog and cat owners nationwide to determine the most important elements of pet insurance coverage. Our process includes in-depth industry research about each provider, such as comparing coverage options, gathering quotes online to determine pricing and reading reviews to assess customer service.
We then score each provider on a 100-point scale and divide the final score by 20 to calculate an overall rating of 5.0 stars. Here are more details about the factors we consider when evaluating pet insurance providers:
- Monthly pricing (25%): To assess pricing, we collect sample quotes for medium-mixed breed and purebred dogs and cats, from four years old to one year old. Providers get the most points in this category for offering affordable coverage and a multi-pet discount.
- Plans (15%): The best pet insurance companies offer a range of plans to give customers the option to choose the coverage that is best for their pet. Companies that offer accident and sickness plans, accident-only plans, and add-ons for health or preventive care get full points in this category. We also look at coverage limits and award the most points for policies with unlimited coverage.
- Covered treatments (15%): According to our survey of pet owners, coverage is one of the most important factors when shopping for pet insurance. Companies with extensive included treatments and unique coverages receive more points in this category than providers with more standard or blanket policies.
- Customization options (10%): Customizing your pet insurance policy can help lower your cost. Providers that offer more annual limit, deductible and reimbursement rate options get the highest marks in this category.
- Customer care (10%): Our survey respondents also value customer service when comparing pet insurance providers. We grade each company based on its website accessibility and overall usability, availability of customer service, mobile apps, money-back guarantees and veterinary telehealth options, awarding points to insurers with more customer experience offerings.
- Industry reputation (10%): We review up-to-date ratings and accreditation information from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and score companies based on years of industry experience and state availability.
- Waiting periods (10%): Companies with a shorter accident, illness and orthopedic waiting period between the time you sign up for coverage and your policy starts scoring higher in this category.
- Eligible age (5%): Some companies do not offer policies for pets of a certain age. For this category, we deduct points from providers with age limits for covered pets.
We use our rating system to compare each company we review and determine the best pet insurance companies in the industry. To learn more, read our full pet insurance methodology for evaluating and scoring providers.
