Lemonade vs. Trupanion Pet Insurance: 2024 Comparison
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In recent years, the pet insurance market has taken off. Many pet owners now have some type of pet insurance for their dog or cat. This recent surge in interest has led to countless different insurance companies springing up. The differences between all these companies can be challenging to discern, as many of them are quite similar.
Both Lemonade and Trupanion are relatively new companies in this field, but they have developed a customer base pretty quickly. Often, Trupanion is recommended by vets, while Lemonade has created a bit of media coverage with its AI-driven process.
While both of these companies offer pet insurance, they are also extremely different.
| Company Name | Lemonade | Trupanion |
| Pets Covered | Dogs and Cats | Dogs and Cats |
| Types of Plans | Preventative and Wellness; Accident and Illness | Accident and Illness only |
| Deductibles | $100, $200, $500 | $0 to $1,000 |
| Reimbursement | 70%, 80%, 90% | 90% |
| Additional Perks | Low Rates; No Lifetime Limits | Pays vets directly; lifetime deductibles |
Brief Overview of Lemonade
- Bundling discount
- No lifetime limits
- Wellness coverage available as an add-on
- Coverage for pets between 8 months and 20+ years
- Annual deductible
- Uses an AI system to examine claims
- Mobile app for claim submission
- Extremely low costs
- Vet exams not included
- Must purchase an extended plan for exams, physical therapy, and other coverage
- Not available in every state
- Doesn’t cover older dogs
- No dental or behavioral coverage
Lemonade sets itself apart from other pet insurance companies thanks to its AI claims process. Instead of each claim needing to be reviewed by a person, the company automatically pays out claims in just a few minutes. An AI reviews each claim, allowing them to pay out faster than others.
Plus, because they don’t have to pay tons of employees to look at claims, the company generally costs much less than other options out there.
They provide a bundling discount for multiple pets and have an annual deductible. Therefore, once you meet your annual deductible, they begin reimbursing you. Wellness coverage plans are available for an extra cost.
You submit all claims using an online app. As we’ve stated, payouts are instant, which is one reason why this company is so popular.
Brief Overview of Trupanion
- 90% reimbursement
- No payout limits
- Optional benefits for behavioral modification, physical therapy, and other benefits
- No hip dysplasia restriction
- Pets are covered in many countries
- No annual coverage limits
- Pays vets directly
- Optional coverage for property damage caused by your pet
- Expensive
- No preventative add-on
- Few customization options
- Policies have a 30-day waiting period
- Prone to high increases in premiums
- Exam fees aren’t covered
- Claim repayment within 60 days
Trupanion offers one simple plan for all pets. On one hand, this makes the whole process much simpler. There aren’t as many options for you to debate. However, this also means that you can’t lower your reimbursement to lower your costs.
One of the best benefits of this company is that they directly pay most vets. Therefore, you don’t have to pay out of pocket and then wait for reimbursement. This company has been around for longer than many others, as well, so customers tend to trust them more.
Plus, Trupanion tends to cover more things than other plans. They do not have a wellness add-on, though. Instead, they only cover accidents and illnesses.
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Lemonade vs. Trupanion: Plans Available
Most pet insurance plans cover accidents and illnesses, as these are the most common surprises pet parents face at the vet. However, some also offer wellness options or even cheaper, accident-only plans.
Lemonade
Lemonade offers a base accident and illness plan that covers most costs associated with these events. Their basic plan covers most common costs, though they do tend to cover less than other options.
You can purchase a slightly-more-expensive Extended Accident and Illness package, which includes extra coverage. For instance, this plan covers physical therapy and acupuncture.
If you’re interested, they provide a wellness and preventative care package as well. However, this package really works like a savings account, since you aren’t getting any more money back than you put in.
Trupanion
Trupanion provides a basic accident and illness plan, and that’s it. Their goal is to offer one simple plan that works for most people, instead of confusing potential customers with tons of options.
With that said, their single plan does cover a lot. Therefore, it works similarly to the extended plan offered by other companies.
Trupanion does offer an additional benefits package, which provides coverage for property damage caused by your pet.
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Lemonade vs. Trupanion: Reimbursements and Deductibles
Often, pet insurance companies offer a variety of different reimbursement options and deductibles to help you choose exactly what you need. Lowering the reimbursement or raising the deductible typically makes the plan cost less month-to-month.
Lemonade
Lemonade provides tons of different options for pet insurance. They offer deductibles of $100, $250, or $500. You can also choose a reimbursement of 70%, 80%, or 90%. All of these options allow you to adjust the plan to fit your needs. However, this also means that you’ll have more choices to make, which can lead to some decision fatigue.
On top of this, you can also adjust the annual limit for your plan, which also raises or lowers the price.
Trupanion
Trupanion does not offer as many options as Lemonade. However, this is because their aim is to provide a simple plan that works best for most people, instead of swamping you with tons of different options.
Their reimbursement is set to 90%. However, they do not have set limits or anything of that sort. Therefore, it will remain at 90% no matter how much medical care your dog receives.
You can adjust your deductible from $0 to $1,000. The higher the deductible, the lower your monthly premium will be.
Lemonade vs. Trupanion: Additional Perks
Of course, there are tons of other benefits associated with these companies, as well. Let’s have a quick discussion regarding the other perks of each company.
Lemonade
Lemonade is cheaper than other options out there, by far. However, you’re also getting less coverage. Their claim payout is instant thanks to their AI system, which eliminates the middle man from reimbursement. You can also submit claims fairly easily on their mobile app.
Trupanion
Trupanion offers a simple plan that covers almost anything. It pays vets directly so that you have to pay less out of pocket. They have an A- BBB rating, which is far better than most insurance companies out there.
Because they’ve been around longer, they tend to be more trusted than other options.
Company Verdict: Which One Has the Edge?
Customer Service
- Edge: Trupanion
Lemonade uses AI for a lot of its business. While this is great when trying to submit a claim, it can make talking to a real person a bit difficult. Trupanion has been around for a while and is therefore quite trusted.
Price of Plans
- Edge: Lemonade
If you’re looking at price alone, Lemonade wins by a longshot. They are much less expensive than Trupanion, which tends to be one of the most expensive options on the market.
However, Lemonade cuts its prices in a multitude of ways to keep its plans cheap. They use AI for a lot of reimbursements, for instance. They also don’t cover older pets or have lots of add-ons. Their base plan is quite basic, which is one reason it is so cheap.
Areas of Coverage
- Edge: Trupanion
Trupanion is accepted almost anywhere, including Porto Rico and Canada. On the other hand, Lemonade is only available in 33 states, though this is slowly increasing.
Perks
- Edge: Trupanion
Trupanion provides coverage that other companies simply don’t. For instance, they provide optional coverage for property damage caused by your pet. They also cover behavioral problems and accept pets of most ages.
Conclusion
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| Multi-Pet Discount |
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| Unlimited Plan |
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| Chronic Conditions |
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| Microchipping |
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Both of these pet insurance companies are great. However, Trupanion wins in our book, simply because they cover more problems and have no annual limits. If you’re looking for complete coverage, then you want Trupanion, even if it is a bit more expensive. With this company, you can rest assured that you’ll have the money needed to pay for your pet’s veterinary bills.
However, Lemonade offers very inexpensive plans with tons of different coverage options. That said, they don’t cover as much and have annual limits. Therefore, you won’t be as covered.
It’s simply a matter of what you’re looking for.
- Hepper acknowledges that it is not licensed as an insurance agent, and therefore will not offer any advice regarding insurance, nor recommend a particular coverage, policy, or insurance company.
Featured Image Credit: rawpixel.com, Shutterstock
