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Lemonade Pet Insurance Review 2023

Available in 37 states (and Washington D.C.), Lemonade offers extremely affordable pet insurance policies for dog and cat owners. Policyholders can visit any licensed vet in the United States and receive up to $100,000 in annual reimbursements, with reimbursements capped at 90% per bill. To be eligible for coverage, pets must be between the ages of 2 months and 13 years.

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Highlights

  • Starting as low as $10/month
  • Save up to 20% with three additive discounts
  • Apply online in minutes
  • Portion of earnings donated to animal welfare organizations

Bottom Line

We recommend Lemonade pet insurance for pet owners prioritizing policy customization and savings. Applicants can tweak the reimbursement rate, annual coverage maximum, and annual deductible on Lemonade’s base policy to find the right balance of coverage and pricing. Lemonade also encourages applicants to further customize their policy, offering a variety of riders and add-ons that increase their coverage, including care such as dental work, examination fees, and preventative care.

About Lemonade Pet Insurance

Founded in 2015, Lemonade is an insurance company that uses AI technology designed to disrupt the traditional insurer-to-broker-to-policyholder system, with the intention to save policyholders time and money by cutting out the middleman. Lemonade offers a variety of insurance products, including renters insurance, homeowners insurance, car insurance, life insurance, and pet insurance.

Lemonade first began offering pet insurance in July of 2020. Unlike some of its competitors—who are either underwritten or backed by third-party financial institutions—Lemonade underwrites and backs all of its own policies.

How Does Lemonade Pet Insurance Work?

Lemonade pet insurance is designed for an easy and speedy application process, with most applicants able to sign up in as few as five minutes.

New applicants start by getting a quote directly from Lemonade’s website. After you answer a few simple questions—such as where you live and how old your pet is—Lemonade sends you an estimated monthly premium price.

Once you receive your baseline quote, you’ll be sent to a page where you can tweak your policy details, add riders, and select a preventative care add-on, as your monthly premium changes in real time with each addition.

If you’re satisfied with your pricing and policy, you can add your credit card and pay your first month’s premium to activate your policy immediately. Within the first 15 days of your policy activation, Lemonade requires you submit a veterinary record (completed within the last 12 months).

Before coverage can fully activate, policyholders must outwait three different waiting periods:

  • Accidents: 2 days
  • Illnesses: 14 days
  • Cruciate Ligaments Events: 6 months

Once a waiting period has ended for a specific health scenario, policyholders can visit any licensed vet in the US, pay the bill out-of-pocket, get an itemized receipt, and send a claim (via app or computer) to Lemonade. If the claim is approved (and if the annual deductible is met), Lemonade will reimburse you per your contract’s reimbursement rate, which is sent via direct deposit.

Lemonade Pros and Cons

Pros Cons
Affordable base plan policy, with up to 20% in discounts Coverage becomes less affordable with addition of key riders
Variety of riders: accident, illness, and preventative care Unavailable in 15 states
Customizable deductible, reimbursement rate, and annual coverage maximum

Lemonade State Availability

Lemonade pet insurance is available in 37 states and the District of Columbia. It is not available (currently) in the following states:

  • Alaska
  • Delaware
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • South Dakota
  • Vermont
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming

Lemonade Pet Insurance Plans

Lemonade offers only one “base” pet insurance policy: accident and illness coverage. This base plan can be customized and expanded via policy selections, riders, and other add-ons, making it feel like Lemonade offers dozens of policies. Below, we’ll cover what’s included with Lemonade’s base coverage, as well as list the various ways to make this plan your own.

Accident & Illness

Every new applicant must select Lemonade’s accident and illness plan, as it is the foundational policy with which applicants can broaden their coverage. If you’re looking to maximize savings, you can select the accident and illness plan and leave it as-is.

Without add-ons or riders, Lemonade’s accident and illness plan covers the following care that is required as a result of an accident or illness:

  • Diagnostics
    • Blood tests
    • Urinalysis
    • X-rays, MRIs
    • Labwork
    • CT scans
    • Ultrasounds

  • Procedures
    • Outpatient
    • Specialty and Emergency Care
    • Hospitalization
    • Surgery

  • Medications
    • Injections
    • Prescription medications

Base Coverage Add-Ons

Applicants can extend the breadth of their accident and illness coverage with five distinct add-ons:

  • Vet Visit Fees: Covers examination fees associated with eligible accidents or illnesses
  • Physical Therapy: Covers physical treatments such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, and more.
  • Behavioral Conditions ($1,000 annual limit): Covers diagnostics, therapy sessions, and prescription medicines required for treating new behavioral conditions.
  • Dental Illness ($1,000 annual limit): Covers treatments for dental illnesses such as gum disease or stomatitis.
  • End of Life and Remembrance ($1,000 annual limit): Coverage for euthanasia, cremation, and memorial items.

Preventative Care Add-Ons

Lemonade applicants can select one of two Preventative Care add-ons, designed to lower the cost of routine examinations like checkups.

  • Base Preventative Care
    • 1 wellness exam (up to $50 in costs per year)
    • 1 fecal or internal parasite test (up to $30/yr)
    • 3 vaccines (up to $75/yr)
    • 1 heartworm or FeLV/FIV test (up to $40/yr)
    • 1 blood test (up to $65/yr)

  • Advanced Preventative Care
    • 2 wellness exams (up to $100 in costs per year)
    • 2 fecal or internal parasite tests (up to $70/yr)
    • 6 vaccines or boosters (up to $150/yr)
    • 1 heartworm or FeLV/FIV test (up to $40/yr)
    • 1 blood test (up to $65/yr)
    • Spay/neuter (up to $120/yr)
    • Microchip (up to $40/yr)
    • Flea/tick or heartworm medication (up to $65/yr)

What Lemonade Pet Insurance Covers

Base Coverage (Accident and Illness) Base Coverage + All Add-Ons Base Coverage + All Add-Ons + Basic Preventative Care Base Coverage + All Add-Ons + Advanced Prevent- ative Care
Diagnostics X X X X
Procedures X X X X
Medications X X X X
Vet Visit Fees X X X
Physical Therapy X X X
Behavioral Care X X X
Dental Illnesses X X X
End-of-Life Arrangements X X X
Wellness Exams X X
Fecal and Blood Testing X X
Spay/Neuter X
Microchip X
Flea, Tick, or Heartworm Medication X

What’s Not Covered

Just like other pet insurers, Lemonade doesn’t cover every condition or medical scenario. Exclusions include:

  • Waiting Periods: Any scenario that appears before the end of the following waiting periods will not be covered:
    • 2 days for injuries
    • 14 days for illnesses
    • 6 months for cruciate ligaments

  • Dental Care (unless added-on)
  • Spay/Neuter (unless added with preventative package)

Lemonade Coverage Options

Regardless of which add-ons you do (or don’t) select, every Lemonade policy asks applicants to customize the details of their policies. Applicants can alter three specifications, including:

Deductibles

A deductible is the amount of money a policyholder must pay out-of-pocket for veterinary expenses before their coverage reimbursements can kick in. Deductibles reset a year after the activation date.

Lemonade applicants can choose one of three deductibles:

  • $100
  • $250
  • $500

Reimbursement Rates

The reimbursement rate is the percentage of a vet bill that a pet insurance company will reimburse. For example, if you just paid a $500 vet bill (that is covered by insurance) and you have a 90% reimbursement rate, you’d be reimbursed $450.

Lemonade offers three reimbursement rates:

  • 70%
  • 80%
  • 90%

Coverage Limits

A coverage limit is the maximum amount of money an insurance company will reimburse a policyholder for covered veterinary bills. Like deductibles, coverage limits reset a year after the activation of the policy.

Lemonade offers five coverage limits:

  • $5,000
  • $10,000
  • $20,000
  • $50,000
  • $100,000

Restrictions and Waiting Periods

Lemonade pet insurance comes with a few restrictions and exclusions to its coverage. You’ll want to keep these in mind before applying:

Restrictions

  • State Availability: Lemonade’s pet insurance is not available in 14 states.
  • Age Restriction: Pets must be between the ages of 2 months and 13 years to be eligible for coverage.

Waiting Periods

If your pet shows symptoms of an accident or illness before the end of a given waiting period, the condition will be considered “pre-existing” and not eligible for coverage.

Lemonade has three waiting periods, which begin at the start of coverage activation:

  • Accidents: 2 days
  • Illnesses: 14 days
  • Cruciate Ligament Events: 6 months

How much does Lemonade cost?

Lemonade’s pet insurance pricing changes from policyholder to policyholder, as pricing is based on personal details such as your location, your pet’s age, your pet’s overall health, and more. To find pricing accurate for you and your pet, we recommend you get a free quote directly from Lemonade’s website.

The following sample pricing is designed to give a ballpark pricing range based on a pet with near-perfect health.

Lemonade Dog Insurance

The sample pricing below is based on a dog with these characteristics:

  • $Living in Chicago, Illinois (60606)
  • $Pet Details
    • $Male
    • $Mixed Breed
    • $Medium weight (20–55 lbs)
    • $No known medical issues
    • $Living with owner for < 1 year

  • $Policy Details
    • $80% reimbursement rate
    • $$250 annual deductible
    • $$20,000 annual maximum
Base Plan (Accident + Illness) Base Plan + All Add-Ons Base Plan + Basic Prevent- ative Care Base Plan + Advanced Prevent- ative Care Base Plan + All Add-Ons + Advanced Prevent- ative Care
6 Month Old $37.41/mo $85.74/mo $54.99/mo $66.09/mo $114.42/mo
1 Year Old $33.36/mo $60.91/mo $50.94/mo $81.70/mo $109.24/mo
3 Year Old $33.36/mo $60.91/mo $50.94/mo $59.98/mo $87.53/mo
6 Year Old $53.43/mo $75.25/mo $71.01/mo $80.05/mo $101.87/mo

Prices accurate as of 12/8/2022.

Lemonade Cat Insurance

The sample pricing below is based on a cat with these characteristics:

  • $Living in Chicago, Illinois (60606)
  • $Pet Details
    • $Male
    • $Mixed Breed
    • $Medium weight (20–55 lbs)
    • $No known medical issues
    • $Living with owner for < 1 year

  • $Policy Details
    • $80% reimbursement rate
    • $$250 annual deductible
    • $$20,000 annual maximum
Base Plan (Accident + Illness) Base Plan + All Add-Ons Base Plan + Basic Prevent- ative Care Base Plan + Advanced Prevent- ative Care Base Plan + All Add-Ons + Advanced Prevent- ative Care
6 Month Old $23.08/mo $46.53/mo $34.08/mo $60.50/mo $83.94/mo
1 Year Old $20.63/mo $43.39/mo $31.63/mo $58.04/mo $80.80/mo
3 Year Old $20.63/mo $43.39/mo $31.63/mo $38.22/mo $60.98/mo
6 Year Old $26.91/mo $40.11/mo $37.91/mo $44.50/mo $57.70/mo
12 Year Old $68.14/mo $90.29/mo $79.14/mo $85.73/mo $107.88/mo

Prices accurate as of 12/8/2022.

Lemonade Discounts

Lemonade offers three discounts, all of which can be added onto each other for increased savings.

  • Annual Discount: Applicants can save 5% by paying in advance, 12 months of premium charges in one sum.
  • Multi-Pet Discount: Applicants can save 5% when they add a second pet to their policy.
  • Bundle Discount: Applicants can save 10% when they bundle Lemonade pet insurance with another Lemonade insurance product, such as Renters Insurance, Homeowners Insurance, Car Insurance, or Life Insurance.

Lemonade’s Consumer Experience

Lemonade policyholders have access to a suite of helpful tools for filing claims and checking in with the customer service team, such as:

  • Website: Policyholders can use the Lemonade website to easily file a claim, check their payment details, review their contracts, and more.
  • App: The free Lemonade app does everything the website does, but for the on-the-go pet parent.
  • Claims: Lemonade policyholders can easily file a claim via the Lemonade website or mobile app, usually by simply uploading their vet bill.
  • Customer Service: Policyholders can reach Lemonade’s helpful customer service team via phone or email anytime.

FAQ

How much is Lemonade pet insurance?

Lemonade pet insurance starts as low as $10/month. To find out your unique pricing, we recommend you visit the Lemonade pet insurance website and get a free quote.

Can I add another pet to my Lemonade pet insurance policy?

Yes, applicants can add a second pet to their Lemonade policy; in fact, policyholders receive a 5% discount for adding an additional pet onto their policy.

Where is Lemonade pet insurance available?

Lemonade is available in 37 states and Washington DC. Lemonade is not available in Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

What does Lemonade pet insurance cover?

Lemonade’s base coverage includes diagnostic testing, procedures, and medication relating to a pet’s accident or illness. Applicants can pay for additional coverage, including dental care, examination fees, and preventative care.

Does Lemonade pet insurance cover neutering and spaying?

Yes. Lemonade’s base coverage does not protect neutering and spaying, but its Advanced Preventative Care package provides some reimbursement for these procedures.

The Bottom Line

We recommend Lemonade pet insurance for pet owners who want a highly customizable, extremely affordable pet insurance experience. In addition to allowing customers to select policy details, Lemonade’s base accident and illness policy is designed to be widened with a variety of add-ons and riders. If you care about finding the right balance between pricing, customization, and protection for your pet, Lemonade has all three.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Pet insurance typically covers illness, accidents, behavioral issues, genetic conditions, chronic disorders, and alternative therapies recommended by veterinarians. Companies may offer additional offers or bonus packages for preventive care including annual appointments, vaccines, routine testing, de-worming, and more.
There are many different types of pet insurance covering a wide range of health needs. The most common types are comprehensive, accident-only, and preventive. Plans are often divided by animal type and age including dogs/cats, puppies/kittens, and sometimes even small or exotic animals can receive coverage.
An average pet insurance policy starts at roughly $15-25 per month for accident-only and preventative plans. A monthly premium for comprehensive pet insurance plans offering the most extensive coverage will cost an average of $40–$60 per month. Prices will vary based on provider features, plan selection, premium and deductible fees, number of pets, health needs, and more.
On average, pet insurance plans can save you anywhere from 25-85% annually. The amount of money saved will vary but policies should cover a significant portion of veterinary bills depending on the plan and specific treatments needed.