Lemonade Pet Insurance: Our Independent Review

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Our Editorial Opinion on Lemonade Pet Insurance

Lemonade pet insurance streamlines the application process to cover your furry friend. With an array of potential customizations, it offers pet-friendly options in many states. Business Insider’s personal finance team compared Lemonade pet insurance to the best pet insurance companies and found it to be an industry leader.

Lemonade Pet Insurance Overview

Lemonade Pet Insurance is a relatively new insurance company primarily catering to customers purchasing insurance for the first time. Lemonade underwrites and services its pet insurance policies, which allows the company to pay out eligible claims quickly. Lemonade also offers life, car, renters, and homeowners insurance policies. The brand is friendly and straightforward with playful cartoon characters, pink and white accents, and clear explanations in everyday English. 

There’s a lot to like about Lemonade’s pet insurance. Pre-existing conditions are covered under Lemonade policies as long as your pet doesn’t show symptoms for 12 months. It is highly customizable, with various options for deductibles, annual limits, and reimbursements. In fact, it has one of the highest annual limits, up to $100,000 — though it doesn’t have an unlimited option. Lemonade is also one of the cheapest pet insurance companies, offering discounts for bundling, multi-pet insurance, and paying annually instead of monthly. 

Lemonade also boasts a quick and easy claims process, which is corroborated by customer reviews. Furthermore, Lemonade is a public benefit corporation and Certified B Corp that donates a portion of its revenue each year to charities of the customer’s choice.

That said, Lemonade isn’t without its flaws. For one, it’s only available in 37 states and Washington D.C. Additionally, Lemonade increases your premiums each year according to your pet’s age. While this is a common practice among insurance companies, you’ll find the initially low premiums and discounts that Lemonade touts may sour over time.

Also, Lemonade’s quote process is very specific. Its attention to detail is more likely to work against you than in your favor. For example, age limits and exclusions depend on your pet’s breed. If your dog’s breed is high-risk, your Lemonade policy will likely reflect this. As a result, people with older pets or at-risk pets may want to look elsewhere. 

Lemonade Pet Insurance Plans

Lemonade pet insurance is available for cats and dogs in 37 states and Washington D.C. While it may not be available in your state, Lemonade is still growing, offering more insurance add-ons and other services.

The company offers multiple ways to customize your pet insurance, with choices between conditions covered, wellness options, and coverage amounts. Let’s start by talking about how what conditions Lemonade covers.

Conditions Covered

Your available choices for coverage depend on the information you provide to Lemonade’s quote system. However, there are generally three tiers of Lemonade service: Base, Plus, and Complete. Each tier offers more coverage than the last.

Base plan

• Diagnostics: Covers tests such as urinalysis, blood work, and x-rays
• Procedures: Covers outpatient, specialty and emergency care, surgeries, and hospitalizations
• Medications: Covers prescription medication and injections

Plus plan

In addition to the previous coverages, the Plus plan also offers the following:

• Vet visit fees: Covers bills for qualifying accident and illness vet visits
• Dental illnesses: Covers procedures and treatments up to $1,000
• Behavioral conditions: Covers diagnostics, treatments, and therapy for new conditions up to $1,000

Depending on your and your pet’s information, these can be added to your policy a la carte or as a whole package. Some coverages may not be available for your pet. For example, dental illness coverage was unavailable for a 6-year-old German Shepherd when we acquired quotes for our cost section.

Complete plan

Lemonade’s Complete plan offers all the coverage that the previous plans offer and adds the following:

• Physical therapy: Covers treatments like acupuncture and chiropractic care associated with accidents and illnesses
• End of life & remembrance: Covers euthanasia, cremations, and memorial items with no deductible, up to $500

Similarly to the Plus plan, you’ll either be able to add these features individually or as a whole plan depending on the information you provide.

Wellness Options

Lemonade Pet Insurance has two tiers for its preventative package; pet owners can also opt out of wellness. Lemonade doesn’t actually have a name for its packages, so we’ll just call them basic and premium.

Preventative basic

• 1 wellness exam
• 3 vaccines
• 1 parasite test
• 1 heartworm test
• 1 blood test
• 1 wellness exam

Preventative premium

In addition to the previous benefits, the premium package comes with the following:

• Routine dental cleaning
• Flea/tick or heartworm meds

Puppy/kitten preventative package

Lemonade also provides wellness coverage for cats and dogs under age two. The plan includes the following benefits:

• 2 wellness exams: Up to $100/yr
• 6 vaccines or boosters: Up to $150/yr
• 2 parasite tests: Up to $70/yr
• 1 heartworm test: Up to $40/yr
• 1 blood test: Up to $65/yr
• Spay/Neuter: Up to $120/yr
• Microchipping: Up to$40/yr
• Flea/tick or heartworm meds: Up to $65/yr

Coverage Amounts

You can choose from the following coinsurance levels, deductibles, and coverage limits:

• Policy coinsurance: Lemonade pays 70%, 80%, or 90% of each eligible bill
• Annual deductible: Buyers pay up to $100, $250, $500, or $750 per year before Lemonade coverage begins
• Annual maximum: Lemonade pays up to $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, or $100,000 annually

Pet insurance works slightly differently from human health insurance. Your coinsurance is the portion of the vet bill Lemonade will cover for you. For example, if the qualifying vet bill is $500, and your coinsurance is 80%, Lemonade will pay $400, and you will pay $100.

However, you must meet your annual deductible before factoring in Lemonade’s payout.

If your annual deductible is $250, and this is your first claim of the year, Lemonade will pay:

• $400 (80% coinsurance)- $250 (your deductible for the year)=$150

If your subsequent claim is also $500, Lemonade will pay $400 (80% coinsurance) since you have already met your $250 deductible for the year.

Lemonade Pet Insurance Cost

Lemonade is one of the cheapest pet insurance companies on the market offering multiple discounts. Here are the discounts that pet owners can get with Lemonade:

• 10% off when bundling pet insurance with Lemonade’s other insurance policies
• 5% off when enrolling two or more pets
• 5% off when paying annually

To get a better idea of how much Lemonade costs, we’ll look at how much a pet owner living in New York City would pay in pet insurance premiums. We chose New York City for our quotes because it is one of the most expensive places to receive vet care, which insurance premiums will reflect. Your premiums will likely be lower than the prices below.

We acquired the following quotes for Lemonade’s base plan, no add-ons included, with a $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement, and $10,000 coverage limit:

In our quotes, Lemonade’s preventative add-ons were $17.58 for the basic plan and $26.71 for the premium plan. Prices did not change regardless of the dog’s information. 

Let’s go over premiums for a New York City cat covered under Lemonade’s base plan with a $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement, and a $10,000 coverage limit.

In our quotes, Lemonade’s preventative add-ons were $11 for the basic plan and $17.59 for the premium plan. Prices did not change regardless of the cat’s information.

How to Purchase and Manage a Lemonade Pet Insurance Policy

Lemonade has a highly detailed quote system, asking quite a few questions about you and your pet. Throughout your purchase, you will be interacting with Maya, Lemonade’s AI chatbot. She’ll ask you for the following pieces of information:

• Pet’s name
• Dog/Cat
• Street address
• Pet age and gender
• Pet breed
• If the insured pet is your first (excluding childhood pets, bunnies, birds, or snakes)
• How long you’ve had your pet
• Your pet’s medical history (issues with head, stomach, legs, parasites, chronic issues)
• If you have multiple pets

Once you answer these questions, you’ll be guided through various riders you can add to your policy. You’ll also be able to adjust your coverage limits, deductibles, and coinsurance to your needs. 

How to File a Lemonade Pet Insurance Claim

Three conditions must be met before you can file an eligible Lemonade pet insurance claim:

• You must submit a complete medical record for your pet taken within 12 months of your policy’s start date or 14 days after the policy starts
• A waiting period applies after you sign up for a Lemonade insurance policy:
• 2 days for accidents
• 14 days for illnesses
• 6 months for cruciate ligament events
• You must submit an itemized invoice for services you want reimbursed. Reimbursement will apply once the deductible is satisfied

Claims must be filed within 180 days of treatment. Lemonade pet insurance encourages pet parents to file all claims through its mobile app. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices. However, you can also call Lemonade at (844) 733-8666 or email customer service at [email protected]. To file a claim on the app:

1. After logging into your Lemonade account in the app, click on the pink “claim” button in the top-right corner of the page
2. Sign the “honesty pledge”
3. Submit the requested information about your pet’s situation
4. Record a short video explaining, in simple words, what happened and why you’re submitting a claim
5. Upload supporting documents, including your vet’s medical records and your payment receipt
6. Payment will be disbursed to your account after Lemonade reviews the claim

Lemonade Pet Insurance Customer Service and Claims Experience

Lemonade Pet Insurance has overwhelmingly positive reviews on Trustpilot, receiving an average of 4.4 stars out of five. That said, it’s important to note that reviews pertain to all of Lemonade’s products, not just its pet insurance. Customers were happy with Lemonade’s claims process, reporting fast claims processing and payouts. Lemonade was also quick to answer any questions that customers had. 

Lemonade’s responsiveness to customer reviews is also encouraging. The insurance provider usually responds to reviews within a day or so, making it a reliable way to contact the company.

Lemonade Pet Insurance Alternatives

See how Lemonade compares to two other options for pet insurance coverage: Healthy Paws and Pumpkin.

Lemonade vs. Healthy Paws Pet Insurance

Healthy Paws is one of the older pet insurance companies, founded in 2009 and acquired by Chubb in April 2024. Like Lemonade, Healthy Paws puts a focus on its charity work, donating $2.3 million to animal shelters and rescues. However, the exact nature of Healthy Paws’ charity work since it was acquired is unclear.

Healthy Paws takes a general approach to pet insurance compared to Lemonade’s precise quoting and individual add-ons. Healthy Paws offers one plan with unlimited coverage. While this plan will cover most of your needs, it falls short in several areas where Lemonade excels. For one, it doesn’t have any wellness plans or cover any pre-existing conditions. It also limits reimbursements to 80%, while Lemonade offers up to 90% reimbursements.

Healthy Paws and Lemonade are priced similarly, with Lemonade priced slightly lower. Lemonade offers several ways to save on monthly premiums, from annual payments to bundling. However, Healthy Paws’ plan is all-inclusive, while you’ll need to add riders to match Healthy Paws’ base coverage.

Ultimately, Lemonade is the better choice due to its better flexibility and coverage options. However, if you live in one of the 13 states where Lemonade is not available, Healthy Paws isn’t the worst second choice. 

Read our Healthy Paws pet insurance review.

Lemonade vs. Pumpkin Pet Insurance

There’s a lot to like about Pumpkin, such as its very thorough coverage with an option for unlimited coverage and 90% reimbursements for all plans. It includes coverage for prescription foods, which Lemonade doesn’t cover. Additionally, Lemonade requires a 12-month symptom-free period for pre-existing condition coverage, while Pumpkin only requires pets to be symptom-free for 60 days.

That said, Pumpkin plans are far less customizable than Lemonade’s. Pet owners who choose Lemonade can exclude certain coverages they don’t want and adjust their coverage amounts as their budget dictates. As a result, customers have more pricing options with Lemonade than with Pumpkin, which is already one of the more expensive pet insurance companies. 

Read our Pumpkin pet insurance review.

Lemonade Pet Insurance FAQs

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed Lemonade Pet Insurance

Regarding insurance products, there are two main factors to consider: Is it easy to sign up, and is it easy to file a claim and get reimbursed for qualifying incidents?

Customization is vital. While certain companies may meet the primary markers, Business Insider also considers available add-ons, average monthly premiums, and more. We look at how customizable each pet insurance policy is. A $10 policy may be appealing, but if a bargain pet insurance plan is the only coverage a company offers, it could leave a lot of families out in the cold.

We recognize there is no one-size-fits-all remedy for taking care of your pets. So we look for diverse options to ensure each reader has the affordable pet insurance coverage they need. Check out the full breakdown of how we rate pet insurance for more details.