MoneyGeek Pet Insurance Methodology

Our Pet Insurance Methodology Process

Our pet insurance editorial team researched providers across the United States with AI assistance.

1
Direct quote gathering
We manually gathered quotes from every U.S. pet insurance provider to identify factors that affect pricing, including:
- State (including Washington, D.C.)
- Pet ages from under 1 to 20 years
- Pet types including dogs, cats and exotic pets (guinea pigs, reptiles, amphibians, etc.)
- 159 dog breeds and 29 cat breeds
- All coverage options for annual limits, deductibles and reimbursement, specific to each provider
To isolate pricing, we set a standard base of a $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible and 80% reimbursement, with a reference age of 6 for dogs and 7 for cats (both representing middle-aged pets). Three providers required different base profiles due to their coverage structures: Trupanion, Healthy Paws and Prudent Pet. We assigned exotic pets ages based on their species' life expectancy to represent middle age.
2
Pricing extrapolation and affordability ranking
Using our isolated costs, we worked with AI assistance to extrapolate pricing across all factor combinations. We maintained provider-specific extrapolations to accurately represent each company's coverage options.

We ranked and scored each insurer for affordability within every combination, then aggregated those scores by factor profile. We adjusted base profiles for each factor being rated, such as a specific state or pet type.
3
Analysis of customer experiences
We gathered customer reviews from forums, review sites and Google Business profiles to rate each provider. To screen for bias, we analyzed language patterns manually and with AI assistance, focusing on which reviews were most credible, particularly negative ones. Detailed reviews with clear reasoning for satisfaction or dissatisfaction carried more weight, while vague reviews were weighted less or excluded.
4
Sample policy analysis
We downloaded sample policies from pet insurance provider websites, including state-specific versions where regulations differ, and used AI tools to parse them into plain language alongside our own manual review. This let us compare inclusions, exclusions, waiting periods, payment and reimbursement terms, add-ons and condition definitions. Providers with broader coverage, shorter waiting periods and better pre-existing condition terms scored highest.
5
Overall score aggregation
We combined pricing, customer experience and coverage scores into an overall model:
- 50% affordability
- 30% customer experience
- 20% coverage
Affordability scores are localized by state, given the transparent and quote-based nature of pet insurance pricing. Customer experience and coverage scores are national unless a specific rating category, such as pet type or a particular coverage condition, could be meaningfully differentiated by provider.
6
Continuous score and pricing updates
To keep scores and pricing current, we repeat this process twice a year to capture shifts in pricing, coverage and customer experience.

What Pet Insurance Factors and Groups Did We Study?

Our research covered these factors and groupings:

We studied these providers using the base profiles below:
- AKC: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
- ASPCA: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
- Embrace: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
- Fetch: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (for dogs), $5,000 annual limit, $300 deductible, 80% reimbursement (for cats)
- Figo: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
- Hartville: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
- Healthy Paws: Unlimited annual limit, $500 deductible, 70% reimbursement (for dogs) and unlimited annual limit, $750 deductible, 70% reimbursement (for cats)
- Lemonade: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
- Liberty Mutual: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
- MetLife: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs, cats and exotics)
- Nationwide: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs, cats and exotics)
- Pets Best: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
- Prudent Pet: $10,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
- Pumpkin: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
- Rainwalk: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
- Spot: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
- Trupanion: Unlimited annual limit, $500 deductible, 90% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
- Wagmo: $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement (dogs and cats)
Larger insurers like Progressive and USAA don't offer pet coverage directly. Any ratings reflect the provider they use. The same applies to partners like Chewy and Costco, which either offer coverage through a direct partnership or maintain a discount program with a provider.
We studied all states (including Washington, D.C.), sampling one ZIP code each for rural, suburban and urban areas to capture representative pricing and minimize population concentration bias.
Within provider constraints, we studied all ages from under 1 to 20 years. Some providers — including AKC, Nationwide and Lemonade — have new enrollment age limits and were not studied across the full range.

Age groupings for our base profile:
- Puppies/Kittens: Under 1
- Seniors: 7 to 12 for dogs and 11 to 14 for cats. At the breed level, dog senior ranges were further defined by adult weight: toy (under 10 lbs.), small (10 to 25 lbs.), medium (26 to 54 lbs.), large (55 to 89 lbs.) and giant (90+ lbs.).

We studied these dog and cat breeds with their age groupings:


Cat	Abyssinian	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Australian Mist	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Balinese	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Bengal	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Birman	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Bombay	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	British Longhair	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	British Shorthair	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Burmese	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Chinchilla	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Cornish Rex	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Devon Rex	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Domestic Shorthair	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Exotic Shorthair	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Himalayan	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Maine Coon	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Munchkin	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Norwegian Forest Cat	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Persian	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Russian Blue	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Savannah	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Scottish Fold	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Serengeti	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Siamese	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Siberian	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Snowshoe	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Sphynx	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Tonkinese	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Cat	Ragdoll	Not Applicable	Under 1	1-6 years	7-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Affenpinscher	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Afghan Hound	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Airedale Terrier	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Akita	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Alaskan Husky	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Alaskan Malamute	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	American Bulldog	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	American Bully	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	American Eskimo	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	American Foxhound	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	American Hairless Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	American Staffordshire Terrier	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Australian Cattle Dog	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Australian Kelpie	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Australian Shepherd	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Australian Silky Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Australian Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Basenji	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Basset Fauve de Bretagne	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Basset Hound	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Beagle	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Bearded Collie	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Belgian Shepherd Malinois	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Bernese Mountain Dog	Giant	Under 1	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years
Dog	Bichon Frise	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Bloodhound	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Border Collie	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Border Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Borzoi	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Boston Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Boxer	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Bracco Italiano	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Briard	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Brussels Griffon	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Bullmastiff	Giant	Under 1	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years
Dog	Bull Terrier	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Yorkshire Terrier	Toy	Under 1	1-2 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Cairn Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Cane Corso	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Caucasian Shepherd Dog	Giant	Under 1	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years
Dog	Cavachon	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Cavapoo	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Central Asian Shepherd Dog	Giant	Under 1	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years
Dog	Chihuahua	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Chow Chow	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Clumber Spaniel	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Cockapoo	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Cocker Spaniel	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Collie	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Corgi	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Coton De Tulear	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Dachshund	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Dalmatian	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Dingo	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Doberman Pinscher	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Dogue de Bordeaux	Giant	Under 1	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years
Dog	English Bulldog	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	English Foxhound	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	English Mastiff	Giant	Under 1	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years
Dog	English Pointer	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	English Setter	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	English Springer Spaniel	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	English Toy Terrier	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Estrela Mountain Dog	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Field Spaniel	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Finnish Lapphund	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Fox Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Foxhound	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	French Bulldog	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	German Pinscher	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	German Shepherd	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	German Shorthaired Pointer	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	German Spitz	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Golden Retriever	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Goldendoodle	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Gordon Setter	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Great Dane	Giant	Under 1	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years
Dog	Great Pyrenees	Giant	Under 1	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years
Dog	Greyhound	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Groodle	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Harrier	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Havanese	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Hungarian Vizsla	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Husky	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Icelandic Sheepdog	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Irish Setter	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Irish Terrier	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Italian Greyhound	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Italian Spinone	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Jack Russell Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Japanese Chin	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Japanese Spitz	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Kangal Shepherd Dog	Giant	Under 1	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years
Dog	Keeshond	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Komondor	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Labradoodle	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Lhasa Apso	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Lurcher	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Maltese	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Maltipoo	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Miniature Bull Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Miniature Dachshund	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Miniature Fox Terrier	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Miniature Pinscher	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Miniature Poodle	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Miniature Schnauzer	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Mixed Breed	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Morkie	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Newfoundland	Giant	Under 1	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years
Dog	Norfolk Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Norwegian Elkhound	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Norwich Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Old English Bulldogge	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Old English Sheepdog	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Olde English Bulldogge	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Papillon	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Pekingese	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Pembroke Welsh Corgi	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Peruvian Hairless Dog	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Pitbull	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Pointer	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Pomeranian	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Portuguese Water Dog	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Pug	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Puggle	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Puli	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Rhodesian Ridgeback	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Rottweiler	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Rough Collie	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Saint Bernard	Giant	Under 1	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years
Dog	Saluki	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Samoyed	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Schnoodle	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Scottish Deerhound	Giant	Under 1	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years
Dog	Scottish Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Shar Pei	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Shetland Sheepdog	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Shiba Inu	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Shih Tzu	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Siberian Husky	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Smooth Collie	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Staffordshire Bull Terrier	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Standard Poodle	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Standard Schnauzer	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Tibetan Mastiff	Giant	Under 1	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years
Dog	Tibetan Terrier	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Toy Poodle	Toy	Under 1	1-3 years	4-10 years	11-14 years
Dog	Vizsla	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Weimaraner	Large	Under 1	1-3 years	4-6 years	7-9 years
Dog	Welsh Corgi Cardigan	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Welsh Corgi Pembroke	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Welsh Springer Spaniel	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Welsh Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	West Highland White Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years
Dog	Whippet	Medium	Under 1	1-3 years	4-7 years	8-10 years
Dog	Wire Fox Terrier	Small	Under 1	1-3 years	4-9 years	10-13 years

Contact Us About Our Research

Contact our pet insurance editorial lead at connor@moneygeek.com with any questions about our methodology.

About Connor Bolton

Connor Bolton is Senior SEO and Content Manager at MoneyGeek, leading the business and pet insurance editorial team. With over four years of experience evaluating insurance products across personal, commercial, and specialty lines, Connor brings cross-vertical industry knowledge to his focused work in the business and pet insurance markets.

As MoneyGeek's lead for these types of insurance, Connor authors in-depth guides and reviews all content written by his team for accuracy and practical value for readers before they are published. He maintains editorial standards, research methodologies and MoneyGeek's provider evaluation frameworks for business and pet insurance. This includes standardized insurer assessment criteria, structured data collection protocols, and insurance product comparison models that enable objective, informed decision making.

Drawing on his comprehensive background analyzing insurance products, Connor understands the tactics insurers use across all lines, common misconceptions about how insurance works, and policy contract language that can confuse most. This allows him to identify which providers are best for specific needs, demystify the fine print, and create guides that meet business and pet owners where they are, regardless of their situation.

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