- May 14, 2022
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Lemonade Pet Insurance Review of 2022 – MarketWatch
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We at the Home Media reviews team rated Lemonade a 4.55 out of 5 stars and listed them #1 on our best pet insurance guide. It stands out for its comprehensive accident and illness plan, impressive preventative care options, affordable pricing, and unique artificial intelligence (AI) technology for filing claims.
+ Offers extra preventive care treatments for puppies and kittens under 2 years old
+ Has a waiting period of two days for accidents, which is shorter than many competitors
+ Offers a 10% discount for bundling your pet insurance policy with Lemonade home insurance or renters insurance
— Isn’t available nationwide, excluding 15 states
— Requires complete records from a recent veterinary exam for your pet to qualify for coverage
— Doesn’t offer coverage for pets over 14 years old
Here are the current Lemonade pet insurance plans and additional add-ons that you can purchase for your pet today:
Lemonade offers one standard pet insurance plan that covers both accidents and illnesses, including injuries, poisonings, broken bones, sprains, infections, general sicknesses, cancer, heart disease, hip dysplasia, hernias, skin conditions and more. It covers the cost of vet bills related to those incidents or conditions, such as hospitalization, diagnostics, lab work, surgery, emergency care and prescription medication.
Vet visit fees add-on: For around $2–$5 per month for cats and $3–$8 per month for dogs, Lemonade offers this add-on to help pet owners pay for exam fees that they accrue when visiting the vet. This coverage isn’t included in Lemonade’s standard accident and illness policy.
Physical therapy add-on: This add-on typically costs around $1–$3 extra per month, and it covers physical therapy treatments, such as acupuncture and chiropractic care, which aren’t included in the standard accident and illness policy.
Preventative care add-ons: For preventative care, Lemonade offers two plans for pet parents looking for coverage on their pet’s routine care. They come at different price points and coverage levels. The less expensive plan covers a wellness exam, a fecal test, three vaccines, a heartworm test and a blood test, and the more expensive one adds coverage for flea, tick and heartworm medications and routine dental cleaning.
Note: Lemonade increases the coverage and cost of the second preventative care option if your pet is under 2 years old.
Lemonade Preventative Package: At a lower monthly cost of around $15–$20 for dogs and $10–$15 for cats, the preventative care coverage comes with the following treatments with certain per-item limits depending on your policy’s reimbursement rate:
Treatment
70%
80%
90%
Wellness exam
$50
$50
$55
Fecal or internal parasite test
$35
$35
$40
Three vaccines
$65
$75
$80
Heartworm or feline leukemia virus (FeLV) test
$35
$40
$45
Blood test
$55
$65
$75
Lemonade Preventative+ Package: At a higher monthly rate of around $20–$27 for dogs and $15–$22 for cats, the preventative care plan comes with everything in the table above plus the following treatments, with certain per-item limits that vary based on your policy’s reimbursement rate:
Treatment
70%
80%
90%
Flea, tick or heartworm medication
$55
$65
$75
Routine dental cleanings
$150
$150
$150
Lemonade Preventative+ Package for Pets Under 2 years old: If your pet is under 2 years old, the more expensive preventative care plan costs a bit more at around $40–$50 per month for dogs and $30–$40 per month for cats. It comes with the following additional coverages and per-item limits:
Treatment
70%
80%
90%
Extra wellness exam
$50
$50
$55
Extra fecal or internal parasite test
$35
$35
$40
Three additional vaccines
$65
$75
$80
Spay or neuter surgery
$110
$120
$135
Microchip implantation
$35
$40
$45
Lemonade doesn’t include coverage for your dog or cat’s pre-existing conditions, which are defined by the provider as, “any condition for which a veterinarian provided medical advice, the pet received treatment for or the pet displayed signs or symptoms consistent with the stated condition prior to the start date of the first pet insurance policy issued to cover [your pet] or during any waiting period.”
How will Lemonade Pet Insurance know if your pet has a pre-existing condition?
For Lemonade to determine if your pet has any pre-existing conditions, it requires you to submit medical records from a vet visit within 12 months before the policy’s start date.
Lemonade’s policies also exclude:
A full list of coverage, exclusions and policy limitations is available on their website.
You can customize your Lemonade pet insurance policy’s coverage levels and pricing by choosing from the following options when getting a quote:
Lemonade’s premiums vary depending on your dog or cat’s breed and age, your location and the level of coverage you need. Their premiums, however, are typically lower than the average cost of pet insurance.
You could also qualify for 5% off for making an annual payment, 5% off for signing up with multiple pets and 10% off for bundling with Lemonade’s renters insurance or homeowners insurance policies.
Fill out this form to check pricing for your pet’s policy.
To give you an idea of what Lemonade pricing could look like, here are some sample quotes for various pets located in Columbia, S.C., on policies with a $250 deductible, an 80% reimbursement rate and a $5,000 annual coverage limit:
Animal Breed
1 Year Old
4 Year Old
6 Year Old
9 Year Old
Labrador Retriever
$30.33
$33.67
$48.58
$85.83
Medium Mixed Dog
$19.17
$21.33
$30.50
$53.58
Miniature Poodle
$20.42
$20.42
$26.58
$42.00
Border Collie
$23.75
$26.33
$37.92
$66.75
Mixed Cat
$11.00
$11.00
$13.67
$21.25
Maine Coon Cat
$14.42
$15.25
$21.25
$35.67
Persian Cat
$14.25
$14.25
$16.67
$25.00
Abyssinian Cat
$14.42
$15.25
$21.25
$35.67
Lemonade opened its doors in 2015 and has since gained popularity for its renters insurance, homeowners insurance, and pet insurance policies. It operates with a charitable business model, donating up to 40% of customers’ leftover premiums to pet organizations and charities.
During our research, we read more than 100 Lemonade pet insurance reviews on third-party websites such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Trustpilot and ConsumerAffairs to get an overall sense of the experiences of existing customers. While the company has received a mix of positive and negative reviews, we found that most of the registered complaints reference the company’s renters and homeowners insurance policies, rather than its pet insurance policies.
By using AI technology as part of its claim-filing process, Lemonade is often able to process claims faster than its competitors. However, it’s important to note that the company faces a class-action lawsuit in the New York Southern District Court for allegedly collecting its customers’ biometric data, which likely contributed to a drop in the provider’s BBB rating. When we contacted the provider about the lawsuit, a company representative informed us that Lemonade would not comment on ongoing litigation. While the lawsuit was pending as of January 2022, we feel that Lemonade is still a legitimate and reputable provider given its affordable plans, charitable giveback program and easy-to-use mobile app.
There are only a few reviews of Lemonade’s pet insurance policies on BBB altogether, including the two listed below, but Trustpilot features a mix of positive and negative comments about the provider’s pet insurance policies. For instance, some satisfied customers discuss experiences with the fast, hassle-free claims process that the company promises, while others complain about drawn-out claims and unexpectedly denied payouts. When we reached out to Lemonade about the negative reviews, the company did not provide a comment.
Here are some Lemonade pet insurance reviews:
“I was looking around for a while to find a good insurance [policy] for our Cavapoo, Zoe. We are first-time dog owners so this was all new to us. I must say, Lemonade is the way to go! From the initial sign-up to the process of [filing] a claim. Save yourself the time researching. Just go with Lemonade; you won’t regret it.”
—Nick V. on Trustpilot
“I have previously claimed medical fees for my pet’s ear infection with no issue, probably because it was under the deductible amount. It seems like once you are past the deductible, the claims take longer and require more information even though [Lemonade] should have those collected and recorded the first time I submitted a claim.”
—Wen O. on BBB
“Not only is the website and app amazing and easy to use, but their customer service and email response time are also out of this world. We have coverage for our Ragdoll kitten, and it’s top-notch coverage (all the bells and whistles), and it’s very affordable. We filed our first claim, and we were paid the following day.”
—Heather H. on Trustpilot
“I had to contact the company four times within a one-month period to find out the status of [my pet insurance] claim. They were still reviewing it all the while my premium was being collected.”
—Dwin C. on BBB
If you’re looking for an affordable pet insurance policy with comprehensive coverage options, inclusive preventative care coverage and an easy claims process, we recommend Lemonade.
However, Lemonade isn’t available in 15 states, and it doesn’t cover pets more than 14 years old. If you’re looking for pet insurance providers that offer national coverage on pets of all ages, we recommend Embrace and ASPCA Pet Health Insurance.
Get a free quote from Lemonade by entering your pet’s information into this online form.
Quickly compare Lemonade to other pet insurance providers:
Factors
Lemonade
Spot
Healthy Paws
Embrace
Waiting Period for Accidents
2 days
14 days
15 days
2 days
Waiting Period for Illnesses
14 days
14 days
15 days
14 days
Multi-Pet Discount
5%
10%
✘
10%
Mobile App
✔
✔
✔
✔
Wellness Add-On
✔
✔
✘
✔
Online Chat
✔
✔
✘
✔
Lemonade’s customer service works a bit differently than other providers. To get in touch with a representative, you’ll log in to your online account on the company’s website or mobile app and send a message to the AI-powered personal assistant. Then, someone on the customer service team will follow up on your inquiry.
Alternatively, you can send your question in an email through [email protected] or call 1-844-733-8666 for more direct communication. During our testing and research, we found Lemonade’s customer service team to be generally responsive, following up with us within 24 hours of our inquiries.
Yes. Lemonade’s pet insurance policies require a two-day waiting period for accidents and a 14-day waiting period for illnesses. This means you won’t be able to file a claim on any incidents that occur before those periods.
No. Lemonade’s pet insurance offerings are only available for coverage on dogs and coverage on cats up to 15 years of age.
Yes. For your pet to be eligible for coverage, you must be able to provide records from a medical exam your pet has received within 12 months of the policy’s start date. If you sign up without providing the records, you can send them in within 14 days after your policy’s start date.
Lemonade’s monthly premiums can vary depending on your pet’s age, location and breed in addition to the coverage levels and deductibles you choose during sign-up. After pulling over 30 sample quotes during our research, we found that Lemonade pet insurance policies can be as low as $10–$20 per month for younger animals and as high as $80–$90 for older, injury- or illness-prone breeds.
Our review of pet insurance companies is based on in-depth industry research that includes reading hundreds of customer reviews, simulating the quote and purchasing process, speaking to representatives on the phone to assess the customer service experience and surveying 1,000 dog and cat owners nationwide to determine the most important elements of pet insurance coverage. We have scored each provider on a 100-point scale based on those elements.
Here are more details about each factor and how they’re weighted:
We use our rating system to compare and contrast each company against key factors to help us determine the best pet insurance companies in the industry. Additionally, we keep our research up to date and revisit our reviews on a regular basis.
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