Lemonade Pet Insurance Review

Lemonade Pet Insurance Review

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Having insurance is like having a backup plan in case of emergencies. If you get sick and need to go the hospital, your health insurance plan helps you cover the cost. If your home is damaged in a storm, your homeowner’s insurance kicks in to help pay for the repairs.

Pet insurance fulfills a similar role and gives you peace of mind knowing that you’ll have help paying for unexpected veterinary bills when they pop up.

Lemonade is a versatile insurance company that offers plans for homeowners, renters, drivers, and pet owners. The tagline for their pet insurance plan is, “Pet health insurance with super fast everything.” Not only can you sign up in minutes, but claims are paid out quickly as well.

Read on to learn what you need to know about Lemonade to decide if it’s the right option for you.

About Lemonade Pet Insurance

Lemonade offers “Insurance for the 21^st century.” Their smartphone app makes it easy to sign up for coverage in just minutes and with their online claims portal you can get your claim approved in minutes as well. Lemonade is one of the top-rated pet insurance companies in America, having earned 4.9 stars in both the App store and Google Play.

Though Lemonade’s pet insurance policies are similar to what other companies have to offer, there’s one key difference with Lemonade – they are a fully licensed and regulated insurance company which means they underwrite, price, and sell their own policies in addition to handling and paying claims.

Lemonade offers a transparent insurance experience, and they are a public benefit corporation which means they give back to the community. At the end of each year, any unused premiums are donated to nonprofits chosen by their customers.

This company currently offers policies in 33 states and the District of Columbia, but they are always expanding their reach. Read more about Lemonade’s availability here.

How Does Lemonade Pet Insurance Work?

Pet insurance exists to give pet owners peace of mind knowing they’ll have help covering unexpected veterinary expenses. Rather than paying your provider directly (like health insurance for humans), however, pet insurance generally reimburses the policy holder for covered costs.

Here are the details you need to know for Lemonade pet insurance:

1. Pet Insurance Plans

Lemonade offers a single pet insurance plan that covers accidents and illnesses. In exchange for a monthly premium, you’ll be covered for diagnostics, procedures, and medication related to covered accidents and illnesses. This plan doesn’t include coverage for exam fees, though you can purchase extended coverage to help with these costs.

Here’s a quick review of the coverage Lemonade pet insurance offers:

Lemonade doesn’t cover preventive care or wellness, but you can purchase additional coverage. The Preventive and Wellness package covers the following:

• Annual physical checkup (wellness exam)
• Annual screening for heartworm
• Annual parasite evaluation test
• Annual bloodwork
• Up to 3 vaccines each year
• Online medical advice chat

You can also expand your accident and illness coverage for a few dollars extra each month to cover vet visit fees and alternative therapies like physical therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic care.

2. Pricing

The biggest question anyone has about pet insurance is how much it costs. Lemonade offers coverage for accidents and illnesses in exchange for a monthly premium. You’ll pay this premium each month and it won’t count toward your deductible. Premium costs vary depending on your pet’s species and age as well as the state you live in.

The best way to find out how much Lemonade pet insurance costs is to request a quote. To give you some idea on costs, we’ve requested a quote using a 3-year-old male dog.

Here’s the breakdown of the dog plan pricing:

Here’s the pricing breakdown for a 3-year-old male cat:

If you’re already a Lemonade customer, you may be eligible for a multi-plan discount of 10%. You can also save by paying your premium annually instead of monthly.

3. Waiting Periods

Most pet insurance companies require customers to complete a waiting period before they can use their plan. This is common practice to help prevent insurance fraud. In other words, you can’t wait for your pet to get sick and then sign up for pet insurance expecting them to pay your vet fees. Pet insurance is designed to help cover the cost of unexpected accidents and illnesses.

Once you enroll in Lemonade, you’ll have to complete a 2-day waiting period before your pet is covered for accidents and a 14-day waiting period for illnesses. These are fairly standard waiting periods in the pet insurance industry, as is the 6-month waiting period for cruciate ligament injuries.

4. Claim Limits

Pet insurance is different from traditional health insurance in that they reimburse you for covered expenses rather than paying the provider directly. Lemonade offers reimbursement rates up to 90%, but you’ll be responsible for an annual deductible and they will only pay up to a certain amount each year – this is your annual payout maximum or claim limit.

When you enroll in a Lemonade pet insurance plan, you’ll be able to customize your plan by choosing your max payout limit. Lemonade offers five different options: $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, or $100,000. Increasing your payout limit may increase your monthly premium.

5. Deductibles

A deductible is a set dollar amount you pay before the plan kicks in. Lemonade requires an annual deductible that resets each year. When you enroll, you can choose your deductible – $100, $250, or $500. Generally speaking, the higher your deductible, the lower your monthly premium.

To give you an idea how a deductible works, consider this example: Your dog develops dry, itchy skin and you take him to the vet to have him tested for allergies. The vet exam costs $50 and the allergy testing costs $100. Your vet also prescribes an allergy medication which costs $50 for a one-month supply. In this scenario, you’d have to pay the $50 exam fee yourself unless you have the Extended Accident and Illness package, leaving you with a $150 total cost.

Let’s say you choose a $100 annual deductible. In this scenario, you’d be responsible for the first $100 of that $150 total cost and the plan would reimburse you at your chosen rate for the remaining $50.

6. Medical History Review and Pre-Existing Conditions

When you first sign up for Lemonade, you’ll only need to provide basic information about your pet’s current health status. Once you’re accepted into the plan, however, you’ll need to provide proof that your pet has been seen by a veterinarian within 12 months of the policy’s start date. If your pet hasn’t seen a vet recently, you’ll need to do it within 14 days of enrollment.

Lemonade requires the following info on your pet:

• Notes on the condition of fur, skin, eyes, ears, mouth, joint, and other body systems
• Blood test and fecal test results
• Details on diet and exercise
• Details on current medications
• Date of last vaccination

This information will be used to determine whether any future claims fall under the pre-existing condition exclusion. Most pet insurance companies don’t cover pre-existing conditions, though some will consider certain conditions curable and provide coverage after a certain amount of time has passed.

Here’s what Lemonade has to say about pre-existing conditions:

“A pre-existing condition refers to any kind of illness or health issue your pet developed before your waiting period was up on your pet insurance. It doesn’t mean pet insurance companies won’t insure your pet, it just means your plan won’t cover costs that directly relate to any ailment they were diagnosed with, or showed signs of, before they had a pet insurance policy.”

7. Optional Coverage

On top of their normal pet insurance plan, Lemonade offers the Extended Accident and Illness package which offers added coverage for vet fees when treating an eligible accident or illness. It also provides added coverage for physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic care, and more for about $5.50/month.

There’s also a Preventive and Wellness package which costs around $16 per month. This plan covers your pet’s annual wellness exam along with an annual screening for heartworm, parasite evaluation test, bloodwork, and up to three vaccines. You’ll also have access to expert online medical advice.

8. Pets Covered

Lemonade currently offers coverage for cats and dogs. When you sign up or request a quote, you’ll need to provide basic information about your pet including his species, sex, age, and breed. Lemonade will also ask about your pet’s current health status – whether he’s had any chronic health issues or not. This information may be used later to determine whether a claim is for a pre-existing condition.

Lemonade Customer Reviews

Pet insurance can be confusing, especially if you’ve never shopped for it before. From deductibles and annual payout limits to waiting periods and coinsurance, there’s a lot to take in.

As you start shopping around for pet insurance, it’s a good idea to read customer reviews to get a feel for how the insurance actually works. Customer reviews are a great place to learn about the claims process, how often claims are rejected, and how responsive the customer service team is.

Here are some positive reviews and negative reviews from real customers:

Positive Reviews

“Very affordable service our schnoodle got bit on the paw by another dog in the neighborhood, and they did pay the claim. Very easy to file a claim, I would recommend this company.” – Ron Cornell, April 30, 2021 via Google Play

“I have Renters Insurance through Lemonade and as Pet Insurance was important for me to have, I decided to go through Lemonade as well. My claims adjuster Rachael was so helpful from the get go and was able to have my claim approved in a week! No push back was given and everything that was listed in my policy was covered with no hesitation.” – DCatalina, March 1, 2021 via App Store

Negative Reviews

“Be careful with Pet Insurance. You have to send an exam from within a year or get one within 14 days of policy. It’s in the fine print. If you don’t do this, they will continue charging you the full price but if you ever file a claim they will deny it.” – Max, March 16, 2021 via Google Play

“Signed up our 3 dogs for their pet insurance. Go to file our first claim for a basic ear infection visit and the process took so long because you can only file a claim via this slow crummy chat interface that’s only available on the app and not on the web version. They ask you to manually enter every individual item and price from the receipt, then after making you manually enter everything under the sun (without allowing you to paste anything into their app!) ask you to send the full receipt anyways.” – Contrahax, April 26, 2021 via App Store

How Do You Sign Up?

When it comes to signing up for Lemonade, the process is quick and painless – you can do it online or through the Lemonade app. Lemonade doesn’t currently offer enrollment by phone, but their online enrollment process is easy enough to follow.

To sign up for Lemonade, you simply need to provide some basic information about yourself and about your pet. You’ll also need to indicate whether you are a current Lemonade customer – if so, you may receive a 10% discount on your policy.

Here’s the information Lemonade will collect during enrollment:

• Your pet’s name and species (dog or cat)
• Your current address
• Your pet’s sex and age (an estimate is fine)
• Your pet’s breed or mix of breeds
• Your pet’s health status

You’ll also need to provide your email address and birthdate to sign up for Lemonade. Once you submit this information, you’ll be sent a verification code via email that you’ll need to enter before you can see your quote. You’ll be able to select additional coverage and customize your plan before you buy.

Lemonade offers an Extended Accident and Illness package which covers vet visit fees and alternative treatments like physical therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic care. You also have the option to customize your plan’s reimbursement percentage, annual payout limit, and annual deductible.

Is Lemonade Pet Insurance Worth It?

Overall, Lemonade offers extensive pet insurance coverage for an affordable price with several options to extend your coverage for an added fee. For our 3-year-old sample dog, monthly premiums ranged from about $15/month to $25/month which is quite competitive with other companies we’ve reviewed.

We like that Lemonade offers a mobile app for quick and easy claims processing, though there are some customer reviews that the process is a little more of a hassle than they expected. It’s also important to remember that customer service only seems to be available through the app – this could be an issue for customers who aren’t very tech-savvy.

Generally speaking, pet insurance isn’t guaranteed to be worth the cost. You’ll have to pay a monthly premium just to be covered and then you still have to pay for your vet fees upfront and submit a claim for reimbursement.

If your pet is young and healthy with no pre-existing conditions, you could lock in a lower premium and keep the coverage as he gets older and becomes more likely to need it. That being said, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get your money’s worth, so it may be better to put what you’d pay in premiums into a savings account for emergencies.

In the end, it’s your decision whether pet insurance is worth it but if you decide it is, we recommend Lemonade pet insurance as an affordable option with extensive coverage and several ways to upgrade and customize your pet insurance plan.

Click Here To Get A Quote

Frequently Asked Questions

Who owns Lemonade pet insurance?

Lemonade is a fully licensed and regulated insurance company which means they underwrite, price, and sell their own policies in addition to handling and paying claims.

How to cancel Lemonade pet insurance?

You can access and make changes to your Lemonade plan by logging into your account online or through the Lemonade app. Customer service options are limited to the mobile app.

Does Lemonade pet insurance cover cremation?

No. Lemonade does not cover end-of-life expenses such as cremation or burial.

Does Lemonade pet insurance cover hip dysplasia?

It depends. Lemonade covers conditions like hip dysplasia as long as there’s no sign on either side of your pet’s body at enrollment. If your pet shows signs of a bilateral condition (a condition that can affect both sides of the body) on one side of the body at enrollment, the other side won’t be covered.

Does Lemonade pet insurance cover allergy testing?

Yes! Lemonade pet insurance covers diagnostics including allergy testing, as long as it isn’t for a pre-existing condition.

Does Lemonade pet insurance cover blood work?

Yes! Lemonade pet insurance covers diagnostics including bloodwork, as long as it isn’t for a pre-existing condition.

Does Lemonade pet insurance cover dental?

It depends. Lemonade covers the cost of dental treatments if it is required as a result of an accident. Regular dental cleanings and general orthodontia are not covered.

Does Lemonade pet insurance cover emergency visits?

Yes, Lemonade covers emergency visits as long as it isn’t for a pre-existing condition. Keep in mind, however, that exam fees may not be covered unless you have the Extended Accident and Illness package.

Does Lemonade pet insurance cover neutering?

No. Lemonade pet insurance does not cover spaying and neutering.

Does Lemonade pet insurance cover medication?

Yes! Lemonade pet insurance covers medication needed to treat covered accidents and illnesses, as long as it isn’t for a pre-existing condition.

Does Lemonade pet insurance cover prescription food?

No. Lemonade does not cover the cost of prescription food.