Best Emergency Pet Insurance

AKC emergency plans are the best value out of the nine insurers we reviewed offering emergency pet insurance. AKC plans offer 90% reimbursement, a $100 deductible, and no annual maximum benefit, which is impressive considering that many emergency pet plans pair a high deductible with a low reimbursement percentage and low annual maximum (e.g., $750, 70%, and $2,500). Plus, the company has no maximum enrollment age. AKC also offers full online policy management via its smartphone app (available for both iPhone and Android), and its claim turnaround time is just two days, making the company one of just two carriers on this list to offer claim turnaround under a week.

Pets Best accident-only plans have a $250 deductible, $10,000 annual maximum benefit, and reimburse 90%. The only reason they didn’t take the top spot is because they have an annual maximum benefit. But at $6 per month for cats, and $9 per month for dogs, they’re a hard-to-beat value. Especially considering that the company claims it won’t increase premiums due to age or breed. And there’s no upper age limit.

Pets Best sells policies directly to pet owners through its website, making it another web-friendly carrier option for prospective customers. It also offers a direct-payment plan (as opposed to a reimbursement plan), an important benefit to have when you’re dealing with costly treatments. PetsBest is the only carrier on this list to offer direct-payment service.

Embrace offers a handful of valuable features: a two day waiting period, vet-direct payments, and a low deductible/high reimbursement on its accident-only plans. AKC is the only other carrier on this list to offer such a short waiting period. 

Located in Cleveland, Ohio, Embrace Pet Insurance policies are underwritten by American Modern Insurance Group, Inc. You can enroll your pet online or over the phone, and only dogs and cats are eligible for coverage.

Nationwide’s accident and injury pet insurance policies are a good value for younger pets. These policies have high annual maximum benefits ($14,000 for cats and $10,000 for dogs) and reimburse 100% after a $250 deductible. Its pricing for young pets is also impressive—around $10 per month for a 3-year-old domestic shorthair, and $12 per month for a 3-year-old lab. But it’s pricing for older dogs can be hefty—over $80 per month for an 8-year-old mixed breed in New York.

Plus, Nationwide allows you to purchase a policy for many types of animals, including: amphibians, chameleons, chinchillas, ferrets, geckos, gerbils, goats, guinea pigs, hamsters, hedgehogs, iguanas, lizards, mice, opossums, potbelly pigs, rats, rabbits, snakes, sugar gliders, tortoises, and turtles. You’ll need to call in to get emergency pet insurance and coverage for exotic pets.

As for claim turnaround, Prudent is a trailblazer, with an eye-popping target of one to three days. Prudent, Pets Best, and AKC are the only carriers on this list to offer a claim turnaround time of under a week. Unlike other insurers on this list, the company’s accident-only pet insurance plans are customizable. They have a $10,000 annual benefit, but you can choose a reimbursement percentage from 70% to 90% and a deductible from $100 to $1,000. Choosing a high deductible, low reimbursement plan can make premiums ultra-affordable, but could result in insufficient coverage in case of an expensive emergency.

For example, we were quoted $4.72 per month for emergency pet insurance for a three-year-old cat in Texas with a $1,000 deductible and 70% reimbursement. That’s the cheapest premium we were quoted and may be a good choice if you have at least $1,000 in savings earmarked for pet emergencies. If not, you should consider paying a few more dollars a month for better coverage.

ASPCA offers horse insurance, including an accident-only plan for horses with colic coverage included. However, plans are only available in a handful of states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. 

There is no maximum enrollment age with ASPCA, so older pets are more than welcome. A direct-payment option is also available for policyholders, as opposed to a reimbursement plan that requires up-front, out-of-pocket funding of veterinary expenses. Emergency pet insurance plans are highly customizable: annual benefits range from $5,000 to $20,000, deductibles from $100 to $500, and reimbursement from 70% to 90%.