TrustedPals Pet Insurance Review

Pros Explained

• You can choose a $0 deductible and 100% reimbursement percentage: You have a lot of flexibility when it comes to your deductible, reimbursement percentage, co-pay, and annual benefit limits.
• High third-party ratings: TrustedPals is an acting agent of Zurich American Insurance Company, which received one of the highest possible AM Best scores (A+ out of A++). This signals a high level of financial security and reliability.
• Cured pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage: It’s hit or miss if a pet insurance company allows for coverage of pre-existing conditions that have been cured. TrustedPals doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions, but if a pre-existing condition is fully cured for six months it won’t be counted as pre-existing anymore, and you can receive coverage if it occurs again.

Cons Explained

• No accident-only plan is available: Unfortunately, TrustedPals only offers accident and illness coverage (plus a wellness add-on).
• Monthly fees may apply: If you pay for your policy in monthly installments there will be a $1 per month transaction fee. 
• No 30-day money-back guarantee: Many pet insurance providers provide a full refund if you cancel within 30 days; but with TrustedPals, when you cancel you can only potentially receive a refund for any unearned premium on a prorated basis.
  

Introduction

TrustedPal’s wide variety of discounts makes it possible to save on your pet insurance policy. The wellness add-on costs extra, but it can help you get the coverage you need to keep your pet happy and healthy.

Company Overview

Founded in 2018, TrustedPals is a pet insurance company backed by Marsh, a “global leader in insurance broking.” TrustedPal’s accident and illness plan is available for cats and dogs in all 50 states. 

TrustedPals offers a wide variety of discounts, such as a multi-pet discount, a service animal discount, and others if you’re in certain occupations. You can get a custom quote online in just two minutes, and can then apply to buy a policy. 

Available Plans

TrustedPals only offers one type of pet insurance plan—accident and illness. Dogs and cats of all breeds and ages (after the age of eight weeks) can receive coverage through this plan. Accident and illness is a fairly standard plan that covers your basic unexpected pet healthcare needs. 

The accident/illness plan and wellness add-on include coverage for the following issues.

Available Riders/Add-Ons

If you want more coverage than the accident and illness plan has to offer, you can take advantage of a wellness add-on to receive routine and preventative care coverage for the issues shown above. You’ll get $750 per year in coverage for treatments prescribed by a licensed vet after your plan’s deductible is met.

Waiting Periods

Most pet insurance companies have waiting periods after enrollment that dictate when coverage kicks in, which are designed to prevent fraud. TrustedPal’s waiting period is 14 days for most accident and illness-related issues. For hip dysplasia and cruciate ligament problems, the waiting period is 12 months.

Cancellation Policy 

You can cancel your plan at any time by calling (800) 358-3801. When you cancel, you can potentially receive a refund for any unearned premium on a prorated basis.

Plan Exclusions

With TrustedPals’ wellness add-on you can get coverage for things like spaying and neutering, which aren’t covered by the base plan. The following aren’t covered by any plans or add-ons:

• Pre-existing conditions
• Boarding, grooming, transport
• Microchipping
• Anything not prescribed by a veterinarian

Pre-Existing Conditions

TrustedPals does not cover pre-existing conditions that occur before coverage begins. However, if a pre-existing condition is fully cured for six months, you can receive coverage for it if your pet gets the condition again.

Plan Pricing

The cost of your TrustedPals plan will depend on a few different factors, such as your pet’s age and breed, where you live, and whether or not your pet is a male or female. You can expect your plan pricing to rise throughout the pet’s life, as it generally costs more to care for older pets. 

Luckily, there are some discounts available through TrustedPals:

• 5% discount for insuring more than one pet
• 5% discount for military members or veterans, those that work in a veterinary clinic, vet students, first responders, and owners of service animals

Discounts aren’t allowed in New York and Tennessee.

You have some flexibility when it comes to your reimbursement level, annual deductible, and annual benefit limit; all of those factors will impact your premium costs. 

• Reimbursement level: 100%, 90%, 80%, 70%
• Annual deductible options: $0, $100, $250, $500, $750
• Annual benefit limit: $4,000, $8,000, $15,000, unlimited

There is no lifetime benefit limit.

Claims

You can file an insurance claim online using TrustedPal’s “Pawtal” (where you can also track your claim), or you can file by phone at (800) 358-3801. You can only file claims after the waiting periods are over.

TrustedPals aims to finalize the claim process within ten business days. If they need more information to complete your claim they will usually contact your vet directly and will inform you if the claim will take longer than expected. 

Customer Service

You can contact TrustedPal’s customer service team by email or phone. Phone support is available Monday to Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST.

• Email: contact@trustedpals.com
• Phone: (800) 358-3801

Third-Party Ratings

TrustedPals’ pet insurance is underwritten by Zurich American Insurance Company, which received one of the highest possible AM Best scores (A+ out of A++). This high score signals that the company is financially stable, and therefore likely to pay out its insurance claims. 

Zurich American Insurance Company didn’t receive any customer complaints from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, another good sign. When Investopedia spoke to TrustedPals customers, one client said they chose to renew their policy because “They are extremely reliable and our interactions are professional. The coverage and reimbursement is excellent.”

Alternative Choices

Before signing up for a pet insurance policy, it’s important to do your due diligence and shop around for the best policy to meet your needs. When looking at different pet insurance providers, compare the following elements of each policy. 

• Deductible amounts
• Which treatments they cover and which they don’t
• How they handle pre-existing conditions
• Coverage limits
• Monthly premium
• Wellness coverage (may be a rider)
• Reimbursement percentages and limits
• Breed or age limitations 

Competition

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Our Methodology: How We Review Pet Insurance Carriers

Investopedia is dedicated to providing consumers with unbiased, comprehensive reviews of pet insurance companies. We rated 25 providers and collected over 2,000 data points, including information about plan options, company features, and fees and limits, to ensure that our reviews help users make informed decisions for their pet insurance needs.

Our full pet insurance methodology, including our data collection process and weighted data points, is available for review.