Hey everyone, I just adopted my first cat from a shelter a few days ago, and now I’m trying to figure out the best pet insurance. She’s an indoor cat, so I’m not expecting too much to happen, but you never know. I’ve been reading up on different insurance providers, and it seems like for every good review, there’s another bad one. It’s hard to figure out which one is the best.
Also, can anyone tell me how much the prices increase over time? I heard Trupanion doesn’t raise rates based on claims or age, but I’ve seen people say their rates still went up. Chewy’s Essential Plus is provided by Trupanion, so I assume it works the same way.
My vet recommended Trupanion because they’re partnered, but I want to hear your thoughts on the plans I mentioned. I especially want to know more about Chewy’s plan since I can’t find much info about it. If I’ve missed any great ones, please let me know!
Eli said:
Have you made a decision yet? I called Chewy’s CarePlus and they said, unlike Trupanion, they do raise your rates if you make a claim.
Thanks for the info! I’m currently with Chewy too, and while the coverage looks good, I’ve also been wondering if it’s really the best option. It’s tough to figure out with all these insurance options, especially how they might raise rates over time. Ugh, it’s confusing!
@Charlie
Just wanted to update everyone about my experience with Chewy’s insurance. My kitten might have swallowed a long elastic string, which led to a bunch of vet visits, including an emergency one. I paid my $250 deductible, and the insurance covered 90% of everything else. They processed my claim within a few days, which was awesome. Since Trupanion is Chewy’s underwriter, my vet accepted direct payment from Chewy at checkout, covering 90% of the emergency exam fee, which not all insurers do. I’m super happy with them so far. Chewy’s plan definitely paid for itself this week! I went with the annual deductible option, and I’m glad I did because it worked better than Trupanion’s lifetime deductible per incident. Hope this helps anyone trying to decide!
Colby said: @Charlie
Do you know if Chewy still offers Trupanion? I just checked and only saw Lemonade as an option
A little late to reply, but when I got a quote, Chewy gave me the option of both Trupanion and Lemonade. For anyone else looking, after you put in your pet’s info, it should show both options.
Also, following up on the earlier comment, Chewy’s plan says they won’t raise your rate based on claims, but they do mention that prices can change based on your area.
Good question. The plan info says they won’t update your pet’s cost more than once a year. If they do, they’ll give you a 30-day heads up. But there’s nothing that specifically says they won’t raise prices because of age. Trupanion’s website says they don’t increase premiums with age, but that might only apply to their own policies, not the ones through Chewy.
@Rowan
I think they all raise rates eventually, even Trupanion. They just find other reasons besides age to do it. The exam fee coverage is why I went with Chewy, and it’s already saved me $200 this year. It’s a gamble with any of them, but so far I’m happy with Chewy.
Colby said: @Charlie
Do you know if Chewy still offers Trupanion? I just checked and only saw Lemonade as an option
Sorry for the late reply, but yes, as far as I know, they still offer Trupanion. If you search for Chewy pet insurance online, Trupanion should show up as one of the options (I think they call it CarePlus). I like that I can always talk to a rep if I need to. I’m not sure if Lemonade offers that.
