Overview
Year Company Started: 2008
Underwriter: American Pet Insurance Company (APIC)
Trupanion is a founding member of the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA).
Website: www.trupanionpetinsurance.com
Phone: 1800-569-7913
Founded in British Columbia in 1998 (under the name VetInsurance), Trupanion first started in Canada and have now been issuing policies across the United States since 2008.
If you have a cat or dog between 8 weeks and 14 years of age, Trupanion may be the pet insurance provider for you. This insurer differs from others in a few ways:
- Trupanion pays 90 percent of your cost without caps, even at emergency centers, specialty hospitals and referral clinics. Many pet insurance providers cover only 80 percent. Your rates won’t increase just because you’ve submitted multiple claims—and your coverage won’t decrease either.
- Hereditary and congenital disorders—conditions present at birth—aren’t excluded from coverage. Most pet insurers refuse to cover these, leaving you with large veterinary bills, despite having a pet insurance policy.
- The one drawback to purchasing a Trupanion policy is the lack of routine care coverage. According to the website, “dollar trading for routine veterinary costs would double monthly premiums without adding value. Instead, Trupanion offers an affordable and practical type of pet health insurance that covers major costs you can’t anticipate.”
Your pet’s breed and age at the time of enrollment will determine the premium (premiums do not increase due to pet agings). You can lower your dog or cat’s premium by selecting a per incident deductible that best matches your budget. Premiums may increase periodically to reflect the rising cost of veterinary care.
Trupanion Pet Insurance Review
Rating: 8
Our review process starts with calling each of the insurance providers over the telephone and then, we gather quotes for these three pet profiles:
- A 2-year old male Yorkshire Terrier named Jax
- A 6-year old male Cocker Spaniel named Max
- An 8-year old female mixed breed cat named Fluffy
I spoke with Michelle at Trupanion. Michelle was very friendly. Our call wasn’t long, but it seems there isn’t that much to explain since Trupanion only has one plan.
The Plans/Quotes
You can choose your deductible—anywhere between $0 and $1,000—to fit your premiums within your budget. Each pet gets $20,000 over his lifetime for accidents and illnesses with no limits per year, claim, illness, procedure, or condition. Trupanion reimburses 90% of every approved claim.
Monthly premiums for each pet:
The 2-year old male Yorkshire Terrier: $35 with a $500 deductible, $23.69 with a $1,000 deductible
A 6-year old male Cocker Spaniel: $44.45 with a $500 deductible, $29.03 with a $1,000 deductible
An 8-year old female mixed breed cat: $31.07 with a $500 deductible, $21.06 with a $1,000 deductible
The Details
Trupanion covers diagnostic tests, surgeries, and medications (including hereditary and congenital disorders). Once you submit a claim, you can expect an approval or denial within 7 days—and as soon as 24 hours if it’s a repeat claim. Your rates will never increase due to increased claim activity, and premiums won’t increase due to aging. There is a 5-day waiting period for accidents, and a 30-day waiting period for illnesses.
Trupanion will only deny coverage for hereditary and congenital disorders if symptoms were present before you enrolled your pet, or during the waiting period. There is no coverage for routine care. According to the website, “dollar trading for routine veterinary visits would double monthly premiums without adding value.”
Trupanion owns it’s own underwriter, it hasn’t been rated by A.M. Best rated.
You can cancel your policy at any time without any penalty.
Conclusions
Pros:
- The deductibles and premiums are highly flexible, meaning you can fit the plan within your budget.
- There is no benefits schedule.
- Premiums will not increase due to aging.
- You may get coverage for hereditary and congenital conditions if symptoms occurred after your plan took effect.
- Customer reviews indicate excellent customer service.
Cons:
- Routine coverage is not included.
- Cover pets that are not spayed or neutered. However the coverage is limited in that pets who are not spayed or neutered will not be covered for illnesses relating to spay/neuter such as ovarian cancer, mammary cancer, etc.
The company name is spelled Trupanion.
Thanks
Also, we DO cover pets that are not spayed or neutered. However the coverage is limited in that pets who are not spayed or neutered will not be covered for illnesses relating to spay/neuter such as ovarian cancer, mammary cancer, etc.
-Stacy at Trupanion
Super-Duper site! I am loving it!! Will come back again – taking you feeds also, Thanks.
UPDATE: Trupanion now has NO Lifetime Limits.
I purchased Trupanion Pet Insurance after asking a list of questions..Will Rates Increase when my pet ages? I was assured by the Trupanion that rates would never increase as my pet ages. They might have minor rate increases for all members of 5% every year or two or rate increases for new members. Not more than 5% she assured me. Less than a year later Trupanion increased my rates 25%. I had only one tiny $100 claim for a minor incident. I am a educated pet consumer that takes better care of my pet then the average pet consumer. Because I have learned a lot about holistic pet care, my pet is healthier then many pets the same age.
I called Trupanion that said only members with aging pets would get rate hikes like 25% but many other members did not receive this rate hike. And they didn’t even raise raises for new members. I am an existing Trupanion Pet Insurance customer so I should not receive rate hikes of no more than 5% in a year as I myself have been supporting Trupanion longer than a new member. I am angry as Trupanion outright lied to me.
Had Trupanion been honest about this upfront and on their website that 25% rate hikes will be for any members with aging pets, then I would not be angry because I would have considered this before spending one dime with Trupanion. I don’t like companies that out right lie to consumers to steal their money, then rip them off later and basically laugh in your face when you call them on the lie. Trupanion needs to put this on the Home page of their Trupanion website. Trupanion raises rates 25% for any aging pets. Please consider can you afford a yearly 25% rate hike before buying Trupanion Pet Insurance.
I was planning to adopt another pet. As my two elderly pets recently died at 16 and 19 due to old age. But with this Trupanion Pet Insurance rate hike, I cannot afford in this economic depression caused by our own government, defense businesses, wall street, and banks, to take on a new pet that needs a home. I would like to adopt an older dog from the shelter that needs a lifesaver as I know all the animal shelters are killing the older sweet dogs, andy dogs over 7 are killed immediately, but with the cost of Trupanion Pet Insurance, we just can’t afford to save a life.
So disappointed in this service. We started coverage on our dog 16 months ago when he was only 4 months old because if what they offered and because they were recommended by our vet. However, just like every other player in the insurance industry, they are only out screw you. The promise of no rate increases based on the pet’s age is false. My dog turns 2 next month and conveniently the premium is increasing from $39 to $97, more than doubling what we have been paying. They claim it is because of increased costs in vet care, but my visits to my vet haven’t cost me any more than they did a year ago, let alone double.
I will be terminating their service, and do what I should have been doing all along; putting the monthly payments into my own account.
I do not recommend them, unless you only want reasonable service at a teaser rate for the first few years of your let’s life.
I have been using Trupanion for all 4 of our pets (2 dogs and 2 cats varying in ages from 7yrs to 4months) for 2 years with no issues at all. We have had multiple claims for one of the dogs and one of the cats and all were paid quickly and with no hassle at all.
One thing I’d like to point out is that there is no longer a lifetime limit on what can be paid out for your pet. They lifted the $20K limit earlier this year.
As for rate increases, the only place I have seen large ones was in Canada for people that have had low rates for years. All of my pets have $0 deductible and we pay about $140/mo for all 4 of them.
Do you cover the cost of spay/neuter?
Hi Maggie,
Trupanion does not cover the costs of routine care such as spay/neuter as these costs can be expected. Please feel free to give us a call with further questions! 800-569-7913
Another New Year and another rate hike from Trupanion. Although I have not made a claim since procurring my insurance over two yeas ago my rates have more than doubled. I went from around 30 dollars a month when I first signed up to 58 dollars the next year and now 77 dollas. Am I to expect a rate hike every January? It is ridiculous.