Cheap Pet Insurance for Dogs and Cats
The American Kennel Club (AKC) offers the cheapest pet insurance for dogs, while Pets Best has the lowest rates for cats.
Comprehensive pet health insurance costs around $29 per month for cats and $49 a month for dogs.
If your pet gets injured or falls ill, pet health insurance can help you cover expensive vet bills. The cost of each plan varies depending on the company, your pet's breed and age, and the level of coverage you select. There are ways to find cheaper coverage, although they may come with some trade-offs.
Cheapest overall pet insurance plans
For dogs and cats, AKC, Pets Best and Figo rank among the most affordable pet insurance companies.
We also recommend considering Healthy Paws if you want limitless coverage for accidents and illnesses but are willing to pay for routine care yourself.
Company | Monthly dog cost | Annual dog cost |
|---|---|---|
| AKC (30% reimbursement) | $23 | $280 |
| PetFirst | $26 | $317 |
| Pets Best | $28 | $332 |
| Figo | $30 | $365 |
| 24PetWatch ($100 deductible) | $34 | $409 |
| ASPCA | $34 | $409 |
| Healthy Paws (no annual max) | $41 | $493 |
| Average | $42 | $504 |
| Embrace | $46 | $550 |
| Petplan | $50 | $595 |
| Nationwide ($250 deductible, $10,000 max, 50% reimbursement) | $63 | $751 |
| Trupanion (no annual max, 90% reimbursement) | $90 | $1,074 |
The most affordable choice for cats is Pets Best, but it's among the least affordable for dogs. Across the board, Trupanion ranks as the least affordable insurance company, but it provides excellent comprehensive coverage.
While affordability is important, it shouldn't be the only concern when selecting a pet insurance policy. You should look closely at which pet ailments are covered and which are excluded. If your pet has preexisting conditions, your plan may consider some future illnesses ineligible for treatment.
Company | Monthly cat cost | Annual cat cost |
|---|---|---|
| Pets Best | $9 | $105 |
| Figo | $13 | $159 |
| AKC (30% reimbursement) | $15 | $182 |
| Healthy Paws (no annual max) | $16 | $190 |
| ASPCA | $17 | $204 |
| 24PetWatch ($100 deductible) | $17 | $204 |
| PetFirst | $20 | $239 |
| Petplan | $20 | $242 |
| Embrace | $23 | $276 |
| Nationwide | $23 | $278 |
| Trupanion (no annual max, 90% reimbursement) | $36 | $437 |
It's also a good idea to examine the annual benefit amount when comparing insurance plans.
Cheapest accident-only plans
As the name implies, "accident-only" plans cover expenses related to sudden accidents but not the costs associated with illnesses. Accident-only plans are the cheapest option for both cats and dogs, and you can only get them from some major insurance companies.
Pets Best is a good cheap option at $9 per month for dogs and $6 per month for cats.
Find the Cheapest Pet Insurance Quotes in Your Area
Keep in mind that dog insurance is always more expensive than cat insurance, and older pets are always more expensive to insure than younger ones.
Cheap accident-only pet insurance plan
Company | Monthly dog premium | Monthly cat premium |
|---|---|---|
| Pets Best ($10,000 max, 90% reimbursement) | $9 | $6 |
| Nationwide | $16 | $6 |
| ASPCA ($7,000 max) | $24 | $13 |
It's important to note that while accident-only plans are the cheapest option, they offer substantially less coverage than comprehensive injury and illness plans. If your pet gets a serious illness that's unrelated to a specific accident, then you'll have no coverage for that treatment. These types of plans are best if you have an active, injury-prone breed and could also handle paying a large illness-treatment bill without reimbursement.
Cheapest pet insurance plans with wellness
PetFirst raises rates the least if you add wellness coverage to your insurance.
Pet wellness covers costs like routine checkups, preventive care and grooming. These are usually available as an endorsement, which increases the cost of your monthly premium.
Insurer | Monthly wellness cost | % increase |
|---|---|---|
| PetFirst | $24.65 | 97.70% |
| ASPCA | $24.95 | 60.28% |
| Pets Best ($535 in wellness) | $26.00 | 213.82% |
| AKC/PetPartners ($3,000 max) | $27.00 | 113.78% |
| Nationwide | $27.84 | 54.04% |
| Embrace | $35.42 | 86.54% |
Because the base coverage differs with each company, it's important to look at the cost of wellness coverage within the overall context of your plan. One insurance company can have a cheaper wellness endorsement, but its plan might not cover as many accidents and illnesses. You should always do your homework by reading the fine print on your policy and comparing plans.
How to find cheap pet insurance
To get the cheapest pet health insurance plan, look for a level of coverage that comes with a low monthly rate.
All insurance companies charge less per month if you select a plan with a higher deductible, lower reimbursement level and lower annual maximum.
While your insurance will pay for less, you'll also pay less to your insurance company every month.
Deductible | Reimbursement level | Annual max | Monthly premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | 90% | Unlimited | $88.63 |
| $100 | 80% | Unlimited | $60.82 |
| $100 | 70% | Unlimited | $48.42 |
| $250 | 90% | $10,000 | $57.24 |
| $250 | 80% | $10,000 | $38.41 |
| $250 | 70% | $10,000 | $29.74 |
| $500 | 90% | $5,000 | $37.00 |
| $500 | 80% | $5,000 | $24.12 |
| $500 | 70% | $5,000 | $18.03 |
Cheapest breeds to insure
Smaller mutts are the cheapest dogs to insure, while domestic shorthairs and longhairs are the cheapest cats.
Larger breeds are generally more costly to insure because they develop more bone and joint problems due to their size and weight. This is why many pet insurance plans exclude coverage for hip dysplasia, a common joint problem that occurs in large dog breeds.
Cheapest dogs to insure | Monthly cost for accident and illness plan |
|---|---|
| Mutt (mixed breed, up to 50 lbs) | $29.54 |
| Mutt (mixed breed, up to 100 lbs) | $34.05 |
| German shepherd | $34.05 |
| Beagle | $34.05 |
| Labrador retriever | $41.05 |
| Golden retriever | $41.05 |
| Bulldog | $50.11 |
Across all insurance companies, cats are much cheaper to insure than dogs. This is because dogs tend to have an active lifestyle and pose a high risk for injury, whereas domestic cats spend most of their time indoors.
However, there are also key differences in health among cats, which can affect insurance costs for certain breeds. These differences are often a result of breeding practices.
Cheapest cats to insure | Monthly cost for accident and illness plan |
|---|---|
| Domestic shorthair | $16.99 |
| Domestic longhair | $16.99 |
| Ragdoll | $16.99 |
| Siamese | $16.99 |
| British shorthair | $25.25 |
| Persian | $25.25 |
| Maine coon | $25.25 |
Methodology
We pulled standard pet insurance policy quotes for a sample dog and a sample cat across several companies. Plans included a $500 deductible, an 80% reimbursement level and a $5,000 annual maximum payout.
ValuePenguin looked at three insurance companies that carry accident-only plans to give you a better idea of the cost. The quotes are for a 4-year-old male Labrador retriever and a 4-year-old female Bengal cat. Plans came with a $250 deductible, 80% reimbursement level and $15,000 annual limit for payouts.
Wellness rates are for dogs and include annual limits of $450. Rates for different breeds are from the ASPCA. The analysis of different coverage levels uses Figo rates.
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.