In this article: Purpose of a Waiting Period | Pet Insurance With No Waiting Period | Typical Waiting Period | Top Companies With Short Waiting Periods | FAQs

When you buy pet insurance, youll need to wait before coverage begins. Accidents, injuries, and symptoms of illnesses or conditions during this waiting period are considered preexisting and arent covered under your policys terms. If you want this waiting period to be as short as possible, these are the best pet insurance companies for you.

Pet insurance is intended to cover health conditions that may happen in the future, not ones that have already occurred. Pet insurance companies would lose money if they insured pets with known expensive health problems, which is why none cover preexisting conditions.

Since most providers dont require your pet to get a health exam before enrolling in coverage, waiting periods are meant to prevent you from noticing symptoms or injuries, quickly signing up for insurance, and then immediately receiving veterinary care paid for by the company. Essentially, the waiting period allows pet owners to enroll in a policy quickly while keeping people from gaming the system.

Nearly all pet insurance plans have a waiting period, though some may have shorter periods for accident-only coverage. A few emergency-only policies dont fit the standard insurance mold and have no waiting periods, but the coverage is often minimal.

The typical waiting period is 14 days, particularly for illness coverage. Some pet insurance providers have a waiting period of only a few days for accident coverage. Hereditary conditions such as hip dysplasia typically have much longer waiting periods up to a year. If your pet develops symptoms of a health problem within that time frame, expenses for that health problem will not be covered whether a vet provides treatment or not.

Here are the pet insurance companies with the shortest waiting periods.

Lemonade offers comprehensive coverage and multiple add-ons at more affordable rates than many providers on this list. It also has a very short waiting period for accident coverage of only 48 hours.

+ Waiting period for accidents is only 48 hours

+ Lower monthly premiums than many competitors

+ Add-on option for preventive care

Requires a recent vet exam to qualify

No coverage for pets older than 14

Lemonade offers one pet insurance plan covering costs related to accidents and illnesses, such as diagnostic tests, hospitalizations, surgery, cancer treatments, broken bones or sprains, prescription medications and more. You can add coverage for wellness exams, vaccines, bloodwork and physical therapy treatments.

To learn more: Lemonade Pet Insurance review

Get your quote: Fill out Lemonades online quote form

A newcomer to the pet insurance industry, Spot offers highly customizable plans, including annual limits from $2,500 to unlimited. Although its 14-day waiting period is average, it applies to knee and ligament conditions, which often have much longer waiting periods.

+ Option for unlimited annual coverage

+ 14-day waiting period for knee and ligament coverage

+ 10% multi-pet discount

Accident coverage doesnt start for 14 days

No customer service on weekends

Spot offers two plans: one for accident-only coverage and one for accidents and illnesses. It also has two wellness add-ons for preventive care.

To learn more: Spot Pet Insurance review

Get your quote: Fill out Spots online quote form

Trupanion offers unlimited coverage caps and a range of deductibles from $0 to $1,000 to customize your plan. Its five-day waiting period for accidents and injuries is shorter than many providers. Its 30-day waiting period for illnesses and other conditions is longer than average, but it applies to joint problems such as cruciate ligament and hip dysplasia.

+ Covers hereditary and congenital conditions

+ Pays veterinarian directly

+ No payout limits

30-day waiting period for illnesses

No option for wellness or preventive care

Trupanion offers one comprehensive accident-and-illness plan. It also covers conditions that can occur outside of an accident or illness, such as congenital and hereditary conditions and other undiagnosed issues. It includes add-on coverage for several unique items, such as alternative treatments, advertising for lost pets, boarding fees and breeding costs.

To learn more: Trupanion review

Get your quote: Fill out Trupanions online quote form

Fetch Pet Insurance, formerly PetPlan, only offers one accident-and-illness plan. However, the plan includes coverage for things many providers dont cover, such as holistic care, stem-cell therapy and treatment related to behavioral problems such as separation anxiety or aggression.

+ Offers coverage for some nonmedical expenses

+ Covers alternative and complementary treatments

+ Healthy Pet Credit discount for 12 years without filing a claim

No multi-pet discount

No add-on for wellness coverage

Fetch offers one accident-and-illness plan. It doesnt have any add-on options.

To learn more: Fetch by The Dodo Pet Insurance review

Get your quote: Fill out Fetchs online quote form

Embrace provides pet parents with multiple opportunities to save, including a 10% discount for each additional pet policy you purchase, a 5% military discount and a 10% discount for employees of companies that offer Embrace pet insurance. It also provides a Healthy Pet Deductible benefit that credits $50 toward your co-payment each year you dont file a claim.

Although Embrace has a six-month waiting period for orthopedic conditions, you can apply for the Orthopedic Exam and Waiver to reduce this time frame. The waiting period for accident coverage is only two days.

+ Option to add coverage for routine care such as vaccinations

+ Diminishing deductible for years without filing claims

+ Coverage for working dogs (racing, guarding, etc.)

Low dollar limit for wellness coverage

No coverage for prescription food or supplements

Embrace offers one accident-and-illness plan plus an add-on for preventive care.

Note: The Wellness Rewards plan is not available in Rhode Island.

To learn more: Embrace Pet Insurance review

Get your quote: Fill out Embraces online quote form

Most companies max out their reimbursement rate at 90%, but Figo offers up to 100% reimbursement for claims. Its one-day waiting period for accidents and injuries is also the lowest in the industry. You can apply for a waiver to get around the six-month waiting period for orthopedic conditions.

+ Offers 100% reimbursement option

+ Shortest waiting period for accidents

+ Extra Care Pack covers end-of-life costs, boarding, theft and more

Coverage for exam fees requires add-on

High deductibles for older pets

Figo offers one accident-and-illness plan with three tiers of coverage and annual limits. It also has a range of add-ons for items such as preventive care and liability coverage for damages or injuries your pet causes.

Get your quote: Fill out Figos online quote form

Pets Best stands out for its coverage of older pets. Unlike some competitors, it has no age limit for coverage, meaning you can enroll your pet anytime. It also offers coverage for items more likely to be required by aging pets, such as prescribed prosthetic devices and wheelchairs.

Pets Best has an average waiting period, but if you add one of the two routine care plans, you can use your pet insurance policy for wellness care immediately.

+ Highly customizable plans

+ Vet Direct Pay reimburses veterinarians directly

+ Covers prosthetic devices and wheelchairs

Exclusions for parasites, behavioral treatment and prescription food

Illness coverage not offered to pets with severe chronic conditions

Pets Best offers an accident-only plan, three levels of accident-and-illness coverage and two routine care add-ons.

Unfortunately, all pet insurance providers have waiting periods. The standard waiting period is 14 to 15 days for accidents and illnesses. Many of the companies listed above offer shorter-than-average waiting periods for accidents or orthopedic conditions. Although the waiting period shouldnt be the only factor you take into account, it may be important to consider while shopping for pet insurance.

Our review of pet insurance companies is based on in-depth industry research that includes reading hundreds of customer reviews, simulating the quote and purchasing process, speaking to representatives on the phone to assess the customer service experience and surveying 1,000 dog and cat owners nationwide to determine the most important elements of pet insurance coverage. We have scored each provider on a 100-point scale based on those elements.

Here are more details about each factor and how theyre weighted:

We use our rating system to compare and contrast each company against key factors to help us determine the best pet insurance companies in the industry. Additionally, we keep our research up to date and revisit our reviews on a regular basis.

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Is There Pet Insurance With No Waiting Period? - MarketWatch