Lemonade rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Lemonade pet insurance stands out for its great prices. If you’re looking for a rather bare-bones pet insurance policy at a good price, check out Lemonade’s pricing for your pet. Lemonade sells additional coverage as add-ons for extra cost, so you’ll pay more if you want a pet insurance policy comparable to many competitors, which include broader coverage in their base plans.

Learn more: How does pet insurance work? A complete guide.

Pros

• Excellent prices

• Very high $100,000 annual coverage limit available

• Will cover temporary preexisting injuries and conditions

Cons

• Extra cost if you want to add coverage for vet exam fees, dental illness, behavioral conditions, and more

• No 24/7 vet healthline, which many competitors include

Lemonade pet insurance basics

• Annual maximum limit choices: $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, $100,000

• Deductible choices: $100, $250, $500, $750

• Reimbursement choices: 70%, 80%, 90%

Lemonade waiting periods

• For accident coverage: Begins at 12:01 a.m. the day after you buy a policy

• For illness coverage: 14 days

• Special waiting period: 6 months for cruciate ligament issues

Lemonade age restrictions for buying a new policy

• Minimum pet age: 2 months

• Maximum pet age: Depends on pet breed

Lemonade sells an accident and illness policy that offers the basic coverage below. There is no accident-only policy available.

• Hereditary and congenital conditions

• Cancer

• Diagnostics such as X-rays and ultrasounds

• Dental accidents

• Prescription drugs

Learn more: Your guide to what pet insurance covers

Lemonade offers three tiers of wellness plans that you can add to your base policy: Preventative Care, Preventative+ Care, and Preventative Care for Puppies and Kittens. Each plan reimburses you up to specified limits for routine care, with varying coverage based on your pet’s needs.

Preventative Care

Covers basic wellness care costs including:

• Annual wellness exam

• Up to 3 vaccines, such as Bordetella, Rabies, and DHLPP

• Fecal or internal parasite test

• Wellness bloodwork for early disease detection

• Heartworm or FeLV/FIV test

Preventative+ Care

Includes everything in the Preventative Care plan, plus:

• Flea/tick or heartworm medication

• Routine dental cleaning

Preventative Care for Puppies and Kittens

Designed for younger pets (under 2 years old) with added benefits:

• Two wellness exams

• Up to six vaccines, such as Bordetella, Rabies, and DHLPP

• Fecal or internal parasite test

• Wellness bloodwork for early disease detection

• Heartworm or FeLV/FIV test

• Flea/tick or heartworm medication

• Spay/neuter procedure

• Microchip

Learn more: Does pet insurance cover vaccines?

No, Lemonade doesn’t cover preexisting conditions, which it defines as “any condition for which a veterinarian provided medical advice, the pet received treatment for, or the pet displayed signs or symptoms consistent with the stated condition prior to the start date of the first pet insurance policy issued . . . or during any waiting period.”

That said, there’s a little bit of flexibility in most states. Lemonade may cover certain curable preexisting conditions in the future, like diarrhea or roundworms as long as your pet has gone at least 12 months without symptoms or treatment.

It’s important to note that chronic conditions (such as asthma, cancer, allergies, etc.) and issues like knee or ligament problems are considered incurable. Therefore, these conditions won’t qualify for coverage in the future.

Learn more: Pet insurance that covers preexisting conditions

No, Lemonade doesn’t offer a 24/7 vet telehealth line. Many other pet insurance companies, like MetLife and Embrace, do provide round-the-clock access to licensed vet professionals who can give guidance for your pet’s health concerns.

Lemonade’s base pet insurance policy doesn’t cover:

• Preexisting conditions your pet had before coverage began

• Bilateral conditions (like cherry eye or hip dysplasia), if symptoms showed on one side before your policy started

• Prescription food

• Vitamins

• Microchipping

• Grooming and nail trimming

• Cosmetic procedures

• Anal gland expression

• Breeding and pregnancy

• Boarding and transportation

• Preventable issues, including injuries from abuse, neglect, fighting, or racing

• Exotic pets like iguanas, guinea pigs, and parakeets

Some things aren’t included in the base policy unless you add extra coverage. Lemonade’s add-ons can cover:

• Preventive care for vaccinations and wellness visits

• Vet visit fees for exams

• Physical therapy, like acupuncture and hydrotherapy

• Dental illness treatments, such as tooth extractions and care for gum disease

• Behavioral conditions, like vet-recommended therapy and medication for issues such as anxiety or aggression

• End-of-life care, including euthanasia, cremation, and memorial items for your pet

Increases: You can increase your coverage, like adding a wellness plan or raising your coverage limits, within 14 days of buying your policy. After that, you’ll have to wait until your policy renews in 12 months to make any other upgrades.

Decreases: You can lower your coverage at any time by using the Lemonade app.

Any policy changes may have to be reviewed and approved by the underwriting team.

Lemonade’s base plan is very budget-friendly, but it also has slim coverage compared to many competitors. In our evaluation, Lemonade came in as the cheapest pick.

Lemonade has the cheapest policy for $5,000 in annual coverage, among the policies we evaluated. It was also 31% less than the overall average cost.

Learn more: Is pet insurance worth it? How to decide.

Lemonade’s cost was also the cheapest among pet insurance companies offering very high or unlimited annual coverage. While Lemonade does not offer an unlimited plan, we compared the cost of its $100,000 policy to competitors. In this category, Lemonade came in 36% less than the overall average.

Yes, if you're insuring more than one dog or cat, Lemonade offers 5% or 10% off each policy, depending on your state. The discount applies to the base accident and illness policy and add-ons for the vet exam fee and physical therapy. Discounts don’t apply to the wellness add-on.

No, Lemonade doesn’t have a system for paying vets directly. If you’re looking for a pet insurer with direct vet payments, check out ASPCA, Healthy Paws, Pets Best, or Trupanion.

If your pet insurer doesn’t offer direct pay and you're facing a large bill, such as a surgery, ask your vet ahead of time if they’re willing to set up a payment plan. Your vet may offer payment options like weekly or monthly installments.

Learn more: Pet insurance that pays the vet directly

Before you file a pet insurance claim with Lemonade, make sure you have provided all medical records for your pet from the past 12 months. Lemonade won’t move forward with processing a claim without reviewing records first.

Here are the next steps in the Lemonade claims process:

Submit the claim: Log in to the Lemonade app and file your claim as soon as you can. Even though Lemonade gives you up to 180 days after your pet’s treatment to submit a claim (or 90 days if you live in Texas), filing right away can help streamline the process and make it easier to gather all the info you need while it’s still fresh in your mind.

Provide claim details: You’ll need to include details about what happened, what treatment your pet received, a photo of the receipt or paid invoice, and what you’re asking to be reimbursed for. Lemonade will also ask you to record a short, private video explaining the situation instead of typing out the information.

Receive reimbursement: Once your claim is approved, the money will go straight to your bank (minus your deductible). Lemonade sends reimbursements through wire transfer, so make sure your bank info is set up in your account.

With Lemonade pet insurance, you have up to 180 days to file a claim or 90 days if you live in Texas.

Lemonade says it aims to pay approved claims instantly. This means that in some cases, you could get reimbursed the same day you file. But if anything is missing or they need to take a closer look, it could take longer to process.

Lemonade primarily manages all of its policies and services through its website and mobile app. Lemonade’s mobile app gets good reviews for its ease of use and convenience. You can get a quote, manage your policy, file a claim, and check your claim status.

Lemonade uses AI technology to speed up the claims process, and in some cases, claims may be approved right away. As a policyholder, you must download the app to access and manage your Lemonade pet insurance policy.

Lemonade mobile app ratings:

• App Apple Store: 4.9 out of 5 stars

• Google Play Store: 4.1 out of 5 stars

Learn more: The best pet insurance companies

Lemonade offers pet insurance in 38 states and Washington, D.C.

Coverage is available in these states:

• Alabama

• Arizona

• Arkansas

• California

• Colorado

• Connecticut

• Florida

• Georgia

• Illinois

• Indiana

• Iowa

• Louisiana

• Maryland

• Massachusetts

• Michigan

• Minnesota

• Mississippi

• Montana

• Nebraska

• Nevada

• New Hampshire

• New Jersey

• New Mexico

• New York

• North Carolina

• North Dakota

• Ohio

• Oklahoma

• Oregon

• Pennsylvania

• Rhode Island

• South Carolina

• Tennessee

• Texas

• Utah

• Virginia

• Washington

• Wisconsin

Yes, Lemonade will help pay for neutering costs, but only if you add the Preventative Care Package for Puppies and Kittens to your policy. This is an optional add-on that includes spaying or neutering procedures, but it’s not part of the base accident and illness policy. You'll need to purchase it separately for the coverage to apply.

Lemonade doesn’t require a vet exam to sign up, but you will need to provide recent medical records before you file a claim. Your pet must have had a vet visit in the past 12 months before the policy or up to 14 days after the policy start date. For pets under a year old, records from birth are required. If medical records aren’t on file, Lemonade won’t reimburse you for any claims.

You can contact Lemonade through its mobile app or by phone or email:

• Contact Lemonade at 844-733-8666, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET

• The email is help@lemonade.com

Lemonade lets you cancel any time through the app, with a refund on a pro-rata basis if you cancel before your policy renews. If you cancel, you’ll lose your Giveback funds (Lemonade’s program that donates leftover money to charities each year). If you decide to reenroll later, your rate could change, and any conditions your pet developed during your previous policy term will be considered preexisting and won’t be covered.

Amy Danise and Tim Manni edited this article.

We researched the coverage details and prices for 15 pet insurance plans. We then weighted categories, and each pet insurer was scored relative to the others to find the best pet insurance companies. Here are the factors we incorporated.

Coverage types: 40% of score. We examined the coverage provided by the base policy without the extra cost of add-ons. This encompassed coverage for alternative therapy, behavioral therapy, dental illness, euthanasia or end-of-life expenses, exotic pets, hereditary and congenital conditions, preexisting conditions, prescription food and supplements, veterinary exam fees, and advertising/reward for lost/stolen pets.

Average cost: 30% of score. We evaluated costs in five states for $5,000 and unlimited coverage for a mixed-breed dog (age 1), a French bulldog (age 5), and a Labrador retriever (age 8).

Unlimited coverage option: 10% of score. We gave points when pet insurers offered an unlimited annual limit (or a $100,000 limit), which gives pet owners the most robust financial protection possible in the event of a catastrophic pet medical issue.

Direct payments to the veterinarian: 5% of score. We gave points to pet insurers that state on their websites that they accommodate direct vet payments.

No special waiting periods for special conditions: 5% of score. We gave points when pet insurers have no waiting periods for special conditions, such as cruciate ligament conditions.

Routine wellness plan: 5% of score. Companies that offer a routine wellness plan in addition to pet insurance received points.

Multi-pet discount: 5% of score. We gave points when pet insurers offered a discount for insuring multiple pets.