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Lemonade pet insurance review
Lemonade pet insurance provides comprehensive coverage, ensuring your pets receive the best care possible without breaking the bank. The company's unique approach includes customizable policies, transparency and social good.
Founded in 2015, Lemonade revolutionized the insurance industry by leveraging technology and a customer-centric approach. Initially starting with homeowners and renters’ insurance, the company expanded its offerings to include pet insurance in 2020. Lemonade aims to simplify and modernize the insurance process using AI and machine learning, providing a seamless experience for policyholders.
To help you make the right choice for health insurance for your four-legged friend, consider coverage options, plans, customizations, additional features, exclusions, restrictions and the process for filing claims.
Lemonade
Summary
Annual deductible options: $100, $250 or $500
Reimbursement percentage: 70, 80 or 90 percent
Max payout: $5,000–$100,000
Claim turnaround time: 2-4 days
Enrollment age: If you opt for the puppy/kitten preventive care package, puppies and kittens can be enrolled as soon as they are under your care. For other policies, puppies and kittens may be enrolled from eight weeks of age.
Direct vet pay: No
Why Lemonade is the best pet insurance company for digital experience
Lemonade has a unique digital-based system. It uses artificial intelligence to help make submitting claims and monitoring your pet insurance policy seamless. While other companies have apps and online portals, Lemonade prioritizes making sure the digital experience is a key highlight of its offerings.
Lemonade coverage options
Lemonade pet health insurance helps to cover the cost of unexpected illnesses and injuries. Its basic accident and illness plan reimburses pet owners for emergency veterinary visits. Its preventative care add-ons help with routine care costs.
Accidents may include injuries such as sprains or broken bones and the ingestion of foreign objects or poisoning.
Illnesses covered by Lemonade pet insurance include allergies, arthritis, blood disorders, cancer, diabetes, diarrhea, elbow and hip dysplasia, eye disorders, hernias, infections and vomiting.
What Lemonade covers
- Diagnostics: Blood tests, CT scans, lab work, MRIs, ultrasounds, urinalysis and X-rays
- Medications: Injections and prescription medications
- Procedures: Emergency care, hospitalization, outpatient, surgery and specialty
- Recurring conditions
What Lemonade does not cover
- Bilateral conditions: If your furry friend is diagnosed with a condition that can affect both sides of the body (elbow or hip dysplasia, cataracts or cherry eye, for instance) on one side before your policy starts, your insurance policy will not reimburse for expenses relating to the same malady on the other side of their body.
- Non-traditional therapies: These may include alternative medicines such as aromatherapy and CBD products.
- Out-of-date claims: Claims made for treatments given more than 180 days ago (or 90 days if you are based in Texas) are not covered.
- Pre-existing conditions: Lemonade does not cover conditions that existed before the policy start date, apart from curable conditions such as ear mites or giardia that have not shown signs for over a year.
- Preventable conditions: Illnesses or injuries resulting from something that could have been prevented with proper pet care are not covered.
- Routine and preventive care: Unless you select preventive care add-ons, you'll need to cover preventive treatments out of pocket.
Lemonade plans and customizations
Lemonade pet insurance offers a variety of coverage options designed to cater to the diverse needs of pet owners.
The base plan covers essential diagnostics, procedures and medications for accidents and illness. Preventive care add-ons allow policyholders to customize and extend their coverage based on specific needs.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Charitable contributions: Unclaimed premiums go to various charities chosen by policyholders.
- Comprehensive coverage: Includes diagnostics, procedures, medications and other important coverage needs.
- Customizable plans: Various add-ons allow for tailored coverage.
- Innovative technology: Utilizes AI for quick claims processing, often within minutes.
- Mobile app: User-friendly app for managing policies and claims.
- Puppy/kitten preventive care: Coverage that helps to pay for routine care for your young fluffs.
- Transparent pricing: Lemonade offers a straightforward and transparent pricing model.
Cons
- Age restrictions: Coverage for older pets may be limited.
- Limited availability: Only available in certain states.
- Vet exam fees need extra coverage: You must add coverage for vet exam fees to your policy as an additional cost.
Additional features of Lemonade
Lemonade offers a few additional features that enhance the overall pet insurance experience.
Mobile app
The Lemonade mobile app allows users to effortlessly manage their policies, file claims and track their pets' health records. The app's AI-powered chat interface makes it easy to get assistance quickly.
Discounts
Lemonade offers the following to help policyholders achieve significant savings:
- 10 percent discount for bundling multiple policies, such as pet insurance with homeowners or renters insurance
- 5 percent discount for making annual premium payments rather than paying monthly
- 5 percent multi-pet discount
Coverage changes mid-term
Unlike other pet insurance companies, Lemonade offers the ability to change the coverage level of your policy mid-term in most states. You can request a reduction in your coverage, and by extension, receive a reduction in your premiums, at any point during your policy's term. All changes have to be approved by Lemonade's underwriting team.
This is not available in New Hampshire or California.
Exclusions and restrictions
All insurance companies have certain exclusions and restrictions to consider when choosing the best policy for you and your fluffy friend.
Age restrictions
Generally, most pet insurance companies allow enrolment from eight weeks of age. While there are no details on Lemonade's pet insurance site, it seems the company imposes an upper age limit for insuring older pets. These ages, typically around 10 to 14 years in the industry, appear to vary depending on your furry friend's breed.
Waiting periods
As with most pet insurance companies, Lemonade doesn’t reimburse claims for incidents that occur before the relevant waiting period has expired.
There are different waiting periods for different situations:
- No waiting period for accidents
- 14 days for illnesses
- 30 days for orthopedic conditions
- 6 months for cruciate ligament injuries
Note that waiting periods may be different depending on where you live.
If you select the preventive care package add-ons, you may claim for preventive care costs immediately after your policy is approved.
Location restrictions
Coverage and availability may vary by location. Check if Lemonade Pet Insurance is available in your state and understand any location-specific restrictions that may apply. Lemonade pet insurance will reimburse claims from any licensed veterinarian in 38 states.
Lemonade pet insurance is unavailable in Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, South Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia.
Lemonade pet insurance costs
Policyholders can select the deductible and reimbursement rate to best suit their budget and needs. Higher deductibles typically result in lower premiums, while higher reimbursement rates provide more financial coverage during claims.
We gathered sample quotes to give you an idea of pricing. Note that your quote will vary based on your location, pet's age, coverage selections and other factors. Get a quote from Lemonade to better understand how much a Lemonade policy would cost you.
| Breed | 2 years old | 5 years old | 8 years old | 10 years old |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample policies were for a female dog with excellent health in Arizona with the ZIP code 85251. The choices for customization selected were for an accident and illness plan with a $250 deductible, 90% reimbursement limit and $5,000 annual benefit limit. The rates listed are for illustrative purposes only. You should contact the company directly for applicable quotes. * Lemonade does not start policies for pets of this age and breed, so we were not able to get a quote. Your pet may still be able to be insured if they are insured when they are younger. |
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| French bulldog | $76 | $102 | $181 | N/A* |
| Labrador retriever | $50 | $67 | $118 | N/A* |
| Golden retriever | $49 | $65 | $115 | N/A* |
| German shepherd | $49 | $65 | $114 | N/A* |
| Poodle | $40 | $50 | $84 | $120 |
| Dachshund | $35 | $43 | $73 | $104 |
| Breed | 2 years old | 5 years old | 8 years old | 10 years old |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample policies were for a male cat with excellent health in Arizona with the ZIP code 85251. The choices for customization selected were for an accident and illness plan with a $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement limit and $50,000 annual benefit limit. Other companies were quoted at a $250 deductible and $5,000 annual benefit limit. The quotes for Lemonade were adjusted to what the company offers. The rates listed are for illustrative purposes only. You should contact the company directly for applicable quotes. * Lemonade does not start policies for pets of this age and breed, so we were not able to get a quote. Your pet may still be able to be insured if they are insured when they are younger. |
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| Ragdoll | $26 | $35 | $60 | N/A* |
| Maine coon | $23 | $28 | $47 | $67 |
| Persian | $22 | $22 | $34 | $45 |
| Exotic | $21 | $26 | $44 | $63 |
| Devon rex | $23 | $31 | $53 | N/A* |
| British shorthair | $22 | $22 | $33 | $44 |
How to file a claim with Lemonade
Filing a claim with Lemonade is designed to be quick and straightforward. Policyholders can use the company's advanced technology to streamline the process. Here's a step-by-step guide to filling a claim with Lemonade:
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Using the Lemonade app, open your ‘pet policy view’ and tap the ‘file a claim’ button.
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AI Jim will ask a few questions and lead you through the claim submission process.
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Describe what your four-legged friend was treated for. Record and submit a (completely confidential) video to explain the situation and the details of your vet visit.
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Upload the applicable documents, such as the invoice and receipt for the vet bills.
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The Lemonade team will review your claim. Once it is approved, your deductible will be subtracted and your co-insurance will be applied to the amount. You will then receive the money to your bank account.
Thanks to Lemonade's AI-driven process, about half of claims are approved within minutes. Depending on the claim, you would wait up to a few weeks for it to be approved and the funds to be in your account.
How long do you have to file a claim?
You must file a claim in the app in the required time frame to get coverage. In general, you must file a clam and provide the required information within 180 days of treatment. Texas customers have 90 days to file a claim.