Our Final Verdict
We give Lemonade Pet Insurance a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.
Lemonade is one of the most well-known pet insurance companies thanks to their viral advertising campaigns. They also happen to be one of the most affordable options out there.
This company offers a simple base plan that covers accidents and illness. On top of this, you can choose from several routine care packages and five add-on options to cover everything from office visits to acupuncture. This on top of Lemonade’s many customizable features within the base policy makes them one of the most versatile pet insurance options out there.
Lemonade Pet Insurance Review
Pros
- One of the cheapest options
- Quick enrollment process
- Have many add-on options
- 2-day accident waiting period
- In some states there is no accident waiting period
- Bundling discounts available
Cons
- Broad definition of pre-existing conditions
- Age restrictions on enrollment
- Requires recent vet exam
About Lemonade
Lemonade pet insurance is made for pet owners who know where they tend to spend their money the most when it comes to their pet’s care. Like most pet insurance options, this one covers accidents and illnesses. But it also offers additional coverage options for all the other vet-related expenses pet owners experience.
If you have a young kitten who has just joined your family, for instance, you may want to add on Lemonade’s Kitten Preventative Care coverage. This optional plan covers expenses like checkups, vaccines, and spays/neuters.
On the other hand, if you have a 2-year-old kitty, you may want to add the Dental Illness plan or Physical Therapy option. The former covers treatments for dental disease while the latter covers chiropractic and acupuncture treatment related to accidents and illnesses.
Like most other pet insurances, Lemonade does not cover preexisting conditions. They also have some age restrictions that vary by breed and species.
On the plus side, this insurance is impressively affordable and widely available. The only states they do not serve are Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Pricing & Plans (Updated in 2024)
Pet Insurance Cost Comparison
| Company | Sample Monthly Cost For Dogs | Sample Monthly Cost For Cats | Learn More |
| Lemonade | $19.44 | $11.00 | Get Quote |
| Spot | $36.54 | $16.51 | Get Quote |
| Wagmo | $70.12 | $30.88 | Get Quote |
| Trupanion | $29.70 | $12.22 | Get Quote |
| Fetch | $26.89 | $11.93 | Get Quote |
Base Policy
Lemonade’s base policy includes coverage for diagnostics, procedures, and medications related to new illness and injury.
You can expect routine and emergency tests to be covered, including urinalyses, blood work, fecals, x-rays, and scans. If your cat needs procedures such as emergency surgery, hospitalization, or outpatient care, these will be covered as well. Prescription medications and injections are also covered under the base policy.
Basically, this policy covers accidents and illness and anything associated with them. It does not cover routine care, vaccines, behavioral care, or physical therapy. It also doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions, even if they lead to emergency care or illness.
Customizations
If you want additional care coverage for your kitty beyond accidents and illnesses, you can add customizable plans. Here, Lemonade offers many different add-on options.
The example prices below of these add-ons are based on a 3-year-old domestic shorthair in Chicago. Prices may vary depending on the age, breed, and location of your cat.
Vet Visit Fees
You can opt to add on vet visit coverage. This add-on costs about $4.70 per month.
This add-on helps pay for the vet visit itself when your cat has an emergency or gets sick. It covers physical exams, office visits, emergency room visits, and additional check-ups.
This add-on does not cover routine vet visits or the care associated with them. It only covers approved expenses up to the annual limit dictated by your base plan.
Dental Illness
The dental illness add-on covers emergency dental care and dental disease care. This is a bit of a pricier add-on at about $13 per month.
This option covers dental diagnostics, crowns, extractions, root canals, and other dental surgeries related to dental illnesses like gingivitis and periodontal disease. It does not cover routine dental cleanings, though another add-on option from Lemonade does.
This coverage maxes out at $1,000 per year. It’s worth noting that cat dental surgery in many regions averages over $1,000 if extractions and other procedures are required.
Behavioral Conditions
For about $3.50 per month, you can add behavior condition coverage to your plan.
This add-on covers diagnostics, therapy sessions, and medications for behavioral issues. It does not cover training sessions or obedience classes, however. It also does not cover pre-existing behavioral conditions.
This add-on has a yearly maximum of $1,000.
Physical Therapy
Another add-on worth considering is Lemonade’s physical therapy plan, which costs about $1.30 for most cats.
This option covers physical therapy sessions, acupuncture, chiropractic care, laser therapy, and more. This coverage kicks in after your vet recommends physical therapy for an injury or illness.
The maximum coverage for this one is the same as the maximum for your base policy.
End of Life and Remembrance
This costs, on average, between $2.50 and $5, depending on the age and size of your cat.
This add-on covers the cost of euthanasia, cremation, and some remembrance items.
There is no deductible for this add-on. It will cover up to 100% of costs up to $500.
Preventative Care
If you want coverage for routine vet care, you can add one of three preventative care plans to your policy.
The standard Preventative Plan covers the most common care needed for adult cats. Per year, this includes:
- 1 wellness exam
- 1 parasite test
- 3 vaccines
- 1 heartworm or FeLV test
These plans start at around $11 per month for cats and come with single-item maximums for each service covered. For instance, the wellness exam reimbursement maxes out at $50 while the parasite test maxes out at $35 based on x% coinsurance.
Preventative Care Plus
For an additional cost, you can upgrade to the Preventative Care Plus plan which offers all of the above coverage plus a couple of extra items.
With this add-on, you’ll also get up to $65 back for flea, tick, and heartworm medications. You’ll also get up to $150 to cover dental cleanings.
The Plus plan, on average, costs about $10 more than the standard plan.
Kitten Preventative Care Plus
If you have a young kitty at home, you may want to consider adding the Kitten Preventative Plan to your policy.
This add-on covers everything that the basic plan does plus one extra vet visit and three extra vaccines. It also covers up to $65 in flea, tick, and heartworm medications. Most importantly, it covers up to $120 toward a spay or neuter and up to $40 for a microchip.
The cost of this add-on typically starts around $38 per month.
Lemonade Price Comparison for Cats
| Domestic Shorthair | Siamese | |
| Male or Female | Male | Female |
| Age | 1 | 7 |
| Location | Colorado | California |
| Reimbursement Level | 70% | 90% |
| Annual Deductible | $750 | $100 |
| Annual Max | $5,000 | $20,000 |
| Price per month | $11 | $55.86 |
| Breed Name | Under 1 | 5 Years Old |
| Domestic Long Hair | $11.51 | $13.69 |
| Bengal | $12.28 | $15.47 |
| Himalayan | $12.47 | $14.84 |
Deductibles & Claims
Lemonade offers many ways to customize your base policy to tailor it to your needs.
For the deductible, you can choose between four options:
You can also customize how much of the cost Lemonade covers. The higher the percentage, the higher the premiums. Here, you have three choices:
Lastly, you can choose your annual coverage maximum. Your policy will only reimburse costs up to this amount per year. Lemonade offers five choices here:
- $5,000
- $10,000
- $20,000
- $50,000
- $100,000
What Does Lemonade Cover?
The base accident and illness plan from Lemonade covers diagnostics, procedures, and medications related to new injuries, illness, and accidents.
For instance, if your cat were to be hit by a car, the plan would cover any blood tests, surgeries, medications, injections, hospitalizations, and aftercare they need. What the plan would not cover is the cost of the emergency room visit or office visit.
Similarly, if your cat started throwing up unexpectedly, your plan would cover the diagnostic to determine what was wrong, saline administration, anti-nausea meds, and any other treatment they needed to recover. Again, the office visit itself would not be covered.
Coverage kicks in after your annual deductible is met and costs are reimbursed at the percentage your plan covers. Once you hit your plan maximum for the year, you’ll receive no more reimbursements for the year.
| Coverage Item | Annual Limit |
| Surgery | 5,000 to 100,000 (depends on plan max) |
| Emergency Blood Work | 5,000 to 100,000 (depends on plan max) |
| Prescription Medications | 5,000 to 100,000 (depends on plan max) |
| Wellness Exam | $50 (based on 80% co-insurance) with Preventative Care Package |
| Heartworm Medication | $65 (based on 80% co-insurance) with Preventative Care+ Package |
| Routine Fecal Test | $35 (based on 80% co-insurance) with Preventative Care Package |
Covered
- Broken bones, sprains, fractures, elbow and hip dysplasia.
- Poisoning, toxicity
- Bite wounds, lacerations,
- Allergies, diabetes, cancer
- Bloodwork, ultrasounds, diagnostic urinalysis, diagnostic fecals, X-rays, MRIs, CT scans
- Hospitalizations, outpatient care, emergency care
- Injections, prescription medications
Not Covered
- Pre-existing conditions
- Elective surgeries
- Non-traditional therapies
- Dental issues and cleanings (coverage available with add-ons)
- Vet visits fees related to accidents or illnesses (coverage available with add-ons)
- Wellness visits, vaccines, routine diagnostics (coverage available with add-ons)
- Spay and neutering (coverage available with add-ons)
- Microchips (coverage available with add-ons)
- Physical therapy (coverage available with add-ons)
- Behavior therapies or behavioral medications (coverage available with add-ons)
- Flea, tick, or heartworm meds (coverage available with add-ons)
Pre-Existing Conditions
Like most pet insurance policies, Lemonade does not cover medical issues that are considered pre-existing conditions. This term is applied to a much broader range of conditions in the pet insurance world than it is in the human healthcare world.
Any injury, illness, sign, symptom, or issue that has been treated by your vet before has the potential to be labeled a pre-existing condition. This can apply to something as simple as diarrhea or as costly as emergency bowel surgery.
For instance, if your cat has been treated for an ear infection in the past, it is considered a pre-existing condition even if it has fully healed and gone away. If your cat gets another ear infection, it may not be covered.
The caveat here is that conditions deemed “curable,” such as ear infections and parasites may be covered by Lemonade as long as your cat has gone over 12 months without symptoms.
Waiting Periods
Lemonade has some of the shortest waiting periods in the pet insurance world.
After signing up for your policy, you only need to wait 2 days before your cat is covered for accident claims. You must wait 14 days before they’ll be covered for injury claims. And you have to wait the industry-standard six months before they’ll be covered for cruciate ligaments. Depending on where you live, your waiting periods could be shorter.
Reviews from Customers
Overall, most customers who use Lemonade are happy with the service and results they see.
Compared to other pet insurance companies, this one has one of the quickest approval and enrollment processes. They use online underwriting technology that saves time and money compared to traditional manual underwriting. This means faster results for you as well as lower prices across the board.
Their customer service is also very tech-based, including AI tools and a remote team. This means faster answers but also that it can take longer to speak to an actual person.
Most customers are very satisfied with the speed with which their claims are processed and their reimbursements are made. They also note how affordable this option is compared to other pet insurance policies.
On the downside, some customers have been surprised by which conditions Lemonade labels preexisting. Many also note their disappointment that the vet visits themselves, even for illness and accidents, are not covered.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Are there age limits for enrolling in Lemonade?
Yes, Lemonade does have pet age limits for coverage. They will not cover pets under 8 weeks old. They also will not cover pets above a certain age, but this varies by breed.
How soon can I use my Lemonade insurance?
You can start using Lemonade for accidents 2 days after enrolling. For illness, the waiting period is 14 days. If you opted for a preventative package, you can use those benefits as soon as the date your policy becomes effective. Depending on where you live, your policy could have different waiting periods. If your pet is already hurt or ill before you enroll, insurance will not cover their treatment.
How long does it take for a claim to be paid out?
Around 50% of claims are handled instantly, however some claims may take an average of 12 and 18 days to be processed. The first claim often takes longer while subsequent simple claims typically take less than a week. Actual reimbursement time can be dependent on your bank.
Does my pet need a diagnosis to have a preexisting condition?
No, preexisting conditions don’t require a formal diagnosis. Lemonade and other pet insurance companies consider any illness, injury, sign, symptom, or issue that has been treated before a preexisting condition. Even issues that came with no formal diagnosis may not be covered if they occur after the insurance policy is signed.
Our Verdict
If you’re looking for an affordable, highly customizable pet insurance option for your kitty, Lemonade is worth a look.
This is one of the cheapest pet insurance options out there. They also offer multiple add-on options to help you save money where you spend it most. In addition to the base policy that covers illnesses and accidents, you can opt for vet visits, preventative care, dental, behavioral, and/or physical therapy coverage.
In addition to these customizations, you can also choose from multiple deductibles, coverage percentages, and maximum coverage options. All of these choices give you the freedom to find the best plan to fit your cat’s needs and your budget.
