For a pet parent, a comprehensive insurance policy goes a long way toward protecting your pet from any discomfort or predicament. Being able to rely on a pet insurance policy in case of an injury or a scheduled vaccination can take some of the burdens off your shoulders.
Still, many pet owners have an issue with the long waiting periods before the insurance kicks in, which some pet insurance companies take way too far. Even though every pet insurance plan is different, there’s still an invisible strain that connects all of them – the waiting period.
Many pet owners feel ambushed by the long waiting period for the insurance to become active since many have no time to waste. However, there are companies specializing in pet insurance that don’t require any waiting period, and those are the ones we’ll consider for this review.
Are There Any Pet Insurance Policies with No Waiting Period?
Yes and no; yes, pet insurance companies won’t ask you to sit and wait for the insurance to take effect, and no, there isn’t a single pet insurance policy that takes immediate effect.
The reason for this is that the initial goal of insurance is to offer coverage in case something happens to the pet and not to cover the costs of treatment for something that has already happened.
If we’re talking about routine care or pet wellness, most pet insurance policies like MetaLife will become active the very next day. Plus, If you want to pamper your pet and add additional features to the existing pet insurance policy, some pet insurance providers will make sure the insurance plan takes effect the forthcoming day.
Whatever features you’re after when you look for the most suitable pet insurance plan for your pet, don’t forget that you’ll still have to wait for at least a day. Most all-encompassing pet insurance policies are adamant about waiting for a certain amount of time before they can do their best and insure your pet.
Can I Get Immediate Pet Insurance?
Although every pet insurance company will stand behind the required waiting time before the insurance kicks in, and there is no instant dog insurance, not everything is black and white. One particular pet insurance company, Companion Protect, will welcome you to use the pet insurance immediately.
However, it’s worth mentioning that Companion Protect is a fairly new company in the pet insurance business, so there isn’t much info available on the customer satisfaction rate. Companion Protect does check your pet’s medical record beforehand, but other than that, you’ll be able to have your pet taken care of, minus the waiting period.
On the other hand, some pet insurance companies will allow pet insurance to become active the very next day, but only in a handful of cases. Regular, routine check-ups, wellness plans, and systematic examinations at the vet’s office are usually included in a pet insurance plan that takes effect the next day of signing up.
No pet insurance company will offer a pet insurance plan that takes immediate effect in any other case, such as injuries, accidents, and health-related issues. In other words, there’s no pet insurance with no waiting period, but there’s a lot to be said about it, so don’t give up hope just yet.
Why Do Waiting Periods Exist?
The waiting period on pet plans is an inevitable part of pet insurance, and it’s probably one of the segments of pet insurance most pet parents are curious about.
Even though many pet owners are deterred by the long waiting periods before insurance takes effect, there is a reason why such pet insurance waiting periods exist. Pet insurance companies need to find a way to protect themselves from pet parents who look to use insurance only after an accident has happened or a certain medical issue has developed.
Every insurance policy, including pet insurance, is a sort of risk management that enables protection from certain adversity. Particularly for pet insurance, the plans are devised to lessen the financial load that might occur from costly medical expenses or unanticipated vet bills. They are not, in any case, meant to take on the financial responsibility for pre-existing health issues.
To put it plainly, it would be illogical, other than unaffordable, for insurance companies to cover the costs of medical expenses for an accident or a health issue that had already happened before the pet owner decided to purchase an insurance policy for their pet.
Signing your pet up for insurance is the right thing to do the minute you start caring for your pet. That way, you can sleep soundly knowing that your pet is covered no matter what trouble it gets in – and it will get in trouble, a lot.
What Are the Most Common Pet Insurance Waiting Periods?
A lot of pet owners are torn between the duration of the waiting period before insurance kicks in. That is one of the reasons why some pet insurance companies are favored over others since some of them offer their prospective clients shorter waiting periods compared to the rivaling companies.
However, there is a similarity between all of the most prominent pet insurance providers, and that is the 2-week waiting period that’s considered the standard.
Here are a couple of examples of the most common waiting periods in pet insurance:
- The shortest waiting period is 14 days for illnesses and 1 day for accidents;
- The longest waiting period is 30 days for illnesses and 15 days for accidents.
Every pet insurance company tries to suit the needs of most pet parents, but that’s close to impossible due to many factors. Having the choice to decide what will best suit your cat or dog comes quite handy when waiting periods come into play.
There are pet insurance companies like Figo that offer the shortest waiting period of only 1 day if your pet suffers an accident, and there’s FetchPet that goes as far as to demand a 15-day waiting period in the same case. Regarding more serious health conditions, Figo goes as far as to request pet parents to wait for 6 whole months for the pet illness plan to become effective.
Which Pet Insurance Provider Offers the Shortest Waiting Periods?
Thanks to the many pet insurance providers that operate on the market today, pet parents are given a chance to choose what will suit their beloved pet the most.
To make things a lot easier to choose the most appropriate pet insurance, we have shortlisted some of the pet insurance providers that offer the shortest waiting periods for both illnesses and accidents.
- Lemonade: This pet insurance provider will have you waiting for 14 days in a case of an illness for the insurance to kick in, and you’ll only have to wait for 2 days before the insurance will cover the costs in the case of an accident;
- Prudent Pet: The pet insurance company offers similar waiting period options to Lemonade, but it differs in the length of the accidents-only waiting period. You’ll have to wait for 5 days before you can file an insurance claim and wait for 14 days in the case of an illness;
- ManyPets: This is a pet insurance company that makes no difference in the waiting period for illnesses or accidents – pet parents will have to wait for 14 days before they can file an insurance claim, regardless of the cause for the claim, be it an accident or a health related issue;
- Spot: Just like ManyPets, this pet insurance provider is also adamant about the 14-day waiting period before pet owners can request a refund, no matter if their pet has sprained the ankle or suffers from some serious health issues;
- ASPCA: This pet insurance company is no different than the aforementioned 2 – ASPCA also stands firm on the 2-week waiting period regardless of the cause;
- Fetch by Dodo: If you thought 14 days are too long to be waiting for pet insurance to take effect, then you’ll be surprised to know that FetchPet adds an extra day of waiting, asking its client to wait for 15 days before they can issue an insurance claim for either illnesses or accidents;
- Trupanion: Trupanion has a 30-day waiting period for people for pet insurance to kick in in the case of an illness and a 5-day waiting period for accidents.
- Figo: This is a pet insurance provider that offers the shortest waiting period if your pet suffers an accident. Figo will have its clients wait for only 1 day for the accident coverage plan to kick in. While the accident coverage is relatively short, Figo requires a long waiting period of 6 months for illness coverage, which is by far the longest of all insurance providers on the list.
These are the most prominent pet insurance providers that are popular among pet parents, and, as you can see, each of them offers different waiting periods for different causes.
It’s important to keep in mind that particular pet insurance providers offer different waiting periods that depend on the type of illness the pet has. To reference this issue, pet insurance companies request a waiting period of 6 months up to 1 year when the pet has suffered ligament injuries, carries a certain genetic predisposition, or suffers from a hereditary health issue.
However, some pet insurance providers might agree to shorten the waiting time or dismiss the clause entirely in such cases. This can happen when your pet has been to the vet shortly before it got covered and can be medically attested that your pet has no serious, life-threatening conditions.
Whichever pet insurer you choose, keep in mind that all the pet insurance companies won’t cover any pet pre-existing conditions. There’s an exclusion to this prerequisite only if your pet has been deemed free of symptoms for a substantial amount of time, like a 6-month time. However, such exclusions are truly rare, so it’s best you don’t get your hopes up too high.
What Is the Typical Waiting Period for a Pet Insurance Policy?
Since there isn’t pet insurance that starts immediately, all pet insurance companies agree on one stance – a waiting period must take effect for the insurance plan to become active. However, the beauty of having so many pet insurance companies to consider lies in the opportunity to choose whichever benefits your pet the most.
In general, the waiting period of 14 days is a feature that most companies will stand by. On a border scale, some pet insurance companies will need pet parents to wait as little as 1 day before an accidents-only insurance plan kicks in.
Final Thoughts on the Pet Insurance Companies with No Waiting Period
No one said it would be easy to care for a pet, be it a cat or a dog, since pet parents are often faced with the same challenges of taking care of a child, for example.
Many pet parents have decided to splurge on a nice pet insurance plan right after they start caring for their pet, and they have learned it the hard way. Even though some of the most comprehensive pet insurance policies can cost you quite a few bucks, it’s always good to kiss the money goodbye before actually needing pet insurance.
With so many pet insurance policies to choose from, choosing should come down to your preferences – whether you’re willing to wait for a couple of weeks for an accidents-only insurance policy to become effective, or you’ll be down with waiting only for a couple of days.
Unfortunately, even though there isn’t dog insurance with no waiting period on the market for pet insurance, some providers will offer rather convenient overall insurance features for your pet.
Whichever pet insurance policy you choose for your pet, make sure you’ve done your research first, and we hope we have contributed, even if just a tad.
