Around 45% of USA pet parents spend an equal amount of money for their own and their pet’s healthcare. This is not surprising since pets are equally if not more vulnerable to illnesses and accidents. Luckily, more and more pet parents are starting to see the benefits of getting adequate support.
Pet insurance is becoming a necessity for all serious and dedicated pet parents. Although there are over 20 pet insurance providers in the USA to choose from, today, we will focus on two novice pet insurers that swiftly gained traction and high esteem – Lemonade vs Pumpkin Pet Insurance.
Want to jump straight to the answer?
Lemonade may be preferred by:
Tech-savvy pet parents who value customizable plans and a user-friendly app for claiming.
Pumpkin may be preferred by:
Pet parents looking for extensive coverage, including pre-existing conditions and behavioral issues, at a higher cost.
Flick through our Pumpkin Pet Insurance comparison to learn all about Lemonade vs Pumpkin Pet Insurance and choose your perfect provider.
Lemonade vs Pumpkin Comparison Table
“Does Lemonade cover spaying? Does Pumpkin cover the costs of dental illnesses? Wonder no more – here is a detailed comparison of what the two providers offer.
| Lemonade | Pumpkin | |
| Insurance Plan | Accident & Illness with 4 add-ons | Accident & Illness with 1 add-on |
| Reimbursement |
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| Annual coverage limits |
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For dogs:
For cats:
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| Deductibles |
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| Waiting periods |
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| Age Limits | 8 weeks to 14 years old | No age limitation |
| Discounts |
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| Coverages | ||
| Dental illness | No | Yes |
| Spaying & neutering | Available with the Pup/Kitten Preventative Care add-on | No |
| Pre-existing conditions | No | In some situations |
| Behavioral issues | No | Yes |
| Physical therapy | Available with the Extensive Accident & Illness add-on | Yes |
| Annual Wellness Exam | Available with add-on | Yes |
| Diagnostics, hospitalization, surgery, emergency and specialized care, poisoning, and injuries | Yes | Yes |
| Skin conditions, cancer, infections, and hip dysplasia | Yes | Yes |
| Vet fees | Available with add-on | Yes |
Lemonade Overview
Compared to other pet health insurance providers, Lemonade is fairly new and first launched in 2015. But this didn’t stop it from offering one of the best policies in the USA. This digital insurance provider has an amazingly user-friendly file claiming app and even allows clients to donate a portion of their unclaimed money to charity.
Lemonade Pet Insurance offers a wide coverage palette with the help of its four coverage add-ons – Puppy/Kitten, Extensive Illness & Accident, Preventative Care, and Preventative+. In addition to this, it allows customers to choose their deductible, annual coverage limit, and reimbursement rate.
Check out: Lemonade vs Trupanion Pet Insurance
However, Lemonade has certain disadvantages that might bother some pet parents.
For example, if you choose Lemonade Pet insurance, dental illnesses, behavioral issues, and pre-existing conditions will not be covered.
To find out whether it matches your criteria, compare Lemonade’s most notable pros and cons.
Lemonade Pros
- Coverage for wellness & protective care
- Coverage for Puppy/Kitten preventative care
- Customizable insurance plan
- Mobile app with a 4.9 rating
- Fast claim processing time
- 2-day waiting period for accidents
Lemonade Cons
- No coverage for behavioral issues
- No coverage for pre-existing conditions
- A longer waiting period for cruciate ligament conditions
Lemonade’s Coverage
- Prescription medications
- Vaccinations
- Blood testing and urinalysis
- Advanced diagnostic procedures, including MRIs, X-rays, CT scans, and ultrasounds
- Laboratory examinations
- Emergency care, hospitalization, and surgical interventions
- Outpatient or specialized medical care
What Lemonade Does Not Cover
- Dental illness treatments
- Injuries or illnesses resulting from intentional harm or gross negligence
- Cosmetic procedures, including grooming, nail trims, and anal gland expression
- Preventive measures for internal and external parasites
- Prescription food
- Behavioral training
- Breeding and pregnancy-related care
- Cremation and burial
- Annual checkups (unless add-on is purchased)
- Wellness care (unless add-on is purchased)
- Spaying/neutering (unless add-on is purchased)
- Microchipping (unless add-on is purchased)
Pumpkin Overview
Launched in 2020, Pumpkin is even fresher provider than Lemonade. And yet, it quickly won the hearts of pet parents across the USA. Its primary goal is to provide affordable pet insurance, notably, on wellness and preventative care.
Pumpkin’s most cherished features are its 100% reimbursement for essential care and its generous and broad insurance coverage. Unlike most providers, this novice company made the humane decision of providing coverage for certain pre-existing conditions in pets.
Here are the pros and cons of Pumpkin Pet Insurance.
Pumpkin Pros
- Option for unlimited insurance coverage
- 100% reimbursement for essential routine care
- Coverage for curable & repetitive pre-existing conditions
- Coverage for dental illness, food prescriptions, and behavioral issues
- 10% discount for every additional pet
- No age or breed limit
Pumpkin Cons
- No mobile app
- No coverage for spaying and neutering
- 14-day waiting period for accidents
Pumpkin’s Coverage
- End-of-life expenses
- Intravenous (IV) fluids and medications
- Blood work
- Basic medical supplies
- Advanced diagnostic procedures, including MRIs, CT scans, and X-rays
- Prescription pet food and supplements (for treating covered conditions only)
- Specialized treatments like stem cell therapy, radiation, and chemotherapy
- Consultation fees for poison control
- Surgical procedures and hospital stays
- Dental extractions
- Laboratory tests, examination fees, and general consultation fees
What Pumpkin Does Not Cover
- Aesthetic or cosmetic dentistry, such as caps, crowns, fillings, and implants
- Anal gland expression or removal
- Kenneling or boarding
- Pregnancy, breeding, whelping, or nursing
- Illnesses or injuries resulting from intentional abuse or gross negligence
- Elective cosmetic procedures like tail docking, ear cropping, and declawing
- Routine dental cleaning
- Spay/neuter procedures
- Funeral services, urns, or burial expenses
- Grooming and grooming supplies
- Organ and heart transplants
- Veterinary house call fees
- Training or training devices
- Herbal products like CBD or other holistic treatment approaches
Lemonade vs Pumpkin: Limits and Deductibles
Many insurance providers have annual coverage limits. This stands for the amount of money you can gain from insurance claims throughout the year. Lemonade allows pet parents to choose between 5 different annual insurance limits – $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, or $100,000 per year.
But, some pet insurance providers offer unlimited coverage. This means there is no limit to the amount of money you can use to improve your furry friend’s health. Pumpkin is one of those companies. Namely, it provides 2 fixed annual amounts for cats and dogs, plus the option for unlimited annual coverage.
Besides coverage limits, every pet insurance company also requires deductibles. Some, like Lemonade and Pumpkin, are more flexible, while others limit pet parents to only one amount. You can compare Pumpkin vs Lemonade Pet Insurance deductibles below.
Lemonade vs Pumpkin: Waiting Periods
Before we get into deductible comparison, it’s important to mention other key insurance features, like waiting periods. For the unacquainted, a waiting period is a period of time that must pass before you are eligible to file claims.
Lemonade has 3 different waiting periods – 2 days for accidents, 14 for illnesses, and 6 months for cruciate ligament events. On the other hand, the Pumpkin Pet Insurance waiting period lasts 14-day, no matter what kind of illness or accident you are claiming coverage for.
Since it has only one waiting period, Pumpkin allows clients to file claims for hip dysplasia and cruciate ligament events only after two weeks. This gives it a significant advantage over competitors that have from 6 to 12-month waiting periods.
However, Pumpkin’s universal 14-day waiting period is not ideal for accidents. Lemonade is far superior in this aspect as you can file a claim for any accident your pet endures only after 2 days.
Lemonade vs Pumpkin: Claims and Service
Another advantage Lemonade has over Pumpkin is its mobile app claiming process. Using intricate AI software, this app processes 30% of all claims in under a minute, with an average processing time of 2 days.
Unfortunately, Pumpkin doesn’t have a mobile app. Instead, you can file a claim directly on their website, through your computer or laptop. But when it comes to claims, Pumpkin has one important advantage over Lemonade.
With the option “reimburse my vet”, this company can directly pay your vet after you file a claim. Have in mind that this doesn’t apply when you need to pay your vet everything upfront.
Lemonade vs Pumpkin: Deductibles Compared
In terms of deductibles, both Lemonade and Pumpkin pet insurance providers have great offers. The best thing about them is that, instead of charging you per vet visit, they charge one deductible for the entire year.
Lemonade has 4 options for its annual deductible: $250, $500, $1,000 and $2,500. Pumpkin has the exact offer, minus the $2,500 option. You can decide the amount of your deductible at the beginning of your plan, and you can change it throughout the year.
An important thing to note is that the higher your deductible is, the less your premium will cost.
Lemonade vs Pumpkin: Pricing & Plans
Generally, most pet insurance companies base their pricing on 5 key factors – location, age, breed, species, and size. The cost is higher for dogs, as well as breeds prone to more illnesses, and older pets.
For example, the Pumpkin Pet Insurance cost increases as your pet ages. This is similar to Lemonade’s policy as they charge higher premiums for pets older than 2 years.
But, when comparing the overall costs of these two novice insurance providers, it becomes obvious that Lemonade is the winner.
A sample plan based on a mixed 4-year-old pup costs only $18.50 at Lemonade while at Pumpkin it has more than double the cost – $57.69. In addition, Lemonade plans start at only $10. However, it’s important to note how Pumpkin has more coverage options included in its standard plan – which can save you from extra costs in the long run.
Lemonade Plans
Lemonade has one basic plan and 4 add-ons that can expand coverage. The standard plan is Accident & Illness and provides coverage for all pet’s basic needs including diagnostics, emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, hereditary conditions, cancer, and hip dysplasia.
However, Lemonade has one crucial weak spot – it has a lot of add-ons. This means you can get extensive coverage for your pet, but only at a higher cost. Namely, the standard package doesn’t cover physical therapy, acupuncture, and hydrotherapy. These are only available with the Extensive Accident & Illness add-on.
This also applies to pet wellness and preventative care services, and pup and kitten preventative care. But, to be fair, the add-ons significantly expand the coverage.
For example, Lemonade’s Pup/Kitten add-on covers everything you need to keep your baby pet’s healthcare on the right track. It includes spaying and neutering, up to 6 vaccines, and even microchipping.
Pumpkin Plans
Pumpkin likes to keep things simpler than Lemonade. In the same vein, it also has 1 standard plan but it has only 1 add-on instead of Lemonade’s 4. This one add-on, however, allows concerned pet parents to get all important coverages without needing to pay an extra fee.
For example, physical therapy, microchipping, and vet exams are included in the standard package, which isn’t the case with Lemonade. As stated, Pumpkin also covers dental illness, behavioral issues, pre-existing conditions, and food prescriptions.
The main disadvantage of Pumpkin’s pricing plan though is that it doesn’t cover spaying and neutering, even with an add-on. So, if you are looking for a new pet insurer for your pup, Lemonade is probably the better choice. On average, the cost for dogs varies between $50–$80 a month and $30–$50 a month for cats.
Which One is Best?
Pumpkin and Lemonade Pet Insurance managed to impress pet parents in more than one aspect, but the final decision will be based on what you need from your chosen plan.
Generally speaking, Lemonade is a better choice for tech-savvy pet parents who prefer to customize their plans to the fullest. On the other hand, Pumpkin is more suitable for parents who like minimizing risks with extensive coverage plans.
Before deciding which provider is better for you and your furry companion, it’s important to evaluate your pet’s age, breed, location, size, as well as your budget. All these factors will be detrimental in choosing either Lemonade or Pumpkin as your lead pet insurance provider.
Also Learn more about how Pumpkin compares to Healthy Paws.
