Lemonade Pet Insurance Review 2025: Everything to Know

Lemonade Pet Insurance Overview

Tech entrepreneurs Daniel Schreiber and Shai Wininger launched Lemonade in April 2015, despite having zero background in insurance. They cut their teeth on renters and homeowners coverage before rolling out pet insurance in 2020. Operating out of New York City, the company now serves roughly 2.9 million customers.

Pet coverage is currently available across 41 states and Washington, D.C. If you’re in Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wyoming, you’ll need to shop elsewhere.

Only cats and dogs qualify for Lemonade coverage. Exotic pet owners with birds, reptiles, or pocket pets will have to find another provider. Lemonade Insurance Agency LLC handles the underwriting, with Lemonade Insurance Company managing day-to-day operations as a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Lemonade Pet Insurance Reliability

Lemonade hasn’t received an AM Best rating yet, but Demotech has assigned it an A (Exceptional) for financial stability. Since AM Best remains the industry’s most respected rating agency, the absence of its evaluation is worth keeping in mind.

The company celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2025 and has traded publicly on the NYSE (ticker: LMND) since July 2020. Their 2024 financials showed gross written premiums of $929 million and total assets of $1.849 billion.

As a fully licensed insurer, Lemonade handles everything in-house: underwriting, pricing, policy sales, and claims payment. Their certified B-Corporation and public benefit corporation status means they’re legally obligated to weigh social and environmental impact alongside shareholder returns.

Here’s what makes Lemonade different from traditional insurers: The company takes a flat fee from premiums and donates remaining underwriting profits to charities that policyholders select through the annual Giveback program. That translated to over $2.1 million going to 43 nonprofits in 2024 alone.

Lemonade Pet Insurance Coverage Options

Lemonade doesn’t complicate things with a dozen plan variations. They exclusively offer accident and illness coverage bundled together, with optional wellness plans on the side. Standalone accident-only policies aren’t available.

Every policy starts with the core Accident & Illness plan.

Beyond the base coverage, three preventive care tiers are available: The standard Preventive Package bundles live vet chat access with annual exam coverage, parasite screening, heartworm testing, bloodwork, and up to three vaccinations. The Preventative+ Package layers on flea, tick, and heartworm medication coverage plus routine dental cleanings. The Puppy/Kitten Preventative Package tackles first-year expenses like spay/neuter procedures and microchipping.

Five additional riders let you customize further: vet visit fees, physical therapy, behavioral condition treatment, dental illness care, and end-of-life/remembrance coverage.

What Your Policy Covers

The foundation plan handles a comprehensive range of veterinary needs. Diagnostic coverage spans blood panels, CT imaging, laboratory tests, MRIs, ultrasounds, urine analysis, and radiographs. Medication coverage includes both injectable and oral prescriptions. Procedure coverage extends to emergency treatment, hospital stays, outpatient care, surgical intervention, and specialist visits.

Conditions that recur qualify for coverage as long as they didn’t exist before your policy started. Genetic and inherited conditions such as hip dysplasia are included, which matters enormously for breeds with known hereditary health risks.

What’s Excluded

Like every pet insurer, Lemonade won’t pay for pre-existing conditions. However, they do have a policy for curable conditions: if your pet stays symptom-free and treatment-free for a full year, that condition may become eligible for coverage.

Bilateral conditions present a coverage gap. Issues that affect paired body parts, such as dysplasia in both elbows, cataracts in both eyes, or cherry eye, won’t be covered on the second side if the first side showed problems before your policy kicked in. Holistic and alternative treatments like aromatherapy and CBD products fall outside coverage boundaries.

There’s also a compliance clause: if your vet recommends preventive steps and you ignore that advice, the resulting conditions aren’t covered. Skipped that vaccination your vet suggested? If your pet contracts that exact illness, expect a denied claim.

Policy Details

Waiting Periods: Coverage doesn’t start immediately. Your policy may include waiting periods of 2 days for accident-related claims, 14 days for illness claims, 30 days for orthopedic issues, and 6 months for cruciate ligament problems.

Silver lining: Multiple states have eliminated the accident waiting period entirely, including Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, D.C., Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

Age Requirements: Pets qualify for enrollment starting at 8 weeks old, with a general upper limit of 14 years. That said, certain breeds face earlier cutoffs between ages 10 and 14, particularly larger dogs with shorter lifespans.

Renewal Terms: Your policy renews each year automatically without age-based cancellation. Expect premiums to climb as your pet gets older, but Lemonade won’t drop you just because your dog hit double digits.

Cancellation Rights: Pull out anytime through the app. Most states offer a 30-day money-back window, though New York and Indiana are exceptions.

Vet Freedom: Take your pet to any vet with a valid U.S. license. No networks, no restrictions.

Travel Coverage: International trips leave you unprotected. Domestic travel works fine, though. Your active policy covers treatment at any licensed U.S. veterinarian, even in states where Lemonade doesn’t normally operate.

Standout Features

Lemonade’s corporate structure as a public benefit corporation means leftover premiums go to charities selected by policyholders. Their 2024 Giveback distributed more than $2.1 million across 43 nonprofit organizations.

The end-of-life rider deserves special mention. It covers veterinarian-recommended euthanasia, cremation services, and even memorial items. Think urns, framed paw prints, digital photo archives, or commemorative tattoos. Not something you want to think about, but genuinely helpful when that difficult time comes.

Lemonade Pet Insurance Affordability

Lemonade regularly lands near the top of affordability rankings. Expect to pay around $41 monthly for dog coverage and $23 for cats on average.

To put this in perspective: a sample quote for a 1-year-old large mixed-breed female dog came in at $26.83 monthly, assuming a $500 deductible, 90% reimbursement, and $5,000 annual limit. That’s $35 below the national average reported by the North American Pet Health Insurance Association.

Geography creates significant price swings. Cat owners in Arkansas pay as little as $15 monthly, while Massachusetts residents face $29. Dog coverage ranges from $27 in Arkansas to $52 in Massachusetts.

What Drives Your Premium

Several variables determine your specific rate: Species matters since felines typically cost less to insure than canines. Age increases costs because older animals carry higher premiums. Breed factors in because certain breeds carry genetic predispositions that affect risk calculations. Where you live influences pricing to reflect regional veterinary costs.

Building Your Plan

Deductible choices include $100, $250, $500, and $750 annually. Reimbursement percentages come in at 70%, 80%, or 90%. Annual coverage caps range from $5,000 to $100,000.

Those higher-end limits of $50,000 and $100,000 exceed what many competitors offer.

Ways to Save

Three discount opportunities exist: 10% off for combining with other Lemonade policies, 5% off for paying annually instead of monthly, and 5% off per pet when insuring multiple animals.

Fine print alert: these discounts only reduce costs on the base Accident & Illness plan, plus the Vet Visit Fee and Physical Therapy add-ons. Preventive care packages and other riders stay at full price.

Is It Worth It?

For dog insurance affordability, Lemonade leads the pack. Cat coverage ranks third nationally. When you combine competitive pricing with solid customization options and rapid claims turnaround, budget-minded pet parents get genuine value, especially those willing to forgo built-in extras in favor of à la carte add-ons.

Lemonade Pet Insurance Claims Process

Claims handling represents Lemonade’s biggest competitive advantage. Everything flows through the app, and many claims resolve almost instantly.

Their AI-powered system approves roughly half of all claims within minutes. More complex situations can take several weeks to work through.

The Step-by-Step:

1. See any licensed vet and cover the bill yourself
2. Launch the Lemonade app and start a new claim
3. Chat with AI Jim, the claims bot, answering questions about the visit
4. Snap photos of your invoice and any relevant documentation
5. Submit and wait (often just seconds for simple claims)
6. Watch the reimbursement land in your bank account

Don’t stress about filing immediately. You have 180 days after treatment to submit, or 90 days if you’re a Texas policyholder.

The catch: Lemonade won’t pay your vet directly. You’re always fronting the money and getting reimbursed afterward, which can pinch if you’re hit with a $5,000 emergency surgery bill.

Speed stats are impressive: more than half of claims are processed automatically, and around 80% wrap up within five business days.

Lemonade Pet Insurance Customer Service

Human support is available via phone, email, and live chat during weekday business hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday. Weekend closures could frustrate you if Saturday morning brings a pet emergency and coverage questions.

Reach the team at 844-733-8666 or shoot an email to [email protected]. The app’s AI assistant Maya handles routine inquiries and account tasks around the clock.

The Digital Experience

Lemonade nailed the app design. Pet owners get 24/7 access to veterinary experts through the platform. Quote generation, policy purchases, claims filing, and account management all happen within a clean, intuitive interface.

User ratings tell the story: 4.9 stars across 71,000+ App Store reviews and 4.4 stars from 15,000+ Google Play reviewers.

What Customers Are Saying

BBB Standing: A B- rating without accreditation signals the company satisfies some trust standards but falls short of full BBB compliance.

Trustpilot Feedback: A “Great” designation with 4.1 out of 5 stars from over 4,000 reviews.

Reddit Temperature Check: Community sentiment runs 72% positive based on analyzed comments. Happy customers highlight responsive support and straightforward policy terms. Skeptics point to claim rejections and coverage limitations.

The NAIC complaint index hit 10.09 for auto insurance in 2024, significantly above industry norms, though pet-specific complaint data remains unavailable.

What Customers Say

Lemonade users share experiences across the spectrum:

Success Stories: One policyholder described filing their first claims through the app and seeing approval within seconds. Though official timelines say 24-48 hours for reimbursement, they reported money appearing the next day.

Another family credited Lemonade with covering their cat’s diabetes treatment, including a week-plus hospitalization that racked up roughly $11,000 in bills.

What People Love: The app consistently earns praise, along with how quickly straightforward claims resolve and how competitive the premiums are. The charitable component and B-Corp certification resonate with socially conscious customers.

Recurring Frustrations: The pre-existing condition definition draws criticism for being overly expansive, potentially justifying denials for conditions that seem genuinely unrelated to prior health issues. Renewal sticker shock also surfaces frequently, with some policyholders reporting 40%+ premium jumps from one year to the next.

Communication gaps around rate changes frustrate customers too, with complaints about increases happening without advance notice or a clear explanation of upcoming autopay amounts.

Pros and Cons of Lemonade Pet Insurance

Pros

• Speed That Actually Impresses: Half of all claims get instant approval with payment within 24-48 hours. When you’re juggling a sick pet and mounting bills, quick reimbursement provides real relief.
• Prices That Don’t Sting: Entry-level plans run just $10 monthly. Even beefed-up coverage typically costs less than industry benchmarks.
• Build It Your Way: Four deductible tiers, three reimbursement levels, and five annual limit options let you engineer exactly the coverage/cost balance you want.
• An App Worth Using: The mobile experience sets the standard for pet insurance. Quotes, purchases, claims, account tweaks, all of it flows smoothly through thoughtfully designed screens.
• Doing Good While Doing Business: The 2024 Giveback channeled over $2.1 million to 43 charitable organizations. If corporate responsibility influences your purchasing decisions, this checks that box.

Cons

• Coverage Deserts: Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming residents need not apply.
• No Accident-Only Escape Hatch: Pet parents seeking minimal coverage at rock-bottom prices won’t find a stripped-down accident-only option here.
• Base Plan Gaps: Exam fees don’t come standard; you’ll pay extra for that add-on. The same goes for dental illness, physical therapy, and behavioral treatment.
• Pay First, Get Paid Back Later: Direct vet payment isn’t available, meaning you’re covering costs upfront and waiting for reimbursement. Tough when facing four-figure emergency bills.
• Senior Pet Barriers: Breed-dependent age limits between 10 and 14 could shut out older animals from new enrollment.

Final Verdict on Lemonade Pet Insurance

Lemonade works exceptionally well for pet owners who embrace digital tools and want solid coverage without premium prices. The app experience genuinely excels, claims move fast, and the customization options let you balance protection against budget constraints. Just be prepared to pay upfront at the vet and understand that certain coverages require add-on purchases.

Great Fit For:

• Anyone who prefers screens over phone calls for managing insurance
• Cost-conscious households seeking competitive rates
• Existing Lemonade customers who can stack bundle discounts
• Owners of younger pets who’ll lock in the best pricing

Look Elsewhere If:

• Your state isn’t on the coverage map (Consider Embrace)
• You have a senior pet (Consider Pumpkin Pet Insurance)
• You want robust phone support or face-to-face service options
• Comprehensive coverage without add-on fees matters to you (Consider ASPCA Pet Insurance)
• Paying large vet bills upfront would strain your finances (Consider Pets Best)

How We Evaluated Lemonade Pet Insurance

Our review methodology weighs five key factors to generate overall scores. We analyzed 20 pet insurance providers using identical criteria, such as pet insurance rates, and applied a curve based on the top performer to ensure fair comparisons.

Scoring Breakdown:

• Financial Strength: 20%
• Coverage Options: 10%
• Affordability: 30%
• Claims Experience: 20%
• Customer Experience: 20%

Lemonade’s Category Scores

• Financial Strength: 7/10
• Coverage Options: 7/10
• Affordability: 8/10
• Claims Experience: 8/10
• Customer Experience: 7/10

Check out our complete methodology and see how every provider stacked up in our Pet Insurance Reviews.