Key Takeaways
- Figo is underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company (AM Best A-, Excellent, stable outlook as of December 2025), a JAB Holding subsidiary. The customer-facing brand and the actual risk carrier are not the same entity.
- The 100% reimbursement option is genuinely rare, but it cannot be combined with the unlimited annual coverage tier. And read how Figo calculates payouts: the reimbursement percentage is applied before your deductible is subtracted, which means your out-of-pocket cost is higher than it would be at carriers that deduct first.
- Figo has no accident-only plan and no upper age limit for enrollment. It’s a reasonable fit for owners of senior pets who want full accident-and-illness coverage and app-based claim filing.
- Claim denial complaints are the dominant theme in organic reviews (Reddit, BBB, ConsumerAffairs). Pre-existing condition disputes appear frequently, and some policyholders report denials for conditions with no documented history before the policy effective date.
- Compare pet insurance rates and quotes
Figo Pet Insurance Overview
Figo is a solid choice for owners who want a fully digital experience, no upper age limit, and the rare option of 100% reimbursement. The catch: that 100% tier can’t be paired with the unlimited annual coverage plan, exam fees and wellness coverage cost extra, and claim denial complaints are consistent enough across independent review platforms to be a real pattern, not just noise. If you enroll, get your vet records organized before your first claim.
Figo Pet Insurance earned an 8.3 out of 10, which placed it just outside our list of the best pet insurance providers. That score reflects genuine strengths in technology and customization, offset by a customer experience that underperforms on claim disputes. Here’s what actually matters before you decide.
Who Is Figo Pet Insurance Best For?
Figo makes the most sense for owners who want maximum reimbursement, prefer managing everything from their phone, and either have a Costco membership (15% discount on base premium) or are insuring a senior pet that other carriers won’t touch. The platform suits digitally-comfortable owners who are prepared to document everything and understand that exam fees require a separate add-on purchase.
It’s a worse fit for owners who want accident-only coverage to keep premiums down, owners with pets who have any documented prior condition, or anyone who expects frictionless claim approvals. The complaint pattern across BBB, ConsumerAffairs, and Reddit is consistent: Figo’s pre-existing condition determinations are aggressive, and the appeals process draws complaints for slowness and inconsistency.
Figo Strengths
Figo offers reimbursement rates up to 100%, something genuinely rare in this market. Their accident waiting period is one day. Dramatically shorter than the two-week standard most carriers impose. There’s no upper age limit for enrollment, which matters if you’re adopting a senior animal or switching carriers after your current insurer ages your pet out. The Pet Cloud app receives consistent positive marks for claim submission speed, and the 24/7 vet chat is included in every base policy.
Figo Weaknesses
No accident-only tier exists. You’re buying accident-and-illness coverage whether you want it or not, which raises your premium floor. Behavioral health requires a separate add-on with its own $500 annual cap. Vet exam fees, the office visit charge itself, are also a separate add-on, not included in the base policy. That’s a structure most policyholders don’t fully absorb until the first claim comes back with the exam fee excluded.
On pricing: Figo runs near to above average depending on configuration. Forbes Advisor found an average of $79/month for a mixed-breed dog on the $10,000 annual limit plan with 80% reimbursement and a $250 deductible. NAPHIA’s 2025 State of the Industry report (covering year-end 2024 data) puts the industry average for dogs at $62.44/month and cats at $32.21/month, which puts a mid-tier Figo configuration above market for dogs. Budget shoppers will find cheaper options.
Figo Overview
Figo launched in 2012 out of Chicago’s 1871 tech incubator. In late 2021, JAB Holding Company acquired Figo through its Iguana Investments subsidiary, folding it into Independence Pet Holdings. The same parent company that owns Independence American Insurance Company, which underwrites most Figo policies. That vertical integration matters: the company administering your policy and the company bearing the risk are connected entities within the same ownership structure.
Coverage extends to dogs and cats throughout all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Exotic animals aren’t covered. Independence American Insurance Company is the primary underwriter; Markel American Insurance Company also appears on some policy forms. The brand on the marketing site is Figo. The entity that actually decides claim approvals and denials is Independence American.
Figo Reliability
Independence American Insurance Company holds an A- (Excellent) rating from AM Best with a stable outlook, affirmed December 17, 2025. That affirmation followed a genuine wobble: AM Best had placed IAIC under review in August 2025 after the company refiled its 2024 financial statements, because its pet quota share reinsurance contracts failed the auditor’s risk-transfer test. The resolution required real action. IAIC renegotiated its quota share reinsurance contracts and received a $125 million capital contribution from Independence Pet Holdings in Q3 2025. The review is closed and the rating is stable. Sound now, but recently tested.
Markel American Insurance Company holds an A (Excellent) AM Best rating. JAB Holding Company’s ownership provides significant financial depth through its stakes in National Veterinary Associates and Independence Pet Holdings.
Figo holds an A+ accreditation from the Better Business Bureau with accreditation active since 2016, though complaint volume has been elevated in recent quarters. The complaints themselves are heavily weighted toward claim denial disputes rather than operational or financial concerns.
Figo Coverage Options
Plan Types Offered
Figo sells one type of policy: comprehensive accident-and-illness. No accident-only option exists. You choose from three annual limit tiers: Essential ($5,000), Preferred ($10,000, their stated bestseller), and Ultimate (unlimited). The “Powerup” system adds optional coverage layers.
Wellness Powerups come in Basic ($135 annual benefit) and Plus ($250 annual benefit) tiers covering routine care. Separate add-ons cover veterinary exam fees and the Extra Care Pack, which bundles boarding reimbursement, travel interruption, property damage liability up to $10,000, and lost-pet advertising. Each Powerup adds premium and carries its own limits. Read the benefit schedule before assuming the add-ons cover your specific costs.
What’s Covered
The base accident-and-illness policy covers most common veterinary expenses: hip dysplasia and orthopedic issues, physical rehabilitation, prosthetics, medically necessary surgeries, prescription drugs, lab work and imaging, dental procedures beyond routine cleaning, acupuncture and chiropractic care, end-of-life services, emergency visits, hereditary and genetic conditions, chronic disease management, and oncology treatment including diagnostic workups, specialist consultations, chemotherapy, and ongoing medication.
Chronic conditions, allergies, diabetes, joint disease, remain covered as long as they develop after your policy begins. Cancer coverage extends from initial diagnosis through treatment. What the base policy does not cover without a Powerup add-on: the exam or office visit fee itself, routine wellness care, and behavioral modification treatment.
What’s NOT Covered
Pre-existing conditions are excluded. Figo’s policy defines a pre-existing condition as: a chronic condition observed by you or a vet prior to the plan start date or before the end of the waiting period; an illness or injury that first occurred or showed symptoms within the 12 months prior to the policy start date or before the end of the waiting period; or an undiagnosed condition with the same clinical signs as those above. The curable-condition exception allows coverage to restart if your pet has been symptom-free and treatment-free for at least 12 months. That exception does not apply to ligament and knee conditions, which remain permanently excluded regardless of symptom-free period. That carve-out is the part most owners don’t read.
The curable-condition stance is more flexible than carriers like Healthy Paws, which excludes conditions with any pre-effective-date history permanently. But the 12-month window eliminates most chronic conditions from eligibility, and the ligament/knee carve-out removes a common high-cost claim category from the exception entirely.
Other exclusions follow industry norms: experimental treatments, breeding or pregnancy, cloned pets, elective cosmetic procedures, most parasites, and dietary supplements.
The pre-existing condition definition is where most claim disputes originate. Complaints on BBB, ConsumerAffairs, and Trustpilot repeatedly describe denials for conditions with no documented history before the policy start date, suggesting Figo’s reviewers sometimes reach back into vet records and flag earlier symptoms the owner didn’t consider relevant. Document your pet’s clean health history at enrollment. One recurring complaint pattern: a mention of a breed-typical condition during a wellness visit, like a brief reference to golden retriever allergy tendencies, later used to deny coverage for an unrelated ear infection months into the policy term. That’s aggressive reading of the pre-existing definition, and it happens.
Policy Terms
Waiting Periods: One day for accidents (the wait varies by state, with some states requiring three days), 14 days for illnesses, and six months for orthopedic conditions including cruciate ligament tears. The orthopedic wait can be waived if your vet performs a clean orthopedic exam and completes a waiver form within the first 30 days of your policy start date, with the vet exam itself occurring within seven days of the policy start date. That six-month orthopedic window is the one most owners don’t read carefully enough: a torn ACL diagnosed in month four is not covered.
Age Restrictions: Minimum enrollment age is eight weeks. No upper age limit. Senior pets (dogs eight and up, cats ten and up) must follow vet-recommended annual health checkups and dental exams, including prophylaxis if recommended, to remain eligible.
Renewability: Annual renewals with potential premium adjustments. Rates increase as your pet ages. This is universal across the industry, but worth modeling before you enroll. A $40/month policy for a young dog can reach $80-150/month by age 10 depending on breed and location.
Cancellation: Cancel anytime by contacting customer service. Cancel within the first 30 days before filing any claims and you receive a full refund.
Vet Restrictions: Any licensed veterinary provider anywhere in the world. No networks, no referral requirements.
One Detail That Changes the Math
Figo applies your reimbursement percentage to the eligible vet bill before subtracting your deductible. Most carriers subtract the deductible first. The difference is real money. On a $1,000 bill with 80% reimbursement and a $100 deductible: Figo’s method pays you $700 (80% of $1,000 = $800, then $800 minus $100 deductible), while the deductible-first method pays $720 ($1,000 minus $100 = $900, then 80% of $900). At 90% reimbursement the gap is smaller, and at 100% the math is identical. But at 80%, the most common selection, you’re leaving real dollars on the table compared to how other carriers calculate payouts. Check this before you compare quotes by premium alone.
There’s a second constraint worth naming. The 100% reimbursement tier is not available with the unlimited annual coverage plan, and it can’t be combined with the $100 deductible option either. To get 100% reimbursement, you need a $500 or $750 deductible and an annual cap of $5,000 or $10,000. Owners who want both unlimited coverage and zero co-insurance will need to look elsewhere.
Special Features
Every policy includes 24/7 veterinary chat through the Pet Cloud platform. The app also stores medical records, sets vaccination reminders, and lets you locate pet-friendly businesses. It’s a real utility, not just a claims portal.
The diminishing deductible program removes $50 from your annual deductible for each claim-free year, down to $0. If your pet stays healthy for several consecutive years, you eventually owe nothing before reimbursements begin on covered claims. Note: if you do file a claim and get reimbursed, the deductible resets to its original amount. Wellness Powerup claims don’t trigger a reset.
Figo also offers its policy as an employee benefit. Employers with more than 200 employees can have standard waiting periods waived for enrollees, which is a meaningful advantage for workers who want immediate accident-and-illness coverage rather than waiting the standard 14 days.
Figo Affordability
Sample Pricing
U.S. News pegs Figo’s sample monthly premiums at $77.44 for dogs and $45.66 for cats, based on a 90% reimbursement rate and $250 deductible averaged across all 51 U.S. jurisdictions. Forbes Advisor found $79/month for a mixed-breed dog on the $10,000 limit plan with 80% reimbursement. For context, NAPHIA’s 2025 State of the Industry report (year-end 2024 data) puts the industry-wide average for accident-and-illness coverage at $62.44/month for dogs and $32.21/month for cats. Figo’s mid-tier configurations run above that average for dogs. For younger pets or lower reimbursement levels, quotes can be competitive. Get an actual quote before drawing a conclusion on price.
Pricing Factors
Species, breed, age, and zip code all drive your quote. Older pets cost more to insure, and that cost escalates annually. Purebred dogs and cats with known hereditary risks, hip dysplasia, BOAS, IVDD, get rated higher from intake. Mixed-breed pets generally come in cheaper.
Rate-escalation as pets age is the math most articles miss. Most carriers raise rates 10-30% annually as the pet ages, separate from any inflation adjustment. A $30/month policy for a 2-year-old dog often becomes $80-150/month by age 10. Lifetime cost of insuring a healthy dog runs $7,000-15,000. That number matters when you’re evaluating whether the 100% reimbursement tier is worth the higher premium over a decade of coverage.
Customization Options
Annual deductibles typically run from $100 to $1,500 depending on your pet’s age and state. Reimbursement percentages are 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100%. The 100% tier requires a deductible of $500 or $750 and is not available with the unlimited annual coverage plan. Annual limit choices are $5,000, $10,000, and unlimited.
Discounts Available
Costco Business and Gold Star members receive 15% off the base premium when enrolling through the Costco program. Costco Executive members also get free enrollment in the 24 PetWatch Lost Pet Recovery service, though this perk is unavailable in Alaska and Virginia. Military service members receive 5% off, except in Florida, New York, Tennessee, and Washington. Multi-pet households receive 5% on the combined premium. International Union of Police Associations members qualify for a discount; contact Figo or IUPA to confirm the current percentage. The diminishing deductible effectively builds a long-term discount into every clean-claims year.
Figo Claims Process
Claims go through the Pet Cloud app, the company website, email, fax, or phone. You have six months from treatment or invoice date to submit. Figo’s stated goal is 7 to 10 business days for processing; the policy maximum is 30 days for complex cases. Routine, well-documented claims sometimes close faster, but Figo’s own Trustpilot responses confirm the 7-to-10-day window as the standard expectation. Payment arrives via direct deposit or check, with electronic transfers typically hitting within three to five business days after approval.
Figo allows 90 days from a denial to submit an appeal. In practice, complaints about the appeals process are among the most common negative themes. Reviewers describe slow response times, inconsistent explanations, and in some cases, public-facing apologies with no follow-through. Document everything before you file, and submit all supporting vet records at the time of the initial claim rather than waiting to be asked.
Most pet insurance brands aren’t carriers. They’re distribution products on top of a smaller number of actual underwriters. Figo is the customer-facing brand. Independence American Insurance Company is the entity that actually reviews your claim, approves or denies it, and issues the payment. When a claim is denied, the denial comes from IAIC’s underwriting standards, not a Figo customer service decision. That distinction matters if you’re evaluating whether an appeal is worth pursuing or whether the denial reflects policy language rather than a processing error.
Figo Customer Service
Accessibility
Phone support operates at 1-844-738-3446 during extended hours: 7 AM to 7 PM Central weekdays, 7:30 AM to 4 PM Central on Saturdays. Text support is available at 844-262-8133. Email options: support@figopetinsurance.com for general questions, claims@figopetinsurance.com for reimbursement matters. Live chat is available Monday through Saturday.
Digital Experience
The Pet Cloud app for iOS and Android receives consistent positive marks for claim submission speed and interface clarity. It’s the primary differentiator for Figo relative to legacy carriers, and it functions as advertised for the submission side of the process. The friction shows up downstream: in claim review, not claim filing.
Customer Satisfaction Metrics
Figo holds an A+ BBB accreditation, maintained since 2016, with active complaint volume in recent quarters concentrated on claim denials. Trustpilot shows 3.4 out of 5 stars across over 2,300 verified reviews, a meaningful gap from the carriers that score in the 4.0-4.5 range. A MoneyGeek analysis ranked Figo 13th out of 18 major providers for customer experience, citing the worst performance in claims appeals and price transparency. Organic forum sentiment on Reddit trends negative, with pre-existing condition disputes and renewal increases as recurring complaint drivers.
The gap between the formal BBB accreditation and the lower Trustpilot score is real. Accreditation measures whether a business responds to BBB complaints and meets basic standards. It doesn’t measure how often claims are paid. Trustpilot reviews reflect actual policyholder outcomes. Both data points belong in your evaluation.
Figo Customer Highlights
What Satisfied Customers Say:
Positive reviews consistently cite the app’s speed and Costco channel customers in particular mention shorter hold times and responsive service. Several reviewers credit Figo with paying out on expensive procedures including cancer treatment and orthopedic surgeries, which confirms the coverage works when the claim is clearly within policy terms.
What Frustrated Customers Say:
Negative reviews concentrate on pre-existing condition denials, including cases where conditions that arose after the policy effective date were denied on the basis of symptoms in prior vet records. One documented complaint pattern: a wellness visit that mentioned breed-typical allergy tendencies was later used to deny an ear infection claim six months into the policy, with Figo telling the owner those allergies would be permanently excluded. Other complaint themes: extended delays on appeals beyond the stated processing window, public apologies from Figo that produced no actual follow-up, and surprise denials where the rationale didn’t match the vet records submitted. Premium increases at renewal generate a separate complaint thread.
Pros and Cons of Figo
Pros
- 100% Reimbursement Available: Finding this option requires real searching. At 100% reimbursement, your out-of-pocket cost after the deductible is zero for covered treatments. Note the constraint: this tier requires a $500 or $750 deductible and is not available with the unlimited annual coverage plan.
- One-Day Accident Waiting Period: Near-immediate coverage for accidents compared to the two-week industry standard. The orthopedic waiver also gives owners a path to reduce the six-month wait for cruciate and hip conditions if they move quickly at enrollment. The vet exam must occur within seven days of policy start; the waiver form must be submitted within the first 30 days.
- No Upper Age Limit: Carriers regularly turn away dogs over eight or ten years old. Figo doesn’t, which makes it a real option for senior pet owners who’ve been rejected elsewhere or had coverage discontinued.
- Functional App: The Pet Cloud platform handles claims, vet chat, medical records, and policy management in one place. The submission experience is genuinely faster than legacy carriers that still rely on email or fax for primary contact.
Cons
- No Accident-Only Plan: No path to cheaper basic coverage. You pay for illness protection whether or not your pet’s risk profile justifies it.
- Exam Fees Not Included in Base Policy: The office visit charge, often $60-150, is excluded from the base accident-and-illness policy and requires a separate Powerup purchase. Most owners don’t discover this until their first claim.
- Reimbursement Calculation Reduces Payouts at Sub-100% Rates: Applying the reimbursement percentage before the deductible produces smaller payouts than the deductible-first method used by most competitors. At 80% reimbursement, the difference is real on every claim.
- Ligament and Knee Conditions Permanently Excluded from Curable-Condition Exception: The 12-month symptom-free exception that allows some prior conditions to become covered does not apply to ligament and knee conditions. These remain pre-existing forever if they appeared before the policy effective date.
- Claim Denial Pattern: The volume and specificity of denial complaints across multiple independent platforms is too consistent to dismiss. Owners with pets who have any prior vet history, even for conditions seemingly unrelated to the current claim, face meaningful denial risk. MoneyGeek ranked Figo last among 18 major providers for claims appeals performance.
Our Verdict and Score for Figo
Figo is underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company, a JAB Holding subsidiary with an AM Best A- (Excellent) rating as of December 2025. The policy structure offers genuine advantages: 100% reimbursement (with constraints on which plan tiers qualify), a one-day accident wait, no age ceiling, and an app that actually works. The reimbursement calculation method and the add-on structure for exam fees and behavioral coverage add friction that the marketing doesn’t surface. The claim denial pattern is the largest variable. Owners with straightforward, well-documented claims report fast payouts. Owners with any ambiguity in their pet’s prior health history report a harder time.
Recommended For:
- Owners of senior pets who’ve been declined or aged out elsewhere
- Costco members who want the 15% discount on base premium
- Owners who want 100% reimbursement and can accept a capped annual limit and higher deductible
- Digitally-comfortable owners who value app-based claim filing and vet chat
- Military families in eligible states
Not Ideal For:
- Budget-focused shoppers wanting accident-only coverage (consider Pets Best pet insurance, which offers an accident-only plan at lower premiums)
- Owners whose pets have any prior documented conditions and are concerned about pre-existing exclusions (consider Embrace pet insurance, which uses a curable-condition framework and does not treat bilateral conditions the way some carriers do)
- Owners who prefer a direct vet payment model rather than reimbursement (consider Prudent pet insurance)
- Owners whose pet has a prior knee or ligament issue: the curable-condition exception does not apply to those conditions, making permanent exclusion near-certain at claim time
Methodology
Our evaluation weighted five categories based on their importance to the average pet insurance buyer:
Affordability (30%): We compared pet insurance premium costs across multiple pet profiles, factoring in available discounts and fee structures.
Claims Process (20%): We evaluated submission options, processing times, reimbursement speed, and the availability of direct vet payment. Multiple submission methods earned a solid score, though the complaint pattern on denials and the 7-to-10-business-day standard processing window prevented a higher rating.
Customer Service (20%): We assessed accessibility, digital tools, and customer satisfaction metrics from Trustpilot, BBB, and Reddit. The Trustpilot score of 3.4/5 and complaint volume on denials weighed against the strong app experience.
Stability (20%): We examined AM Best ratings, years in business, corporate backing, and regulatory standing. Independence American’s A- (Excellent, stable) rating following the December 2025 affirmation, plus JAB’s ownership depth, drove an above-average score here.
Coverage Options (10%): We reviewed plan variety, covered and excluded conditions, waiting periods, and special features. The 100% reimbursement option and customizable structure scored well; the absence of an accident-only plan, the add-on requirement for exam fees, and the ligament/knee carve-out from the curable-condition exception held the score down.
Our review methodology weighs five key factors to generate overall scores. We analyzed 20 pet insurance providers across identical criteria, then applied a curve based on the top performer to ensure fair comparisons.
Figo Pet Insurance Category Scores
- Financial Strength: 8/10
- Coverage Options: 7/10
- Affordability: 6/10
- Claims Experience: 7/10
- Customer Experience: 6/10
- Overall Score: 8.3/10
Check out our complete methodology and see how every provider stacked up in our Pet Insurance Reviews.
