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Paw Protect vs Trupanion

Paw Protect vs Trupanion: Verdict

Both Paw Protect and Trupanion offer comprehensive coverage, although Paw Protect trumps Trupanion by also covering vet exam fees and offering a 24/7 pet telehealth service. Both of these insurers also have a solution for pet parents who might struggle to find the money to pay a large vet bill upfront and then wait to get reimbursed.

Here’s how Paw Protect and Trupanion compare:

PawTrupanion
Can pay vet bills upfront
Annual coverage options$5000, $10,000, UnlimitedUnlimited
Deductible options$100, $250, $500$0-$1,000
Reimbursement options70%, 80%, 90%90%
Illness coverage start14 days5 days accident,
30 days illness
Maximum age at sign-upCoverage (14 years) and Accident only (14+ years)14 years
Vet exam fees included
Dental accidents covered
Dental illness covered
Wellness plan offered
24/7 Telehealth
End of life coverage included
10% Multi-pet discount
Military discount

Information correct as of May 2023

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Paw Protect vs Trupanion: Claims process

The sad reality is that many pet parents would find it hard to pay an unexpected vet bill upfront: the cost of vet bills goes up every year, but 59% of Americans have less than $500 in savings. Paw Protect and Trupanion have both come up with solutions to address this.

With Paw Protect, you simply call them once you get your vet bill for a covered claim. Once it’s been approved, Paw Protect will send the money for its share of the claim immediately to your bank account. This means you can pay the bill, and all you have to do is cover your out-of-pocket expenses, as you would with any insurer.

Trupanion, meanwhile, has the ability to pay the vet directly. This means Trupanion’s share of a covered claim bypasses you and goes straight to the vet – all you have to do is cover you out-of-pocket expenses.

 

 

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Paw Protect vs Trupanion: What do the plans cover?

Both Paw Protect and Trupanion cover almost any unexpected accident or illness your four-legged friend might suffer from – this can be anything from a playful puppy swallowing something they shouldn’t to a senior dog stricken with cancer. They cover any breed-specific, congenital or genetic condition, as well as chronic, preventable or orthopedic conditions.

A few of the more common conditions covered by both plans include:

  • Allergies
  • Vomiting and diarrhea
  • Otitis
  • Limping
  • Cancer
  • Cruciate rupture
  • Arthritis
  • UTIs
  • Seizures
  • Diabetes
  • Gastroenteritis
  • Pancreatitis
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Dermatitis
  • Dental disease
  • Kidney disease
  • Hip & elbow dysplasia
  • Lymphoma
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Heart murmur
  • Bite wounds
  • Cataracts
  • Liver disease
  • Glaucoma
  • Fevers
  • Ear infections

One key difference between the plans is coverage of vet exam fees for accidents and illness – typically $80-$120 per visit. While Paw Protect covers vet exam fees, Trupanion doesn’t.

Paw Protect also has a pet telehealth service, which is ideal for when you’re not sure if you need to visit a vet, need urgent or non-urgent advice, or if you’re unable to visit your vet.

The two insurers also diverge on complementary services, such as acupuncture or chiropractic care – both of which are particularly useful if your pet is senior and/or has hip and joint problems. Paw Protect covers these treatments at no extra cost, whereas Trupanion charges an extra monthly fee.

Finally, if you travel with your pet there are differences too. With Paw Protect you’ll be covered anywhere in the world for up to six months, whereas with Trupanion covers you within the USA, Canada and Puerto Rico only.

Do Paw Protect and Trupanion have a wellness plan?

Paw Protect offers a Wellness plan as an optional extra to help pay for those annual predictable expenses you know are coming, such as:

  • Routine wellness exams
  • Vaccinations
  • Flea, tick and heart worm prevention
  • Spay/neuter surgery
  • Grooming
  • Dental cleaning

With Paw Protect, you can select from $250, $450 or $650 coverage per year. Wellness Rewards is offered as a supplementary, non-insurance benefit administered by Embrace Pet Insurance Agency in the United States. Wellness Rewards is not available in Rhode Island.

Trupanion does not offer a Wellness plan at this time.

Paw Protect vs Trupanion: What are the coverage limits?

Paw Protect offers three choices of annual coverage ($5,000, $10,000 or Unlimited), which allows you a bit more flexibility when it comes to deciding your monthly premium. You can change the amount of coverage your pet has each year on the anniversary of your plan. For example, you may decide to up your pet’s annual coverage as they get older so the more expensive conditions such as cancer are covered in full.

Trupanion simply offers Unlimited annual coverage as standard.

Paw Protect vs Trupanion: Deductibles

When it comes to deductibles (the amount you pay towards claims), there are differences between the providers. With Paw Protect, you pay one deductible per 12-month period, even if you make multiple claims for your pet. With Trupanion, the deductible is per-condition. This means that you pay your selected deductible each time you claim for a new condition.

With Paw Protect, you choose from three annual deductible ranges: $100, $250 and $500. With Trupanion, you can select lifetime deductibles in in $5 increments from $0-$1,000 per condition.

What are Paw Protect and Trupanion’s reimbursement percentage options?

Paw Protect offers 3 different reimbursement percentage choices to suit your budget. You can either get 70, 80 or 90% reimbursed from any claim. Naturally, the more you pay the less the insurer pays so the lower your monthly insurance cost.

With Trupanion you pay a fixed 10% towards any claim.

Do Paw Protect and Trupanion have any exclusions?

No pet insurance covers pre-existing conditions, although both Paw Protect and Trupanion have tried to address this issue. With Paw Protect, if the pre-existing condition is curable and your pet goes 12 months without any symptoms or treatment, it can be covered. Trupanion, meanwhile, will cover your pet if it has remained without symptoms for 18 months.

Neither policy covers regular preventative care such as the routine wellness exam or vaccines but the Paw Protect additional Wellness plan will cover those if added.

How expensive are Paw Protect and Trupanion?

We got several quotes for both Paw Protect and Trupanion, using a variety of breeds and ages in different zip codes. In our sample quotes Paw Protect was lower in price for every quote and the Trupanion quote was an average 22.5% higher than Paw Protect.

Paw Protect
Trupanion logo
$68.36per month
$105.74per month

Medium Mixed Breed Puppy

1 year old
in Los Angeles, 91010
Unlimited annual coverage

$112.44per month
$121.17per month

Golden Retriever

3 years old
in Orlando, 32807
Unlimited annual coverage

$47.81per month
$104.67per month

Chihuahua

4 years old
in Sacramento, 94211
Unlimited annual coverage

$49.94per month
$95.36per month

Domestic Shorthair Kitten

1 year old
in New York City, 10008
Unlimited annual coverage

$46.53per month
$67.01per month

Ragdoll Cat

3 years old
in Dallas, 75061
Unlimited annual coverage

All quotes are based on a $500 deductible and 90% reimbursement. Prices correct as of April 1st 2025

Paw Protect vs Trupanion: How quickly are claims paid?

This is usually the most important part of any pet insurance policy – how soon will my claim be paid.

Paw Protect can pay its share of a covered claim straight into a customer’s bank account while they’re at the vet, avoiding the need to wait days or weeks for reimbursement.

With the Trupanion claims process, if your vet has installed the Trupanion software your claim will be paid instantly, without you needing to find the money. If your vet doesn’t work with Trupanion you may need to pay the vet bill and get reimbursed. Most pet parents report that Trupanion will pay the money back into their bank within around 48 hours.

 

Do Paw Protect and Trupanion offer any discounts?

Paw Protect offers a 5% discount for active or former members of the military (though not in New York or Tennessee), plus a generous 10% discount if you are insuring two or more pets.

The only discount Trupanion offers is for service and/or therapy dogs, which generally works out at around 5% off your monthly premium.

Paw Protect vs Trupanion: Standard waiting periods

With Paw Protect, there is a two-week illness waiting period which begins on your policies’ effective date. Orthopedic conditions have additional waiting or exclusion periods that vary by state. Trupanion is 5 days for accidents and 30 days for illness – the latter being quite high for the industry. 

Do Paw Protect and Trupanion’s plans include behavioral treatments?

Yes, Paw Protect and Trupanion both cover behavioral treatments.

Paw Protect vs Trupanion: Is there a maximum age for enrollment?

Trupanion is limited to 14 years of age when it comes to new enrollments in their accident and illness plans, while for Paw Protect it’s 5 years old.

Paw Protect vs Trupanion: Customer reviews

Trupanion customers seem genuinely happy with the service: on Trustpilot they are ranked as excellent, with a 4.3 customer satisfaction rating and 82% of their reviews being 5-star. The general consensus with Trupanion among their customers seems to be that while they are not the cheapest, people are happy with their service and the ease of the claims process.

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