Key takeaways
ASPCA is our overall pick for the best pet insurance in California.
The most affordable company in our analysis was Embrace.
If you’re looking for flexible plans, consider MetLife.
Best overall: ASPCA
ASPCA
- Covers horses in addition to cats and dogs.
- Standard plans cover alternative therapies, behavioral issues and congenital conditions.
- Policyholders can call a 24/7 vet helpline with questions about their pet’s health.
- You must call, rather than get an online quote, if you’re interested in unlimited annual coverage.
Why it's the best: We chose ASPCA as our best overall insurer in California because it had the highest raw score of all the companies NerdWallet evaluated. Its policies include coverage that some other pet insurers charge extra for (or don’t cover at all).
For example, plans pay for prescription food, microchipping, treatment for dental illness and behavioral therapies.
We like that ASPCA has a straightforward 14-day waiting period for all accidents and illnesses, including orthopedic injuries. A waiting period is the time between when you buy your policy and when your coverage begins.
» READ MORE: ASPCA pet insurance review
Sample rates
These sample rates are for pets living in Los Angeles with a $250 deductible, $5,000 in annual coverage and an 80% reimbursement rate.
Dogs:
Age 2: $43/month
Age 8: $96/month
Cats:
Age 2: $24/month
Age 8: $44/month
Source: Insurer website.
Best budget pick: Embrace
Embrace
- Covers curable pre-existing conditions.
- Many ways to customize your plan.
- Orthopedic waiting period can be reduced with a vet exam.
- Doesn't cover prescription food or supplements unless you buy a wellness plan.
- Charges extra to cover prescription medicine.
- May have a one-time enrollment fee.
Why it's the best: Embrace offered the cheapest rates for our sample dog and cat in Los Angeles. Its policies are fairly comprehensive, covering behavioral issues, complementary therapies and dental illnesses. Embrace’s optional wellness plan can pay for a wider variety of services than many others. For example, you can get reimbursed for grooming, behavioral training and supplements.
However, Embrace charges extra for prescription drug coverage, which most other insurers include in their standard policies. You’ll also have to pay more if you want the company to reimburse you for vet exam fees.
» READ MORE: Embrace pet insurance review
Sample rates
These sample rates are for pets living in Los Angeles with a $250 deductible, $5,000 in annual coverage and an 80% reimbursement rate.
Dogs:
Age 2: $39/month
Age 8: $75/month
Cats:
Age 2: $17/month
Age 8: $30/month
Source: Insurer website.
Best for flexible plans: MetLife
MetLife
- Deductible goes down each year you don't make a claim in some states.
- Accident coverage starts right away, with no waiting period.
- Includes coverage for holistic and alternative care.
- No option to have the company pay your vet directly.
Why it's the best: We like MetLife because it offers a wide variety of ways to customize its plans. For example, you can choose a deductible anywhere from $0 to $2,500 per year. (You may need to call rather than buy online for the full range of options.)
If your pet stays healthy, your deductible could drop by $50 for each year you go without receiving a claim reimbursement. A deductible is the amount you pay in vet bills before your insurer starts reimbursing you.
MetLife’s plans are open to pets of all ages, with no age or breed restrictions. One unique service MetLife covers is grief counseling if you lose your pet.
» READ MORE: MetLife pet insurance review
Sample rates
These sample rates are for pets living in Los Angeles with a $250 deductible, $5,000 in annual coverage and an 80% reimbursement rate.
Dogs:
Age 2: $51/month
Age 8: $98/month
Cats:
Age 2: $26/month
Age 8: $45/month
Source: Insurer website.
The best pet insurance in California by age
Looking for more options? Check out all the pet insurers in California that earned a 5-star NerdWallet rating.
Best pet insurance for younger animals
Below are sample rates for 2-year-old mixed-breed dogs and cats in Los Angeles. Each plan had a $250 deductible, $5,000 in annual coverage and an 80% reimbursement rate.
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Sample monthly rates |
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Best pet insurance in California for older animals
Older pets tend to cost more to insure, so we also checked rates for 8-year-old dogs and cats in Los Angeles. Here’s how our 5-star companies stack up for mixed-breed dogs and cats with the same coverage limits as above.
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Sample monthly rates |
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» MORE: The best pet insurance companies
Cheap pet insurance in California
Here are the cheapest insurers we found in California for dogs and cats, based on quotes we gathered in Los Angeles. Unless otherwise stated, our sample pets were 2-year-old mixed-breed dogs and cats with a $250 deductible, $5,000 in annual coverage and an 80% reimbursement rate.
Your own prices may be different depending on where you live, the coverage you choose, and your pet’s age and breed.
Skip to:
Cheapest pet insurance for young dogs
Below are the lowest monthly rates we found for 2-year-old dogs in Los Angeles.
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Sample monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
$36 | ||
$37 | ||
$39 | ||
$42 | ||
$43 | ||
$43 | ||
$43 | ||
$44 | ||
$45 | ||
$45 | ||
*The Prudent Pet plan had an annual limit of $2,500. | ||
Cheapest pet insurance for older dogs
Below are the lowest monthly rates we found for 8-year-old dogs in Los Angeles.
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Sample monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
$75 | ||
$83 | ||
$84 | ||
$85 | ||
$96 | ||
$96 | ||
$96 | ||
*The Prudent Pet plan had an annual limit of $2,500. | ||
Cheapest pet insurance for young cats
These are the lowest monthly rates we found for 2-year-old domestic shorthair (mixed-breed) cats in Los Angeles.
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Sample monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
$17 | ||
$18 | ||
$21 | ||
$21 | ||
$24 | ||
$24 | ||
$24 |
Cheapest pet insurance for older cats
These are the lowest monthly rates we found for 8-year-old domestic shorthair (mixed-breed) cats in Los Angeles.
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Sample monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
$30 | ||
$34 | ||
$38 | ||
$41 | ||
$44 | ||
$44 | ||
$44 | ||
$45 |
» MORE: Is pet insurance worth it?
How to choose the best pet insurance
Look beyond price. Cost is important, but it shouldn’t be your only consideration. Say Plan A costs $10 more a month than Plan B, but it includes coverage for exam fees and alternative therapies. If you have to pay extra to get these types of coverage with Plan B — or they’re not available at all — you might find Plan A a better value.
Learn about the claims process. If one pet insurer generally processes claims within two days while another takes up to a month, you may want to go with the quicker one. That way you’re not waiting for weeks to get reimbursed. Even better, keep an eye out for pet insurers that can pay your vet directly.
Read reviews. NerdWallet has researched dozens of pet insurance companies so you don’t have to. Read our pet insurance reviews to see our star ratings and get coverage details.
» MORE: What does pet insurance cover? Read our complete guide
How to find more affordable pet insurance
Shop around. We recommend getting quotes from at least three different pet insurance companies to find the best price. To ensure a fair comparison, make sure you’re looking at plans with similar deductibles, reimbursement rates and annual limits.
Adjust your plan. Most pet insurance plans can be tailored to your needs and budget. To get a lower price, you can raise your deductible or choose a lower reimbursement rate. Just be prepared to pay more out of pocket at the vet.
You can also choose less coverage — for example, by selecting $5,000 of annual coverage instead of $10,000 or more. But if your pet gets seriously sick and racks up vet bills above that amount, you’ll have to pay the difference.
Ask about discounts. Some companies offer savings to select customers, such as members of the military or those who insure more than one pet.
How we choose the best pet insurance companies
👋 I’m Sarah Schlichter, a senior writer and content strategist covering pet insurance. I built NerdWallet’s pet insurance rubric and did the research for this page to find the best pet insurance options. I gathered and analyzed data across three major categories:
- 🩺 Coverage
Companies score higher if they include more types of coverage in their standard plans.
We evaluate pet insurance plans based on their default accident and illness coverage, which types of coverage cost extra and which types of coverage aren't available at all.
Plan types
In addition to accident and illness plans, we look at whether companies also offer accident-only and wellness plans.
Animals covered
Companies get extra credit for insuring animals besides just dogs and cats.
Coverage for specific services and conditions
Some of the biggest differences between pet insurance plans have to do with how they cover the following services and conditions. Companies rank higher if they offer more of these types of coverage, especially if they're included at no extra cost:
Vet exam fees.
Congenital and hereditary conditions.
Behavioral therapies.
Prescription food.
Supplements.
Alternative and complementary treatments.
Dental illnesses.
Pre-existing conditions
Pre-existing conditions are medical issues your pet had before you bought your policy. We reward companies that will cover certain pre-existing conditions after a waiting period.
- 📞 Customer experience
Companies score well when they have consumer-friendly features such as live chat or the ability to pay your vet directly.
We evaluate each pet insurer's customer experience based on the following factors:
Direct vet pay
Most pet insurance companies reimburse you for vet bills you've already paid, but some are able to pay your vet directly. That means you'll have to put out less of your own money upfront.
Live chat
Pet insurers get extra credit if they offer a live chat for customer service.
Vet helpline
We reward companies that have a 24-hour vet helpline for questions about your pet's health.
Claim calculation
The way a pet insurer calculates your claim payouts can influence how quickly you meet your deductible and start getting paid. We reward companies that use a more generous method.
- ➕ Customization
Companies earn points based on how customizable their pet insurance plans are.
Being able to customize your plan makes it easier to find the coverage and price that are right for you. We look at the following factors:
Deductibles
A deductible is the amount of vet care you need to pay for before your insurer will start reimbursing you. We reward companies that offer more deductible options.
Reimbursement rates
Once you've met your deductible, the insurance company will reimburse a certain percentage of your vet bills, such as 70% or 80%. The more options for your reimbursement rate, the better.
Coverage limits
Most pet insurers will reimburse you up to a certain annual limit, such as $5,000 or $10,000. Some offer plans with no limit. We reward companies with a broad range of limits to choose from.
Pet insurance star rating methodology
NerdWallet’s pet insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including consumer experience, scope of coverage and the ability to customize your plan. We give higher ratings to companies that cover a wide range of medical treatments and that offer perks such as live chat support and direct vet pay. To calculate each insurer’s star rating, we adjusted the scores to a curved 5-point scale. See our full pet insurance methodology.
These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
Pet insurance sample rate methodology
To find sample pet insurance rates, NerdWallet gathered quotes for the base level of accident and illness coverage on each insurer’s website. Quotes reflect the monthly cost of a policy and do not include wellness coverage or other optional add-ons.
Each plan had a $250 deductible, $5,000 in annual coverage and an 80% reimbursement rate. We customized the plans as necessary when those limits weren’t available. Our sample pets were a medium-sized, mixed-breed dog and a domestic shorthair (mixed-breed) cat. We gathered rates for pets aged 2 and 8 years old.
These are sample rates gathered for specific pets in a select ZIP code. Your own rates will be different.
