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Paw Protect vs Trupanion

Paw Protect vs Trupanion: Verdict

Paw Protect Pet Insurance can help you pay vet bills up-front at any vet in the US* without having to use your own money, by offering customers an optional $2,000 interest-free line of credit via a virtual Visa card from Paytient.† According to Trupanion’s website, it can pay vets directly: “A Trupanion policy will work in every hospital across North America. So even if direct pay is not yet available at your regular hospital, you can still get the same great coverage.”

Both offer comprehensive accident and illness coverage, although Paw Protect trumps Trupanion by also covering vet exam fees and offering a 24/7 pet telehealth service.

Here’s how Paw Protect and Trupanion compare:

PawTrupanion
Pet insurance without paying vet bills* up-front†Yes, if your vet has Trupanion Express software or if your vet allows direct pay
Annual coverage options$5000, $10,000, UnlimitedUnlimited
Deductible options$100, $250, $500$0-$1,000
Reimbursement options70%, 80%, 90%90%
Coverage start2 days accident,
14 days illness		5 days accident,
30 days illness
Maximum age at sign-up14 years accident and illness,
15+ accident only		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

Paw Protect offers an optional $2,000 interest-free line of credit†, through a virtual Visa card from our partners at Paytient, to pay covered vet bills.*

  • If approved, and if your bill is under $2,000 – and most are – you don’t have to pay a cent up front. 
  • The claims process is simple. Submit the claim paperwork via our app, online, by email or through the mail, and you’ll be reimbursed a few days later, less your deductible and copay.
  • You then pay off your Paytient card and it’ll be good to go again on your next claim. Need more time to pay your deductible and copay? With Paytient you can set up a payment schedule that best suits your needs up to 12 months interest-free.

Trupanion claim they can also pay your vet directly, if the vet allows it, even if your vet does not have Trupanion software installed. We are unable to verify this though.

Without being able to pay the vet direct, you’ll pay the full bill up front out of your own pocket. You then submit a claim on its website, via fax or by email. If successful, you’ll be reimbursed minus any deductible and copay.

Dog with banana in its mouth

Will my vet accept direct payment or Paytient from Paw Protect or Trupanion?

Your Paytient virtual card is a 16-digit Visa card that works at any vet that accepts Visa* (we don’t know of one that doesn’t).

Your vet doesn’t need to install any software, sign any forms, or do anything other than take care of your pet and collect payment from the 16-digit Paytient card number you provide.

Trupanion is capable of paying the vet directly. As quoted above from their website, “A Trupanion policy will work in every hospital across North America. So even if direct pay is not yet available at your regular hospital, you can still get the same great coverage.” As of 3/21/2013, information on Trupanion’s official website revealed that 5,217 vets in the US could accept direct pay from Trupanion. There are approximately 28,000 veterinary practices in the US.

Number of vets where you can use Paytient†
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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.

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
$60.59per month
$65.32per month

Medium Mixed Breed Puppy

3 months old
in Los Angeles, 91010
Unlimited annual coverage

$68.16‡per month
$171.30per month

Golden Retriever

3 years old
in Orlando, 32807
Unlimited annual coverage

$42.96per month
$82.56per month

Chihuahua

6 years old
in Sacramento, 94211
Unlimited annual coverage

$60.09per month
$53.59per month

Domestic Shorthair Kitten

3 months old
in New York City, 10008
Unlimited annual coverage

$27.91per month
$123.85per month

Tabby Cat

3 year old
in Dallas, 75061
Unlimited annual coverage

‡$30,000 maximum annual coverage
All quotes are based on a $500 deductible and 90% reimbursement. Prices correct as of May 2023

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.

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 then you’ll 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.

Because Paw Protect gives each pet parent the option of having a virtual Visa card from our friends at Paytient, claims up to $2,000 (most claims are less than $2,000) are paid up-front* without you needing to find the money. Any amount over $2,000 will typically be reimbursed in a few days.

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

Paw Protect is two days for accidents and 14 days for illness (6 months for orthopedic conditions), which is pretty standard across pet insurance. 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?

Both Paw Protect and Trupanion are limited to 14 years of age when it comes to new enrollments in their accident and illness plans, but Paw Protect does offer the option of an ‘accident only’ plan for senior dogs over that age.

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.

†
Subject to approval
*
The Paytient virtual Visa® card works with merchants in certain approved categories and with certain point-of-sale (POS) vendors. Merchants self-select their category and POS vendor, and in some cases a provider might not be categorized as expected or their POS vendor may not support Paytient virtual Visa® card transactions.

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