Knowing that a fluffy family member will receive excellent veterinary care is a relief for many pet owners. A pet insurance policy can grant pet parents peace of mind in an emergency, keeping them from paying out of pocket for unexpected costs and high vet bills.
Prudent Pet is among the best pet insurance providers on the market thanks to its comprehensive coverage, well-rounded preventative care add-ons, and live vet chat feature. Read on to determine if it’s the right pet insurance provider for you and your pet.
Pros and Cons of Prudent Pet
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of Prudent Pet:
✔ Allows you to choose from four deductible amounts, three reimbursement options, and two add-ons
✔ Provides a 24/7 chat with a veterinarian, giving personalized support to policyholders
✔ Offers a 30-day money-back guarantee
✘ Doesn’t have a mobile app for customers to manage their policy or file claims
✘ Annual coverage caps are fixed for each plan type, with no option offered to adjust your annual limits
Prudent Pet Insurance Pricing
While Prudent Pet offers customizable plans and provides a wide scope of care for your pets, the pricing varies significantly based on the coverage you choose and your customization offers. Pet owners looking for the cheapest pet insurance may prefer the Accident-Only Plan for lower premiums.
In addition to its three plan options, Prudent Pet offers an add-on care option to cover veterinary exam fees, ranging between $3 and $22 per month based on your pet’s size, age, and breed, as well as the plan you select.
When customizing a policy, pet parents can choose from the following:
- 70%, 80%, or 90% reimbursement percentages
- $100, $250, $500, or $1,000 annual deductibles
- $10,000 annual coverage cap for the Accident-Only and Essential Plans, and unlimited annual coverage for the Ultimate Plan
Discounts
Prudent Pet offers a 10% multiple pet discount to pet owners who enroll more than one animal for coverage, no matter which plan they choose. Additionally, the company offers a 10% discount to military veterans.
Prudent Pet Pet Insurance Plans and Coverage
Prudent Pet’s three plans each offer a different tier of coverage. The plans offered are Accident-Only, Essential, and Ultimate.
Accident-Only Plan
Expenses covered include bite wounds, broken bones, injuries to the mouth or teeth, emergencies, prescription medications, and swallowed objects.
Essential Plan
This plan covers all expenses featured in the Accident-Only Plan along with treatment for cancer and growths, congenital defects and abnormalities, digestive illness, eye, ear, skin, and hereditary conditions, hip dysplasia, urinary infections, and up to $250 of behavioral treatments.
Ultimate Plan
Costs covered include everything in the Accident-Only and Essential Plans plus money spent on advertising and reward fees for lost pets, boarding fees if the owner is hospitalized for more than four days and can’t take care of their pet, replacing a pet due to theft or stray, mortality benefits for cremation, burial, or pet replacement, and vacation cancellation costs due to a sick pet.
Prudent Pet Coverage
Tests
All three plans cover the following tests:
- X-rays
- Ultrasounds
- Bloodwork
- MRIs
Procedures and Treatments
All Prudent Pet coverage includes the following:
- Hospitalization
- Surgery (unless it is not medically necessary)
- Physical therapy
- Alternative therapies when prescribed by a licensed veterinarian
Add-Ons
Exam fees are not included in any of the standard Prudent Pet plan options, but there is a Veterinary Exam Fee add-on available. This benefit covers the cost of exams or consultations needed to diagnose and treat your pet for eligible accidents or illness.
Prudent Pet offers a wellness coverage add-on at three levels: Low, Medium, and High. The Low option covers eight wellness benefits, the Medium choice includes nine, and selecting High offers coverage for 11 common costs during routine care.
| Type of Coverage | Low | Medium | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellness exam (maximum 50% reimbursement per exam), two per policy term | $30 | $50 | $60 |
| DHLPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus) vaccine | $25 | $30 | $35 |
| Rabies vaccine | $25 | $30 | $35 |
| Heartworm test or feline leukemia virus screen | $25 | $30 | $35 |
| Fecal exam | $25 | $30 | $35 |
| Health certificate | $30 | $40 | $50 |
| Microchip | $25 | $35 | $45 |
| Deworming | $25 | $30 | $35 |
| Dentistry and cleaning or a spay/neuter surgery | $0 | $40 | $60 |
| Bordetella or lyme disease vaccine | $0 | $0 | $35 |
| Wellness blood screen | $0 | $0 | $35 |
Coverage Exclusions
Prudent Pet does not cover pre-existing conditions, including illnesses, injuries, or other health problems that predated the pet insurance policy. Accidents that happen during the five-day waiting period or illnesses that arise within the specified 14-day waiting period are also not covered.
In addition to pre-existing conditions, Prudent Pet coverage also excludes:
- Cosmetic or aesthetic procedures such as tail docking, ear cropping, or crowns
- Grooming services or supplies, including prescription baths and shampoos
- Herbal or natural therapies
- Travel expenses for transporting your pet to the veterinarian
- Vet house call costs
- Boarding your pet while on a trip
- Anal gland expression unless the gland is infected
- Food and prescription diet costs
- Ligament issues from prior conditions on the opposing knee or ligament
- Burial, urn, and funeral costs for your pet, unless specified in the Ultimate Plan policy
Prudent Pet State Availability
Prudent Pet Insurance Agency, LLC offers policies in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia. To find rates for your location, fill out this quick online tool.
Prudent Pet Insurance Reviews
Prudent Pet seems to have high customer satisfaction ratings, holding an A+ rating from Better Business Bureau (BBB) and scoring a 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot. However, the company’s BBB profile has no reviews, likely because of its few years in business.
Nevertheless, Prudent Pet’s Trustpilot profile boasts 531 reviews, 86% of which give the provider a 5-star rating. Most customer reviews mention excellent customer service as a highlight of the brand.
Here are some Prudent Pet reviews from Trustpilot and Google Reviews:
Tracy from Trustpilot says:
“Fantastic experience! Monica knows her stuff! Answered all of my many, many questions. I called to ask for specific info… And I left insuring three dogs! I hope I never need to use it, but love the coverage for the price.”
Sawyer from Trustpilot says:
“I have been with three pet insurance companies in my adult lifetime as a pet owner. Among the three I have had personal experience with, Prudent Pet easily dominates. Customer service is really accessible and personable. To be honest, I have never had anything but positive experiences regardless of who was on the other end of the phone.”
Kevin-Paul J. from Google Reviews says:
“I would have given [Prudent Pet] five stars, but I was not happy with the renewal increase of almost $30. I hope there isn’t going to be an increase of $30 every year.”
*Data accurate as of April 2023
Comparing Prudent Pet vs. Other Pet Insurance Companies
| Provider | Get a Free Quote | Best For | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lemonade | Get Quote | Best Overall | 96 |
| Spot | Get Quote | Most Customizable Plans | 91 |
| Embrace | Get Quote | Best Deductibles | 93.5 |
| ASPCA | Get Quote | Best For New Pet Owners | 89 |
| Prudent Pet | Get Quote | Most Comprehensive Coverage | 95 |
| ASPCA | Get Quote | Best For New Pet Owners | 89 |
| Petplan | Get Quote | Best Holistic Coverage | 91.5 |
| Pawp | N/A | Best Digital Clinic | 90 |
Prudent Pet Background
Founded in 2018, Prudent Pet is a recent entry into the pet insurance arena. Based in Illinois, the company does not believe in excluding dogs above a certain age and is proud of the AI technology it’s incorporated into its claims process.
Additionally, the name backing this provider is well-established; Prudent Pet’s policies are underwritten by Markel Insurance Company.
Our Conclusion
For comprehensive coverage, customizable preventative care, and fast claims processing, Prudent Pet is an excellent choice for pet owners. For those looking for more affordable policies, Embrace can reduce monthly premiums with its flexible coverage caps, while Healthy Paws may appeal to pet parents who enjoy unlimited coverage and want a provider with a longer track record.
Frequently Asked Questions About Prudent Pet Insurance
How long is the waiting period for Prudent Pet?
The waiting period for Prudent Pet is five days for accidents and 14 days for illnesses. Issues that arise during this period are not covered under the pet insurance policy.
How much does Prudent Pet insurance cost?
Based on the sample quotes we received during our research, Prudent Pet premiums range from as low as $13 per month for some Accident-Only plans to $107 per month for Unlimited coverage in other states or for other breeds.
Pet insurance for cats is often less expensive than pet insurance for dogs due to canines’ likelihood of developing health issues as they age. Additionally, animals more than 6 years old tend to have more expensive premiums due to conditions associated with aging, and larger dogs tend to have higher pet insurance premiums because of their heightened risk for hip dysplasia, cancer, and heart and liver problems.
How do I reach Prudent Pet customer service?
To talk to Prudent Pet customer service, you can contact the company by phone, through its social media accounts, or by the “Contact Us” form on its website. To get a quote directly online, use this online tool.
Our Rating Methodology
The This Old House Reviews Team is dedicated to thorough, in-depth reviews of each product or service that we detail in our content. Determined to build trust with our readers through transparency, accuracy, and accountability, we’ve built a detailed rating system to score pet insurance brands. Included in this methodology are the following six factors with their respective scoring weights:
- Coverage (25)
- Plan options (20)
- Monthly cost (20)
- Company reputation (15)
- Customer service (10)
- Species eligibility (10)
Our researchers keep all data in each company’s score up to date, making any changes to our content when necessary to provide our readers with the most accurate information on relevant metrics, such as plan options, customer service, reputation, and monthly cost.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.