TrustedPals has been around for less than three years, but it’s already building a name for its affordably priced pet insurance plans. With TrustedPals, customers can choose the degree of coverage they’d like with an optional wellness plan for routine care. But is this provider the right choice for your pet?
Keep reading for a detailed review of the company’s policies, prices, coverage features, claims process, exclusions, and pricing to see how it compares to other pet insurers.
Table of Contents
- About TrustedPals Pet Insurance?
- An overview of TrustedPals Pet Insurance
- What we like about this coverage
- What could be improved
- Is TrustedPals Pet Insurance worth it?
About TrustedPals Pet Insurance
Founded in 2019, TrustedPals Pet Insurance is a trademark of the global insurance broker, Marsh USA, Inc. The company’s policies are underwritten by Zurich American Insurance Company, which has an A+ rating from A.M. Best.
An overview of TrustedPals Pet Insurance
What distinguishes TrustedPals from other pet insurance providers is that it offers a $0 deductible and 100% reimbursement option, which are hard to find elsewhere. The company’s plans have an annual deductible, whereas other providers (like, for example, Trupanion) have a deductible for each condition or incident.
TrustedPals also offers additional benefits for the passing of your pet from illness or injury. If such an unfortunate event happens during the policy period, the insurer will cover the expenses incurred in euthanizing your pet (if applicable) and burial or cremation expenses with a maximum benefit of $250. The company will also pay up to $1000 as a death benefit for your pet, depending on whether you can provide proof of how much you paid for your pet.
Available plans
TrustedPals offers two plans, one for cats and one for dogs. Each plan provides the same coverage, but owners have an option to customize the annual benefit amount. Some of the services and treatments covered under these plans include:
- Illnesses such as cancer, chronic conditions, hereditary and congenital conditions
- Accidents such as broken bones and toxin ingestion
- Testing and diagnostics
- Surgeries
- Hospitalization
- Specialty care
- Emergency care
- Alternative care
- Prescription food and supplements
- Prescription medications
- Behavioral therapy or training (if prescribed by your veterinarian)
- Medical care supplies like bandages
TrustedPals has a 14-day waiting period for illnesses and accidents, and a 12-month waiting period for hip dysplasia and cruciate ligament issues.
The insurer also offers a Wellness Plan that can be added for an additional fee to help pet parents pay for preventive and routine care costs. This plan reimburses up to $750 a year for expenses such as:
- Vaccinations
- Annual wellness exams
- Spaying/neutering
- Heartworm, tick, and flea prevention
- Prescription food and supplements
- Dental cleaning
Exclusions
TrustedPals doesn’t provide coverage for:
- Pre-existing conditions
- Anything not prescribed by your veterinarian, such as nutritional supplements and behavioral therapies
- Cruciate ligament issues and hip dysplasia for the first year
- Transportation, storage, boarding, and grooming
- Breeding or pregnancy
- Non-veterinary costs, such as fees for licenses, waste disposal, copies of medical records, and taxes
- Investigational or experimental diagnosis or treatment
- Diagnosis or treatment of any injury or illness caused directly or indirectly by war, war activities, or nuclear incident
- Diagnosis or treatment of any injury or illness caused intentionally by you or any other member of your household
- Taxidermy
- Vet examination fees for preventive veterinary medicine
- Microchipping (although all pets insured by TrustedPals will receive a special tag (if approved by your state) that will help if they ever get lost).
Pricing
How much your policy will cost depends on several different factors, including your pet’s breed, age, and location. The cost is also influenced by the level of cover you choose. You can choose from three annual coverage limits ($4,000, $8,000, and unlimited), five deductibles ($0, $100, $250, $500, and $750), and four reimbursement options (70%, 80%, 90%, and 100%)
There’s a simple quote tool on the company’s website that lets you adjust your plan until you are satisfied with the quote.
Discounts
TrustedPals offers several different discounts that you can take advantage of.
If you’re enrolling more than one pet, you can get a 5% “MultiPaw” discount. You might also be able to get an additional 5% discount if you insure a service animal or if you are:
- Active military member or veteran
- First responder
- Veterinary student
- Veterinary clinic worker
Discounts are currently not available in Tennessee and New York.
Claims and reimbursement times
TrustedPals Pet Insurance allows you to file claims online through the company's Pawtal or through your mobile device. The company’s website states that claims are paid out in ten days, which is a fairly short period compared to the 30-day period you can expect from some pet insurers like Nationwide.
What we like about this coverage
TrustedPals has a wide range of customization options, allowing pet owners to choose annual benefits ranging from $4,000 to unlimited and deductibles as low as $0.
The claims process is fast and easy and can be accessed on your mobile device. The company also promises claim payouts in 10 days.
TrustedPals doesn’t have a maximum age limit for cats or dogs and covers all breeds of cats and dogs over eight weeks old.
1% of the company’s profits are donated to helping pets find homes after natural disasters.
The company covers the veterinarian office visit fee for illness and accidents and lets customers choose any licensed vet.
It offers a 5% discount for service dogs, as well as a 5% discount for military members, vets, first responders, and multiple pets.
What could be improved
The company’s 14-day waiting period for accidents is somewhat longer than other competitor insurers who have one-day or two-day accident waiting periods, such as Figo and Embrace. The 14-day waiting period for illnesses is average across the industry, but the waiting periods for orthopedic conditions are relatively long compared to other providers who might only have a six-month waiting period for such conditions.
The company has a relatively low monthly fee for younger pets, but the prices for older pets are more expensive (although not so different from what we have seen from other pet insurers).
The fact that the company is a relatively new arrival on the pet insurance market means that there’s limited customer feedback online.
Is TrustedPals Pet Insurance worth it?
We like that TrustedPals allows pet parents to customize their policy so they can meet their pets’ needs and their budget. The option to add on a wellness plan is also helpful. However, the provider is not suitable if you are looking for an Accident-Only plan.
It’s smart to compare several different pet insurance companies before purchasing a plan to protect your four-legged friend and our Insurance Advice Blog is a great place to get started.
You can also use Pawlicy Advisor to compare a TrustedPals quote with quotes from other pet insurance providers and to find an affordable pet insurance plan that meets your pet’s needs.
