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Home > Insurance > Pumpkin Pet Insurance Review 2024: Pros, Cons & Verdict

Pumpkin Pet Insurance Review 2024: Pros, Cons & Verdict

pumpkin insurance review

Pumpkin is an American Pet Insurance Company founded in April 2020, making it one of the newest insurance providers on the market. It was launched by the animal health company Zoetis with a vision to provide year-round care for both sick and healthy pets. For this reason, Pumpkin offers both accident and illness coverage and a preventative essentials package for cats, kittens, dogs, and puppies.

In this post, we’ll explore Pumpkin pet insurance in depth, including average monthly costs, the base policy, deductibles, claims, and coverage to help you decide whether or not it’s the provider for you.

Our Verdict

We give Pumpkin Pet Insurance a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.


Pumpkin Pet Insurance Review

Pros
  • 90% reimbursement rate
  • Optional preventative essentials package
  • Vet exam fees covered
  • Dental illnesses covered
  • Microchipping included in accident & illness package
  • Multiple pet discount
  • No upper age limits or breed exclusions
Cons
  • No exotic or small animal coverage
  • Quite pricey
  • No accident-only plan

Other Top-Rated Pet Insurance Companies

Best Overall
Our rating: 4.6 / 5
Most Customizable
Our rating: 4.4 / 5
Best for Wellness Plans
Our rating: 4.0 / 5

About Pumpkin

Pumpkin is a pet insurance company often praised for its accessibility and high reimbursement rate—which is set at 90%—and its excellent coverage. The provider stands out for its inclusion of certain procedures and treatments under its accident and illness plan that many other providers do not include in theirs, including microchipping and dental illnesses.

Pumpkin offers one comprehensive insurance plan, which is accident and illness coverage. If you wish, you can add on the preventative essentials package which reimburses you for routine care like annual wellness exam fees, blood tests, vaccines, and fecal tests. Just bear in mind that this is not an insurance plan in itself—just an optional add-on.

If you have a cat, kitten, dog, or puppy, you might want to consider Pumpkin as your pet insurance provider. If you have a small or exotic non-human friend, however, Pumpkin isn’t for you as it doesn’t cover these kinds of pets. It’s also not a good choice if you’re looking for accident-only insurance.

Find The Best Pet Insurance Companies in 2024


Pricing & Plans (Updated in 2024)

Pet Insurance Cost Comparison

Company Sample Monthly Cost for Dogs Sample Monthly Cost for Cats Learn More
Pumpkin $55.20 $37.33 Get Quote
Lemonade $19.44 $11.00 Get Quote
Spot $36.54 $16.51 Get Quote
Wagmo $70.12 $30.88 Get Quote
Trupanion $29.70 $12.22 Get Quote
Fetch $26.89 $11.93 Get Quote

Base Policy

You can enroll your pet in Pumpkin pet insurance from when they’re 8 weeks old—there is no upper age limit and no breed exclusions (hooray!). Pumpkin’s accident and illness insurance package reimburses you for a variety of health conditions and accident situations including but not limited to cancer and growths, hip dysplasia, and digestive conditions.

Exclusions do apply, however—please check our coverage section below to find out which conditions/situations are excluded.

Customizations

They keep things pretty simple at Pumpkin—the only plan available is the accident and illness plan. However, you can add on the Preventative Essentials pack, which reimburses you for routine care like parasite testing (ticks, heartworm, hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms), vaccinations, and annual wellness exams. You can get refunded in full for all the said tests and procedures.

Pumpkin Price Comparison for Dogs

For this comparison, we chose the Pumpkin-recommended annual limits and deductibles.

Labrador Retriever Yorkshire Terrier
Male or Female Male Male
Age 5 years 2 years
Location California California
Reimbursement Level 90% 90%
Annual Deductible $500 $500
Annual Max $10,000 $10,000
Price per month $100.53 $55.20
Breed Name Under 1 5 Years Old
Domestic Shorthair Cat $37.33 $43.55
French Bulldog $89.69 $108.91
Standard Poodle $89.69 $108.91
Shih Tzu $55.20 $67.02

Deductibles & Claims

Though the reimbursement rate is set at 90%, you can choose from various deductibles and annual limits. If you’re new to the world of insurance, the deductible is how much you pay towards veterinary fees before Pumpkin starts paying. Pumpkin lets you choose a deductible of $100, $250, $500, or $1000.

To file a claim with Pumpkin, you can do so under “claims” on your Pumpkin account. You’ll need to upload a copy or photo of your vet bill and any other necessary documents. Once your claim has been processed, you’ll be notified. According to Pumpkin’s website, claims are processed “quickly”.


What Does Pumpkin’s Comprehensive Plan Cover?

For dogs, the annual limits (the maximum amount that a pet insurance provider will reimburse you over the year) are $10,000, $20,000, and unlimited. For cats, the annual limits are $7,000, $15,000, and unlimited. The following conditions are covered by Pumpkin’s accident and illness plan.

  • Cancer and growths
  • Eye, ear, and skin infections
  • Hip dysplasia
  • Swallowed foreign objects
  • Toxins
  • Orthopedic injuries
  • Digestive conditions
  • Diagnostics and treatments
  • Prescription meds
  • Surgery
  • Specialized care
  • Hospitalization and emergencies
  • Microchipping
  • Hereditary conditions
  • Behavioral issues
  • Dental conditions
  • Vet exam fees
  • Virtual vet visits

Based on a Pumpkin sample policy for dogs, the following conditions and situations are not eligible for coverage. We strongly recommend you check your individual policy in case there is some variation.

  • Pre-existing conditions
  • Funeral services
  • Conditions that occur during the waiting period
  • Breeding, whelping, or pregnancy fees
  • Experimental treatments
  • Grooming and grooming supplies
  • Illness or injury that occurs as a result of neglect
  • House calls
  • Non-veterinary fees (i.e. administration, waste disposal, etc.)
  • Organ or heart valve transplants
  • Aesthetic or cosmetic procedures
  • Boarding
  • Orthodontic dental services
  • Herbs
  • Prescription food/general pet food
  • Training
  • Supplements and vitamins used for general health maintenance
  • Treatment when you or your account co-owner is the veterinarian
  • Treatments for viruses like avian flu or illness caused by epidemics and pandemics
  • Accidents or illnesses related to war, nuclear reactivity, radiation, etc.
Covered
  • Various conditions including cancer, hip dysplasia, and digestive conditions
  • Surgery
  • Diagnostics and treatments
  • Dental and behavioral care
  • Hereditary conditions
  • Prescription medications
Not covered
  • Pre-existing conditions
  • Funeral expenses
  • Treatment necessary due to neglect
  • Pregnancy, breeding, whelping
  • Grooming, training, and related supplies

Pre-Existing Conditions

It’s uncommon for insurance providers to cover pre-existing conditions (conditions that were diagnosed or that your pet was showing symptoms of before the start of coverage/during the waiting period), and Pumpkin is no exception.

However, this doesn’t mean that all pre-existing conditions are entirely ruled out from coverage. According to Pumpkin’s policy, it will cover an existing condition if it is curable, was cured, and there have been no symptoms or treatments for 180 days. Unfortunately, knee and hind leg ligatures are exempt from this.


Waiting Periods

A waiting period is the length of time you have to wait (once you’ve subscribed to a pet insurance plan) before you can make claims. Pumpkin’s waiting period is 14 days, which is shorter than some competitors’ waiting periods but longer than others.


Reviews from Customers

We checked out customer reviews of Pumpkin across various platforms to get an idea of what the real customer experience is like. Positive reviews praise Pumpkin’s customer service representatives, who are described as courteous and helpful. Claims are said to be dealt with efficiently and in a stress-free manner, something several users greatly appreciate.

On the other hand, some have commented that they felt it took too long to get reimbursed.  Overall, reviews are largely positive and the general consensus is that Pumpkin customers are pleased with the 90% reimbursement rate, the streamlined claims submission process, and the customer representatives’ responsiveness and helpfulness.


FAQ

What’s Included in the Preventative Essentials Package?

For cats and kittens, the Preventative Essentials package reimburses you in full for an annual wellness exam, one vaccine, and one annual fecal test to screen for worms. For dogs, you are refunded in full for the wellness exam, two vaccines, one annual fecal test to screen for worms, and one annual blood test to screen for various tick-related diseases or heartworm.

For puppies under 6 months old, you can get reimbursed for their annual wellness exam, four puppy vaccines, and one annual fecal test to screen for worms.


Does Pumpkin Cover Spaying and Neutering?

Pumpkin’s accident and illness plan does not cover spaying and neutering.


Is There a Multi-Pet Discount?

Yes. You can get a 10% discount on your plan for each additional enrolled pet.


Do All Vets Accept Pumpkin?

You can use Pumpkin pet insurance with any licensed vet in the U.S. or Canada.

Find The Best Pet Insurance Companies in 2024


Our Verdict

Our verdict is that Pumpkin is a pet insurance provider well worth looking into. It sets itself apart from other providers by including microchipping, dental care, behavioral issues, and hereditary conditions coverage in its comprehensive plan. It also offers a high reimbursement rate and does not enforce an upper-age limit or exclude certain breeds from coverage.

We also love the user-friendly website, which we found very easy to navigate around and find all the answers to our questions in addition to sample policies.

On the downside, Pumpkin is far from the cheapest provider, doesn’t cover small pets or exotic animals, and only offers one plan (no accident-only plan). That said, most customers report a positive experience with Pumpkin, with its customer service team receiving especially glowing reviews. On that basis, we’ve decided to rate Pumpkin 4.5/5 stars overall.

  • Pet Keen acknowledges that it is not licensed as an insurance agent, and therefore will not offer any advice regarding insurance, nor recommend a particular coverage, policy, or insurance company.
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