AKC Pet Insurance Review – A Solid Choice for Your Furry Friend
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If you’re a pet parent, you know how expensive the medical bills for your furry friends can be. Your dog broke his back leg? The veterinary bills for treating that can be sky-high. Cat accidentally swallowed your favorite necklace? Pet owners know how expensive that can be.
That's where pet insurance comes in. Pet insurance companies pay out when dogs or cats need emergency care. The pricing of these policies varies, but they can be a financial safety net whether you need to pay for vaccinations, hospitalization or cancer treatments for your cat or dog.
The challenge? Finding the right pet insurance company. Fortunately, pet parents have many choices, including AKC Pet Insurance, protection offered by the American Kennel Club. How does AKC Pet Insurance stack up? Is it the right choice for your cat or dog? Read on to find out.
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What is AKC Pet Insurance?
AKC Pet Insurance provides coverage for dogs and cats, and is affiliated with the American Kennel Club, a trusted name in the pet world.
AKC Pet Insurance is known for its wide range of coverage, providing pet owners with a payout for emergency care; breeder insurance that covers any unexpected costs during breeding, pregnancy and whelping; wellness coverage, an add-on protection that covers preventive care such as wellness exams, spay and neutering, microchipping, heartworm prevention and vaccines; and access to a 24/7 veterinary care hotline.
AKC Pet Insurance also covers the cost of treating pre-existing conditions in your dog or cat, a rarity in the pet insurance world. You must, though, have a policy with AKC for 365 continuous days before you can file any claims for pre-existing conditions.
- Sign up in seconds
- Get paid in minutes
- Get 5% Off for 2 or more pets
- Get 10% off when you bundle
- Get 5% off by paying annually
- Award-winning service
How does AKC Pet Insurance work?
It’s easy to get a quote and explore your pet’s coverage options with AKC Pet Insurance.
First, visit AKC’s home page here. Scroll to the middle of the page and you’ll find an orange button that says “Get A Quote.”
Click on that orange button. This will take you to a new page where the American Kennel Club will ask you for information about your pet.
You'll have to provide your pet's name and your zip code. AKC will also ask whether you need a pet insurance plan for a cat or dog.
You'll need to provide your pet's breed and age. There is no age limit for AKC Pet Insurance coverage, but pets older than nine are only eligible for an accident-only plan.
AKC also asks whether your pet has ever been diagnosed with or shown symptoms of diabetes, Cushing's disease or FELV/FIV.
You'll then provide your email address and click the orange "Choose Coverage" button on the bottom of the page.
Next, you'll be taken to a page that gives you a quote and the chance to personalize your plan or accept AKC Pet Insurance's basic plan.
On this page, you can also adjust your deductible, the amount you will pay out of pocket before your pet insurance policy kicks in with its coverage. The higher your deductible, the less your pet insurance cost will be. Just make sure that your deductible isn't so high that you can't afford to pay it if your pet suffers an accident or unexpected illness.
How deductibles work with AKC
Say your insurance policy comes with a payout of 90%. This means that AKC will cover 90% of your costs for covered medical treatments, therapies or emergencies minus your deductible.
A base plan from AKC, known as CompanionCare, covers such emergencies as allergies, broken bones, toxic ingestion, foreign body ingestion, surgery and hospitalization. It also provides a payout for such treatments as physical therapy, prescription medications and diagnostics.
You can add additional coverages to your plan, too. You'll have the option to sign up for coverages such as ExamPlus, which costs $3.86 a month and covers the cost of routine veterinary exam fees; HereditaryPlus, which costs 48 cents extra a month and covers the costs of treating hereditary conditions; and DefenderPlus, which costs $27 a month and covers spaying and neutering, dental procedures and other forms of preventive care. You can also add BreedingCoverage insurance for $16.82 a month if you are a breeder and you are worried about any unexpected emergencies while breeding your dog.
Once you're happy with your deductible and coverage options, you can click on the "Add To Cart" button to select your new pet insurance plan and pay for it. That will complete your enrollment. AKC also lets you add another pet at this stage, promising that you'll receive a multi-pet discount of 5% on the cost of an additional policy.
- Sign up in seconds
- Get paid in minutes
- Get 5% Off for 2 or more pets
- Get 10% off when you bundle
- Get 5% off by paying annually
- Award-winning service
How much will AKC Pet Insurance cost?
How much you pay for your pet health insurance will vary on several factors, including whether you are insuring a cat or dog, your pet’s breed, its age and where you live.
For example, to obtain insurance coverage from AKC for my 3-year-old chihuahua Ricky, who lives in the Chicago market, AKC Pet Insurance quoted me a monthly rate of $23.66 for a custom plan. That quote comes with a deductible of $250. If I went with a basic plan, that monthly premium would be lower.
I can also change my policy pricing by tweaking my deductible amount. If I raised my deductible to $500, the pricing falls to $18.88 a month. This coverage does not include any add-on coverage. A pet insurance plan with extra coverage would cost more.
But what if I was seeking enrollment in a pet insurance plan for a 5-year-old American long hair cat living in Minneapolis? AKC Pet Insurance quoted me a monthly price of $15.78. This basic plan comes with a deductible of $100. It also comes with a payout of 80% of the costs of covered treatments and care after subtracting your deductible.
AKC Pet Insurance says that most pet owners pay an average cost of $550 to $600 a year for their pet insurance policies.
Incident limit
This plan also comes with an incident limit of $500, the maximum cost it will payout for a single medical treatment.
Annual payout limit
It’s important to note that there are some limits to AKC’s pet insurance. You can select plans with an annual payout of up to $20,000. If your pet needs more medical care than your annual payout amount, you’ll have to fund the additional costs out of pocket. The higher the annual limit, the higher the pricing of your pet insurance policy.
AKC Pet Insurance features
Coverage for pre-existing conditions
Most pet insurance companies don't cover pre-existing conditions. If you know your cat has kidney problems before signing up for a pet insurance policy, then, most insurers will not provide any payouts for the costs of treating this issue.
AKC Pet Insurance, though, does offer coverage for curable and incurable pre-existing conditions, a nice perk if your dog or cat has a pre-existing condition that requires costly medical care. There is a catch, though: You must have your pet insurance policy for 365 continuous days before AKC will start providing payouts for these conditions.
Pet wellness coverage
Many pet insurers don't cover routine veterinary visits or preventive care. With AKC, though, you can add wellness coverage. This coverage helps cover the costs of spaying or neutering your pet, implanting a microchip in your cat or dog, wellness exams, diagnostic tests for urinary health assessment, rabies vaccinations, deworming and heartworm tests.
This coverage also covers diagnostic tests to assess your pet's blood and fecal matter, flea and tick prevention, teeth cleaning and other dental procedures. Wellness coverage is available with AKC's DefenderPlus add-on coverage.
24/7 Vet Helpline
Policyholders can call or chat online with a veterinary expert at any time if they have questions about caring for their pets.
Keep your vet
You won’t have to change your veterinarian after signing up for an AKC pet insurance policy. AKC says that you can visit any licensed vet in the United States or Canada.
What a policy covers
AKC Pet Insurance’s basic policies cover a wide range of conditions and treatments, including broken bones, cancer treatments, treatment related to toxic ingestions, care related to hypothyroidism, digestive issues, treatment for allergies and UTI testing and treatment.
Accident-only plan
AccidentCare pays out when you must make an unexpected visit to the vet because of accidents or injuries. This includes coverage for broken bones, toxin ingestion and bite wounds.
Breeding coverage
This coverage pays out to breeders to help cover unexpected medical costs during dog breeding, including coverage for liver failure, emergency C-sections or mastitis.
Final respects coverage
This insurance helps cover the costs of burial, cremation and memorials.
- Sign up in seconds
- Get paid in minutes
- Get 5% Off for 2 or more pets
- Get 10% off when you bundle
- Get 5% off by paying annually
- Award-winning service
Who is AKC Pet Insurance best for?
Is AKC Pet Insurance worth it? For many dog or cat owners, this insurance will be a smart buy. That includes:
Breeders who want protection. AKC Pet Insurance’s Breeding Coverage program can help breeders whose dogs experience unexpected emergencies during the breeding process. If you plan to breed your dog, investing in this coverage could save you big on medical bills in the future.
Pet parents whose furry friends have pre-existing conditions. It can be challenging finding pet insurance companies that cover pre-existing conditions. AKC Pet Insurance, though, offers this coverage. Just be aware that it doesn’t kick in immediately: You’ll need to have your pet insurance policy in effect for 365 continuous days before you can receive any payout for pre-existing conditions.
Pet owners who have more than one dog or cat. AKC Pet Insurance offers a multi-pet discount. If you insure one dog or cat, you’ll receive a 5% discount when you take out a pet insurance policy for another pet.
Pet parents who want reimbursement for preventive care and routine wellness exams. You can add coverage that pays out for vet visits, wellness exams and other forms of preventive care. Not all pet insurance companies offer this coverage.
Those with an older pet. AKC says that there is no age limit on dogs or cats that can be insured. The only catch? You can only sign up for an accident-only plan if your pet is nine or older.
Who shouldn’t use AKC Pet Insurance?
Pet owners who need immediate coverage for pre-existing conditions. While AKC Pet Insurance is a rare pet insurance company that covers pre-existing conditions, there is a waiting period. You need to have your pet insurance policy in effect for 365 continuous days before you can qualify for a payout for pre-existing conditions. If your dog or cat needs immediate care for these conditions, AKC won’t provide the financial support you need.
If you don’t want to pay more for a higher annual limit. You can select a policy that comes with annual payouts of up to $20,000 for eligible expenses. But the higher your annual limit, the higher your policy price will be. If you are worried about spending too much on your insurance and your dog or cat requires expensive medical care each year, you might consider shopping around for a policy that offers unlimited annual payouts or higher payouts at lower prices.
Pet parents who want exam costs covered without an extra fee. You can opt for AKC’s Exam Coverage, an optional add-on to your policy that will help cover some or all the expenses of medical exams. This coverage, though, isn’t free. It varies depending on the pet, but you can expect to pay about an extra $5.60 a month for AKC’s ExamPlus coverage.
Pros and cons
Pros
- The AKC Pet Cloud app stores your pet's digital medical records, allows you to quickly submit claims, gives you 24/7 access to veterinary professionals and lets you search for nearby pet owners with whom to connect.
- AKC Pet Insurance’s coverage is comprehensive and will cover most of the costs of maintaining your furry friends’ pet health. Depending on your policy type, AKC’s insurance will payout for everything from illness coverage, hospitalizations and microchipping to the costs to neuter and spay your pet to vaccinations, emergency vet visits and preventive care.
- You can tweak the cost of your policy by increasing or lowering your deductible and adding on or skipping bonus coverages.
Cons
- AKC offers limited coverage for pets 9 years or older. If your pet is older, you can only qualify for accident-only coverage from AKC Pet Insurance.
- AKC does offer coverage for pre-existing and hereditary conditions, but you’ll have to pay extra for this coverage.
- The waiting period to receive coverage for pre-existing conditions is 365 continuous days.
AKC Pet Insurance vs. competitors
Insurer | Reimbursement levels | Annual coverage caps | Optional coverages offered |
AKC Pet Insurance | Up to 90% | Limits range from $2,500 to $20,000 annually. | Exam, wellness, accident-only, final respects, breeding and hereditary coverage. |
Up to 90% | $5,000, $8,000, $10,000, $15,000 or unlimited | Wellness Rewards from Embrace reimburses you for vaccinations; spay or neuter surgery; flea, tick and heartworm treatment; and bloodwork. | |
Up to 90% | $5,000, $10,000 or unlimited | Coverage for hereditary conditions, wellness coverage for routine care, coverage for the costs of prescription dog food. | |
Lemonade Pet Insurance | Up to 90% | From $5,000 to $100,000 | Vet visit fees, dental illness, physical therapy, cremation services, euthanasia coverage and behavioral treatments. |
USAA Pet Insurance
USAA provides financial and insurance services to current members of the U.S. Military, veterans of the Armed Forces and their families. This includes pet insurance.
USAA's pet insurance is available for cats and dogs and covers treatments for a wide range of medical conditions and accidents, including congenital, genetic and breed-specific conditions; chronic conditions; cancer treatments; emergency room and specialist care; surgery, hospitalization and nursing care; complementary therapies and rehabilitation; and diagnostic testing and imaging.
While many pet insurance providers don't cover routine or wellness care, USAA, like AKC, does. You'll have to pair your pet insurance policy with Wellness Rewards coverage from Embrace Pet Insurance, an add-on to the company’s standard pet insurance policy. With this coverage, you'll get reimbursed for vaccinations; spaying or neutering your pets; blood work; and flea, tick or heartworm treatments.
If you buy a pet insurance policy through USAA, you'll get a discount of up to 15%. Military members and members with multiple pets might qualify for an extra 10% -- as a multi-pet discount -- off for a maximum discount of 25%.
Nationwide Pet Insurance
Nationwide provides what it calls "nose-to-tail" coverage for pets, with its policies covering accidents that include broken bones, sprains, lacerations and poisoning; illnesses including allergies, ear infections, arthritis and cancer; and preventive care, including checkups, vaccinations and flea and tick prevention.
Nationwide might provide some coverage of pre-existing conditions. On its FAQ page, the company says that policyholders can request a review of their pet's pre-existing conditions that have been cured. Nationwide can then elect -- though it is not required to do so -- to cover this cured pre-existing condition.
The insurer also provides coverage for routine care such as physical exams, vaccinations and flea/tick prevention. You will have to pay extra for this coverage, though.
If you are looking to spend as little as possible on medical treatment, Nationwide offers deductibles as low as $100 on some plans. Just remember, a lower deductible means a higher monthly policy premium.
Lemonade Pet Insurance
Lemonade promises quick service on its website, saying that you can log into the company's app or website to sign up for pet insurance in seconds and submit claims and receive approval for them in minutes.
The company's pet insurance, available for dogs and cats, provides a wide range of coverage for such procedures as blood tests, x-rays, MRIs, lab work, CT scans and ultrasounds. It also provides a payout to help cover the costs of outpatient procedures, specialty and emergency care, hospitalizations and surgery. You'll receive coverage for your pet's injections and prescription medications, too.
Lemonade also provides coverage for wellness exams, heartworm screenings, bloodwork, vaccines, routine dental cleaning and fecal or internal parasite tests.
You can also qualify for discounts on your pet insurance. You'll save 10% when you bundle your policy with one of Lemonade's other insurance products, such as renters' insurance, homeowners' insurance, car insurance or life insurance.
FAQs
Does AKC Pet Insurance provide pet insurance for cats?
It does. Although AKC Pet Insurance is affiliated with the American Kennel Club, it offers insurance policies for both cats and dogs. Other animals, though, are not covered.
What does AKC Pet Insurance consider a pre-existing condition?
Unlike some insurers, AKC does offer insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions, though you will have to pay for it and have your policy in effect for 365 continuous days before you can receive a payout for treatments related to these conditions. Here is a list of what AKC considers to be pre-existing conditions: cancer, cruciate ligament illness, allergies, dermatitis, cherry eyes, chronic ear infections, conjunctivitis, colitis, IBS and IBD, IVDD, hypothyroidism, heart disease, diabetes, Cushing's disease, Addison's disease, elevated liver enzymes and arthritis.
Will filing a veterinary claim automatically cause your policy price to increase?
No. AKC says that it will not increase any policyholder’s rate based on the number of claims filed or the amount of reimbursement it pays out. Any rate increases are based solely on market conditions, AKC says.
- Sign up in seconds
- Get paid in minutes
- Get 5% Off for 2 or more pets
- Get 10% off when you bundle
- Get 5% off by paying annually
- Award-winning service
The bottom line
If you’re looking for pet insurance from a trusted name that provides comprehensive coverage for your furry friends, AKC Pet Insurance is a solid choice. Pet parents can even investigate extra coverages that will cover wellness visits, pre-existing conditions and any unforeseen costs during the breeding process.
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Writer
Dan Rafter is a freelance writer who has more than 20 years experience covering personal finance. He's written for the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Bankrate, CreditCards.com, Rocket Mortgage, NortonLifeLock and several others.
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