With so many pet insurance companies available, it’s important to check all the information and read the fine print. Paying for pet insurance coverage is a big investment, so you want to be sure you’re getting the coverage you need when it counts.
Both Pumpkin and Trupanion offer pet insurance plans that cover accidents and illnesses, though there are some key coverage differences to be aware of when choosing the plan for your pets. In this comparison, we cover the different plan options, reimbursements, deductibles, add-ons, and perks of both Pumpkin and Trupanion. Find out which one comes out on top.
A Quick Comparison
| Company Name | Pumpkin | Trupanion |
| Pets Covered | Dogs, cats | Dogs, cats |
| Types of Plans |
|
|
| Deductibles | $100, $250, $500 | $0–$1,000 |
| Reimbursement | 90% | 90% |
| Additional Perks |
|
|
Brief Overview of Pumpkin
Pumpkin insurance has a wide selection of coverage options for medical expenses like exams, surgeries, and illnesses. You can upgrade with optional wellness coverage, and there’s no specific waiting period for some conditions. Pumpkin also offers discounts if you insure multiple pets. With preventative coverage, you can get help paying for wellness needs like vaccines, fecal exams, and heartworm tests.
Unlike other insurances, Pumpkin covers curable pre-existing conditions in certain cases. If your pet has been symptom-free of a curable condition and hasn’t had treatment in the past 180 days, the condition is treated as a new occurrence. This excludes knee and ligament problems, however.
Brief Overview of Trupanion
Trupanion offers a range of deductible options, unlimited coverage, and pays vets directly for claims in some cases. Hospitalizations, surgeries, prescription medications, hereditary conditions, congenital conditions, and accidents and illnesses are covered. Depending on your state, Trupanion offers reimbursement options of 50% to 90%.
There are other perks with Trupanion, including no extended waiting periods for special conditions and a 24/7 pet health line. With add-ons, you can get coverage for burial and cremation, advertising and rewards for lost pets, boarding fees if you’re hospitalized, liability for property damage caused by your pet, and alternative therapies like chiropractic and acupuncture.
Pumpkin vs Trupanion: Plans Available
Pumpkin
The Pet Health Insurance Plan includes coverage for vet bills related to accidents and illnesses, such as respiratory infections, skin conditions, cancer, broken bones, toxic ingestions, and bite wounds.
Examples of procedures covered include:
The Preventative Essentials Pack is an optional add-on that covers routine care, such as one vaccine, one wellness exam, and one fecal test for worms or parasites per year. For dogs, Pumpkin also covers one blood test for heartworm and tick disease per year.
Trupanion
The major medical plan for Trupanion covers illnesses and injuries, such as:
The Pet Owner Assistance Package pays for expenses outside of veterinary costs, such as:
The Recovery and Complementary Care Rider covers non-clinical care procedures like:
Pumpkin vs Trupanion: Reimbursements and Deductibles
Pumpkin
Pumpkin’s policies all come with a 90% reimbursement rate, but that comes with a higher premium. You can choose from three annual deductibles of $100, $250, or $500 and annual limits of $10,000 or $20,000 for dogs and $7,000 and $15,000 for cats. Unlimited is also available for both dogs and cats.
Trupanion
Trupanion has no annual limits on its policies. It also offers a per-condition deductible, which is unique among pet insurance companies. With this option, you pay your deductible amount every time your pet experiences a new condition, rather than annually. This can be beneficial if your pet develops one or more chronic conditions, since you only pay for each once, but it could cost more if you have multiple unrelated claims in the same year.
You can select a deductible between $0 and $1,000, though pet owners in Florida won’t have any deductible. Trupanion offers reimbursement options of 90% or 50% to 90%, depending on the state.
Pumpkin vs Trupanion: Additional Perks
Pumpkin
Pumpkin offers coverage in the US and Canada. For pet owners with multiple pets, the multi-pet discount offers 10% off the premium for each additional insured pet. Pumpkin also has eligible wellness coverage with no annual limit, which includes regular vet exams, vaccinations, and more.
Trupanion
Trupanion offers specific coverage for breed-specific conditions, such as cherry eye, hip dysplasia, thyroid disease, and cataracts. The extra coverage options include alternative therapies, such as acupuncture and hydrotherapy, and non-veterinary coverage like liability for property damage and advertising and rewards for a lost pet. Trupanion can pay vets directly, provided the vet has the software.
Pumpkin vs Trupanion: Summary of Pros and Cons
Pumpkin offers plenty of options with flexible deductibles and annual limits, multi-pet discounts, and coverage for curable pre-existing conditions, though it doesn’t offer an accident-only plan or a healthline. Trupanion also has flexible plans and deductibles, no extended waiting period for special conditions, and the option to pay your vet directly. Trupanion also has special coverage for non-veterinary expenses, though it doesn’t offer a plan for routine veterinary care and wellness.
Pumpkin
Trupanion
Company Verdict: Which One Has the Edge?
Customer Service
Edge: Trupanion
Trupanion launched in 2000 and has been stable overall. Its customer service representatives are available with the 24/7 healthline, which isn’t available for Pumpkin. In addition, Pumpkin is a newer company and its long-term reputation for customer service and brand stability remains to be seen. As of now, Trupanion has a consistent history of pricing and policy, while Pumpkin has complaints with pricing, processing times, and difficulty canceling policies.
Price of Plans
Edge: Tie
Pumpkin has slightly higher premiums than other insurance plans, though there is a multi-pet discount. But both Pumpkin and Trupanion have flexible plan options and different perks and drawbacks, so one may be more cost-effective than the other depending on your individual needs. Overall, both are higher-priced insurance options.
Areas of Coverage
Edge: Pumpkin
One of the biggest differences between Pumpkin and Trupanion is that Pumpkin offers a variety of plan customizations, including different annual limits and deductibles. It also offers add-ons to customize your coverage according to your needs and budget. Trupanion has fewer customization options with unlimited payouts. The only customization is to select your deductible to reduce your premium price, but you do have options for coverage for non-veterinary expenses.
Perks
Edge: Pumpkin
Pumpkin offers a multi-pet discount, which is helpful for pet owners looking to insure multiple pets. It also covers eligible wellness visits with no limit, which are a significant portion of veterinary expenses. Both plans cover dental illnesses, but Pumpkin doesn’t require an annual dental exam for coverage to apply—unlike Trupanion. You can also choose your annual limits and deductibles to reduce your monthly premium, which isn’t as flexible with Trupanion.
Conclusion
Overall, Pumpkin has the edge over Trupanion. Though the premiums are a little higher, Pumpkin offers customization options to get the coverage you need within your budget, and it covers routine veterinary care. If you have multiple pets, you can get an extra discount as well. Trupanion is the more stable company of the two, however, and has consistent satisfaction with customer service, pricing, and policies, as well as a 24/7 healthline.