Lemonade Reviews: How It Stacks Up (2024)

Lemonade is an AI-powered insurance company known for its affordable pet insurance and highly rated mobile app. The company is a public benefit corporation that takes a flat fee for its insurance services and donates any excess funds to charitable causes that policyholders choose.^[1]

That means Lemonade has little incentive to deny claims. But despite many good customer service reviews and affordable rates, Lemonade’s coverage may be too limited for some pet owners.^[2] Here’s what you need to know to decide if Lemonade is right for your pet’s needs.

Lemonade: Our verdict

Lemonade makes the experience of getting a quote and purchasing pet insurance easy and affordable. The mobile app is highly rated and offers a streamlined claims experience, and customers have great things to say about the company on Trustpilot. While Lemonade has some poor reviews with the Better Business Bureau, that’s quite common among pet insurance companies.

Lemonade offers more limited coverage than other pet insurers, and some commonly included coverages cost extra. But the company’s premiums are some of the lowest in the industry, making it a good option for pet owners on a budget.^[4]

Lemonade pros and cons

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Lemonade plans and coverages

Lemonade offers a basic pet insurance plan with customizable features and several optional add-ons for an additional cost, along with three preventative package options.

The basic Lemonade pet policy: Accident and illness coverage

Lemonade’s base policy covers the following when your pet has an accident or develops an illness:

• Diagnostics, such as X-rays and blood tests

• Procedures, such as hospitalization and surgery

• Medication, such as injections and prescriptions

The policy comes with a few waiting periods you should know about. These waiting periods begin on your policy start date:

• Covers accidents after two days

• Covers illnesses after 14 days

• Covers orthopedic conditions after 30 days

• Covers cruciate ligament events after six months^[6]

Lemonade allows you to customize your reimbursement level, deductible, and annual limit to get a price that fits in your budget. You can choose from the following options:

• Reimbursement share: 70%, 80%, or 90%

• Deductible: $100, $250, $500, or $750

• Annual limits: $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, or $100,000

Optional add-ons

You’ll also have the option to add select coverages for an extra monthly premium. Some of these coverages are automatically included in plans at other companies, which is part of the reason Lemonade’s base policy is so inexpensive.

• Vet visit fees: Pays examination costs for covered accidents and illnesses

• Physical therapy: Covers treatments such as chiropractic and acupuncture

• End of life and remembrance: Covers final expenses, such as euthanasia and cremation

• Dental illness: Covers tooth extractions and treatments for dental diseases

• Behavioral conditions: Covers therapies and medications recommended by your veterinarian for diagnosed behavioral conditions

Preventative package

If you opt for the preventative package, Lemonade will cover the following preventative care services before you meet your deductible. The limits for each service depend on the reimbursement level you choose, but the following are examples based on the 80% reimbursement option:

• Up to $50/year for an annual wellness exam

• Up to $35/year for a fecal or parasite test

• Up to $65/year for one set of blood work

• Up to $75/year for up to three vaccines

• Up to $40/year for one heartworm FeLV/FIV test^[7]

Like wellness plans from most companies, Lemonade’s preventative package is only worth it if you’ll use all the covered services, since it offers limited annual savings.

Preventative+ package

Lemonade’s Preventative+ package covers all preventive care services listed above, plus routine dental cleaning and flea/tick or heartworm medication. With 80% reimbursement, you’ll get up to $150 per year for dental cleaning and up to $65 for preventative medications.

Puppy/kitten preventative package

Lemonade also offers a package specifically designed to pay for routine care for puppies and kittens, which helps with some of the increased costs of wellness care over the first two years of your pet’s life. With 80% reimbursement, you’ll receive:

• Up to $100/year for two wellness exams

• Up to $70/year for two fecal or parasite tests

• Up to $65/year for one set of blood work

• Up to $40/year for one heartworm or FeLV/FIV test

• Up to $65/year for flea/tick or heartworm medication

• Up to $120 for a spay/neuter procedure

• Up to $40 for microchipping^[7]

What Lemonade doesn’t cover

Lemonade’s pet insurance policies come with more exclusions than some other pet insurance company plans.

• Anything that happens during the waiting period won’t have coverage.

• Pre-existing conditions that began before the waiting period are generally not covered, including bilateral conditions, like cataracts and hip dysplasia, that already occurred on the other side. However, cured pre-existing conditions may be covered after your pet is symptom-free for 12 months, depending on your state and your policy.^[8]

• Wellness care isn’t covered unless you purchase a preventative package.

• Preventable conditions aren’t covered, nor are illnesses or injuries related to abuse, fighting, or racing.

• If you wait too long to file a claim, coverage may not apply. The timeline varies by state, but you’ll typically have 180 days to file a claim for covered services.

• Alternative therapies, like CBD, aren’t covered.

How much does Lemonade cost?

Lemonade pet insurance policies start at $10 per month, but pricing varies based on several factors, including:

• Pet species: Cats are generally less expensive to insure than dogs.

• Pet age: Policy prices are higher for older pets.

• Pet breed: Some breeds are predisposed to health conditions that make them more expensive to insure.

• Location: If you live in an area with a high cost of living, your premiums may be higher to reflect the local cost of veterinary care.

• Coverage options: Choosing a low deductible, a high reimbursement percentage, and a high annual coverage limit will all increase the cost of coverage for your pet.

Below are a couple of sample quotes.

Cost of Lemonade dog insurance

For a medium-sized, 2-year-old mixed-breed male dog living in Hartford, CT, the Lemonade base plan costs about $24 per month. That price is based on an 80% reimbursement rate, a $500 deductible, and a $10,000 annual limit. 

You can also pick from the following add-ons:

• Vet visit fees: $4.69/month

• Physical therapy: $1.52/month

• Behavioral conditions: $3.49/month with a $1,000 annual limit

• Dental illness: $12.95/month with a $1,000 annual limit

• End of life and remembrance: $3.75/month with a $500 limit

• Preventative package: $17.58/month

• Preventative+ package: $26.62/month

Cost of Lemonade cat insurance

For a 2-year-old female American shorthair cat living in Hartford, CT, the Lemonade policy costs about $14 per month. That price is based on an 80% reimbursement rate, a $500 deductible, and a $10,000 annual limit. You can also add the following:

• Vet visit fees: $2.51/month

• Physical therapy: $0.81/month

• Behavioral conditions: $3.49/month with a $1,000 annual limit

• Dental illness: $12.95/month with a $1,000 annual limit

• End of life and remembrance: $2.50/month with a $500 limit

• Preventative package: $11/month

• Preventative+ package: $17.59/month

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4.8/5 (3,806+ reviews)

How customers feel about Lemonade

Though the Lemonade app has excellent ratings and the company has excellent customer service reviews on Trustpilot, customer reviews on some other third-party websites are mixed.

Lemonade has ratings of 4.9 out of 5 stars on the App Store from more than 71,000 customers and 4.4 out of 5 stars on the Google Play store from more than 15,000 customers. For example, one customer left the following positive Lemonade pet insurance review:^[9]

Lemonade also has an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars from more than 1,500 customers on Trustpilot. Many people say the coverage is excellent, the documents are easy to understand, and the claims filing process is convenient and prompt. For example, a pet owner left the following review of the company:

However, reviews with the Better Business Bureau are less favorable. Lemonade has a B- rating and is not BBB-accredited. What’s more, the company has an average rating of 2.08 out of 5 stars from over 200 customers. Reviews are mixed on ConsumerAffairs as well — Lemonade has 3.8 out of 5 stars from more than 200 customers.

Contrary to customers on Trustpilot, dissatisfied reviewers on these sites complain of denied claims, a lengthy claims process, or a poor customer support experience. As an example, here is one customer’s Lemonade insurance review:

The bottom line: Is Lemonade pet insurance worth it?

If an emergency vet bill would strain your budget and you don’t want to be forced to choose between your pet’s health and your finances, pet insurance is worth having. While you’ll pay a monthly up-front cost, pet insurance can help you save thousands of dollars if your pet faces an accident or illness. Given Lemonade’s low monthly premiums, the company is a good option for budget-minded pet owners.

However, you should make sure you understand Lemonade’s exclusions before signing up for a policy. Furthermore, make sure to compare pet insurance premiums for plans with the same coverage. While Lemonade’s base plan is cheap, you may pay more if you want a more comprehensive policy.

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