When unexpected veterinary emergencies arise, waiting periods in pet insurance policies can prevent immediate coverage for your furry companion. These mandatory timeframes are between policy purchase and coverage activations with nearly all pet insurance providers.
The waiting period ranges from a few days to several months, depending on the condition and insurance company. For pet owners seeking immediate protection against unexpected veterinary costs, understanding which companies offer minimal or no waiting periods is crucial.
This guide provides details on pet insurance waiting periods, helping you make an informed decision about protecting your beloved animal companion.
What Pet Insurance Companies Offer No Waiting Period?
Finding comprehensive pet insurance with absolutely zero waiting periods for all conditions (accidents, illnesses, hereditary issues) is exceptionally rare in the traditional market, but there are still some options.
Figo offers a short one-day waiting period for accidents, while Embrace and Paw Protect require pet owners to wait just two days before accident coverage becomes effective. Most providers maintain a standard 14-day waiting period for illness coverage, which is considered the industry norm.
MetLife and Companion Protect are known as the only providers with no mandatory waiting period for pet insurance coverage, allowing claims as soon as your pet is approved for enrollment. However, Companion Protect insurance comes with an important catch—the company reviews your pet’s medical records beforehand (taking several days) and requires pre-approval for certain treatments.
Wellness plans, which cover routine preventive care like annual check-ups and vaccinations, typically have no waiting periods regardless of the provider. These plans are usually offered as add-ons to standard accident and illness policies.
While some pet insurance providers offer limited or no waiting periods, it’s important to understand how coverage, costs, and timelines work before choosing a plan. To get a clearer picture, check out our guide on How Does Pet Insurance Work? (Costs & Coverage).
Types of Pet Insurance Waiting Periods
Understanding the different categories of waiting periods helps pet owners make informed decisions about their insurance needs and expectations for coverage timing.
Accident Coverage Waiting Periods
Accident coverage protects your pet when they experience unexpected injuries like broken bones, lacerations, or foreign object ingestion.
These waiting periods are the shortest:
- No waiting period: MetLife, Companion Protect
- 1 day: Figo
- 2 days: Embrace, Paw Protect
- 3 days: Odie, Pets Best
- 2-5 days: CarePlus by Chewy
- 5 days: Trupanion
- 14-15 days: Spot, Fetch, Pumpkin, Healthy Paws, Lemonade
The shorter waiting periods for accident coverage reflect the unpredictable nature of injuries and the lower risk of pre-existing conditions being disguised as new accidents.
This makes accident coverage the most accessible type of immediate protection available to pet owners.
Illness Coverage Waiting Periods
Illness coverage addresses conditions like infections, digestive issues, and other diseases. These waiting periods are typically longer to prevent owners from purchasing insurance only after their pet shows symptoms of illness:
- 5 days: Animalia (the shortest in the industry)
- 14 days: Most providers, including Lemonade, MetLife, Figo, Embrace, and Paw Protect
- 15 days: Fetch, Healthy Paws
- 30 days: Trupanion
The two-week standard waiting period serves as an important protection for insurance companies against adverse selection, where owners might purchase coverage only after noticing signs of illness in their pets.
When considering illness coverage, it’s important to factor in waiting periods and how they might affect your pet’s eligibility for treatment. To better understand what pet insurance typically covers and how much it might cost in 2025, check out our guide on How Much Is Pet Insurance & What Does It Cover?.
Orthopedic Condition Waiting Periods
Orthopedic conditions such as cruciate ligament injuries, hip dysplasia, and other bone and joint issues often have the longest waiting periods:
- 30 days: Lemonade (for orthopedic conditions in most states)
- 6 months: Pets Best (for cruciate ligament conditions)
- 6 months: Paw Protect (for canine orthopedic conditions, can be reduced to 14 days with exam and waiver)
- 12 months: Healthy Paws (for hip dysplasia in dogs under 5 years old)
These extended waiting periods exist because orthopedic conditions are often expensive to treat and may have pre-existing symptoms that aren’t immediately apparent during initial examinations.
Pet Insurance Companies With No Waiting Period
While completely waiting-period-free insurance isn’t standard, some providers offer quick coverage.
MetLife provides immediate coverage with accident protection beginning at midnight on the day you purchase your policy. This means if your pet has an accident the following day, you’re covered. For illnesses, MetLife maintains the standard 14-day waiting period.
Companion Protect offers a unique model with reportedly no mandatory waiting period for pet insurance coverage. This means you can file a claim as soon as your pet is approved for enrollment.
However, there are important limitations to consider:
- The company reviews your pet’s medical records before approval, which might take several days.
- Some treatments require pre-approval, including surgeries, hospitalization, and hip dysplasia.
- Certain conditions, like intervertebral disc disease, can take up to 12 months before being covered.
Companion Protect offers a comprehensive accident and illness plan with a 90% reimbursement rate, but the requirement for pre-approval of certain treatments may offset the benefit of having no initial waiting period.
How to Minimize Your Waiting Period
The most effective way to address waiting periods is to enroll your pet in insurance when they’re young and healthy.
This ensures that coverage will be in place before most health issues develop, reducing the likelihood that a condition will be classified as pre-existing when symptoms appear.
Finding a provider with no waiting period can be a major advantage, but it’s also important to weigh the overall value of pet insurance. If you’re still on the fence, our guide on Is Pet Insurance Worth It? Pros, Cons & Costs breaks it all down for you.
Look for Waiting Period Waivers
Some companies offer waivers that can reduce or eliminate waiting periods under certain circumstances:
- Continuing coverage waivers: If you’re switching from one insurance provider to another, some companies may waive waiting periods if you can prove your pet was previously insured without a coverage gap.
- Veterinary exam waivers: Companies like Paw Protect allow you to reduce the six-month waiting period for orthopedic conditions to just 14 days if you complete an orthopedic exam and waiver process.
Consider Wellness Plans For Immediate Coverage
Most providers offer wellness plans with no waiting period. While these don’t cover accidents or illnesses, they do provide immediate coverage for preventive care like annual check-ups, vaccinations, and routine tests.
Adding a wellness plan to your pet insurance policy can give you some immediate benefits while you wait for the main policy’s waiting periods to expire.
Compare Multiple Providers
Insurance policies vary widely in terms of their waiting period. Taking the time to compare multiple providers can help you find the shortest waiting periods for the types of coverage that matter most to you. Pay particular attention to the specific waiting periods for accidents if immediate coverage is your priority.
While choosing a provider with no waiting period is beneficial, it’s also essential to determine if your preferred veterinarian accepts pet insurance. For more details on how vet compatibility works, check out our Do All Vets Take Pet Insurance?
Related Reads:
Conclusion: MetLife and Companion Protect Offer Pet Insurance With No Waiting Period
Pet insurance with absolutely no waiting period for all conditions remains rare; Lemonade and MetLife stand out with immediate or near-immediate accident coverage, while Companion Protect offers a unique no-waiting-period model with certain limitations.
When selecting a policy, consider not only waiting periods but also coverage breadth, exclusions, reimbursement rates, and cost. By enrolling early, looking for waivers, and understanding all available options, you can minimize the impact of waiting periods and ensure your pet receives timely care. Get your pet insured today to save tomorrow.
FAQs
Most providers have some waiting period; Lemonade offers immediate accident coverage, while illness periods typically remain.
They prevent owners from purchasing insurance only after pets show symptoms, protecting providers from covering pre-existing conditions.
Most wellness plans offer immediate coverage for preventive care like vaccinations and annual check-ups.
Some companies waive waiting periods if you provide proof of continuous coverage from your previous pet insurance policy.
Animalia offers the shortest illness waiting period at just 5 days, while most providers require 14 days.
