Pet Insurance Reimbursement: 70% vs 80% vs 90% — What's the Real Difference? | VETX

Most pet insurance carriers offer reimbursement at 70%, 80%, or 90%. Each step costs roughly 10–15% more in premium. Here is the actual claim math at ea...

Pet Insurance Reimbursement: 70% vs 80% vs 90% — What's the Real Difference? — by Mike (AAI, PRC, SBCS, CCIC).

Published: 2026-05-12

Category: tips | 7 min read

Most pet insurance carriers offer reimbursement at 70%, 80%, or 90%. Each step costs roughly 10–15% more in premium. Here is the actual claim math at each level and how to pick the right tier.

How Reimbursement Works

After your annual deductible is met, your pet insurance policy pays a percentage of each covered claim. That percentage is called your reimbursement rate. The most common options are 70%, 80%, and 90%, with a handful of carriers offering 100% reimbursement on specific plans.

The mechanic is straightforward. On a $4,000 covered claim with a $500 annual deductible already met:

| Reimbursement | You Pay | Insurance Pays |

|---------------|---------|----------------|

| 70% | $1,200 | $2,800 |

| 80% | $800 | $3,200 |

| 90% | $400 | $3,600 |

| 100% (Figo) | $0 | $4,000 |

The math gets more interesting when you factor in the deductible. On the same $4,000 bill with the deductible not yet met:

| Reimbursement | You Pay | Insurance Pays |

|---------------|---------|----------------|

| 70% | $500 + $1,050 = $1,550 | $2,450 |

| 80% | $500 + $700 = $1,200 | $2,800 |

| 90% | $500 + $350 = $850 | $3,150 |

The premium cost of each step up is roughly 10–15%. Choosing 80% over 70% adds about 12%; choosing 90% over 80% adds another 12%.

Which Carriers Offer Which Tiers

| Carrier | Reimbursement Options |

|---------|----------------------|

| Healthy Paws | 70%, 80%, 90% |

| Embrace | 70%, 80%, 90% |

| Spot | 70%, 80%, 90% |

| Figo | 70%, 80%, 90%, 100% |

| Pets Best | 70%, 80%, 90% |

| Lemonade | 70%, 80%, 90% |

| Trupanion | 90% only (fixed) |

| Nationwide | 50%, 70%, 90% (varies by plan) |

| ASPCA | 70%, 80%, 90% |

Trupanion stands out — they only offer 90% reimbursement, which simplifies the decision and is part of why their premium tends to be on the higher side. Figo is the only major carrier offering 100% reimbursement, which the Figo review covers in detail.

What Each Tier Actually Costs Over Time

Let's price a 50-pound mixed-breed dog at age 2 in a mid-cost ZIP code. Base premium at 80% reimbursement and $500 deductible is $35/month.

|---------------|----------------|-------------|--------------|

| 70% | $30 | $360 | $3,600 |

| 80% | $35 | $420 | $4,200 |

| 90% | $40 | $480 | $4,800 |

The premium difference between 70% and 90% over a decade is $1,200. That is real money, but it is also less than the swing on a single major claim.

Plug your pet's specifics into our cost calculator for accurate numbers in your ZIP code.

When Each Tier Makes Sense

70% Reimbursement

The right choice when you are budget-constrained and have meaningful savings to absorb the larger out-of-pocket portion. On the $4,000 claim above, 70% reimbursement leaves you owing $1,550 — manageable for a household with $5,000+ in liquid savings, painful for one without.

70% is also reasonable for younger, lower-risk pets where the expected claim count is low. The premium savings versus 80% compounds over years of low utilization.

80% Reimbursement

The middle tier and, in my experience, the most commonly chosen. It balances reasonable out-of-pocket exposure on major claims with reasonable premium cost. On a $5,000 ACL surgery, 80% reimbursement leaves you owing about $1,500 after deductible — uncomfortable but not catastrophic.

This is the right starting point for most pet owners.

90% Reimbursement

The right choice for high-risk pets where major claims are likely. Frenchies, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Golden Retrievers, Cavaliers — breeds with $10,000+ lifetime claim probability — benefit disproportionately from the higher reimbursement.

The premium is meaningfully higher, but on a $12,000 cancer treatment, 90% reimbursement leaves you owing about $1,700 after deductible. 70% would leave you owing $4,100 on the same claim.

100% Reimbursement (Figo)

100% means you owe only the deductible on covered claims. The premium is meaningfully higher, but the simplicity is real. If you absolutely do not want to think about copay math during an emergency, 100% reimbursement removes that variable.

The Reimbursement Tier Selection Logic

Here is the framework I use when advising clients

1. Estimate lifetime expected claims for your pet's breed and age. A Golden Retriever has roughly $20,000 in expected lifetime claims. A mixed-breed cat has roughly $8,000.

2. Compare the premium delta to the expected claim differential. Going from 70% to 90% costs ~$1,200 more over a decade and pays out ~$4,000 more on a $20,000 lifetime claim base.

3. Factor in cash flow. Higher reimbursement reduces large out-of-pocket events. If your household cannot comfortably absorb $2,000–$3,000 unplanned, 90% is the right answer regardless of pure ROI math.

What 90% Doesn't Solve

A few common misconceptions

90% does not eliminate the deductible. You still owe your annual deductible before reimbursement starts. On a $1,000 claim with a $500 deductible, 90% pays $450, not $900.
90% does not cover excluded conditions. Pre-existing conditions are excluded at every reimbursement level.
90% does not extend annual caps. If your annual cap is $10,000, the carrier pays up to $10,000 regardless of reimbursement percentage. The cap is the hard ceiling.

The Compound Decision

Reimbursement does not exist in isolation. It interacts with your deductible and annual cap. A common smart configuration:

Higher deductible + higher reimbursement. Trade up-front routine claim coverage for stronger catastrophic claim coverage.
Lower deductible + lower reimbursement. Better for small frequent claims, worse for large rare claims.

The first structure is generally what I recommend, because the entire point of insurance is catastrophic risk transfer, not routine claim subsidy.

The Bottom Line

Reimbursement percentage is one of the three structural levers that defines your policy, alongside deductible and annual cap. Each step from 70% to 90% costs about 10–15% more in premium. The right answer depends on your pet's risk profile, your savings cushion, and your tolerance for out-of-pocket exposure on major claims.

For most owners with average savings and average-risk pets, 80% reimbursement at a $500 deductible is the structural sweet spot. For high-risk breeds or owners with limited cash cushion, 90% is worth the premium step. For the rare pet owner with substantial savings and a low-risk pet, 70% is defensible.

Do not pick the percentage by feel. Run the math on your expected claims and pick the structure that lines up with your actual risk picture.