7 Tips to Find Affordable Pet Insurance

A veterinarian tends to a dog in a vet office.

Veterinary care — especially emergency care — can be expensive. Emergency vet visits for dogs and cats can range from $150 to 5,000 on average, according to MetLife, though even higher emergency bills aren’t unheard of.

Pet insurance can help offset those high unexpected bills, and some plans will even cover certain types of routine care. But if you're hesitant about the cost, there are ways to find affordable pet insurance or tweak your coverage to get a premium your wallet can live with.

The average monthly premium for an accident-and-illness plan is $56.30 for dogs and $31.94 for cats, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association.

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Wellness plans cost even more because they tend to cover preventive care that keeps your pet healthy, such as vaccinations. You can buy one as a stand-alone policy or as an add-on to an accident-and-illness policy.

Use these tips to help nab an affordable pet insurance premium.

7 ways to get more affordable pet insurance

A vet listens to the heart and lungs of a cat.

Pet insurance can save you thousands on vet bills throughout the life of your pet. But the best way to maximize your savings is to make sure you lock in the lowest premiums possible.

1. Start early with pet insurance

The best way to find affordable pet insurance is to start shopping when your pet is still young. Pet insurance premiums are less expensive when you enroll your pet at a young age, said Jenna Stregowski, pet health and behavior editor at Daily Paws, an advice website for pet owners. Another reason to enroll early on: Older pets with preexisting conditions may not be able to get coverage, Stregowski says.

Getting them enrolled young reduces the risk that any illnesses or costly chronic conditions they develop will be covered. And premiums tend to be lower for pets without a long history of medical issues.

2. Get multiple quotes first

Get quotes from multiple providers to find the best rate. You can use a comparison tool such as PawlicyAdvisor, Policygenius or Pet Insurance Quotes to get offers from a number of providers. Check out ratings and reviews from customers, and pay particularly close attention to how well a provider processes claims.

3. Don't switch pet insurance once you choose

In most cases, it's a good idea to shop around for new insurance before renewing to make sure you're getting the lowest rate for your coverage. But that doesn't quite work for pet insurance.

The reason: pre-existing conditions. If your pet was treated for a condition while you were with your current pet insurance, that condition will be considered a pre-existing condition by your next provider.

While some will cover certain curable conditions after a waiting period, many exclude all or most pre-existing conditions.

Any savings you might have gotten from switching pet insurance will likely be offset by the cost of paying for treatments for any condition that your new provider has excluded as pre-existing.

4. Get a multi-policy discount

You've heard of bundling home and auto insurance. But many companies also offer multi-policy discounts when you bundle pet insurance with any other insurance you get through the same provider.

As you're shopping for quotes, make sure to get quotes from your existing home or car insurance providers as well.

Just note that when you're ready to switch car insurance or home insurance, you'll want to keep your pet insurance unchanged to avoid getting hit with pre-existing condition exclusions after switching.

5. Look for other discounts

Some pet insurance providers offer lower rates for military, seniors and people who adopted a pet. And you may qualify for a lower rate by insuring more than one pet with the same company or by bundling pet insurance with your home or car insurance.

Nationwide and Progressive, for example, offer existing customers a 5% discount on pet insurance.

6. Buy pet insurance through Costco

Costco isn't just for saving on gas and groceries. The warehouse club also negotiates member's-only discounts for various products and services, insurance included. For pet insurance, Costco members get a 15% discount on Figo pet insurance. So, when you're comparing rates, make sure to grab a quote through Costco, too, and see how much you can save.

Not a member yet? You can save up to $40 on a Costco membership right now thanks to a Stack Social deal.

Costco isn't the only place that offers discounts on pet insurance. You can also find special offers through AAA, AARP and sometimes even your own health insurance.

7. Choose a higher deductible

Before your pet insurance claims get paid, you’ll have to meet your plan’s deductible, “just like with other insurance policies,” said Colin Lalley, an insurance expert at Policygenius, an insurance marketplace. Generally, a higher deductible equals a lower premium.

But be aware: Lalley points out that some pet insurance policies have annual deductibles, while others have per-incident deductibles. Make sure you know which one applies to your policy when you're setting your deductible.

A $500 annual deductible might be a reasonable tradeoff for lower premiums, but $500 per incident means you'd be missing out on payouts for most of your smaller claims.

Daniel Bortz is the Personal Finance Editor at AARP and is based in Arlington, Va. His freelance work has been published by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Consumer Reports, Newsweek, and Money magazine, among others.

With contributions from