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Pawp Pet Insurance Review

33 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
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Founded in 2019, Pawp is a digital clinic for pets that offers unlimited 24/7 access to online vets plus an annual $3,000 emergency fund. For a low flat fee of $24/month, you can protect up to 6 pets within a household at no extra cost, and your dog or cat can receive up to $3,000 once a year in case of an emergency with no co-pays or deductibles under the company's simple plan. Pawp is a privately-held company located in New York, New York.

How is Pawp rated?

Breakdown

4.0/5
Coverage
4.5/5
Cost
3.5/5
Extras

Overall Rating: 3.9 / 5 (Very good)

Pawp is a low-cost alternative to traditional pet insurance providers. Pet owners pay just $24 per month for coverage. There are no co-pays, deductibles, or credit checks. However, coverage through Pawp is more limited than through other pet insurers, since it covers emergencies only.

Pawp is not an everyday-health-concern type of insurance. It won't cover your pet for an exam to determine why he or she is limping, for example. However, it will cover a lot of worst case scenarios—those that the company considers emergency situations. The maximum amount Pawp will reimburse you for an emergency is $3,000. That may not be enough to cover more serious surgeries but it can help ease the burden of a large, unexpected vet bill.

Pawp's plan does offer a few very appealing features. There are no co-pays or deductibles. You can choose any licensed vet in the event your pet needs emergency care. In addition, vet bills are paid upfront on the same day they are incurred directly to the vet providing services. Besides, they offer unlimited 24/7 access to online vets who will answer any health, behavioral or nutritional questions you might have. They will also determine the urgency of your pet’s situation so that you can avoid unnecessary trips to the vet and expensive bills.

So while this plan’s coverage might not be as extensive as other traditional insurance policies, it is a great option for the vast majority of pets that don’t have insurance or any financial protection whatsoever. Less than 3% of pets in the U.S are insured, resulting in a very high number of financial euthanasia and surrender cases, which Pawp hopes to reduce with an affordable emergency plan.

Pawp Coverage

Coverage - 4 / 5

Pawp is emergency coverage, plain and simple. Expenses such as cancer care, diagnostic services unrelated to an emergency, prescription medicines, or follow-up care after an emergency are not covered. In the event of a Pawp-approved emergency, your vet bill will be covered up to $3,000. Covered emergencies are limited to one per year on one of your protected pets (since one $24 membership protects up to 6 cats and dogs within a household at no extra cost). If your emergency costs less than $3,000, it still counts as your one emergency and there will be no more funds available to you for the rest of the year.

That being said, Pawp provides peace of mind to pet owners who are unable to afford more expensive coverage, knowing that a $3,000 emergency vet bill won’t force them to make the difficult choice of choosing between a vet bill and their pet’s life.
Pets Covered
Dogs
Cats
Coverage Types
Medical
Vet Selection
Unrestricted
Out-of-State Coverage
Yes
Commercial Pets Covered

Medical Conditions Covered

  • Accidental
  • Illness
  • Hereditary
  • Congenital

Medical Treatments Covered

  • Surgery
  • Emergency Care

Benefit Limits

Benefit Limits - 3.8 / 5

Under the Pawp plan, benefits are limited to emergency treatments only. Pets are allowed only one emergency per year. The maximum the plan pays out is $3,000 annually.
Benefit Limit Types
Annual
Per Incident
Annual Benefit Maximum
$3,000
Per Incident Maximum
$3,000

Reimbursement & Deductibles

Reimbursement - 4 / 5

Pawp reimburses your vet directly on the day of surgery. Any treatment your pet receives has to be pre-approved by the company. Once service is complete, your vet simply submits the bill to Pawp. You don't have to file a claim, pay your vet out of pocket, or wait to be reimbursed yourself. That's a pretty streamlined process and distinguishes Pawp from many of its competitors.
Reimbursement Model
Actual Cost
Minimum Percent Reimbursement
100%
Maximum Percent Reimbursement
100%

Deductibles - 3.5 / 5

One of the more attractive features of the Pawp plan is that there is no annual deductible. Customers will have to weigh this advantage alongside the relatively low maximum coverage amount the plan offers and the restrictions the plan places on covered emergencies: only one per year and it must be pre-approved by a Pawp vet. Approval is available 24/7 via chat and video calling.
Maximum Deductible Offered
$0

Pricing: How much does Pawp cost?

Cost - 4.5 / 5

Pawp has one low monthly premium of $24 for all pets. If you have multiple pets, you can protect up to six pets within a household under the same plan at no extra cost. If you want each pet to have its own emergency fund, the full monthly premium will apply for both pets.

Starting Monthly Premiums

Dog: Sample Monthly Premium, 1 year old male Golden Retriever in zip code 92683
$24.00
Cat: Sample Monthly Premium, 1 year old male American Shorthair in zip code 92683
$24.00
Rate Details: Annual deductible: $0, Benefits Cap: $3000 and one treatment per year, Reimbursement Model: Actual bill

Enrollment & Waiting Periods

Enrollment - 4 / 5

You can enroll any age pet in the Pawp plan. Pawp has a 14-day waiting period before your emergency fund can be activated.
Max Enrollment Age
0 years
Accident Waiting Period
5 days
Illnesses Waiting Period
5 days

Claims & Service

Extras - 3.5 / 5

Pawp gives pet owners online access to professional vet advice 24/7 via online chatting and video calling. Staff vets can give you first aid instructions in addition to performing an emergency triage of your pet's situation. Vets will respond to your request for advice within 2 minutes. Such speed— versus driving your pet to an emergency clinic—can be a critical advantage. But once again, you must aso contact a Pawp vet before bringing your vet to a clinic to be assured that the company considers your situation an emergency and that it is approved for coverage.

By chatting with a Pawp vet, you may be able to avoid “false alarms”—health problems that may look like emergencies, but may be treatable at home or through a non-emergency vet visit. While undoubtedly a cost-saving measure on the part of the company, it can also save pet owners money. Since only one emergency treatment per year is covered by a Pawp policy, pet owners can avoid using their coverage unnecessarily.

Contact & Additional Information

Homepage URL
Headquarters Address
45 Bond Street, 5th floor, New York, NY, 10012
Year Founded
2019

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33 Customer Comments & Reviews

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mjiseattle6507

4/26/2022
Scam. My dog infested 7os of chocolate and we had to rush her to the vet as she was visibly shaking. Vet induced, she puked and they kept her overnight because she was still shaking and 22lbs. Vet said her organs would have shut down if we hadn’t gotten then: They hydrated her and gave her meds until she was okay: pawp nitpicked the notes, didn’t call the vet, and decided she didn’t need the treatment and didn’t cover the 2000 visit, they will take your money.


T
Tom W

3/30/2022
Signed up on 1/23. Used service on 1/23 to speak to Vet. (It was a Vet tech not a vet) She offered advice on diet which we were already doing. My dog died on 1/29. Canceled on 2/24. was told no longer have emergency fund but can use vets. Found out was charged for 2nd full month, Asked for a credit. Was told no. Escalated to supervisor/manager. No manager responded and then my emails were ignored. They continued to send me marketing emails with my dead dogs name on it. Just a money grab company with horrible customer service.


K
K P

3/10/2022
Pawp refused to pay for a very severe emergency on a dog that have been attacked to the tune of $1600 (with two other vet bills that came later within two weeks totalling another 900 and $500 within a week of that first incident). They had the audacity to tell us that it wasn’t a true emergency. We had just gone through a terrible disaster of subzero temperatures, excessive winds that left many people homeless and without heat and power and yet somehow even though we didn’t have communications abilities, we were still denied. We were actually declared a natural disaster area. I’ve reached out to our attorney and will be contacting the insurance commissioner for the state of New York... Read More


cleoandtazzy

3/9/2022
I bought this "Insurance" 4 Month ago and it turned out to be a major waste of time. I used the chat even the emergency chat but the upper respiratory infection of my Cat was not deemed an emergency..Until my cat had an emergency with 103 f Fever. The fact that Pawp is advertising this as a great alternative to Pet Insurance is grossly a FALSE ADVERTISING and very deceiving. And it could cost you much more in the end because not every emergency is visible over Zoom, especially since Cats know how to hide there illness. You can get what Pawp offers for free at Chewy.com for example and many other online Pet Websites and services.


J
Javier T

2/2/2022
I bought this insurance for my cat. Last July, as I was out of the country, the sitter had to take my cat for an emergency, as instructed by me. I then contacted PAWP but they told me the sitter or I had to contact first their vets online. The lady I talked to told me that they could cover the expenses but the I wouldn't be eligible for the $3000 emergency fund anymoe. Ok I said. Maybe for some other time. I then noticed a growth on my cat and I made an appointment two weeks ago with his vet. The growth was benign, but it happened that by coincidence he developed the same symptoms as in July. He had to stay, and the vet took urine and blood samples. He also had to be taken every other... Read More


N
Natalie M

12/10/2021
The vets are horrible with no bedside manner. The first time I called I was assigned a vet named Ann who told me over text that my dog probably had a blood clot or cancer but that the test to find out would not be covered and that if she couldn't walk that was okay b/c I could use a harness to pull her around. SHOCKING, UPSETTING and I'm not sure it will prove to be the case at all. Then I reported it and low and behold the transcript that Ann submitted didn't contain that language. I'm out. Horrible waste of money. Also Ann and the subsequent people that I spoke to told me that they only cover life and death situations. So if you need money for an ACL Surgery or something like... Read More


C
Cora

11/21/2021
I have owned pets off and on for the past 60 years. I’ve been online for the better part of the past 35 years. What the internet has done has introduced me to businesses which I might want to patronize on the opposite side of the country and world. What the internet has also done is to enlighten me about those businesses that I would much rather dismiss. Pawp, pet insurance, is one of the later. This pet insurance company, based in New York state, has a handful of online presences with Facebook, all starting with titles that start with ‘Ask A Vet.’ I’ve investigated all three of these and none had a veterinarian present for any significant amount of time. One of these, ‘Ask A Vet... Read More


A
Angel K

11/19/2021
Absolutely NOT a good idea! I signed up in June of 2021 without reading the fine lines. In distress, in the middle of the night, when emergencies usually happen, you are not going to have time to get approval for an emergency vet clinic , trying to send videos of your pet, etc! You should be the one to deem it is an emergency not them! I came home one night and found my dog almost lifeless and rushed her to an ER clinic where she was put in an oxygen tent over night along with fluids and blood work until she could get to her normal vet the next day when he opened. It was suspected she had a stroke, or severe seizure. I was in shock thinking I was loosing my dog, and almost did, that I... Read More


A
Angel K

11/19/2021
Absolutely NOT a good idea! I signed up in June of 2021 without reading the fine lines. In distress, in the middle of the night, when emergencies usually happen, you are not going to have time to get approval for an emergency vet clinic , trying to send videos of your pet, etc! You should be the one to deem it is an emergency not them! I came home one night and found my dog almost lifeless and rushed her to an ER clinic where she was put in an oxygen tent over night along with fluids and blood work until she could get to her normal vet the next day when he opened. It was suspected she had a stroke, or severe seizure. I was in shock thinking I was loosing my dog, and almost did, that I... Read More


R
Ray S

11/1/2021
Hey, I'm only considering this, and began to think about having to wait 5 days for approval on an emergency. My cat just got attacked by two dogs. I couldn't even get any vet to see him. They referred me to an emergency facility nearly an hour away. I blame myself in so many ways, but my poor cat, best friend of 12 years and by all who ever met him in agreement he was the most awesome cat they ever had seen, I lost him and there was little I could do for him. I was shattered. I'm not convinced this is such a great thing. I'm leaning towards scam.



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