Amy Fontinelle is a freelance writer, researcher and editor who brings a journalistic approach to personal finance content. Since 2004, she has worked with lenders, real estate agents, consultants, financial advisors, family offices, wealth managers, insurance companies, payment companies and leading personal finance websites. Amy also has extensive experience editing academic papers and articles by professional economists, including eight years as the production manager of an economics journal.
Amy Fontinelle
Amy Fontinelle is a freelance writer, researcher and editor who brings a journalistic approach to personal finance content. Since 2004, she has worked with lenders, real estate agents, consultants, financial advisors, family offices, wealth managers, insurance companies, payment companies and leading personal finance websites. Amy also has extensive experience editing academic papers and articles by professional economists, including eight years as the production manager of an economics journal.
As a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others make well-informed decisions.
Fact Checked
Jason Metz
As a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others make well-informed decisions.
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
The best pet insurance in Minnesota will make it less expensive to get the best care for your favorite animal companions. You might be surprised by how much coverage your monthly premiums can provide. We evaluated the options.
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Best Pet Insurance in Minnesota
Summary: Minnesota Pet Insurance Ratings
| Company | Forbes Advisor Rating | Reimbursement Choices | Deductible Choices | View More | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets Best |  |
5.0 |  |
70%, 80%, 90% | $50, $100, $200, $250, $500, $1,000 | Compare Plans | Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website | |
| Figo |  |
4.5 |  |
70%, 80%, 90%, 100% | Varies by pet age | Compare Plans | Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website | |
| Nationwide |  |
4.5 | |
50%, 70%, 90% | $250 | Compare Plans | Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website | |
| Embrace |  |
4.0 |  |
70%, 80%, 90% | $200, $300, $500, $750, $1,000 | Compare Plans | Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website | |
| TrustedPals |  |
4.0 | |
70%, 80%, 90%, 100% | $0, $100, $250, $500, $750 | Compare Plans | Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website |
Cost Comparison for Pet Insurance in Minnesota
Minnesota pet insurance costs with $5,000 annual maximum coverage
| Company | Monthly cost in Minnesota |
|---|---|
|
Pets Best
|
$22
|
|
Figo
|
$30
|
|
TrustedPals
|
$34
|
|
ASPCA
|
$42
|
|
Spot
|
$42
|
|
Embrace
|
$50
|
Costs are for a plan with a $5,000 annual coverage maximum ($4,000 for TrustedPals), a $250 deductible ($200 for Embrace) and 90% reimbursement level. Source: PetInsurer.com.
Minnesota pet insurance costs with unlimited annual maximum coverage
| Company | Monthly cost in Minnesota |
|---|---|
|
Pets Best
|
$25
|
|
Nationwide
|
$29
|
|
Figo
|
$42
|
|
TrustedPals
|
$49
|
|
Healthy Paws
|
$57
|
|
Prudent Pet
|
$63
|
|
Trupanion
|
$63
|
|
Embrace
|
$71
|
|
Spot
|
$84
|
Costs are for a plan with unlimited annual coverage ($30,000 for Embrace), a $250 deductible ($200 for Embrace) and 90% reimbursement level. Source: PetInsurer.com.
Types of Pet Insurance Plans
Most pet insurance plans cover both accidents and illnesses, but some just cover accidents. Some insurance companies also sell wellness plans, typically as an add-on to an accident and illness plan. Here’s how each of these three plan types works.
Accident and illness plans
Whether your pet needs veterinary care for ingesting string or being hit by a car, an accident and illness plan will cover it.
These plans exclude pre-existing conditions and sometimes have extra-long waiting periods to cover major, common conditions, like hip dysplasia in dogs. They also don’t cover routine care, meaning you’ll pay 100% of the bill for veterinary exam fees.
Accident-only plans
Accident-only plans are less common, and they’re better than nothing if your dog eats a bunch of rocks. Such plans might save you some money on monthly premiums compared to a plan that also covers illnesses.
But if your pet has heart problems, malignant tumors or kidney disease, you’ll be on your own to pay some expensive vet bills.
Wellness and routine care plans
A wellness plan helps cover expenses related to maintaining your pet’s basic health, such as vaccinations, routine check-ups and flea or tick medication.
You might not save a ton of money with a wellness and routine care plan. But if you have a low or irregular income, or if you’re not great at setting aside money for future expenses even when you know they’re coming, a wellness plan can be a big help.
These plans are often sold as an add-on to a broader pet insurance plan and don’t cost much extra.
Related: What does pet insurance cover?
How Pet Insurance Works
Learning how pet insurance works is the first step in finding a plan that fits your needs and your budget. Each insurance company has different rules about what they’ll cover and how much they’ll reimburse. Within that framework, you can choose different options that affect your premiums (how much you’ll pay each month) and coverage. Here’s the lingo you need to know.
Deductible: Your deductible is how much you’ll pay out of pocket on covered expenses each policy year before your insurance kicks in. In the pet insurance world, a policy year typically starts the day you enroll, not on January 1. So if you enroll on July 28, your pet’s policy year might run from July 28 through July 27.
Premiums don’t count toward your deductible, and neither do any costs your plan doesn’t cover—like dog harnesses or cat trees. Some pet insurance companies have lifetime or annual per-condition deductibles, while others have a single annual deductible for all your pet’s covered costs.
Reimbursement percentage: Not unlike the human health insurance marketplace, pet insurance plans will cover different amounts of your expenses once you meet your deductible. You might be able to choose from reimbursement rates of 70%, 80% or 90%, for example. The 70% plan will have the lowest premiums, and the 90% plan will have the highest premiums. Some insurers offer lower reimbursement percentages when you’re enrolling an older pet.
Annual maximum: Some pet insurance policies don’t have an annual maximum, or a limit on what they’ll pay toward your pet’s covered expenses each policy year. Others might cover up to $5,000 or $10,000 per year. A lower annual maximum may save you money on premiums but could be a costly trade-off if your pet ends up needing extensive care from a veterinary hospital or specialist.
How to Find the Best Pet Insurance in Minnesota
Pets in Minnesota are vulnerable to paw injuries, hypothermia, rodent poison and vehicle injuries, among other things. When you’re looking for pet insurance, consider whether you’d like a plan with one or more of these perks.
- 24/7 vet lines: When you’re snowed in or the roads are icy, being able to call a free veterinary helpline could be a lifesaver—or at least tell you whether it’s worth the risk to drive to your nearest animal hospital.
- Plans that will pay the vet directly: With many pet insurance plans, you pay the vet up front, then submit an invoice to the pet insurance company for reimbursement. Insurers often process claims and reimburse you by direct deposit within days, but direct payment to the vet could save you time and be a big help if money is tight or your income is irregular.
- Plans with a multipet discount: Many of us animal lovers can’t stop at just one pet, which increases the risk of expensive vet bills and magnifies the importance of getting pet insurance. Fortunately, you may be able to get a discount on your premiums with some insurance companies when you’re insuring more than one pet.
- Plans where you can add routine wellness coverage: Sure, it might not make sense from a purely financial standpoint to have a pet when you haven’t maxed out your retirement savings or your emergency fund. But with all the animals that need homes, and all the emotional and even physical benefits our pets can bring us, it’s good to know that some plans offer wellness coverage to help make even the most basic costs of pet ownership more affordable.
Pet Laws in Minnesota
Minnesota law requires dogs and cats to have access to good nutrition and clean drinking water, enough space to comfortably move around, clean living conditions, the opportunity to exercise and safe temperatures. Minnesota’s cities also have pet licensing laws that you’ll need to be familiar with as a cat or dog owner.
Minneapolis Pet Laws
If you own a cat or dog in Minneapolis, you’ll need to make sure they’re up to date with their rabies vaccinations. You’ll then need to purchase a license for each pet and attach it to its collar. The city says almost all lost pets wearing their license tags get returned to their owners.
If you have four or more cats, four or more dogs or five or more dogs and cats, you have to get a multiple pet license. And if you want to take your dog to an off-leash dog park, you’ll need a separate license for that. With proof of low income, you may qualify for reduced licensing fees.
St. Paul Pet Laws
St. Paul only requires licenses for dogs, not cats. As usual, your dog needs a current rabies vaccination before you can buy a license. Make sure to do it before your dog is three months old, when the licensing law kicks in. Your license fee helps go toward sheltering lost pets and reuniting them with their owners.
In St. Paul, you can either renew your license annually or, if your pet is microchipped, pay a lifetime licensing fee. Licensing is far cheaper for altered dogs: $20 per year or $140 lifetime vs. $80 per year. You can also get a discount if you’re 62 or older or if you receive means-tested public assistance.
Rochester Pet Laws
Rochester requires dog and cat owners to keep their pets current on rabies vaccines and place an ID tag on their pets’ collars or get their pets microchipped. However, you won’t have to purchase a pet license. The city prohibits owning more than five dogs over six months old.
Methodology
We used data provided by PetInsurer.com to find the best pet insurance companies in Minnesota based on the following.
Average plan prices: Up to 40 points. We averaged pet insurance quotes for each insurer for a mixed-breed dog at two ages in Minnesota.
Plan benefits: Up to 60 points. We scored plans based on the following important features: Annual coverage choices, whether the plan can pay a veterinarian directly, access to a 24/7 vet line, availability of routine wellness coverage, whether the plan pays the vet exam fee, dental illness coverage, end of life coverage and multipet discount.
