Best Ways to Lower Pet Insurance Premiums (2026)
The settings you control, and what each one gives up.
Facts checked September 23, 2026
Your pet's species, age and breed, and where you live, set the starting price, and you can't change those. What you can change is how the plan is set up, and when and how you buy it.
Each item below lowers the premium in exchange for something. The goal is to give up the things you'd rarely use, not the protection against a large bill.
Ways to lower your premium
1. Choose a higher deductible
The tradeoff: You pay more of each year's bills yourself
Raising the deductible is usually the most direct way to lower the premium. Pick an amount you could pay for an unexpected visit without strain.
2. Lower the reimbursement rate
The tradeoff: The plan pays a smaller share of each bill
A lower reimbursement rate means a lower premium but a bigger share of every claim for you. On a major surgery, that difference is real money.
3. Pick a sensible annual limit
The tradeoff: The plan stops paying once you hit the limit
An unlimited plan costs more. A moderate limit can be enough for many pets, but check it against what a serious emergency or cancer treatment could cost near you.
4. Enroll while your pet is young and healthy
The tradeoff: None, except paying premiums sooner
The premium itself may be lower at a younger age. More importantly, fewer conditions will be excluded as pre-existing, and that exclusion can't be bought back later.
5. Skip the wellness add-on if you won't use it
The tradeoff: You budget for routine care yourself
Wellness add-ons pay set amounts toward routine care. If you'd spend less than the add-on costs, leave it off and put the money aside.
6. Ask about multi-pet and other discounts
The tradeoff: None
Some insurers may offer a discount for insuring more than one pet, for paying annually, or through an employer or group. Ask what's available.
7. Consider accident-only for some pets
The tradeoff: Illnesses aren't covered
Accident-only plans cost less, but they leave out the illnesses that cause many large vet bills. It can be a reasonable fit for an older pet if illness coverage isn't available or affordable.
8. Compare at renewal, carefully
The tradeoff: Switching can create new pre-existing exclusions
Renewal increases are common as pets age, and another insurer may price your pet differently. But anything your pet has been treated for becomes pre-existing with a new insurer, so compare what you'd lose before you switch.
Where not to cut
The point of pet insurance is the bill you couldn't pay: an emergency surgery, a cancer diagnosis, a long illness. A plan tuned so far down that it can't cover those isn't saving you money, it's just cheaper.
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Common questions
Premiums often rise as a pet ages, because older pets tend to need more care. Veterinary costs in your area and the insurer's own claims experience can also push prices up.
It can be, if you can comfortably pay that amount yourself. It lowers the premium while keeping the protection against large bills, which is the main reason to have pet insurance.
Compare carefully first. Conditions your pet has already had will usually be excluded by a new insurer as pre-existing. For a pet with a history, staying put can be the better deal.
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General information only, not insurance advice. Coverage, availability and terms vary by insurer and by state, and are subject to underwriting. Quote My Policy LLC connects you with licensed insurance professionals. Quote My Policy is not an insurance company and does not issue policies. Nothing here binds coverage.