Consider the following factors when deciding which pet insurance provider is right for you.

• Your budget: Your instinct as a pet parent may be to get the maximum coverage available, but be mindful of costs. Some providers offer preventive coverage as an add-on for an extra fee, while others include some preventive care in their base plans, saving you money. Consider what your pet needs covered and what might be nice to have, and look for providers with flexible deductibles, coverage limits and reimbursement rates to customize your monthly premium. 
• Your pet’s needs: There’s no point in getting an insurance policy that doesn’t cater to your pet’s needs. Consider if your pet is prone to certain hereditary conditions and ensure your selected plan covers them.
• Customization: What are your plan and add-on options? How much can you adjust your coverage limit, deductible and reimbursement rate? Consider that you may want to make adjustments later on if your financial circumstances change.
• Exclusions: Don’t forget to research what isn’t covered in your plan. What’s your provider’s policy on preexisting conditions? Is there a maximum age limit for enrolling?

Maryland has many pet insurance providers to choose from. The right one depends on your budget and desired coverage level. We’ve carefully vetted each provider on this list and included their pros and cons. Use the tips above to narrow down which providers may work best for you, and get a quote from at least three companies to compare pricing. You can also call providers and speak to a representative if you have questions or want more detail than what’s available online.

See how these Maryland pet insurance providers compare according to data gathered through our secret shopping process. 

*Each provider’s monthly cost is based on accident-and-illness policy premiums from quotes we obtained for 4-year-old, medium-sized dogs in Salisbury, Md. Pricing may vary based on your pet’s age, breed and location, so we recommend getting quotes directly from companies for the most accurate cost information.

Our review of pet insurance companies is based on in-depth industry research that includes reading hundreds of customer reviews, simulating the quote and purchasing process, speaking to representatives on the phone to assess the customer service experience and surveying 1,000 dog and cat owners nationwide to determine the most important elements of pet insurance coverage.

We have scored each provider on a 100-point scale based on those elements. We then divided the points earned for each provider’s final score on a 5-point scale.

Here are more details about each factor and how they’re weighted: 

• Monthly pricing (25 points): How much each company charges for its pet insurance plans is an important part of a customer’s decision. The best pet insurance companies combine comprehensive coverage and plan options with affordable rates.
• Plans (15 points): The top pet insurance companies offer accident and illness plans, accident-only plans and wellness or preventive care add-ons to give customers the option to choose a plan that’s best for their pet.
• Covered treatments (15 points): With this factor, we scored companies based on the treatments and procedures they cover. Companies with a breadth of included treatments and unique coverages received more points than providers with more standard or general policies.
• Customization options (10 points): Customizing your policy is a valuable way to ensure you only pay for what your pet needs. Providers with more annual-limit, deductible and reimbursement-rate options earned the highest scores.
• Customer care (10 points): We scored companies on their website accessibility and overall usability, customer service availability, mobile apps (if any), money-back guarantees and veterinarian telehealth options, awarding points to the insurers with more customer experience offerings.
• Industry reputation (10 points): To determine each company’s industry reputation, we reviewed up-to-date ratings and accreditation information from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and scored companies on their years of experience in the industry and their state availability.
• Waiting periods (10 points): Companies with shorter accident, illness and orthopedic waiting periods between the sign-up and coverage start date scored higher than companies with longer waiting periods.
• Eligible age (5 points): Some companies don’t offer policies for pets that are over a certain age. We deducted points from providers that have age limits for covered pets.

We use our rating system to compare and contrast each company against key factors to help us determine the best pet insurance companies in the industry. Additionally, we keep our research up to date and revisit our reviews on a regular basis.