Our Take on AKC Pet Insurance
AKC Pet Insurance was founded in 2003 and is the official pet insurance offering of the American Kennel Club — a well-known organization known for its expertise in dog breeds, health and training.
AKC is one of the few companies to offer coverage for pre-existing conditions after one year of continuous coverage, which can be beneficial if your pet has a chronic illness or pre-existing condition.
AKC pet insurance plans are flexible, but some basic coverage types require additional costs. Based on our pet insurance methodology, AKC Pet Insurance earned 4.8 out of 5 stars.
Pros and Cons of AKC Pet Insurance
Compare AKC Pet Insurance To Competitors
See how AKC Pet Insurance stacks up against its competitors below.
What Does AKC Pet Insurance Cover?
AKC CompanionCare is the company’s base accident and illness plan, which can be customized with add-on coverage.
Dogs can be enrolled at 8 weeks, and cats at 10 weeks. Pets over 9 years old are not eligible for illness coverage, but if you enroll before your pet turns 9 and there are no interruptions in coverage, you will be able to continue the illness coverage.
AKC Pet Insurance is one of the few companies to offer coverage for pre-existing conditions after one year of continuous coverage, which can be beneficial for pets with chronic illnesses or other pre-existing conditions.
Accident and Illness Plan
Treatments covered under the basic CompanionCare plan include:
- Treatments, surgeries and medications for ailments ranging from allergies to cancer
- X-rays, MRI scans and other diagnostic tests
- Coverage for pre-existing conditions after 365 days of continuous pet insurance coverage (in most states)
- Prescription medications
- Physical therapy
- Surgery
- Hospitalization
- Broken bones
- Toxin ingestion
- Foreign body ingestion
- Alternative treatments
- Behavioral issues (in some states)
Add-On Coverage
Optional add-ons to AKC’s base plan include:
- Exam coverage: This add-on covers the cost of exam fees for covered treatments at primary care vets, emergency hospitals and specialty clinics. Wellness exams are not included.
- Hereditary condition coverage: This option adds coverage for hereditary and congenital conditions that are otherwise excluded from the base plan, including heart disease, elbow and hip dysplasia, arthritis, diabetes and eye disorders.
- Breeding coverage: Breeding coverage provides coverage for accidents, illnesses and complications related to breeding, pregnancy, whelping or nursing and includes emergency C-sections. This additional coverage is available for male and female dogs.
- Wellness care coverage: Two add-on wellness plans are available: Defender and DefenderPlus. Both plans cover many basic preventive care treatments, but DefenderPlus provides additional coverage, such as for dental cleanings and spay or neuter surgery. Covered preventive care treatments include:
- Wellness exam
- Flea, tick and heartworm prevention
- Vaccinations and titer testing
- Heartworm or feline leukemia virus testing
- Parasite screening
- Deworming
- Microchipping
- Urinalysis or early renal disease testing
- Spay/neuter or teeth cleaning (DefenderPlus only)
- Preventive gastropexy (DefenderPlus only)
- Final respects coverage: End-of-life expenses, such as burial, cremation, urns and memorials incurred when having to say goodbye to your beloved pet, are included. This rider is not available in all states, and your pet must be under the age of 5 to be enrolled.
AKC Deductibles, Annual Limits and Reimbursement Rates
AKC Pet Insurance offers customizable options for policy deductibles, reimbursement rates and annual limits depending on the coverage level you choose.
Deductible Options
You must meet your deductible before coverage from AKC begins, and the amount will reset every year. The lower your deductible, the higher your monthly premium will be. AKC’s basic plan has a fixed $100 deductible. If you select the custom plan, you can choose from the following deductible options:
intro
- $100
- $250
- $300
- $400
- $500
- $600
- $750
- $1,000
Reimbursement Rates
Your reimbursement rate is the percentage of the submitted claim that AKC Pet Insurance will reimburse after you reach your deductible. The basic plan has a fixed 80% reimbursement rate. AKC offers the following reimbursement rate options for its custom plan:
- 70%
- 80%
- 90%
Annual Limit Options
Your annual limit is the maximum dollar amount that AKC Pet Insurance will pay each year to cover eligible expenses under your plan. The higher your annual limit, the more expensive your monthly premium will be. AKC’s basic plan has no annual limit, but has an incident limit of $500. When choosing the custom plan, AKC offers the following annual limit options:
intro
- $2,500
- $5,000
- $7,500
- $10,000
- $15,000
- $20,000
- Unlimited
The Defender and DefenderPlus wellness add-ons have set annual limits for each type of preventive care.
AKC Pet Insurance Exclusions
AKC Pet Insurance’s base plan, CompanionCare, covers only accidents and illnesses, and does not cover preventive care. Other treatments and situations excluded from the base plan include:
- Exam fees
- Pre-existing conditions
- Genetic and inherited conditions
- Vaccinations
- Spaying and neutering
- End-of-life expenses
- Dental issues, root canals and crowns
- Prescription diets
- Bilateral conditions after the first side is diagnosed
AKC Waiting Periods
After plan purchase, pet insurance companies require a waiting period before you can file a claim. AKC Pet Insurance’s waiting periods are varied and can be confusing. For injuries that result from a mishap or accident, the plan will pay after a two-day waiting period. For illnesses, coverage begins 14 days after acceptance into the plan. Additional waiting periods include:
- 180 days for intervertebral disc disease and cranial cruciate ligament disease
- 30 days for hip dysplasia (only covered if you purchase the HereditaryPlus Plan) and alternative coverage
There is no waiting period for treatments covered by the wellness add-ons.
How Much Does AKC Pet Insurance Cost?
AKC Pet Insurnace costs $37.72 per month, according to our analysis. Cat insurance plans average $27 monthly, while dog insurance plans are higher at $49 per month.
Premium costs for AKC’s accident and illness plan vary depending on your deductible, annual limit and reimbursement rate as well as your pet’s age, breed and location. AKC also has a $3 monthly transaction fee for every payment that is waived if you pay annually. Any riders you add to your policy will increase your monthly premium. Customizing the plan’s deductible, reimbursement rate and annual limit also impacts how much pet insurance costs.
Use the chart below to compare AKC’s monthly pet insurance prices to top competitors:
Discounts and Deals
AKC offers the following discounts:
- 5% multi-pet discount
- 5% discount for dogs who pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen test
- 10% discount for breeders who participate in various AKC merit programs
AKC Pet Insurance Reviews
To give you an idea of current and past customers’ experiences with AKC Pet Insurance, we’ve included some examples of positive and negative customer reviews from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot below.
Satisfied AKC Pet Insurance customers reported quick claims processing and communication.
"I can only express gratefulness with my experience with AKC insurance... My puppy had an expensive and risky procedure, and AKC made it feel much easier for me." – Josh via Trustpilot
"AKC Pet Insurance covered over $40,000 in expenses for my Labrador, Ben, who had bilateral TPLOs (6 months apart) and had physical therapy for 2 years. They covered all of his treatments and therapies without question. I expected his premiums to increase dramatically but over the 6 years the premium went from $85 per month to just $103." – JML via Trustpilot
Dissatisfied customers most frequently complained about the exclusions and cost of added coverage.
“I was paying extra for illness [coverage.] When I filed a claim, I found out my dog wasn’t covered for illness due to his age, but it never said that in the policy.” – Tracey via Trustpilot
“I’ve paid every month for almost a year and submitted 4 claims from my vet only to have every single one of them declined, immediately! All claims were ‘supposed’ to be covered, and not even a single one was reimbursed. Total and complete waste of almost $1,000.” – Tom via Trustpilot
AKC Availability
AKC pet insurance is available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Is AKC Best for Your Pet?
AKC Pet Insurance’s base plan is affordable, but it does have quite a few exclusions and requires additional fees for coverage that is included in most standard pet insurance plans. For pets with chronic illness or other pre-existing conditions, AKC may be a good choice because it is one of the few companies to offer coverage for pre-existing conditions after one year of continuous coverage. For those with older pets, AKC may not be the best choice given its age restrictions.
We recommend getting a free quote from AKC pet insurance, along with other providers, to determine the best plan for you and your pet.
Frequently Asked Questions About AKC Pet Insurance
Yes. AKC Pet Insurance offers a free 30-day trial. You can find more information about the specific limitations of the trial on AKC’s website.
As long as you’re able to provide official documentation of your pet’s death, the provider will cancel your policy and refund any premiums charged after the event.
Yes, AKC Pet Insurance has a mobile app called TailTrax. In the app, you can access your pet insurance documents and submit and track claims.
The basic AKC plans do not cover vaccinations, but you can add wellness coverage for an additional fee.
The DefenderPlus add-on option includes coverage for spay or neuter surgery. These services are not included in the standard AKC pet insurance plan.