Figo Pet Insurance: Is it the right choice?

Samantha Vargas
Written by
Samantha Vargas
Icon of a woman
Written by
Samantha Vargas
Insurance Writer
Samantha Vargas is a freelance writer for Insurify. She has a background in comparative English literature and film and has produced a variety of journalistic content for the University at Buffalo's independent student newspaper, The Spectrum. She currently works in Buffalo, NY while finishing her master's degree. She spends her free time baking and working with animal welfare groups.
John Leach
Edited by
John Leach
Photo of an Insurify author
Edited by
John Leach
Insurance Content Editor at Insurify
John Leach is an insurance content editor who has worked in print and online. He has years of experience in car and home insurance and strives to make these topics easy to understand for everyone. He has a linguistics degree from UC Santa Barbara.

Updated January 11, 2021

Reading time: 7 minutes

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Best For…

  • Pet owners looking for 100 percent reimbursement

  • Those looking for prescription drug coverage

  • Pet parents whose pets are sick often

Not the Best For…

Why buy pet insurance?

It’s impossible to predict when an unexpected illness or sudden injury might impact your favorite four-legged friend. Not only can it cause emotional distress, but it can also take a toll on your wallet, something many pet parents might be unprepared for.

When faced with a sick pet, the cost of prescription medications and the rising cost of quality veterinary care can put many pet parents in a difficult spot.

Buying a pet insurance policy can relieve some of the financial pressures from pet owners during these difficult times by reimbursing up to 100 percent of their medical bills. Pet insurance can cover a variety of expenses depending on the company and policy, including preventative and routine care, vet bills, emergency care, rehabilitation, surgery, and prescription cost.

Pets are a part of the family and deserve the best possible health care, and having a good insurance policy in your corner can guarantee the best care for your best friend. That’s why Insurify makes it easy for you to compare pet insurance policies and prices all in one place, allowing you to buy the best policy for your best friend.

Figo Pet Insurance Policies and Pricing

Figo offers pet insurance for dog and cat owners in all 50 states and U.S. territories.

Figo does not require a veterinary exam to enroll in a program. However, if you can’t provide medical records from 12 months prior to the initial start date, it will use your first veterinary appointment under the plan to determine pre-existing conditions.

This means that any issues that might come up during the first appointment would be considered a pre-existing condition and won’t be covered.

Complete accident and illness coverage

Figo offers three plans that offer complete coverage for any cat or dog over eight weeks old. Each plan covers accidents, illnesses, chronic and congenital conditions, and behavioral conditions with varying amounts of annual benefits, chiropractic and acupuncture care, and maximum lifetime benefits.

Figo is one of the few insurance companies that include a maximum lifetime benefit, which means they will set a cap on your pet’s healthcare reimbursement for the entirety of its life, regardless of how many times you have repurchased an annual plan. If you signed up for a plan with a $150,000 lifetime maximum, once you reach that $150,000 in covered veterinary fees, they will not reimburse you any further.

This means that Figo will reimburse you for things like knee conditions, emergency services, cancer treatments, surgeries, lab tests, and specialist care, among others.

The essential plan is the cheapest option and provides $5,000 in annual benefits, $350 towards chiropractic and acupuncture care, and a maximum lifetime reimbursement of $100,000 towards any covered treatments for the remainder of your pet’s life.

The preferred plan is a little more expensive and provides $10,000 in annual benefits, $600 towards chiropractic and acupuncture care, and a maximum lifetime reimbursement of $150,000.

The ultimate plan is the most expensive Figo plan and provides unlimited annual benefits and lifetime maximum benefits, in addition to $1,000 towards chiropractic and acupuncture care. Figo doesn’t have an upper age limit for any of its plans.

Figo offers rehabilitation and veterinary exam fees for non-routine appointments as separate add-ons that can be included for an additional upcharge. Both add-ons can be included for less than $15 each per month.

Figo Insurance for Your Dog

Depending on the policy you choose, Figo can help reimburse nearly every instance of unexpected veterinary care for your new puppy or the dog that’s been with you for years. Figo offers up to 100 percent reimbursement for services provided by any licensed veterinarian, specialist, or emergency clinic.

According to Figo’s website, it won’t exclude health insurance coverage because of old age or due to congenital, chronic, or breed-specific conditions your dog may have. However, these conditions may raise your monthly premium.

Each Figo policy includes a comprehensive coverage of accidents and illnesses your dog may experience, like cancer, hip dysplasia, ear infections, hyperthyroidism, cruciate repair, or poisoning. Policies also cover treatment for accident-related injuries, including fractures, x-rays, emergency room overnights, foreign object removal, or end of life services.

According to the Figo website, its plans will not cover routine or preventative care, and the company believes it is more cost-effective for pet parents to pay for routine care out of pocket. This means Figo will not pay for things like vaccines, spaying and neutering, flea or tick prevention, or routine veterinary check-up fees.

Figo will also not cover pre-existing conditions, experimental procedures, breeding or breeding related fees, cosmetic procedures, or fees associated with coprophagia (eating poop).

Figo Insurance for Your Cat

Figo’s insurance plans for cats offer complete coverage for accidents, illnesses, hereditary and chronic conditions, and prescriptions, with up to a 100 percent reimbursement rate.

While Figo does not offer coverage for routine or preventative care, but will reimburse cat parents for non-routine fees from licensed veterinarians, specialists, and emergency clinics.

According to Figo’s website, it won’t exclude health insurance coverage for your cat because of old age or due to congenital, chronic, or breed-specific conditions. However, these conditions may raise your monthly premium. **
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Depending on the purchased plan, Figo can help reimburse pet owners for unexpected costs like dental disease, fractures, torn nails, x-rays, and heatstroke, among others. Figo will also help cover common and not-so-common illnesses like FIV treatment, feline lower urinary tract disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and toxoplasmosis.

Like most pet insurance providers, Figo won’t cover pre-existing conditions, experimental procedures, any veterinary fee associated with breeding, cosmetic procedures, or any veterinary problem associated with coprophagia (eating poop).

Figo Insurance for Your Bird or Exotic Animal

Figo does not offer insurance for birds or exotic pets. Currently, Nationwide is the only pet insurance company to offer pet insurance for exotic animals.

Figo Pet Cloud App

All Figo policyholders have access to the Figo pet cloud app, which can be used as a tool to manage all of your pet’s activities. Pet owners can make claims, upload documents, and access it’s 24/7 veterinary service. It can be used to access your policy and veterinary calendar, but it also functions as a social media platform for you and other pet owners.

Figo gives pet owners a way to map out all of the pet-friendly places in your area and gives pet parents the option to meet each other for playdates and meetups.

Figo Claims, Deductibles and Benefits

Figo’s policies can be adjusted in a number of ways to determine the amount of coverage you receive. Pet owners can alter annual and lifetime payouts, reimbursement percentages, annual deductibles, and veterinary coverage to adjust their monthly expenditure.

Figo offers annual deductibles of $100, $250, $500, and $750 for cats and dogs. This means that your pet insurance policy will kick in for the rest of the year once you’ve spent the chosen amount of money on covered treatments like cancer radiation, surgery, or prescription costs.

Since this is an annual deductible and not a deductible-per-claim, once you’ve paid the chosen amount, the policy should kick in for the rest of the year up until you reach your maximum annual benefit limit.

Figo offers different reimbursement options based on how much of your expenses you want to be paid back per veterinary expense. Reimbursement works like co-pay. So if you pick an 80 percent reimbursement percentage, Figo reimburses you 80 percent of the costs while you pay the remaining 20 percent.

Pet owners can pick between 70 percent, 80 percent, 90 percent, or 100 percent reimbursement for any of Figo’s policies, which will adjust the monthly cost. The higher the reimbursement percentage, the higher your monthly premium. Figo is one of the few pet insurance companies to offer a 100 percent reimbursement rate, and this option is only available with deductibles of $500 or $750.

Pet owners can alter the annual and lifetime maximum payout limit by picking between the three available plans that Figo offers: the essential, the preferred, and the ultimate. The plans offer annual maximums of $5,000, $10,000, and an unlimited amount, respectively. Lifetime maximums range from $100,000 to an unlimited amount based on what plan you choose. The higher you set this limit, the higher your monthly premium will be.

Filing a claim

Figo will reimburse insurance claims after receiving your initial medical records, a paid invoice, and a completed claims form. This can be uploaded directly to the Figo pet cloud online or through the pet cloud app, emailed to [email protected], or faxed to 1 (773) 966-0769.

According to Figo’s website, claims are processed within 30-days of Figo receiving all of the necessary information, but it aims to process all claims within seven to ten business days.

Waiting period

Waiting periods can vary by state. Typically waiting periods for illnesses are 14 days, three days for accidents and injuries, and six months for cruciate ligament events and hip dysplasia.

Figo vs. Nationwide, Healthy Paws

To see how Figo’s quotes stacked up to those from its competitors, Insurify’s data team compared pet insurance quotes from Figo, Nationwide, and Healthy Paws.

Below are the pet insurance quotes for a two-year-old purebred golden retriever named Sally who lives in San Jose, California:

Company NameQuotes
Figo$54/mo
Nationwide$54/mo
Healthy Paws$66/mo

These are the pet insurance quotes for a one-year-old German shepherd named Jerry who also lives in San Jose, California:

Company NameQuotes
Figo$20/mo
Nationwide$15/mo
Healthy Paws$14/mo

Finally, these are the quotes for a three-year-old labradoodle named Sandy in San Jose. Mixed breed dogs usually have lower insurance premiums since they aren’t as susceptible to genetic conditions:

Company NameQuotes
Figo$37/mo
Nationwide$38/mo
Healthy Paws$53/mo

And for cats, these are the quotes for a three-year-old British shorthair named Simon, who lives in Houston, Texas:

Company NameQuotes
Figo$28/mo
Nationwide$15/mo
Healthy Paws$16/mo

Remember, cat insurance premiums tend to be cheaper than dog insurance premiums.

And these are the quotes for a five-year-old mixed breed long-haired cat named Wesley, who also lives in Houston, Texas:

Company NameQuotes
Figo$20/mo
Nationwide$15/mo
Healthy Paws$14/mo

If you want to find out how much it would cost to insure your pet, use Insurify. Insurify allows you to compare pet insurance quotes and policies all in one place.

Figo Pet Insurance Reviews from Policyholders

Success stories

Figo does not have any reviews on its website, but there are multiple positive reviews from policyholders on websites like Yelp. Figo holds three and a half stars on Yelp with 175 reviews. Many of these positive reviews extoll Figo’s fast turnaround when it comes to reimbursements, savings, and helpful customer service.

Not-so-successful stories

While Figo does have multiple positive reviews on sites like Yelp, reviews are overwhelmingly negative on sites like ConsumerAffairs. Sites like ConsumerAffairs give unhappy patrons a chance to air their grievances. Figo holds a one-star review on ConsumerAffairs, but only has eight verified reviews.

The reviews typically talk about Figo’s denial of claims, premium rate increases, and bad customer service.

Figo Pet Insurance Contact Information

Customer service1 (844) 914-0370
Customer service text line1 (844) 262-8133
Fax1 (773) 966-0769
Email[email protected]
Pet Cloud Portalfigopetinsurance.com/pet-cloud
Websitewww.figopetinsurance.com

Figo Pet Insurance Underwriters

Figo pet insurance policies are underwritten by Markel American Insurance Company, Markel Insurance Company, and Independence American Insurance Company.

Frequently Asked Questions: Figo Pet Insurance

  • Figo pet insurance rates depend heavily on your pet's breed, age, pre-existing conditions, and location. On average, Figo’s pet insurance can run anywhere between $20 to an upwards of $100 per month. Again, these rates are heavily subject to the aforementioned factors, as well as the insurance plan you choose. In comparison to other pet insurance companies, Figo’s prices are somewhat higher than competitors. Still, you should compare pet insurance plans and prices before settling on one policy.

  • All policyholders are able to access Figo’s pet cloud portal app, which acts as a social media platform for pet owners. It connects pet owners in the same area as a way to develop relationships between policyholders and their pets. The cloud also offers an in-depth map that shows pet-friendly locations within your city like pet parks, hikes, and restaurants. The Figo cloud also has a 24/7 live vet that is available to help pet owners decide when to go to their own vet. This provides pet owners with peace of mind of having access to veterinary care without having to pay for an appointment out-of-pocket. The app also functions as a way for pet owners to access their policy, which allows them to make claims, upload documents, and talk to customer service.

  • Figo seems to offer the standard amount of coverage for policies that only offer accident and illness coverage. Although it’s premiums are relatively higher than competitors, it is one of the only insurance companies to offer a 100 percent reimbursement rate. But some policyholders complain that the company denies too many claims, are not transparent with pre-existing conditions and do not have good customer service. Whether Figo is a good choice for you comes down to what you can afford and what kind of coverage fits you and your pet best. That's why you should make sure you compare quotes before settling down on a single pet insurance policy.

Samantha Vargas
Written by
Samantha Vargas

Insurance Writer

Samantha Vargas is a freelance writer for Insurify. She has a background in comparative English literature and film and has produced a variety of journalistic content for the University at Buffalo's independent student newspaper, The Spectrum. She currently works in Buffalo, NY while finishing her master's degree. She spends her free time baking and working with animal welfare groups.

Learn More
John Leach
Edited by
John Leach

Insurance Content Editor at Insurify

Photo of an Insurify author
Edited by
John Leach
Insurance Content Editor at Insurify
John Leach is an insurance content editor who has worked in print and online. He has years of experience in car and home insurance and strives to make these topics easy to understand for everyone. He has a linguistics degree from UC Santa Barbara.