The pet insurance free-look period
The window after you buy when you can change your mind and get every dollar back. What each insurer offers, and what the law says.
Updated October 6, 2026. Plan facts come from each insurer's published documents; each insurer's policy documents control.
The short answer
All seven insurers we could check give you 30 days to cancel a new policy for a full refund, as long as no claim has been filed or paid. Several states write a free-look period into law: 30 days in Delaware, Nebraska and New Hampshire, 15 days in Washington and Louisiana[9].
Use the window to read the full policy before the first claim.
What will it cost for your dog?
Pick your breed, age and ZIP code to see the estimated monthly price from the insurers we compare.
Free-look period, by insurer
| Insurer | Free-look period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Embrace | 30 days, full refund if no claim[1] | Notice within 30 days of the first term with no claim gets a full premium refund; separate 15-day return-to-review notice also stated. |
| Fetch | 30 days, full refund if no claims[2] | New policyholders who have not filed a claim may cancel within the first 30 days for a full refund. |
| Healthy Paws | 30 days, full refund if no claim[3] | If not satisfied within 30 days of the policy effective date, you may cancel for a full premium refund if no claim submitted. |
| Lemonade | 30 days, full refund if no claims[4] | Cancel within the first 30 days with no reported or paid claims or benefits used for a full premium refund. |
| Odie | 30 days, full refund if no claims[5] | All plans include a 30-day free look with full refund if no claims submitted; NY Trisura policies excluded. |
| Pets Best | 30 days, if no claims paid[6] | Cancel for any reason within 30 days of the effective date for a 100% premium refund if no claims have been paid. |
| Spot | 30 days, if no covered expenses[7] | Full premium refund if cancelled within 30 days of first effective date and no covered expenses were applied or reimbursed. |
| Trupanion | Not verified yet | Trupanion's website blocks automated requests, so we could not check this against its policy yet. Ask Trupanion directly. |
From each insurer's own sample policy, terms or FAQ, checked October 6, 2026. Terms vary by state and plan, and the policy you buy controls.
Check how this applies to your breed
What this means for your dog
The free-look period is your chance to check the policy against your dog. Read the exclusions, the waiting periods and the definition of pre-existing, and look up the conditions your breed is known for, like hip dysplasia in a German Shepherd or IVDD in a Dachshund. If something you care about is excluded, cancelling inside the window costs nothing.
The condition is the same everywhere we checked: no claims. Spot words it as no covered expenses applied or reimbursed, Pets Best as no claims paid. Filing a claim, even a small one, usually ends the right to a full refund.
State laws set a floor. Delaware[8], Nebraska[12] and New Hampshire[13] require at least 30 days; Washington[10] and Louisiana[11] require 15. The NAIC's Pet Insurance Model Act is a framework each state can choose to adopt[14], so rules differ by state. Insurers can offer more than the legal minimum, and the seven we checked do.
The free look is not the same as the waiting period: coverage can be in its waiting period while you are still inside the free-look window. Waiting periods by insurer.
Before you buy
- Note the date the free-look period ends; it usually counts from the policy start or receipt date.
- Read the exclusions and the pre-existing definition before that date.
- Do not file a claim until you are sure you are keeping the policy.
- Ask how the refund is paid and how long it takes.
Questions owners ask
What is a free-look period in pet insurance?
A window after you buy a policy when you can cancel for a full refund. The seven insurers we could check offer 30 days, provided no claim has been filed or paid.
Is the free-look period required by law?
In states with a pet insurance law, yes. Delaware, Nebraska and New Hampshire require at least 30 days; Washington and Louisiana require 15 days.
Can I get a refund if I already filed a claim?
Not a full free-look refund. Every insurer we checked conditions it on no claims filed, paid or reimbursed.
Is the free-look period the same as the waiting period?
No. The free look is your right to cancel for a refund; the waiting period is the time before coverage starts. They can overlap.
Sources
- Embrace Pet Insurance Sample Policy Terms & Conditions (v6, most states). Embrace Pet Insurance.
- Does Fetch pet insurance have a free trial? | Fetch FAQs. Fetch.
- Westchester Fire Insurance Company Pet Health Insurance Policy (sample, LD-50812 (07/18)). Healthy Paws.
- Lemonade Pet Health Insurance sample policy LEM-PET (04-21), New Jersey example. Lemonade, 2021.
- Help Center - Odie Pet Insurance. Odie Pet Insurance.
- Accident and Illness Policy Form, Arizona sample (IAIC-PB10001-ILL). Pets Best Insurance Services.
- Accident & Illness Sample Policy (Arizona, form PET-P-20000-1024, Independence American Insurance Company). Spot Pet Insurance.
- Delaware Code Title 18, Chapter 88: Pet Insurance Act. Delaware General Assembly.
- RCW 48.205.040 Policy disclosures - Returns. Washington State Legislature.
- What Washington's new pet insurance bill means for you. Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, 2023.
- RS 22:1372 (Pet insurance disclosures). Louisiana State Legislature.
- Nebraska Revised Statute 44-6505. Nebraska Legislature.
- NH - Insurance - Pet insurance (RSA 402-P). Animal Legal & Historical Center, Michigan State University College of Law.
- NAIC Passes Pet Insurance Model Act. Federation of Regulatory Counsel (FORC) Journal, 2023.
How we choose and check sources: Sources we use.
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