Figo vs Trupanion: 100% back vs no payout caps
Trupanion beats Figo on the structure that decides a catastrophic claim: payouts with no cap of any kind, a deductible paid once per condition instead of once per year, a bill that can be settled at the checkout desk, and a premium that ignores birthdays and claims. Figo's counterpunch is the flashiest number on our board, the only 100% reimbursement tier in the field, and its own fine print forbids pairing that tier with the one protection that matters more.
Side by side
Typical accident and illness configurations. Details vary by state and plan tier, so treat this as a map and confirm terms on the insurer's current policy documents.
| Dimension | Figo | Trupanion |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost range | Dogs roughly $30 to $70, cats $14 to $30; purebreds and the 100% tier price well above that | Dogs $60 to $110, cats $25 to $55; birthdays and claims don't raise it |
| Payout caps | $5,000 / $10,000 / Unlimited annual, but the 100% tier can't take Unlimited | None: no annual, lifetime, or per-condition limits |
| Deductible type | Annual, $100 / $250 / $500 / $750 typical, resets every year | $0 to $1,000 per condition, once for life |
| Reimbursement | 70% / 80% / 90% / 100%, the only 100% tier on our board, with pairing limits | 90%, one plan, at any enrollment age |
| Exam fees | Not in base; optional Veterinary Exam Fees Powerup | Not covered |
| Dental illness | In the base plan, non-routine illness and injury | Covered for eligible conditions |
| Curable pre-existing | May requalify after 12 signs-free months, decided at claim time | Excluded, no re-coverage window |
| Direct pay / claims speed | No direct pay; Pet Cloud claims mostly close in under 3 business days, payout 3 to 5 days | Paid at checkout at equipped hospitals, automatically |
| Waiting periods | 1 day accidents, 14 days illnesses; 6 months orthopedic including cruciate, waivable via exam in the first 30 days | Historically 5 days injury / 30 days illness, varies by state |
Where Figo honestly wins
Figo holds an 8.2 and sixth place among the eight insurers in our rankings, and nothing about that score is charity. Its accident waiting period is 1 day, faster than Trupanion's historical 5, and its Pet Cloud app is the best software in pet insurance: file a claim in a few taps, keep records in one place, and talk to a live vet in chat at 3 a.m. with no appointment and no extra fee. Most claims close in under 3 business days, with the deposit landing 3 to 5 days later. That's about as painless as reimbursement insurance gets.
Two Figo policies would be flatly better for certain pets. If your cat is 15, Trupanion won't take her: it stops enrolling at the 14th birthday, while Figo has no upper age limit at all. And if your dog has a curable condition in his history, Figo's coverage page says it can stop counting as pre-existing after 12 months with no signs or symptoms, decided at claim time. Trupanion offers no such window: pre-existing means excluded, permanently. Dental illness sits in Figo's base plan too, a box plenty of rivals only tick with an add-on; Trupanion covers eligible dental conditions as well, so call that one a tie at the top of the market. On sticker price, Figo dogs run roughly $30 to $70 a month against Trupanion's $60 to $110.
The 100% tier, dissected
Figo's whole pitch leads with a number nobody else on our board sells: 100% reimbursement. Zero coinsurance, every eligible dollar back. It's real, and it wears handcuffs. By Figo's own configuration rules, the 100% tier cannot be paired with the unlimited annual cap or the $100 deductible, and it isn't offered for every pet in the first place. Read that slowly: at Figo, 100% of the bill and no cap on the bill are mutually exclusive. Choose zero coinsurance and the highest payout ceiling left on the menu is $10,000 a year.
So the real question is which protection you want standing next to you in the oncology ward: no coinsurance, or no ceiling. Walk a $20,000 cancer year through both. On Trupanion with a $500 deductible on that condition, the plan pays 90% of the remaining $19,500. That's $17,550 back, $2,450 out of pocket, and no cap anywhere in the conversation because none exists. On Figo's 100% tier, the plan pays every eligible dollar up to $10,000, then stops. The other $10,000 is yours. Zero coinsurance saved you about $2,000; the cap cost you $10,000. The bigger the year gets, the worse that trade gets, and the catastrophic year is the reason you're buying this product at all.
Configure Figo the sensible way instead, 90% with the unlimited cap, and you've quietly rebuilt a Trupanion policy minus the parts that put Trupanion first on our board: the deductible still resets every year, and the hospital still wants the whole bill from you before any reimbursement lands.
The orthopedic trap
Figo's waiting periods have a split personality. Accidents: 1 day, excellent. Illnesses: 14 days, standard. Orthopedic conditions: 6 months, and the list includes hip dysplasia and dogs' cruciate ligaments, exactly the category behind some of the most expensive non-cancer surgeries a dog ever has. There is an escape hatch, and you should absolutely use it: complete an orthopedic exam and Figo's waiver form within the first 30 days of the policy and the 6-month wait can be waived. Most owners learn that form exists after the limp does.
Trupanion doesn't run a separate orthopedic clock at all. Its historical structure is 5 days for injuries and 30 days for illnesses, varying by state, with some states requiring no wait whatsoever. A cruciate tear in month 4 lands inside Figo's orthopedic wait unless you filed that waiver back in month 1; at Trupanion, every waiting period was over by day 30.
Structure pays the bill, tiers just describe it
Strip away the tier menu and three differences remain, all pointing the same direction. The deductible: Figo's is annual, $100 to $750 on the typical menu, and a chronic condition charges you a fresh one every policy year for the rest of your pet's life. Trupanion's is per condition, anywhere from $0 to $1,000, paid once, permanently; year six of a chronic illness starts paying at 90% from the year's first invoice.
Who fronts the money: Figo has no direct pay. You settle the full invoice at the desk, file through Pet Cloud, and wait for the deposit. Fast for reimbursement insurance, but reimbursement insurance all the same: a five-figure emergency rides on your card first. Trupanion settles its 90% at checkout at equipped hospitals, software talking to software while you're still standing at the desk.
And the renewal: Trupanion prices by breed, ZIP, and age at enrollment, then doesn't raise your premium because your pet had a birthday or filed a claim, a promise almost nobody else in this industry makes. Our full Trupanion review walks through how that pricing works and where the plan falls short, starting with exam fees, which, in fairness, neither of these two covers in the base plan.
Choose Figo if
- Your pet is past the 14th birthday, where Trupanion no longer enrolls and Figo has no age ceiling at all.
- A curable pre-existing condition is in your pet's history: Figo's 12-month window is a real second chance Trupanion never offers.
- You want coverage that starts almost immediately: accidents are covered after 1 day.
- You live in the app: Pet Cloud's 24/7 live vet chat and quick digital claims are the best software experience in the category.
Choose Trupanion if
- You're insuring against the catastrophic year: 90% of an uncapped bill beats 100% of a capped one whenever the bill is big enough to matter.
- You want one deductible per condition for life, not a fresh one every January of a chronic illness.
- You'd rather have the bill settled at checkout than float thousands on a card while waiting to be paid back.
- Premium stability matters: no increases for birthdays or claims.
Figo's menu makes you choose between 100% reimbursement and an unlimited cap. Trupanion's one plan never asks: 90%, uncapped, one lifetime deductible per condition. Price it for your pet before the first symptom locks anything out.
Get your Trupanion quote →Is Figo's 100% reimbursement worth it?
Usually not, because of what it forces you to give up. Figo's 100% tier cannot be paired with the unlimited annual cap or the $100 deductible, and it is not offered for every pet, so zero coinsurance means accepting a payout ceiling of $10,000 at best. On a catastrophic year, 90% of an uncapped bill puts far more money back in your pocket than 100% of a capped one.
Does Figo cover exam fees?
Not in the base plan. Exam and consultation fees tied to diagnosis and treatment are covered only if you add the optional Veterinary Exam Fees Powerup for an extra monthly cost. Trupanion doesn't cover exam fees either, so this line is a wash in this matchup; if base-plan exam coverage matters to you, Pets Best and ASPCA include it.
Which is better for a puppy?
Figo starts accident coverage after 1 day, and its 6-month orthopedic wait can be waived if you complete an orthopedic exam and waiver form within the first 30 days, so its early protection is real. We still pick Trupanion for a puppy: enroll before the first symptom and nothing is pre-existing, each condition's deductible is paid once for life, and the premium never rises because your dog had a birthday or filed a claim.
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