How to cancel pet insurance and get a refund

Every insurer in our table lets you cancel. What changes is how you cancel and what money you get back.

• How: through an app, an online account, a phone call, an email or a letter. Your policy says which ones count.
• Refund: early on, you may get all of it back. Later, you may get back only the part you paid for days you will not use.
• The cost you do not see: if you sign up somewhere else, waits start over and past problems can be left out.

For a refresher on how plans work, see how pet insurance works.

1. Decide on an end date. If you are switching, make sure the new plan starts first.
2. Read the cancel section of your policy. It tells you how to send notice and how refunds work.
3. Contact the insurer the way it accepts. Use the app, your online account, or the phone number or email on your policy.
4. Have your details ready. Your name, your pet's name and your policy number.
5. Get proof. Ask for an email or letter that shows the end date.
6. Watch your bank account. Make sure the charges stop and any refund arrives.

A free look is a short window after you buy when you can return the policy for all your money back. In most cases it only works if you have not filed a claim.

• States that passed the pet insurance model law: at least a 15-day free look. Rhode Island is one. This rule applies only in states that passed the law.
• California: at least 30 days, under its own law. The right ends once the insurer has paid a claim or said in writing that it will.
• Florida: 30 days under its own law, if you have not filed a claim.

Some insurers offer their own window too. Spot, Fetch and ASPCA each list a 30-day money-back offer on their own pages, with limits. See pet insurance laws by state to find out if your state has a law.

After the free look, some plans give back unused premium. Premium is the price you pay for the plan. "Pro rata" or "prorated" means you get back the share for the time you will not use.

Example math: say you paid $600 up front for a full year. You cancel after 4 months. That leaves 8 of 12 months unused. A prorated refund would be about $400. These are round numbers to show the idea, not a real quote.

If you pay monthly, there is often little to refund. You just stop paying after your end date.

Not every plan works the same way. MetLife's sample policy says pro rata after the first 30 days. Spot's sample policy refunds premium paid for days after coverage ends. The Fetch, Lemonade and Healthy Paws pages we checked do not say. If yours does not, ask before you cancel.

One more thing: wellness add-ons can have their own rules. Fetch says that after 30 days, or once you file a wellness claim, you must cancel the whole policy to drop wellness. Spot's sample wellness add-on can only be dropped mid-year if you cancel the base policy too. See pet wellness plans.

Source: each insurer's own help page, FAQ or sample policy, checked October 29, 2026. We do not list phone numbers. Use the number on your policy or the insurer's help page.

We also tried Trupanion and Nationwide. Their pages blocked our checks or did not load, so they are not in the table. Your policy says how to cancel and what you get back.

Canceling is easy. Getting the same coverage back is not.

When you start with a new insurer, you start new pet insurance waiting periods. And anything your pet was treated for under the old plan can become a pre-existing condition. Read does pet insurance cover pre-existing conditions to see what that means.

If cost is the reason you want to cancel, ask first if you can lower your price. A higher deductible or a lower payback rate can cut the bill. See cheap pet insurance for other ideas.