Pumpkin Pet Insurance California Review
Pumpkin is administered by Pumpkin Insurance Services and underwritten in California by Independence American Insurance Company. At filed rates the French Bulldog costs $122 a month at age 2 and $481 at age 12; the 15-year total is $48,134.[1] The last approved increase was +12.0%, against +13.9% requested, effective 1 Aug 2026.[1]
Coverage
| Unlimited annual limit available | yes |
|---|---|
| Exam fees in base | yes |
| Dental illness in base | yes |
| Prescription food | limited |
| Curable conditions can return to coverage | yes |
| Illness waiting 14 days or less, waivable | yes |
| Hereditary conditions in base | yes |
| Direct vet pay | no |
| No upper enrollment age | yes |
California filing 25-613 (manual CA_20260326, effective 1 August 2026) has one base rate by territory for every V4 brand, so Pumpkin, Spot and ASPCA share the same filed base rates and factors. There is no tenure factor and no healthy-pet discount. Multi-pet discount 5% on each pet, $2 installment fee, no enrollment fee in the manual. Coverage comes from the brand-neutral form PET-P-20000-CA-IAIC (edition 1024); the manual also allows products without exam fees, drugs, dental illness, prescription food or hereditary cover, and the filing does not say which brand uses them. Prescription food is paid only to treat a covered condition. The form says the insurer can pay the vet directly if the claim form asks for it; we do not count that as direct vet pay.
Scores in California [sort by any column · click a brand for the breakdown]
| 1 | 6.8 | 2.5 | 7.4 | 7.2 | 10.0 | n/d | 6.4 | $48,134 | 8.8 | |
One base rate for all V4 brands; no tenure factor; no healthy-pet discount; multi-pet 5% on each pet; $2 installment fee | ||||||||||
F (customer treatment) has no data yet for California, so its weight changes nothing until that data is in. Coverage is scored separately and never counted in the total.
Why these scores
- D. Rate increases 7.2
- In filing 25-613 (Exhibit 20), 50 of 197,543 policyholders (0.03%) were projected to get an increase of 30% or more.
- E. Price structure 10.0
- Filing 25-613 (manual CA_20260326) has no tenure factor and no claim-free discount, a $2 installment fee and a 5% multi-pet discount.
- F. Customer treatment no data
- Our sources show no mass non-renewal and no regulator penalty against Independence American Insurance Company in California in the last five years.
Price by age
From filing 25-613, effective 1 Aug 2026, priced at the unlimited limit. 15-year total $48,134 at today's filed rates.[1]
All numbers: Pumpkin, monthly premium by age
| Age | $/month | $/year |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | $122 | $1,460 |
| 1 | $122 | $1,460 |
| 2 | $122 | $1,460 |
| 3 | $122 | $1,460 |
| 4 | $127 | $1,522 |
| 5 | $157 | $1,886 |
| 6 | $181 | $2,174 |
| 7 | $213 | $2,558 |
| 8 | $268 | $3,212 |
| 9 | $305 | $3,663 |
| 10 | $364 | $4,373 |
| 11 | $417 | $5,007 |
| 12 | $481 | $5,776 |
| 13 | $481 | $5,776 |
| 14 | $529 | $6,348 |
| Total over 15 years | $48,134 | |
Compared with other brands in California
Monthly premium for the French Bulldog in California at filed rates, before any future increases. Drag the slider to see what you pay at each birthday.
Filed rates: ASPCA, Pumpkin, Spot 25-613 · Embrace 26-812 · Fetch 25-2417 · Lemonade 23-3248 · MetLife 25-2234 · Trupanion 25-2461. Dashed: proposed, filed but not yet approved (Embrace, effective 1 Feb 2027). No rate pages read yet: Figo, Healthy Paws, Nationwide.
All numbers: monthly premium by age, French Bulldog, none (filed rates)
| Age | ASPCA | Embrace | Fetch | Lemonade | MetLife | Pumpkin | Spot | Trupanion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $122 | $195 | $126 | $86 | $273 | $122 | $122 | $196 |
| 1 | $122 | $137 | $128 | $77 | $248 | $122 | $122 | $196 |
| 2 | $122 | $158 | $145 | $75 | $248 | $122 | $122 | $196 |
| 3 | $122 | $181 | $164 | $75 | $248 | $122 | $122 | $196 |
| 4 | $127 | $209 | $196 | $85 | $251 | $127 | $127 | $196 |
| 5 | $157 | $240 | $233 | $102 | $315 | $157 | $157 | $196 |
| 6 | $181 | $276 | $277 | $120 | $379 | $181 | $181 | $196 |
| 7 | $213 | $317 | $327 | $148 | $472 | $213 | $213 | $196 |
| 8 | $268 | $364 | $386 | $179 | $584 | $268 | $268 | $196 |
| 9 | $305 | $418 | $455 | $217 | $667 | $305 | $305 | $196 |
| 10 | $364 | $482 | $535 | $258 | $774 | $364 | $364 | $196 |
| 11 | $417 | $554 | $627 | $306 | $897 | $417 | $417 | $196 |
| 12 | $481 | $637 | $734 | $330 | $1,039 | $481 | $481 | $196 |
| 13 | $481 | $732 | $857 | $330 | $1,091 | $481 | $481 | $196 |
| 14 | $529 | $842 | $998 | $330 | $1,143 | $529 | $529 | $196 |
Rate filings
Pumpkin's own figures where one filing sets different increases for different brands; the California page lists each filing's headline figures.
| Filing | Effective | Status | Requested | Approved | Indicated | Loss ratio | Permissible LR | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25-613 | 1 Aug 2026 | approved | +13.9% | +12.0% | +21.4% | 67% actual (2024) | source [1] |
Notes on these filings (1)
References
- 1.↑California Department of Insurance, WARFF. Independence American Insurance Company, V4, rate filing 25-613. Effective 1 Aug 2026. Requested +13.9%, approved +12.0%, indicated +21.4%. source
- 2.↑Pet Insurance Wiki, Rating methodology, version 1. methodology
History
- Corrected the comparison of Pumpkin's indicated and selected Florida increases: rates would need to rise another 14.3% to reach the indication, on claims alone or including the January change. Clarified that California's +7.9% is the overall change across V4 products and that the 60% cap applies at each of three renewals.
- Florida prices now use the approved manual FL_20260724 in filing 26-024273 (the draft FL_20260430 was used before); the Florida filing row and scores use Pumpkin's own channel figures (+31.31%, indicated +50.14%, projected loss ratio 89.81%); added BBB and Trustpilot ratings checked on 13 October 2026
- Corrected Florida base rates to the approved manual FL_20260724; separated the 1 January 2026 accident-wait change from the 1 October 2026 increase; replaced an unsourced ownership claim with the policy disclosure; clarified age, renewal, waiver and loss-ratio wording
- Full review: added California filing 25-613, how the V4 program works in both states, pros, cons and open questions
- Draft page from filing IAIC 26-024273