Methodology
How we build every price.
Four steps, the same for every insurer and every state. When a step fails, the price doesn't go live.
1. Read the filing
Insurers must file their rates and rating rules with each state insurance regulator before using them. Most filings are submitted through SERFF, the system operated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and many are publicly viewable. We index filings by state, line of business, insurer and status, and use the version in force for the date being priced.
2. Rebuild the formula
A rate manual lists a base rate and a sequence of factors — for pet insurance, things like species, breed, age, area, deductible, reimbursement and annual limit. We apply them in the order and with the rounding the insurer specifies. Where a filing includes its own worked examples, we reproduce those first.
3. Test on prices the formula never saw
We compare our computed price with real prices. Critically, we keep part of the real prices aside and never use them to build the formula — a formula that only matches the data it was fitted on proves nothing.
| Line | Result | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Pet | 94.3% of 528,183 options within 0.2% | 9 insurers |
| Travel (Travel Guard) | ±1¢ on held-out prices | 38 states |
| Travel, all | 1,106,173 real prices collected and checked | 205 plans · 51 states |
As of September 28, 2026. Where a price was calibrated to observed prices rather than reproduced purely from a filing, we label it that way.
4. Show the source
Every price carries the filing it came from, so anyone can check it against the original document held by the state.
What our prices are not
They are filed prices, not offers of insurance. An insurer's final price can differ because of underwriting, discounts, fees, or filings that change after our last update. Always confirm with the insurer.