Embrace offers popular and comprehensive pet insurance for cats and dogs. In fact, big-name insurers Allstate, Geico and USAA use Embrace as a third-party pet insurance provider. So if you’re an Allstate customer trying to buy a policy for your dog, for instance, Allstate will provide you with a quote from Embrace.
Embrace pet insurance plans are easy to customize and cover a wide variety of conditions and treatments, such as alternative therapies and dental illnesses. Embrace appears on NerdWallet’s list of the Best Pet Insurance Companies.
Embrace pet insurance plans and coverage
Embrace offers several types of coverage to choose from.
Coverage for accidents and illnesses
For most pets, Embrace offers a single policy covering accidents and illnesses. As long as you enroll your pet by the age of 14, the pet can have accident and illness coverage for life.
Embrace’s accident and illness plan covers:
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Treatment, hospitalization and surgery for injuries and illnesses, including cancer.
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Diagnostic tests.
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Hereditary and congenital conditions.
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Dental illnesses, including gingivitis, up to $1,000 a year.
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Complementary treatments such as acupuncture and laser therapy.
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Treatments prescribed by veterinary specialists, such as behavioralists and oncologists.
You can opt to add coverage for accident/injury exam fees and prescription medicine.
Accident-only coverage
Pets who start their policies at age 15 or older are eligible for Embrace’s accident-only coverage. This plan doesn’t pay for treatment of any illnesses, but will cover scenarios like your cat swallowing a toy or your dog getting hit by a car. This policy also covers bloat, an emergency condition in which the stomach twists upon itself.
» MORE: Does pet insurance cover surgery?
Wellness Rewards
In most states, you can add Wellness Rewards, which helps with routine expenses like:
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Vaccinations.
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Spaying or neutering.
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Flea, tick and heartworm preventives.
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Microchipping.
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Wellness exams.
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Grooming and nail clipping.
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Cremation or burial.
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Nutritional supplements and prescription diet food.
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Training.
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Preventive teeth cleaning.
There’s no copayment for Wellness Rewards, and your spending under this plan doesn’t count toward the deductible on your accident and illness policy.
The Wellness Rewards plan is designed to save you about $25 on care per year, as long as you use your entire reimbursement allowance. For example, the plan with a $300 annual allowance costs $22.92 a month in premiums, or about $275 for the year. But if you don’t spend the full $300 allowance at the vet that year, you could end up paying more for the coverage than you get out of it.
Wellness Rewards isn’t available in Rhode Island.
Note: Coverage options and availability may vary depending on where you live and the age and breed of your pet.
What’s not covered
Embrace accident and illness insurance doesn’t cover:
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Pre-existing conditions, except for curable conditions that haven’t recurred in at least a year.
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Expenses associated with breeding or pregnancy.
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Illness or injury due to fighting, racing or mistreatment.
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Cosmetic procedures.
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DNA testing or cloning.
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Wellness care.
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Prescription food or supplements (unless you’ve added Wellness Rewards).
The accident-only plan won’t cover the above or treatment for any illness.
» MORE: Complete guide to pet insurance coverage
Embrace plan options
Deductibles: A pet insurance deductible is the amount of your vet bills you need to pay before your insurer starts reimbursing you. Embrace’s annual deductibles for the accident and illness policy range from $100 to $1,000 per year. For the accident-only policy, an annual deductible of $100 applies.
Reimbursement amounts: For the accident and illness policy, you can choose to be reimbursed for 70%, 80% or 90% of your vet expenses. The accident-only policy pays 90% of your expenses.
Embrace uses a more generous method of calculating claim payouts than many other insurers, subtracting your deductible from your vet bill before applying your reimbursement rate. Here’s how that could work if you had a $2,000 vet bill, $500 deductible and 80% reimbursement rate:
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$2,000 vet bill – $500 deductible = $1,500.
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$1,500 x 0.8 (80% reimbursement rate) = $1,200 reimbursement.
You’d pay the remaining $800 of the vet bill.
Watch your wallet
Many pet insurers apply the reimbursement rate to your vet bill first, then subtract the deductible, resulting in a lower payout for you. Here’s how the math would work for the example above:
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$2,000 vet bill x 0.8 (80% reimbursement rate) = $1,600.
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$1,600 – $500 deductible = $1,100 reimbursement.
Coverage limits: For the accident and illness policy, annual coverage limits range from $2,000 to unlimited. For the accident-only policy, the annual limit is $5,000.
Restrictions and waiting periods
Age restrictions: Pets must be at least 6 weeks old to get a policy. In most states, pets 15 and up at the time of enrollment can’t get accident and illness insurance, only coverage for accidents. In California, pets may be enrolled only up to age 4.
Waiting periods: A pet insurance waiting period is the time between when you buy your policy and when your coverage starts. Embrace waiting periods are two days for accidents, 14 days for illnesses and six months for orthopedic conditions for dogs. You may be able to reduce the latter period to 14 days by taking your dog for an orthopedic exam. There’s no waiting period for routine care with Wellness Rewards. Waiting periods may vary by state.
Embrace pet insurance sample rates
The cost of Embrace pet insurance depends on where you live, the coverage limits you choose, and your pet’s breed and age.
To give you a rough idea of how much you might pay, we gathered quotes for several popular dog breeds at ages 2 and 8. Rates below are sample monthly premiums for dogs living in Katy, Texas. Our sample plan was for accident and illness coverage with a $250 deductible, $5,000 of annual coverage and an 80% reimbursement rate. Your own price will vary.
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Breed |
Age 2 |
Age 8 |
|---|---|---|
|
French bulldog |
$91 |
$168 |
|
German shepherd |
$59 |
$109 |
|
Golden retriever |
$59 |
$109 |
|
Labrador retriever |
$59 |
$109 |
|
Medium mixed-breed dog |
$36 |
$67 |
|
Poodle |
$74 |
$136 |
We also gathered rates for a variety of cat breeds with the same coverage limits as above. Rates below are sample monthly premiums for cats living in Katy, Texas.
|
Breed |
Age 2 |
Age 8 |
|---|---|---|
|
Devon rex |
$25 |
$43 |
|
Domestic shorthair |
$20 |
$35 |
|
Exotic |
$25 |
$43 |
|
Maine coon |
$25 |
$43 |
|
Persian |
$25 |
$43 |
|
Ragdoll |
$25 |
$43 |
» MORE: The best cheap pet insurance
Embrace pet insurance discounts
Embrace may offer the following ways to save on pet insurance, depending on where you live:
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10% multiple pet discount.
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5% military discount.
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5% to 10% healthy pet discount.
You can avoid a monthly billing fee by paying your annual premium in full, upfront.
We recommend getting pet insurance quotes from at least three companies to make sure you’ve found the best deal.
» MORE: Is pet insurance worth it?
State availability
Embrace pet insurance is available in Washington, D.C., and all states except Maine.
Availability may change at any time. Coverage may not be available to all pets in a given state.
Digital experience
The Embrace website is easy to navigate, offers quick online quotes and has plenty of coverage information. You can log in to the MyEmbrace portal to file and track claims, update your billing or policy information, add a new pet, or contact customer support.
The highly rated Embrace mobile app lets you file claims, check remaining coverage limits, update your policy or add a new pet.
How to file a claim with Embrace
You can submit a claim online, through the app, or by email, fax or physical mail. It can take 10 to 15 business days for Embrace to process a claim. For faster payment, sign up for direct deposit rather than receiving a check in the mail.
How to contact Embrace customer service
You can call Embrace’s customer service representatives at 855-540-2104, Monday through Saturday. You can also use the online chatbot. The PawSupport telemedicine service offers 24/7 support if you have questions about your pet’s care. You can access PawSupport by logging into your online portal.
