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5+ years in auto insurance and personal finance writing
Featured in top personal finance publications
Lindsay is a widely published creator of auto insurance content. She also specializes in real estate, banking, credit cards, and other personal finance topics.
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7+ years in content creation and management
5+ years in insurance and personal finance content
Ashley is a seasoned personal finance editor who’s produced a variety of digital content, including insurance, credit cards, mortgages, and consumer lending products.
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Table of contents
Table of contents
Embrace and Pets Best solely issue pet insurance policies. Both offer comprehensive coverage options and multiple policy types. Pets Best is the budget-friendly option, and it offers the ability to pay your veterinarian directly. Embrace offers more flexible wellness offerings and a better claims process.
Ultimately, the best insurer for your pet will depend on the factors affecting your premium and your coverage priorities. Make sure to compare cost, coverage, customer service, and discounts before choosing between Pets Best and Embrace.
Pets Best offers cheaper premiums for accident and illness policies, accident-only plans, and wellness plans than Embrace, even when comparing similar coverage and policy parameters.
Embrace reimburses you after you pay your vet bill and file a claim, while Pets Best offers Vet Direct Pay, which may reduce financial stress for pet parents.
Embrace offers slightly more comprehensive coverage with fewer preventative care requirements, and its wellness plan doesn’t have per-item limits.
Pets Best vs. Embrace: The verdict
Pets Best offers cheaper rates for all policy types than Embrace, with a few differences in coverage. Embrace covers preventable conditions and parasites, which Pets Best excludes. But you’ll likely avoid those conditions by following your vet’s recommendations for preventative care. If you need accident-only coverage, Pets Best offers a better value.
Pets Best’s direct vet payment option also makes it the better choice for pet owners who lack savings or a high-limit credit card. Both companies offer budget-minded policy options, along with a suite of digital policy-management options, live customer support, and a 24/7 vet helpline. The companies have similar customer service ratings.
While we appreciate the flexibility of Embrace’s wellness rewards program, the add-on only saves you about $25 annually, no matter the coverage level you choose — even if you use all the benefits. Pets Best offers plans with per-item limits, but you’ll save more money, assuming you use all the services. For most pet parents, Pets Best is the better choice.
Pets Best vs. Embrace
Reimbursement % The percentage of costs your provider will pay for a covered event, after you’ve paid your deductible. 70%–90% | Reimbursement % The percentage of costs your provider will pay for a covered event, after you’ve paid your deductible. 70%–90% |
Payout limits The maximum amount your provider will pay for covered events. $5,000–Unlimited | Payout limits The maximum amount your provider will pay for covered events. $5,000–$30,000 |
Deductibles The amount you must pay towards a covered event before your coverage kicks in. $50–$1,000 | Deductibles The amount you must pay towards a covered event before your coverage kicks in. $100–$1,000 |
Curable pre-existing conditions CoveredPre-existing conditions refer to conditions your pet has shown documented symptoms of before your policy’s waiting period is over. Some companies still cover these conditions if they’re deemed “curable” and haven’t shown symptoms for a specified period of time that varies by insurer. | Curable pre-existing conditions CoveredPre-existing conditions refer to conditions your pet has shown documented symptoms of before your policy’s waiting period is over. Some companies still cover these conditions if they’re deemed “curable” and haven’t shown symptoms for a specified period of time that varies by insurer. |
Pets Best
Pets Best
Pets Best was founded in 2005 by a veterinarian. The company offers affordable accident and illness, accident-only, and wellness plans for dogs and cats. Pets Best is also one of the few companies to offer the option of direct payment to your veterinarian.
Its parent company, JAB Holding Company, is the third-largest pet insurance group by market share, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. JAB is also the parent company for Embrace.
Affordable accident-only coverage options
Highly customizable plans to suit individual needs
Quick claims processing, often paying out within days
Some customers report issues with records requests during claims
Limited coverage for holistic or alternative therapies
No coverage for pre-existing conditions
Embrace
Embrace
Embrace has been issuing pet insurance policies since 2006 and shares a parent company with Pets Best. Embrace offers comprehensive accident and illness policies and wellness plans for cats and dogs in addition to accident-only plans for older pets. The company offers customizable policies to give pet owners control over their premiums.
Customizable coverage options to fit various budgets
10% multi-pet discount available
Free 24/7 pet health helpline
Limited coverage for senior pets aged 15 or older
Doesn’t cover prescription food or supplements
Mixed customer reviews regarding claims processing times
How Pets Best and Embrace compare
Your financial situation and your pet’s health needs affect which pet insurance company is best for you. Let’s explore the similarities and differences between Pets Best and Embrace so you can make the right choice for your furry companion.
Cost of pet insurance
The average monthly pet insurance premium with Pets Best is $22 for dogs and $13 for cats, while the average monthly cost of Embrace pet insurance is $39 for dogs and $27 for cats.
Your premium will depend on your pet’s age and breed, your location, and your coverage choices. Pets Best offers a 5% multi-pet discount, while Embrace offers 10% savings for insuring more than one pet.
When comparing premiums for plans with similar coverage and policy parameters for a 2-year-old dog, we found that Pets Best is more affordable. Pets Best also offers cheaper routine care coverage relative to the benefits value, although Embrace’s wellness rewards program is more flexible.
Pets Best also offers an accident-only pet insurance policy that costs just $6 per month for cats and $9 per month for dogs in most states. Embrace’s accident-only plan is only available to senior pets or pets who don’t qualify for accident and illness coverage, and the plan has a lower annual limit.
Coverages and plan features
Both Pets Best and Embrace offer accident and illness insurance plans with an optional wellness coverage add-on. While both companies offer accident-only plans, Embrace only offers the coverage to pets who don’t qualify for traditional accident and illness coverage. Pets Best has no upper age limits for its policies.
Pets Best offers three levels of coverage and allows you to customize your deductible and reimbursement percentage. You can also choose from several annual limits, including an unlimited option. Embrace charges an additional premium to cover exam fees and prescription medications, but the company offers a similar array of customization options and an unlimited plan.
Both companies offer comprehensive accident and illness plans covering injuries, illnesses, and chronic conditions, including commonly-excluded conditions and treatments, such as:[1] [2]
Hereditary and congenital conditions
Alternative therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic, and rehabilitative care
Euthanasia
Both companies cover dental illness, but Embrace covers only up to $1,000 per year. Embrace covers preventable conditions and parasites, while Pets Best excludes those conditions.
The comparison chart below shows some of the other features of each company.
Feature | Pets Best | Embrace |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile claims filing | Yes | Yes |
| Direct vet pay | Yes | No |
| 24/7 pet helpline | Yes | Yes |
| Online policy management | Yes | Yes |
| Live customer support | Yes | Yes |
Policy exclusions
Both Embrace and Pets Best insurance policies come with these exclusions:
Incurable pre-existing conditions (curable conditions may be covered after set waiting periods)
Cosmetic and elective procedures
Care related to breeding or pregnancy
Vitamins, supplements, and prescription food
Routine care (unless you purchase wellness coverage)
Pets Best also excludes coverage for parasites and preventable conditions.
Claims process
Both Pets Best and Embrace offer a quick and easy claims process, but Pets Best offers the unique benefit of direct vet payment at participating veterinarians. Pets Best pays your vet directly, so you don’t have to cover the cost while you’re waiting for reimbursement.[3] Both companies allow you to submit mobile claims or file claims online.
Embrace reports that most accident and illness claims take between 10 and 15 days to process, but it typically processes wellness rewards claims in five days or less.[4] Pets Best doesn’t provide an estimated timeline, but if your vet accepts direct payment, there’s no wait.
Customer reviews
Most policyholders are happy with Embrace and Pets Best, but some have concerns.
Embrace customers praise the friendly and helpful customer service representatives, and they find the claims process easy and relatively quick. But some customers complain of premium increases upon renewal, and others are displeased with how the company defines pre-existing conditions.
Pets Best customers are pleased with the coverage and affordable pricing and find the customer support team accessible and helpful. But some customers complain of long claims processing and reimbursement timelines. Others are dissatisfied with premium increases.
Pets Best has a Trustpilot rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on more than 5,500 customer reviews, while Embrace has a Trustpilot rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars based on more than 9,500 customer reviews. With the Better Business Bureau, Pets Best has an average customer rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, while Embrace has an average rating of 1.2 out of 5. BBB reviews tend to skew negative for all companies.
Pets Best vs. Embrace FAQs
Getting the right pet insurance policy is key to ensuring you can afford the best care for your furry friend. If you’re still deciding, check out the answers to questions pet owners commonly ask about Embrace and Pets Best.
Is Pets Best better than Embrace insurance?
Pets Best is better than Embrace for pet owners who prioritize affordability, want a direct vet payment option, or need an accident-only plan. Embrace may be a better option for pet owners who want broader coverage with fewer requirements or flexible coverage for preventive care with no per-item limits.
What are the main differences between Pets Best and Embrace?
The key difference between Pets Best and Embrace is that Pets Best offers direct payment to your veterinarian, while Embrace reimburses you after you pay your vet.
Does Pets Best cover dental?
Yes. Pets Best covers extractions and treatments for pets without pre-existing signs of dental disease under its accident and illness policy. That said, coverage may vary by state and your pet’s age at enrollment. The company’s routine care add-on also offers up to $150 annually for dental cleanings.
What is the average monthly cost of Embrace pet insurance?
The average monthly cost of Embrace pet insurance is $39 for dogs and $27 for cats, according to Insurify data.
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Lindsay Frankel is a content writer specializing in personal finance and auto insurance topics. Her work has been featured in publications such as LendingTree, The Balance, Coverage.com, Bankrate, NextAdvisor, and FinanceBuzz.
Lindsay has been a contributor at Insurify since October 2022.
)
7+ years in content creation and management
5+ years in insurance and personal finance content
Ashley is a seasoned personal finance editor who’s produced a variety of digital content, including insurance, credit cards, mortgages, and consumer lending products.
Featured in
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