Embrace vs Pets Best

Pets are like children. They need to be fed, bathed, and taken care of when they get sick or injured. But vet bills can be extremely high, especially for surgeries. That’s why pet insurance has become commonplace for pet owners.

But how to choose a pet insurer?

This Embrace vs Pets Best review will give you information about the waiting periods, deductibles, and costs of two of the most popular companies in the industry. Keep reading to find out which insurer offers the best coverage for your pets!

Embrace vs Pets Best Comparison

As a pet owner, your main priority is taking care of your fur baby, especially when they get sick or injured. It’s important to understand how pet insurance works, so you know what your pet is covered for.

Embrace and Pets Best are two of the best pet insurance companies in the industry. While they both provide a health care safety net, some differences may prompt you to choose one over another. Take a look at the Pets Best vs Embrace comparison to help you decide which coverage is best for your pet.

Waiting periods

The waiting period is the time it takes for your policy to come into effect. For pet owners who are serious about covering their pets immediately, you’ll want to choose an insurer with a shorter waiting period.

With that being said, Embrace pet insurance has a waiting period of two days for accidents, 14 days for illness, and six months for orthopedic issues such as hip dysplasia and luxating patellas.

Pets Best’s waiting period is three days for accidents, 14 days for illnesses, and six months for cruciate ligament conditions. If you add routine care plans, this coverage can be used on your policy’s effective date.

Cost

Various factors will affect the cost of your pet insurance, such as gender, age, and species. Similar to most pet insurance policies, the price for Embrace coverage will be different for dogs and cats. You can expect to pay $15 to $20 per month for cats. And if you have a dog, you can pay between $30 and $40 per month.

Just like Embrace, the Pets Best costs will be determined by your pet’s age, breed, and location. Your plan’s annual limit, annual deductible, and reimbursement level will also be factored into the cost.

Roughly 50% of all households in the US own a dog. So let’s start here – Pets Best pet insurance for dogs is $9 per month for the accident-only plan. If you choose comprehensive accident and illness coverage, you can pay between $35 and $58 per month.

For cats, Pets Best health insurance premiums start at $6 per month for accident-only coverage. Accident and illness plans can be between $22 and $46 per month. One of the advantages of Pets Best is that they offer a 5% discount on the BestBenefit plans if you insure multiple pets.

Deductible

Embrace pet insurance offers diminishing deductibles, so it can go down by $50 each year you don’t claim. What’s more, the insurer subtracts your deductible first before your co-payment. The rate is customizable and depends on your pet’s age. The available options are:

• $100
• $250
• $500
• $750
• $1,000

On the other hand, Pets Best’s deductible is calculated differently by subtracting the co-pay of the claimed amount first and then subtracting the deductible. Pets Best has six deductibles for you to choose from:

• $50
• $100
• $200
• $250
• $500
• $1,000

Annual limit

Annual limits are the total benefits a pet insurance company will pay in a year. Embrace offers five annual payout limits:

• $5,000
• $8,000
• $10,000
• $15,000
• $30,000

Embrace insurance also doesn’t offer any lifetime limits. This may be one of the drawbacks if policyholders want more coverage.

Pets Best, on the other hand, has only two annual limits: $5,000 and unlimited. Although a lifetime limit is the most expensive policy you can get, it offers the most comprehensive coverage for pets.

Exclusions

Exclusions are certain risks or events that a pet insurer doesn’t cover. Like most insurers, Embrace pet insurance coverage doesn’t include pre-existing cancer or pets older than 14 years. Pets 15 years and older are only eligible for an accident-only policy. Here are additional exclusions from Embrace:

• Pregnancy, breeding, or whelping
• Deliberate injury caused by you or persons in your home
• Avian flu or nuclear war
• Stem cell therapy
• Cosmetic procedures such as declawing, ear modifications, or tail docking
• Injury or illness from racing, cruelty, neglect, or fighting
• DNA cloning or testing

Pets Best also has exclusions for pre-existing conditions. This includes any injury or illness before you take out your policy. The insurer also doesn’t cover pets for:

• Preventative care or elective care
• Testing, treatment, and prevention of parasites
• Non-veterinary expenses, including waste disposal fees or transportation fees
• Herbal, holistic, and experimental therapies

Notably, with Pet Best, cold laser therapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, physical therapy, and hydrotherapy are not considered to be holistic or experimental and are covered.

Wellness plan

Some pet insurers offer wellness plans that cover costs for general pet care, such as grooming or even pet training. With that being said, the Embrace wellness plan reimburses you for extras such as training, grooming, and routine vet visits. You can also earn Embrace wellness rewards when you opt for preventative pet care.

Pets Best also offers wellness care coverage. EssentialWellness and BestWellness can be added to any premium plan, but they may have some itemized limits. Only the BestWellness plan offers reimbursements for neutering and spraying.

BBB rating

The Better Business Bureau gathers consumer opinions to rate companies’ reliability and trustworthiness.

Embrace and Pet Best both hold optimal A+ ratings on the platform. The latter, however, became an accredited service provider a year earlier — in 2005.

Mobile app

Mobile apps are convenient for pet owners who want to manage their policies on the go. It’s also essential for pet owners who don’t own laptops or expensive computers to manage their policies.

Embrace pet insurance has a mobile app for iOS and Android users where you can complete the following tasks:

• Submit claims
• Check your claim status
• Add pets to coverage
• Change your coverage
• Chat to customer care
• View and download policy documents

Pet Best also offers a mobile app to iOS and Android users so you can manage your policy no matter where you are. With this app, you can:

• Submit a claim before you leave the vet
• Access your pets benefit information
• Access your 24/7 Pet Helpline
• Refer friends and manage referral rewards

Support

Both Pet Best and Embrace pet insurance offer extensive support for policyholders. Embrace has a contact center you can phone during its office hours: 9 am to 8 pm, Monday to Friday. Or reach the company through Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram. There’s also an FAQ section on the Embrace website to answer common questions about your coverage.

With Pets Best, you get a 24/7 helpline on your mobile app. Or you can contact the company through their toll-free line. Pet Best also has social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even Pinterest.

How much time does it take to process claims?

You want to choose an insurance policy that processes claims as quickly as possible so that you’re not out of pocket.

Embrace’s pet insurance has a 10-15 day waiting period for accidents or illnesses claims. The company will also require 12 months’ worth of vet records before processing your claim. Additionally, there’s a three-day waiting period for reimbursements and a five-day waiting period for wellness plans.

One of the most significant advantages of Pets Best is that the company doesn’t require medical records to process a claim. The company doesn’t state how long they take to process claims. But, Pets Best does mention that you can receive your reimbursement in five to seven business days after processing your claim.

Final Verdict

As you can see in our Pets Best vs Embrace comparison, there are some advantages and disadvantages for both pet insurance companies. If you want pet insurance with two types of wellness plans and no annual limits, then Pets Best may be what you’re looking for. Pets Best also offers a 5% discount if you enroll multiple pets.

On the other hand, if you want a policy with diminishing deductibles and more transparency on the waiting period for processing claims, then Embrace is the way to go. However, bear in mind that both insurers have exclusions, so consider this factor when going through our Embrace vs Pets Best comparison. Use this guide to help you decide which insurance policy offers the best coverage for your fur babies.