Embrace rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Best for: Discounts for healthy pets
Pet owners will appreciate Embrace Pet Insurance for its ample coverage and below-average, competitive costs. Unfortunately, coverage for vet exam fees and prescriptions require buying add-ons, but, in general, Embrace provides wide-ranging coverage features.
Embrace also stands out for its Healthy Pet Discount Program, which automatically applies a 5% discount in the first year if your pet’s claims are less than $300. There’s a 10% discount in the second year for low claims as well as a 10% discount for insuring multiple pets.
Learn more: How does pet insurance work? A complete guide.
Pros
-
An unlimited annual coverage option is available.
-
Costs are below the average in our analysis.
-
Preexisting conditions are covered if the pet has had no symptoms or treatment for one year.
-
Behavioral therapy and alternative therapy are covered, including hydrotherapy, acupuncture, physiotherapy, therapeutic laser treatment, and chiropractic.
Cons
-
There’s a six-month waiting period for canine orthopedic problems, but getting an orthopedic exam will reduce it to 14 days.
-
You have to buy add-ons to get coverage for vet exam fees and prescriptions.
-
Prescription food and supplements are not covered.
Advertisement: Switch Auto Insurance and Save Today!
Consider these essential features when comparing pet insurance policies.
-
Annual maximum limit choices: $2,000, $5,000, $8,000, $10,000, $15,000, Unlimited
-
Deductible choices: $100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000
-
Reimbursement choices: 70%, 80%, 90%
-
For accident coverage: Begins at 12:01 a.m. ET the day after you purchase a policy
-
For illness coverage: 14 days
-
Special waiting period: six months for canine orthopedic conditions, which can be reduced to 14 days with an orthopedic exam
-
Minimum pet age: 6 weeks
-
Maximum pet age: None
Embrace Pet Insurance offers extensive coverage under its accident and illness plan. Here are highlights of the coverage in the base policies (without add-ons).
Embrace accident and illness policy
The accident and illness policy covers the following conditions (annual limits, reimbursement, and deductible vary based on the coverage you choose):
-
Hereditary and congenital conditions such as cherry eye and Wobbler syndrome
-
Diagnostics such as X-rays and ultrasounds
-
Dental accidents and illnesses
-
Cancer
-
Behavioral therapy
-
Alternative therapy
-
Euthanasia when needed for humane reasons
The accident-only plan provides up to $5,000 in reimbursement, has a $100 deductible, and covers accidents such as the following:
Embrace’s Wellness Rewards program is an optional add-on to its accident and illness policies that functions much like a savings account for routine screenings expenses and preventive pet care. It’s not an insurance policy, so there are no deductibles or copayments.
You can choose from three benefit amounts: $300, $500, or $700 per year. You can access the funds from day one, but overall, the advantages of using this plan are minimal. Your monthly payments over the year will equal the full benefit amount minus $25 that Wellness Rewards kicks in. You may find that the $25 in savings isn’t worth the paperwork, and unused funds don’t roll over at the end of the plan year. So if you have $150 left at the end of the year, you lose that money.
Embrace’s Wellness Rewards plan can be used for the following types of care and doesn’t have per-item limits:
-
Routine wellness exams
-
Vaccinations
-
Blood and fecal tests
-
Spaying/neutering
-
Microchipping
-
Routine dental cleaning
-
Grooming
-
Flea, tick, and heartworm prevention
-
Routine gland expression
-
Alternative treatments, nutritional supplements, and prescription pet food
-
Training
-
Cremation and burial
Learn more: Your guide to what pet insurance covers
Embrace does not cover preexisting conditions. It defines a preexisting condition as “any injury, illness, or abnormality noticed by you or your veterinarian before your policy started, even if your pet never went to see the vet for it.” However, if your pet has a curable preexisting condition and remains symptom-free and treatment-free for a year, Embrace will cover the condition if it returns.
All Embrace policies include access to a 24/7 pet helpline through partner PawSupport. PawSupport’s staff can help with making decisions about your pet’s care, but cannot diagnose conditions or prescribe medication.
Embrace policies won’t cover expenses such as:
-
Routine care
-
Preexisting conditions, except curable conditions that have had no symptoms or treatment for a year
-
Alternative treatments
-
Cosmetic procedures such as tail docking and ear cropping
-
Boarding
-
Breeding and pregnancy
-
DNA testing or cloning
-
Organ transplants
-
Natural supplements and vitamins
-
Injury or illness from fighting, racing, cruelty, or neglect
-
Increases: You can increase your coverage, such as increasing the maximum limit or lowering your deductible amount. But waiting periods and preexisting condition rules will reset, much like buying a new policy.
-
Decreases: You can decrease your coverage at any time to lower your premium by increasing your deductible, decreasing your annual maximum limit, or decreasing your reimbursement rate. There’s no reset of waiting periods if you decrease coverage.
Embrace Pet Insurance is competitively priced with average rates less than average in our analysis.
Embrace’s policy with $5,000 in annual coverage costs 7% less than the average in our evaluation.
For unlimited annual coverage, Embrace Pet Insurance costs 17% less than the average in our evaluation.
Yes, Embrace offers a 10% discount if you insure more than one pet. This is comparable with other insurers’ multi-pet discounts, which are usually 5% or 10%.
No, you must pay your vet and then submit a claim with Embrace. However, if you expect a large bill, you can try asking for a special arrangement ahead of time.
Learn more: Pet insurance that pays the vet directly: How does it work?
Here’s what to know about filing claims with Embrace:
-
To make a claim: You must submit an itemized invoice for your pet’s vet visit and a completed claim form when submitting a claim by email, fax, or mail. Reimbursements are paid by check or direct deposit.
-
To submit claims quickly: Log in through the MyEmbrace online customer account, provide the requested information, and upload your invoice. This method doesn’t require submitting a claim form.
-
To receive reimbursements faster: Enroll in direct deposit through your online customer account to receive reimbursements within one to two business days after a claim is processed.
-
If your claim is denied: You can appeal the decision. The appeal process will be outlined in your policy document.
You must submit claims within 60 days after the end of your policy’s term.
Embrace processes accident and illness claims within 10 to 15 business days. It processes Wellness Rewards claims within five business days. Claims will be delayed if you do not submit all necessary information.
The highly rated Embrace Pet Insurance app makes it easy to manage your policy. You can check your coverage and see remaining limits, submit and view claims, add pets, change coverage, update billing information, and send messages to the claims team.
Embrace mobile app ratings:
Learn more: The best pet insurance companies 2025
Embrace Pet Insurance is available in all states.
The Embrace Wellness Rewards program provides reimbursement for vaccinations. You can add the plan to an accident and illness policy.
Learn more: Does pet insurance cover vaccines?
Your pet must have been examined by a veterinarian within the 12 months before enrolling in an Embrace policy or within the first 14 days of the start of the policy.
You can contact Embrace by phone, fax, your online customer account, or the Embrace mobile app.
-
You can call Embrace at 1-855-540-2104 Monday through Friday (9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET) and Saturday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET).
-
The fax number is 1-800-238-1042.
You can cancel an Embrace Pet Insurance policy at any time by calling 1-800-643-7578.
You can receive a full refund if you cancel within 30 days of your policy start date and have not submitted any claims. If you cancel after 30 days of the start of your policy or have submitted claims, you may be eligible for a prorated refund. Prorated refunds are calculated from the day after you cancel to the end of your current billing cycle.
Amy Danise and Tim Manni edited this article.
We researched the coverage details and prices for 15 pet insurance plans. We then weighted categories, and each pet insurer was scored relative to the others to find the best pet insurance companies. Here are the factors we incorporated.
Coverage types: 40% of score. We examined the coverage provided by the base policy without the extra cost of add-ons. This encompassed coverage for alternative therapy, behavioral therapy, dental illness, euthanasia or end-of-life expenses, exotic pets, hereditary and congenital conditions, preexisting conditions, prescription food and supplements, veterinary exam fees, and advertising/reward for lost/stolen pets.
Average cost: 30% of score. We evaluated costs in five states for $5,000 and unlimited coverage for a mixed-breed dog (age 1), a French bulldog (age 5), and a Labrador retriever (age 8).
Unlimited coverage option: 10% of score. We gave points when pet insurers offered an unlimited annual limit (or a $100,000 limit), which gives pet owners the most robust financial protection possible in the event of a catastrophic pet medical issue.
Direct payments to the veterinarian: 5% of score. We gave points to pet insurers that state on their websites that they accommodate direct vet payments.
No special waiting periods for special conditions: 5% of score. We gave points when pet insurers have no waiting periods for special conditions, such as cruciate ligament conditions.
Routine wellness plan: 5% of score. Companies that offer a routine wellness plan in addition to pet insurance received points.
Multi-pet discount: 5% of score. We gave points when pet insurers offered a discount for insuring multiple pets.
