Compare Price, Coverage, Customer Service & More – CanineJournal.com

The table below shows what Embrace and Pets Best cover. Both companies cover X-rays, blood tests, ultrasounds, cat scans, MRIs, rehabilitation, specialized exams, surgery, hospitalization, emergency care, specialty care, chronic conditions, cancer, euthanasia, hereditary conditions, congenital conditions, and prescription medication.

As you can see, Pets Best has a much shorter waiting period for hip dysplasia coverage. However, Embrace offers coverage for alternative/holistic therapies and exam fees at no extra cost.

Unfortunately, Embrace doesn’t cover illnesses for pets enrolled after their 14th birthday (however, if the pet is enrolled before turning 14, full coverage will continue as long as you pay your premium). If it weren’t for this exclusion, Embrace and Pets Best would be tied here.

Most of Embrace’s complaints from customers involve claims going unpaid. However, pet parents fail to read their policy in full, so they’re unaware of waiting periods or other exclusions. This is why you should read your pet insurance policy entirely, so you understand what is and isn’t covered, ideally before you buy it.

As for Pets Best, the company has gone through a lot since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It saw a massive uptick in policy purchases thanks to its thorough coverage and lower prices. However, this meant more claims were filed, and there wasn’t enough staff to help resolve claims. As a result, complaints flooded the company for poor customer service and long claim repayment times. Unfortunately, Pets Best is still trying to recover.

We’ve been in close contact with Pets Best and have been told repeatedly that they’re continuing to hire and train more help. Unfortunately, like many businesses, Pets Best is struggling to find qualified applicants. For now, Embrace wins with a better customer service reputation.

Embrace averages an eight to nine-day claim repayment for accidents and illnesses and five days for wellness-related claims. This is shorter than many pet insurance competitors.

As we said above, Pets Best is experiencing abnormally long claim repayment timelines, averaging 25 to 40 days. Prior to the pandemic, Pets Best averaged an eight-day claim repayment time. We hope they can get things back to normal soon, so customers can get their money back faster for expensive vet bills.

Because Embrace has a much shorter claim repayment period and is more consistent with its repayment timing, it’s the winner of this category.

Finding a company that has the coverage you need and fits within your budget is a necessity. See what plan options you have below from each provider.

Embrace offers five deductible options ($200, $300, $500, $750, and $1,000) and six annual payout limits ($5,000, $8,000, $10,000, $15,000, $30,000, and unlimited). However, new customers must call Embrace to access the unlimited payout option. This is uncommon — other pet insurance companies (including Pets Best) allow you to choose an unlimited payout option online.

On the flip side, Pets Best offers six deductible options ($50, $100, $200, $250, $500, and $1,000) and two annual payout options ($5,000 and unlimited). Both Embrace and Pets Best offer three reimbursement options (70%, 80%, and 90%).

Although Embrace technically has more deductible and annual payout options, we’re disappointed that it requires pet parents to call in for unlimited payout limits. A phone call to Embrace complicates the sign-up process more than competitors, so we give Pets Best the win here.

Embrace has a one-time fee of $25 and a $1 per month transaction fee if you pay monthly. Pets Best has no enrollment fees and a $2 per month transaction fee.

Below are some pet insurance quotes we pulled in September 2021. All information is for pets with no pre-existing conditions or multi-pet discounts.

Embrace is almost always more expensive than Pets Best, which is why Pets Best is our winner for this category.

Overall, Pets Best wins this comparison against Embrace due to its thorough coverage, unlimited payout options, and lower pricing. However, if you want a company with a faster claim repayment and better customer service reputation, you may want to consider Embrace at the current time.