Which Can Offer Better Coverage At A Reasonable Price?
Embrace has decades of experience providing pet insurance for dogs and cats. Spot is one of the newer companies to enter the marketplace, and it’s showing promising signs with extensive coverage and plan options. Overall, Embrace has a few more things to offer than Spot, but every situation is different. So, it’s important to read our detailed comparison and get quotes to decide which provider is best for your pet’s needs and your budget.
We compare coverage, customer service and reputation, claim processing, pricing, and customizations and explain which company we think is better in most cases. But remember that each pet and household budget varies, so obtaining quotes from multiple companies for your unique situation can help ensure you get the best policy and price to meet your needs.
Policy Coverage
Policy Coverage Winner
The table below shows precisely what Embrace and Spot cover. Both companies cover emergency care, surgery and hospitalization, specialized exams and specialty care, X-rays, blood tests, ultrasounds, cat scans, MRIs, rehabilitation, cancer, chronic conditions, euthanasia, hereditary conditions, congenital conditions, non-routine dental treatment, and prescription medications. Neither covers pre-existing conditions, pregnancy and breeding, or unnecessary cosmetic procedures.
*Waiting periods for California, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Washington are as follows:
- Accidents – 0 days
- Illnesses – 14 days
- Cruciate Ligament Conditions – 30 days
- Routine Care – 0 days
Embrace and Spot have some of the best coverage in the pet insurance industry. As you can see, each covers all of the items in the table above. However, cremation is only covered by Embrace through a wellness plan (not included in their pet insurance policy). Spot doesn’t offer this type of coverage. However, both companies have reasonable waiting periods, although Spot’s accident waiting period is much longer than most providers. And Embrace has much longer waiting periods for hip dysplasia and CCL injuries, but this is rather standard in the industry.
Embrace doesn’t have breed restrictions, but it doesn’t cover illnesses for pets enrolled after their 15th birthday (however, if the pet is enrolled before turning 15, full coverage will continue as long as you continue to pay your premium). Meanwhile, Spot has no upper age limits. Pets must be at least 6 weeks old to sign up for Embrace and 8 weeks old to sign up for Spot.
You’ll also notice that Embrace has an A+ A.M. Best rating, which is an excellent indicator of financial stability. Spot’s underwriter has an A rating, which is still a very high rating. Overall, we think Embrace’s coverage is better because of its shorter accident waiting period, higher A.M. Best rating, and the additional option for cremation coverage.
Customer Service & Reputation
Customer Service & Reputation Winner
Founded in 2003, Embrace has a longstanding reputation as a stable and dependable pet insurance provider. Spot Pet Insurance was founded in 2019, so it’s relatively new to the industry. This makes it hard for us to gauge if Spot will offer consistent coverage, pricing, and customer service for the long haul.
However, Spot’s policies are nearly identical to ASPCA Pet Insurance’s with similar contracts, coverage, and pricing. They even have the same underwriters. ASPCA Pet Insurance has been in the insurance business since 1997, giving us reason to believe that Spot is likely to prove to be a reputable provider for the long haul.
Regarding customer service, most of Embrace’s customer complaints involve unpaid claims. However, most concerns we have found involve pet parents who didn’t read their policy in full and, as a result, were 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 and before spending time to place a claim.
Spot policyholders primarily complain about the claims process being too slow or denying claims. App ratings are also much lower than most top pet insurance providers. Embrace ranks better in the customer service and reputation segment.
Claim Processing
Claim Processing Winner
Embrace averages five days for claim processing of accidents and illnesses. This is shorter than many pet insurance competitors. Embrace users seem pleased with the speediness and amount of the reimbursed claim when warranted. Embrace also has an option for them to pay the vet directly and eliminate the reimbursement process.
Over the years, I filed several claims with Embrace for our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I was reimbursed electronically very quickly every time, typically within 48 hours or sooner.
– Sadie Cornelius, Pet Parent and Canine Journal Graphic Designer
On the other hand, Spot averages 10 to 14 days for claim processing, which is rather long. Spot doesn’t have a vet direct pay option like Embrace has.
Price Of Policy
Price Of Policy Winner
Embrace has a one-time enrollment fee of $25, and they charge a $1 per month transaction fee if you opt to pay monthly. Spot has no one-time fees but does have a $2 transaction fee for monthly payments. Embrace is commonly among the most expensive pet insurance options, while Spot is typically less expensive than Embrace.
Additionally, both companies have annual deductibles, which is important if your pet experiences multiple accidents or illnesses during the policy period (one year).
Policy pricing is based on your pet’s details (age, breed, location, etc.). We recommend obtaining quotes from each company for your specific pet. You can also visit our pet insurance comparison quotes to see a few sample prices we’ve gathered.
Remember that it’s always best to get quotes for your specific dog to compare what pet insurance could cost for you. You can use our pet insurance quote form to get multiple companies’ prices when you complete this quick form.
Coupons
Embrace
Embrace offers the following discounts:
- 10% off (5% off in NY) for multiple pets
- 5% off for military and veterans (NY and TN excluded)
- 10% off if your company or clinic offers Embrace as an employee benefit (FL, ND, NY, and TN excluded)
- 5% off in NY if you pay annually
- Up to 25% off for eligible USAA customers
- Your deductible automatically goes down $50 each year you don’t receive a claim payment
Use this link to take advantage of the best possible price. No promo code is needed. You can also visit our dedicated Embrace promotions page to learn more.
Spot
Spot offers the following discounts:
- Spot Pet Insurance offers a 10% multi-pet discount when you use this link.
- Purina customers are eligible for a 10% discount
- Up to 20% off for eligible AAA customers
Plan Customization
Plan Customization Winner
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 | Spot | |
|---|---|---|
| Deductible Options | $200, $300, $500, $750, $1,000 | $100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000 |
| Payout Options | $5,000, $8,000, $10,000, $15,000, $30,000, unlimited | $2,500, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, $10,000, $15,000, $20,000, unlimited |
| Reimbursement Options | 70%, 80%, 90% | 70%, 80%, 90% |
| Optional Wellness Plan |  | |
| Accident-Only Plan | Pets enrolled after their 15th birthday | |
Both companies offer multiple plan customizations to help you find the best option for your budget. However, Spot offers an accident-only plan with no age restrictions.
What’s The Verdict?
Overall Winner
Overall, Embrace wins this comparison against Spot due to its extensive policy coverage, excellent customer service and reputation, and shorter claim processing average. However, if you’re looking for a more budget-friendly provider, Spot is worth your consideration.
If you didn’t find what you were looking for, our experts dig even deeper into each company in our in-depth reviews of Embrace and Spot.
Our experts have spent thousands of hours researching to bring you our comprehensive and frequently updated pet insurance reviews, including our top picks, along with details on each of the most popular pet insurance companies. So, if you want to know how other providers compare against one another, you may find this review helpful in your pet insurance search.
Why Trust Canine Journal?
Canine Journal has been covering the topic of pet insurance since 2012, well before other conglomerates discovered the rising popularity of health care for our pets. Many of our authors have personal experience with pet insurance, including Kimberly Alt, who has been Canine Journal’s go-to writer for pet insurance for over a decade, having written about nearly every possible facet related to pet insurance. Kimberly knows the subject so well that she can answer a breadth and depth of pet insurance questions immediately. And on the rare occasion she doesn’t know the answer off the top of her head, she can find it within minutes due to her extensive list of resources. Kimberly also consulted with Michelle Schenker, Canine Journal’s in-house licensed insurance agent, for additional expertise, to ensure accuracy, and give Canine Journal the authority to write about and assist readers in purchasing policies legally.
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