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Embrace and Trupanion are two of the big players in the pet insurance industry, but they commonly carry higher premiums as well. Do big brand reputation and prices make them the ultimate options for your consideration?
We compare these two companies head-to-head to help you see their similarities and differences. And if you’re not 100% sold on one of them, we also have additional options for you to review.
Visit Embrace’s Website | Visit Trupanion’s Website
TRUPANION FLORIDA RESIDENTS: The plan reviewed here is not available for new customers in Florida. Contact Trupanion to learn more about what is available in your state and read the policy carefully for details.
Policy Coverage
The table below shows specifically what Embrace and Trupanion cover. Both companies cover x-rays, blood tests, ultrasounds, cat scans, MRIs, rehabilitation, specialized exams, surgery, hospitalization, emergency care, specialty care, hydrotherapy, chronic conditions, cancer, diagnostic treatment, alternative/holistic therapy, euthanasia, behavioral therapy, non-routine dental treatment, heredity conditions, and congenital conditions.
| Embrace | Trupanion | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Ranking in our Pet Insurance Comparison | Not Ranked | Not Ranked |
| Pre-existing Conditions | ||
| Preventative Care Available For An Extra Fee |  | |
| Illnesses Waiting Period | 14 Days | 30 Days |
| Accidents Waiting Period | 2 Days | 5 Days |
| Hip Dysplasia Waiting Period | 6 Months | 30 Days |
| ACL Surgery Waiting Period | 6 Months | 30 Days |
| Enrollment Fee | $25 | $35 ($25 in WA and $0 in MD and MI) |
| 30-Day Money Back Guarantee | 30-Day Free Look Period | 30-Day Certificate |
| Claim Limits | $5,000 to unlimited | Unlimited |
| BBB Rating | A+ | A- |
| Underwriter | American Modern Insurance Group | American Pet Insurance Company |
| A.M. Best Rating | A+ | Unrated |
| No Exam Required to Set Baseline for Pet's Health | |
One thing that Trupanion has going for it is that it doesn’t list any bilateral exclusions for CCL injuries. The rest of the pet insurance companies we review (except Nationwide) exclude CCL injuries if one leg has experienced pre-existing issues. This makes Trupanion a good option for those who have dogs that are prone to knee issues or have pre-existing conditions because it’s more likely to cover a second, healthy knee than its competitors. However, it’s always important to read your contract carefully because the sample policies we’ve read may be different from yours.
If you’re searching for a pet insurance policy to add preventative care onto, Embrace may be a good option for you. Trupanion doesn’t offer a wellness plan.
As for waiting periods, Trupanion’s is 30 days for ACL surgery and hip dysplasia, while Embrace’s is 6 months. However, Embrace has only a 14-day waiting period for illnesses and two days for accidents, whereas Trupanion is 30 days for illnesses and five days for accidents.
Depending on your needs, you may see one of the two companies as a better fit than the other. That’s why we’ve declared it a tie for overall policy coverage.
Policy Coverage Winner: Embrace & Trupanion (Tie)
Customer Service & Reputation
One thing we consider for each pet insurance company is the underwriters’ A.M. Best rating. This can give you some insight into the financial stability of the company. The higher the letter grade, the better. Embrace’s underwriter is American Modern Insurance Group, which holds an A+ rating. Trupanion’s underwriter is American Pet Insurance Company, which is unrated by A.M. Best. Embrace gets the nod here because an A+ rating shows great stability than an unrated insurer.
Unfortunately, finding negative reviews for Embrace and Trupanion isn’t too difficult. However, it’s more common for people to post poor reviews since they’re upset instead of positive reviews when they’re happy.
In our comment section for Embrace and Trupanion, there are frequent complaints about each, including long claim processing time, classifying items as pre-existing, denial of claims, premium increases, and more.
The fact that Embrace’s underwriter has an A+ rating for stability from A.M. Best bumps it ahead of Trupanion in terms of customer service and reputation.
Customer Service & Reputation Winner: Embrace
Timeliness Of Claim Repayment
Embrace averages 10 to 15 business days for claim repayment. 
Meanwhile, Trupanion allows 60 days but averages 14 days. Both of these are on the longer end of what their competitors claim repayments are.
Since Embrace can have a slightly shorter claim repayment period, it’s the winner of this category.
Timeliness of Claim Repayment Winner: Embrace
Price Of Policy
Embrace has customizable plans. You can choose the annual claim limit ($5,000, $8,000, $10,000, $15,000, or $30,000) online. You can also get an unlimited claim limit, but you must call in for this as an option, which is a little frustrating since other companies that offer this option do so online. Annual deductibles can be $200, $300, $500, $750, or $1,000, and reimbursement is 70%, 80%, or 90%. So depending on your budget, you have some wiggle room to adjust the limits for each to help fit your needs.
On the other hand, Trupanion offers one plan for all insured pets that has unlimited claim limits with 90% reimbursement. It also has a per-incident deductible (which you can choose from $0 to $1,000), which means you’ll have to meet the deductible multiple times for each emergency. This can result in more expenses for you.
Additionally, Embrace has a $25 enrollment fee and a $1 transaction fee, and Trupanion has a $35 enrollment fee. But both companies offer 30-day money-back guarantees.
Below are some quotes from October 23, 2020. All information is for pets who are spayed/neutered and not an assistance animal or therapy pet.
| Breed | Birthday | Gender | Location | Deductible | Reimbursement % | Annual Maximum | Price Per Month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embrace | Yorkshire Terrier | June 2017 | Male | Ohio (43205) | $200 | 90% | $30,000 | $45.39 |
| Trupanion | Yorkshire Terrier | June 2017 | Male | Ohio (43205) | $200/incident | 90% | Unlimited | $60.37 |
| Embrace | Labrador Retriever | April 2016 | Female | California (90024) | $500 | 90% | $30,000 | $90.31 |
| Trupanion | Labrador Retriever | April 2016 | Female | California (90024) | $500/incident | 90% | Unlimited | $153.18 |
| Embrace | Medium Mixed Breed | January 2014 | Female | Illinois (60604) | $300 | 90% | $30,000 | $96.31 |
| Trupanion | Medium Mixed Breed | January 2014 | Female | Illinois (60604) | $300/incident | 90% | Unlimited | $121.70 |
| Embrace | American Pit Bull Terrier | September 2017 | Male | New York (10012) | $200 | 90% | $30,000 | $154.44 |
| Trupanion | American Pit Bull Terrier | September 2017 | Male | New York (10012) | $200/incident | 90% | Unlimited | $190.01 |
When we ran additional price quotes, Embrace and Trupanion were consistently more expensive than competitors. Quotes for these two companies can be very similar or slightly different, which is why we always recommend gathering quotes from multiple companies.
Overall, Embrace tended to be less expensive than Trupanion in the quotes we ran. Additionally, we like that Embrace gives you more options to help fit it into your budget. Plus, Trupanion has a per-incident deductible, which can result in more out of pocket expenses for you.
Price of Policy Winner: Embrace
Coupons
Embrace
Trupanion
What’s The Verdict?
Embrace and Trupanion aren’t our first picks for pet insurance. However, if your dog has pre-existing conditions, Trupanion may be a better option if you need a condition or disease covered that can affect both sides of the body but has only presented itself on one side.
If that’s not the case, then Embrace is who we’d recommend in this showdown. It has more pricing options, a more stable reputation, better claim repayment, and more.
You can learn more about Embrace and Trupanion by reading our individual reviews and compare them against top pet insurance companies to see how they differ. If you have specific questions about your dog’s health history and the best pet insurance company to cover his needs, feel free to ask us in the comments below.
Overall Winner: Embrace
What do you think makes Embrace or Trupanion stand out?
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