Is Geico's Pet Insurance Good? Here's How It Stacks Up

To help you compare pet insurance plans and find the best solution for your specific needs, we’ve put together this Geico Pet Insurance review. Keep reading to learn more about important policy details administered through Embrace, including the available plans, benefits, exclusions, prices, and more, so you can decide whether it's the best choice for your circumstance.

Table of Contents

• Does Geico offer pet insurance?
• Overview of Geico Pet Insurance
• What we like about Geico's coverage
• What could be improved
• Is Geico pet insurance worth it?

Does Geico offer pet insurance?

Already a household name in auto insurance, Geico has expanded its services to offer pet insurance for its customers, joining other large insurance companies such as Lemonade, Progressive, and Nationwide entering the market space.

Geico has partnered with Embrace, a well-known pet insurance provider with 15 years of experience in the industry, to offer simple and comprehensive plans and allow customers to use any licensed veterinarian they choose. This means that when you sign up for an insurance plan, you’ll be taken care of by Embrace; all claims will be filed directly with Embrace, and customer service is also handled by Embrace.

Geico Pet Insurance review

One of the unique features of Geico is that it offers pet dental insurance, which is rarely seen in other insurance companies. Dental services covered include extractions, stomatitis, broken, chipped, and fractured teeth, root canals and crowns, etc. Dental illnesses are covered up to $1,000 per year, whereas dental accidents are covered up to your policy limit.

Another thing that distinguishes Geico from other providers is the fact that its Accident & Illness policy reimburses pet owners for prescription medications for the treatment of covered illnesses and accidents. The list of possible drugs includes antibiotics, pain relievers for dogs and cats, allergy medication, anxiety medication (such as tramadol or gabapentin), insulin, steroids, ear/eye drops, and more.

Geico offers an Accident & Illness Plan and an Accident-Only Plan:

• The Accident & Illness plan allows customers to adjust their coverage based on the annual deductible, reimbursement amount, and coverage limit. In order to get a quote, they need to enter basic information about their pet (age, gender, breed) into a simple quote builder, which then shows an adequate plan along with a monthly premium.
• The Accident-Only plan is non-customizable and comes with a $100 deductible that’s paid once a year, a 90% reimbursement, and a $5,000 annual coverage limit. The coverage includes foreign body ingestion, poisoning, cuts and lacerations, car accidents, prescription medications for covered health conditions, etc.
• Geico also offers an optional Wellness Rewards add-on to your pet insurance coverage that reimburses the cost of many preventative care services up to an annual limit of choice: $250, $450, or $650.

While most companies don’t offer pet insurance for pre-existing conditions, Geico distinguishes between curable and incurable pre-existing conditions. In other words, some curable pre-existing conditions (such as bladder/urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, diarrhea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal disorders) might be covered if your cat or dog goes one year without any symptoms and treatments.

Geico’s pet insurance rates are competitive and depend on various factors, such as the age of your pet, like the amount of coverage, deductible, and reimbursement percentage.

The company offers a 10% discount for covering multiple pets or if your employer offers Embrace as a voluntary benefit and a 5% discount for members of the military. In addition, the company offers a healthy pet discount, essentially reducing the deductible each year you don’t get an illness or accident reimbursement.

What we like about Geico's pet insurance coverage

Geico’s plans are competitively priced and start as low as $10 a month for cats and $15 for dogs, compared to other providers such as Nationwide whose monthly premium can range from $15 to $35 for cats and between $25 and $60 for dogs. There are also many available discounts which allow customers to save even more.

The company’s wellness coverage is quite extensive and includes routine vet visits, vaccinations, flea and tick medications, grooming, microchipping, neuter/spay surgery, prescription diet food, teeth cleaning, cremation/burial, and more. Geico also covers alternative therapies, as well as some curable pre-existing conditions if your pet goes symptom- and treatment-free for 12 months.

What could be improved

Policyholders should be aware that they’ll need to pay for vet expenses upfront. Even though the process is quite simple, it can take up to 14 days to receive a reimbursement after submitting a claim. Also note that there is a six-month waiting period before your dog or cat would have coverage for orthopedic and ligament issues.

The Wellness Rewards balance is non-refundable, so pet owners should be careful to choose the amount they think they will actually use.

Finally, pet parents looking for information will only find a single page with sparse information on Geico’s website. Because Geico’s pet insurance is administered by Embrace, when clicking to get a quote on GEICO’s site, you’ll be redirected to the Embrace application.

Is Geico Pet Insurance worth it?

All in all, Geico’s pet insurance is a good option for those looking ot take advantage of multiple discounts. It may also be a good fit for pets with curable conditions who might not receive coverage from other providers.

Those looking to save money on their pet's out-of-pocket dental costs can find comprehensive coverage in the policy details. However, keep in mind that dental services do not apply to oral health conditions that already exist at the time of enrollment and the maximum reimbursement per year is $1,000 for covered illnesses.

Additionally, the company may not be the most cost-effective option with its lower deductibles and higher limits, so be sure to shop around carefully before you decide to enroll your four-legged family member in a pet insurance policy.

In general, most veterinarians and owners agree that pet insurance is worth it because it provides valuable peace of mind.

An emergency vet visit can range between $250 and $8,000¹. In addition to these unplanned expenses, pet owners should also take into consideration the estimated cost² of routine and preventative treatments:

• Puppy vaccines: $75-$100
• Tick and flea prevention: $40-$200
• Heartworm prevention: $24-$120
• Neuter/spay surgery: $200-$800
• Microchipping: $40
• Teeth cleaning: $200-$500
• Annual examination: $240-$600

Besides financial benefits, pet health insurance can also protect your canine friend from missing out on the veterinary care they need. Pet insurance allows you to provide the best treatments available regardless of the cost.

While many find that pet insurance is a great decision, it's essential that you compare providers and plans to find the right fit for your pet's unique needs. Sites like Pawlicy Advisor will show the difference in plans, deductibles, premiums, reimbursements, and details like additional features and exclusions to help you choose the best option for your pet and your family budget.