Geico Pet Insurance Review

What’s New For Geico Pet Insurance In 2021?

How Has Covid-19 Affected Geico Pet Insurance?

While pauses on cancellation for non-payment ended in May of 2020, residents of DC are still protected from cancellation for non-payment until June 20, 2021. The Honolulu office is currently still closed.

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New Products or Changes

Geico opened new offices in Garner, Elmhurst, Baytown, and Desoto in May of 2021. 

Embrace, the company through which Geico offers pet insurance, hired a new director of business development in January 2021 whose focus on building “dynamic relationships.”

Geico Pet Insurance In The News

Geico pet insurance made it onto the Investopedia list of best pet insurance plans in 2021. It was labeled as best for discounts. This was corroborated by Forbes in a piece from May 2021.

Geico as a larger company experienced a severe data breach in the first three months of 2021 that may have put customers’ information at risk. 

2021 Latest Geico Pet Insurance Reviews

Geico pet insurance earned a 4.9/5 star editorial rating on LendEDU, which praised the company’s short waiting period for certain conditions but criticized the need to pay vet expenses upfront. 

They also earned a 4.0/5 star rating on The Balance, which appreciated the customizable coverage and ample discounts, but criticized the lack of bundling options and the fact that the policies are administered via a third party. 

Investopedia did a full in-depth review of Geico pet insurance, covering all of its options for customization and pricing plans. They say that while the coverage is generally good, the website is difficult to use and the wellness plans are lower value.

Being a pet parent can get expensive, especially if your pet has a chronic disease or needs cancer treatment. In the United States, there are more pet owners now than ever. According to the 2019-2020 National Pet Owners Survey by American Pet Product Association, 76% of U.S. households own at least one pet.

Unfortunately, a growing number of pet parents have to make the hard decision of euthanizing their pets because the cost of vet care is too great for their budget. Luckily, there are a lot of reputable pet insurance agencies offering comprehensive pet health insurance plans to make the growing cost more manageable.

Whether you are looking for wellness coverage only or emergency medical care, there are several insurance products that have you covered. While there are multiple options for several pet insurance companies like Trupanion, Petplan, ASPCA, PetFirst, and Nationwide, today we’re going to take a long look at Geico pet insurance plans.

Our team reviewed Geico Pet Insurance for their coverage, customer satisfaction scores, and cost, determining if pet health care is truly worth it.

Geico is a well-known insurance company, particularly for their auto insurance. Geico also offers home, business, boat, travel, and recently started to offer pet insurance.

Our grade: B+

Geico offers pet insurance through its partner, Embrace Pet Insurance.

Embrace’s policies are underwritten by American Modern Insurance Company and American Southern Home Insurance Company.

Read more: American Modern Pet Insurance Review

Table of Contents:

• Geico: Highlights
• How Pet Insurance Works
• Wellness Plans
• Hereditary Conditions
• Alternative Therapy
• Benefit Limits
• Reimbursement Method
• Deductible Types
• Cost Of Geico Pet Insurance
• Claims Process
• Enrollment And Waiting Period
• Questions about Geico

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FACT: Pet insurance pays up to 90% of vet bills when your pet is sick or injured!

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Geico Pet Insurance: Highlights

• Bundle homeowners and auto with pet insurance
• Up to 90% reimbursement
• $1000/year sub limit on dental illnesses in all policies, except in NY
• Wellness plan options
• Alternative therapy covered
• One of the few companies offering discounts on pet insurance for spaying or neutering your pet, paying in full for the year, and having more than one pet insured

Comparing Geico Pet Insurance vs Other Pet Insurance Company Reviews

To see how Geico pet insurance, offered through Embrace, compares to others, check out our other competitor reviews:

• Healthy Paws vs Embrace pet insurance review
• Embrace vs Trupanion review
• Embrace vs Petplan review
• Nationwide vs Embrace pet insurance review

How Geico Pet Insurance Works

Geico, through Embrace, offers comprehensive accident and illness coverage with different levels amounts of benefit limits and reimbursement levels.

All Geico plans include the following coverage:

• Accidents, Illnesses
• Cancer
• Hereditary, Congenital
• Behavioral and Alternative Therapy
• Prescriptions drugs (optional in NY)
• Chronic Conditions
• Diagnostics, X-Rays, & Ultrasounds
• Surgery
• Hospitalization
• Emergency & Specialty Care
• Knee & Cruciate Ligament Issues

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Wellness Plans

As a Geico policyholder, you’re offered three different pet insurance wellness plans to review that give you choices of either $250, $450, or $650 in annual coverage. This allows you to customize the plan you need for your pet’s breed, size, and medical history in many ways.

Wellness plans or Wellness Rewards are only available as an add-on to your existing pet insurance policy and do not have copays. The cost for a wellness plan add-on rider through Geico pet insurance (Embrace) is between $19 and $52 per month.

You have an annual allowance to put towards some of the following procedures:

• Flea and Heartworm prevention
• Spaying and Neutering
• Prescription Drugs
• Vaccines
• Routine vet visits
• Exam Fees
• Dental Cleaning
• Preventative Care Services

While wellness plans are a nice addition to your pet insurance plan, most of these procedures are easily paid out of pocket. Compare the cost of paying for these procedures, how much coverage you get per year, and how much you’ll pay monthly for the wellness rider to help decide if it’s the right choice for you and your pet.

Related: 10 Things You Must Know Before You Buy Pet Insurance

Hereditary and Congenital Conditions

Hereditary and congenital conditions, also known as breed-specific conditions are covered under all of Geico’s plans.

Some of these conditions don’t show up in your dog or cat until many years later. Once your pet is diagnosed with a breed-specific condition, it usually sticks around for the rest of their life, requiring additional vet visits, surgery, or medication. And this is when pet insurance is great to have for emotional and financial relief. 

Some examples of a hereditary condition are:

• Elbow Dysplasia
• Hip Dysplasia
• Patellar Luxation
• Intervertebral Disease
• Cancer
• Allergies

All Geico accident and illness policies will cover breed-specific conditions as long as they aren’t pre-existing. No pet health insurance company will cover pre-existing conditions, which is why it’s important to get pet insurance while your pet is young and healthy, so you can take full advantage of coverages and better pricing.

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Alternative Therapy

Geico, like Healthy Paws, is one of the few pet insurance providers we reviewed that offer alternative therapy in all their stand pet insurance plans. As more veterinarians offer these types of therapies for pets, it’s a good idea to choose pet insurance with allowable benefits if you’re interested in holistic options.

Alternative treatments include some of the following:

• Acupuncture
• Chiropractor
• Hydrotherapy
• Physical Therapy
• Rehab therapy

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Benefit Limits

Geico offers benefits at a limit of $30,000 annual maximum online in all states except NY. However, they do offer unlimited coverage in most states via phone enrollment.

While it can help lower premiums to go with the $30,000 annual limit, if your dog or cat gets in a serious accident, the medical bill could easily be more than $15,000.

A young dog or cat could fit into these annual limit ranges, unless, of course, they too have an unexpected illness or accident. 

Older pets tend to have more illnesses, are more prone to injuries, and have more frequent vet visits than younger pets. Read a story from one of our readers who wishes they bought pet insurance when their dog was younger.

Consider these factors when applying for Geico pet insurance through Embrace. If you want the higher limit, give them a call at 800-793-2003 to get the coverage you prefer.

Related: 10 Things You Must Know Before You Buy Pet Insurance

Reimbursement Method

Geico offers reimbursements that range from 70% to 90%. This range can help you budget your costs.

If you want the lower premium, you would choose the 70% reimbursement. However, if you want more coverage for each vet visit, go with the higher reimbursement of 80% or 90%. You’ll pay more out of pocket each month, but you’ll have more of your vet bill reimbursed each time your dog or cat has to be seen.

Figo is one of the few pet insurance companies that offer a 100% reimbursement rate.

Geico’s wellness plans reimburse you for expenses incurred from $250 to $650 depending on the plan you choose.

Deductible Types

Geico offers a wide range of annual deductible choices that start at $100 and go up to $1,000.

Annual deductibles only have to be paid once each year when you pay your first vet bill.  It is always our preferred choice because you know exactly what you will pay each policy year.

With Geico, if you choose the higher the deductible, it can help to lower the monthly premium. However, if you want to meet your deductible faster each year and don’t mind paying more for the plan, choose a lower deductible option.

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What Is The Cost Of Geico Pet Insurance?

Geico’s pet insurance costs are competitive. Of course, the price is influenced by the breed of dog or cat you own, your pet’s age, where you live, and which coverage you choose.

The starting monthly premium rates for dogs are $15.

The starting monthly premium rates for cats is $10.

Discounts are available for the following:

• Enrollment of more than one pet – 10% discount (in all states except NY)
• Pets have been spayed or neutered – 5% discount (only available in NY)
• Members of the military – 5% discount
• Annual pay discount – $12 discount
• Online payment through your bank – 5% discount (only available in NY)

Geico pet insurance stands out among other pet insurance companies with the offering of discounts. Most don’t offer any discounts, while others only offer a discount if you have more than one pet insured. When reviewing pet insurance companies, keep cost and available discounts in mind if price is a concern.

Claims Process

Claims are handled through Geico’s partner, Embrace, and are super easy to fill out.

Embrace pet insurance offers Geico policyholders several options to submit claims:

• Upload the form and supporting documents to the MyEmbrace online customer portal
• Fax the documents
• Mail the documents

Upload your claim form through the MyEmbrace online customer portal. You can also fax or mail it and follow up on the status of the claim. They also have a mobile app that is available on IOS and Android. Use the online portal or app to review the status of your pet insurance claim and when you can expect to be reimbursed. 

Accident and illness claims take up to two weeks after you upload the necessary information.

Geico, through Embrace, offers a service called PawSupport, which gives you daily access to vet experts. This service is available as a 24/7 pet health line, so you can ask questions or get recommendations without having to go to the vet.

Enrollment And Waiting Period

Geico’s waiting period is 2 days for accidents and 14 days for illnesses. The waiting period is the time between the policy effective date and the start of benefits coverage.

Dogs and cats can be enrolled from 6 weeks old to 14 years old.

A 6-month waiting list is required for cruciate ligament issues or any orthopedic condition, but you can lower this waiting period to 14 days with the completion of an orthopedic report card. This waiting period is common among pet insurance companies.

Once you enroll in a Geico policy, they require an exam either in the 12 months prior to policy enrollment or in the 14-day waiting period window.

Your policy will automatically renew unless you give them a 2- to 4-week notice of cancellation. (For more information, read our “How To Cancel Geico Pet Insurance“).

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Purchase Geico Pet Insurance Today!

While Geico pet insurance doesn’t offer unlimited plans like Healthy Paws, they offer very customizable plans to help you budget your expenses. They offer $30,000 annual maximums online in all states except NY, but however, unlimited coverage is offered in most states via phone enrollment.

Their coverage is still very comprehensive and almost any procedure or treatment is covered.

You can go to Geico’s site and get a quote to see if it matches your budget and what you want for your pet.

Or go to Embrace directly and get a quote from there. If you’re an existing Geico policyholder, don’t forget your discount!

If you aren’t finding what you are looking for in a pet insurance company, take a look at our top 10 pet insurance companies! This article will help you find the best pet insurance company for both your budget and your pet.

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