USAA Pet Insurance Review 2024 (Official)
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Coverage Options
Annual Deductible
$1,000, $750, $500, $250, or $100
Reimbursement Rate
70%, 80%, or 90%
Annual Coverage Limit
$2,000, $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, or Unlimited
USAA offers customers white-labeled pet insurance policies from Embrace Pet Insurance. Embrace through USAA lets you customize your accident and illness coverage with multiple options for your annual reimbursement limit, annual deductible, and reimbursement rate. You can also add optional coverage for exam fees, prescription drugs, and wellness care for an additional cost.
Keep reading to find out if USAA Pet Insurance plans are right for you.
Pros
- Save up to 25% as a USAA member
- Customizable coverage
- Optional wellness plan
- Optional Accident-only plan
- Optional policy riders for exam fees and prescription coverage
- Unlimited payouts available
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Multi-pet discount
Cons
- Doesn’t cover some conditions that other plans do
- 6-month waiting period for orthopedic conditions and hip dysplasia
- Takes up to 15 days to process a claim on average
- Physical exam requirement
- 15-year age limit on Illness plans
USAA (United Services Automobile Association) was founded in San Antonio in 1922. For more than 100 years, it has been providing banking and insurance services to active, separated, and retired members of the military, as well as their families. USAA began offering a discounted rate for Embrace Pet Insurance plans in 2014.
Embrace is a trusted pet insurance provider that was founded in 2003. Embrace’s plans are comparable to others in the marketplace and the company is partnered with other insurance brands beyond USAA, including Allstate, Armed Forces Insurance, and Geico.
What's Covered
- Accidents and illnesses
- Chronic conditions
- Orthopedic conditions (includes exceptions)
- Hip Dysplasia
- Cruciate Ligament Injuries
- Cancer
- Prescription medications
- Alternative therapies
- Dental injuries
- Prescription medication
- Euthanasia & end-of-life care
Optional Add on: Routine Care
What's Not Covered
- Some bilateral conditions
- Hereditary and congenital conditions
- Lameness
- Dental illnesses
- Advanced dentistry and Endodontic services
- Therapeutic diets
- Behavioral modification
- Obedience training
- Grooming
- Breeding and whelping costs
- Microchipping
- Fecal exams
- Cosmetic or elective procedures
- Lost pet advertising and reward
- Vacation cancellation costs
- Boarding fees due to owner hospitalization
- Cloned and hybrid pets
- Pre-existing conditions
Expert Insights
Does USAA Pet Insurance cover dental?
"Yes, USAA pet insurance offers coverage for treatments related to new dental accidents and illnesses, including dental extractions, periodontal disease, and endodontic dental treatments. Dental illnesses have reimbursements available up to $1,000 per policy term."
Routine Care Add-On
USAA Insurance also offers an optional pet wellness plan called a Wellness Rewards plan.
The Wellness Rewards plan gives you up to $650 in annual benefits. You also have the option to choose $250 or $450 worth of annual benefits if you’d like to keep your monthly costs down.
The Wellness Rewards plan covers preventative veterinary services such as:
- Spay/neuter surgery
- Annual checkups
- Heartworm, flea, and tick preventatives xxx
- Vitamins and supplements
- Vaccinations
- Pet activity monitors
- Routine anal gland expression
- End-of-life care
Pawlicy Advisor Tip: We recommend adding routine care for pets under age two due to the high number of wellness visits at this age. Older pets may not save money with a routine care add-on. Learn more: Are Wellness Plans Worth It ?
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How it Works
You can use USAA Pet Insurance with any licensed veterinarian in the United States. Like most pet insurance plans, USAA reimburses you for a percentage of eligible expenses on veterinary services rendered for unexpected accidents, injuries, or illnesses (after your deductible has been met).
1. Visit any licensed veterinarian, specialist, or emergency doctor — no referral is needed.
2. Pay for the visit upfront out-of-pocket at the time of your appointment.
3. File a pet insurance claim with Embrace through their app, website, email, fax, or standard mail.
4. Get reimbursed for a percentage of eligible veterinary expenses (depending on your plan's coverage).
LEARN MORE : Pet Insurance & How It Works: A Pet Parent's Guide
USAA Pet Insurance Waiting Period
When you sign up for pet insurance, there is a mandatory waiting period before your coverage becomes effective and you become eligible for claim reimbursement. These waiting periods vary by insurance provider.
The timeframe for USAA Pet Insurance waiting periods depends on the type of incident you need coverage for:
- Accidents: 2 days
- Illnesses: 14 days
- Wellness: 0 days
- Orthopedic conditions (including hip dysplasia, luxating patella, and Intervertebral Disc Disease): 6 months
- Cruciate ligament injuries: 6 months
Filing a Claim
- Window to file: any time within the active policy term, and up to 60 days after policy renewal
- Filing requirements: an itemized invoice from your veterinarian
- Average time for claim reimbursement: 10-15 days
- Reimbursement methods: direct deposit or check
See how much USAA pet insurance costs for your pet
USAA Pet Insurance Cost
Lowest price for dogs:
$14 / month
Lowest price for cats:
$7 / month
Sample Prices
USAA Pet Insurance cost estimates are based on a sample policy featuring a $500 deductible, a 90% reimbursement rate, and a $10,000 annual coverage limit generated for pets living in Dallas, TX.
Breed of Pet | 6 Months Old | 3 Years Old | 10 Years Old |
|---|---|---|---|
French Bulldog | $86.38 | $93.28 | $215.92 |
Labrador Retriever | $56.12 | $60.62 | $140.31 |
Domestic Shorthair Cat | $24.87 | $29.84 | $59.68 |
Pawlicy Advisor Tip: All pet insurance policies are subject to price increases annually. Pawlicy Advisor crunches the numbers to calculate the lifetime price of a policy, then makes recommendations that will save you money over your pet's lifetime.
Discounts & Ways to Save
- Embrace offers a "diminishing deductible" that reduces a policy's annual amount by $50 following a term in which no accident or illness claims are reimbursed
- USAA policyholders receive a 10% discount for enrolling multiple pets
- Military members are eligible for a 5% discount on premium rates
- Pet owners who sign up through voluntary employee benefits receive a 10% discount
- You can save $12 per year in processing fees if you decide to pay your premium annually instead of monthly
USAA Pet Insurance Customer Service
USAA Pet Insurance reviews often praise the customer service representatives who show a genuine desire to help, which makes each interaction feel personal and caring. Reviewers say the staff shows professionalism, friendliness, and empathy when they are dealing with pet health problems.
USAA Customer Service: 800-531-872
Monday - Friday: 6:30 AM to 8:00 PM EST
Saturday: 6:30AM to 7:00 PM EST
Enrollment Requirements
- Age at enrollment: 6 weeks - 14 years
- Medical Review: Your pet must be examined by a veterinarian in the 12 months prior to the policy's original start date, or within fourteen (14) days of the policy's original start date
- Valid United States address: Your pet must reside with you at the primary address you list for your insurance provider
- One time $25 enrollment fee
How to Cancel USAA Pet Insurance
You must cancel USAA Pet Insurance through Embrace. Here are the instructions provided:
“Waiting periods are reset & policies are subject to new underwriting if you cancel & purchase a new policy later. Pre-existing conditions follow your pet from policy to policy.
If you cancel today & sign up again later (whether with Embrace or another company), conditions your pet has been treated for or diagnosed with are considered pre-existing & may not be covered.
If you cancel within 30 days of your policy start date & have not submitted any claims, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel after 30 days of the start of your policy, or if you have submitted claims in the first 30 days, you may be eligible for a pro-rated refund. Pro-rated refunds are calculated from the day after you cancel to the end of the current billing cycle.
You can email us your cancellation request or notify us that you would like to cancel by phone at (800) 511-9172."
Expert Insights
Is USAA Pet Insurance good?
Embrace Pet Insurance, offered through USAA, stands out for its flexibility. Customers have the option to select from three reimbursement rates, five annual deductibles, and five annual payout limits, including unlimited payouts. You can get coverage for exam fees and prescription medications without needing a wellness plan. However, this is a feature that some other insurers include in their standard accident and illness coverage at no additional cost.
The coverage provided by USAA's Embrace pet insurance offering is competitive with other market offerings. It covers alternative treatments like acupuncture, which might not be available with other plans. Pets up to 15 years old can receive illness coverage, and there’s no age restriction for accident-only insurance.
Customers have also praised the empathetic support from Embrace's customer service team during their pets' health.
The biggest disadvantage of USAA Pet Insurance is its lengthy wait for coverage on orthopedic conditions. The average time it takes to process claims is also long compared to competitors, sometimes taking more than weeks.
USAA Pet Insurance Reviews
4.1
3,795 Consumer Reviews
USAA has been very helpful so far!
“USAA has been very helpful so far. I do recommend getting your cat and/or dog signed up for an insurance plan as soon as you adopt them. The exclusion for pre-existing conditions can be quite harsh if you wait to sign them up. I will always sign up my furbabies for a policy right after I adopt them! It is MUCH better to have an accidental policy and never use then to have an accident and not have an insurance policy! With cats and dogs, anything can happen even if we are careful!”
Never got a claim reimbursed all they…
“Never got a claim reimbursed all they did was hassle my vet so she didn't want to keep answering them, they 4 x asked for an invoice, which she sent, then they wanted dr. notes, etc as of today, two months later, nothing, my vet said other insurance did not hassle this was the only one.”
Is USAA is right for you?
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More From Pawlicy Advisor
- Is Pet Insurance Worth It? Here's a Vet’s Perspective
- Learn How To Compare & Find the Right Pet Insurance For Your Furry Family Members
- Have More Than One Pet? Save on Pet Insurance with Multi-Pet Discounts
- When Is Pet Insurance a Great Decision?
- Everything You Need to Know About Filing a Pet Insurance Claim
We are the pet insurance experts. The Pawlicy Advisor team analyzes the top pet insurance companies and the fine print in their policy details to provide you with an objective breakdown of the insurance provider, the plans they offer, and how they compare.
Kari Steere is a licensed P&C insurance agent in all 50 states and has focused entirely on pet insurance since 2019. When she's not helping pet owners find the perfect plan on Pawlicy Advisor , she runs a ranch in Oregon and rehabilitates any animals that come across her path.
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