MetLife Pet Insurance Review January 2026: Pros, Cons, and Cost

MetLife Pet Insurance Overview

MetLife Pet Insurance was established in 2004, initially operating as PetFirst before its acquisition by MetLife. The company is headquartered in Jeffersonville, IN, and offers comprehensive coverage for dogs and cats of all breeds and ages. MetLife’s policies are available across all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. They also provide coverage for certain exotic pets, including reptiles, rabbits, ferrets, and birds, though this specialized option is currently limited to 19 states.

In terms of underwriting, coverage is primarily issued by MetGen, an insurer based in Rhode Island. Depending on the state, some policies may also be underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company (IAIC). Beyond its insurance offerings, MetLife is actively involved in animal welfare, supporting a broad network of over 500 shelter partners.

MetLife Pet Insurance Reliability

Being backed by MetLife Inc., founded in 1868, gives the pet insurance division serious financial muscle. MetLife’s balance sheet strength assessment is supported by the financial position and liquidity of its ultimate parent (MetLife, Inc.), which historically has maintained significant and steady levels of excess liquidity.

This matters because when you’re paying premiums for years, hoping you never need to use them, you want to know your insurer will actually be solvent when it’s time to file a claim. MetLife’s financial ratings are among the strongest in the pet insurance industry.

AM Best Rating: A+ (Superior)

AM Best has rated MetLife A+, with a stable outlook.  The ratings reflect MetLife’s balance sheet strength, as well as its business performance, and appropriate industry risk management.

MetLife Pet Insurance Coverage Options

MetLife offers a comprehensive accident-and-illness plan as its primary coverage option. MetLife Pet Insurance is a reimbursement plan. After you have paid your veterinarian, you submit a claim to MetLife, and MetLife will reimburse you based on the coverage you’ve selected.

MetLife offers a Preventive Care plan add-on that helps you cover wellness procedures, services, and expenses up to the benefit limits listed in your plan. This optional coverage addresses routine care like vaccinations, dental cleanings, and parasite prevention.

What’s Covered

The standard accident and illness plan from MetLife Pet provides a comprehensive list of coverage. The policy is designed to help cover accidents and illnesses that first occur during your coverage term, including major conditions like heart, kidney, liver, and thyroid disease. Coverage is extensive, including diagnostic tests, surgeries, emergency care, prescriptions, hospitalizations, and specialty care. Furthermore, MetLife is one of the few providers that offers coverage for medications, preventive treatments, and holistic therapies such as acupuncture.

In detail, the plan covers vet exam fees, hospitalizations, surgeries, and emergency care, diagnostic tests, prescription medications and food, hereditary, congenita, and chronic conditions, periodontal disease and dental procedures, holistic and alternative therapies, cremation, burial, and grief counseling, and boarding fees if you are hospitalized.

MetLife also offers an optional Preventive Care add-on. This additional coverage helps with routine expenses such as flea, tick, or heartworm medication, spaying or neutering, vaccinations, dental cleaning, nail trimming, and microchipping, which are typically excluded from the standard accident and illness plan.

What’s NOT Covered

Like every pet insurer, MetLife has exclusions. The standard plan does not cover pre-existing conditions, services or supplies provided outside of the U.S., or illness or injury that results from preventable or intentional incidents such as neglect, organized fighting, and commercial use activities like racing, exhibition, law enforcement, and guarding.

Services or supplies that are not medically necessary are also excluded from the standard plan. These include cosmetic or aesthetic procedures, elective surgeries, microchipping, anal gland expression, grooming, and routine nail trims, non-prescription pet foods, vitamins, and breeding. It is worth noting that some of these non-medically necessary services may be covered under the optional wellness add-on.

Other exclusions include obedience training, grooming costs, nonprescription food, organ transplants, and health or travel certificates.

Regarding pre-existing conditions, there is a small silver lining: MetLife Pet may actually cover certain pre-existing conditions when you switch from another provider to a group policy with them, provided these conditions were covered by your previous insurance provider.

Policy Terms

Waiting Periods: Accident coverage and the optional Preventive Care benefits start at midnight after you enroll in a policy. MetLife excludes pre-existing conditions from coverage, but curable conditions may become eligible if your pet remains symptom-free and treatment-free for 180 days. Illness coverage begins 14 days after enrollment.

Age Restrictions & Renewability: There are no upper age restrictions for pets, though they must be at least 8 weeks old to be enrolled. MetLife Pet Insurance automatically renews your policy to prevent a lapse in coverage, and they will notify you via email 30 to 60 days before your policy renewal date.

Cancellation & Vet Access: MetLife Pet Insurance offers a money-back guarantee, providing customers a full refund if they cancel their policy within 30 days and have not yet filed any claims during that period. Policyholders can visit any U.S. licensed vet, emergency clinic, or specialist.

Special Features

MetLife offers several special features for policyholders. These include the MetLife Pet mobile app, which allows users to manage their pet’s health and wellness, as well as submit and track claims. Additionally, the company provides a “healthy pet incentive,” where the deductible is automatically decreased by $25 or $50 if the policyholder is claim-free in a policy year. For support, MetLife has a 24/7 vet chat service available to all policyholders, and it even covers grief counseling for you if your pet dies.

MetLife Pet Insurance Affordability

Sample Pricing

MetLife Pet offers highly flexible and cost-effective plans, with entry-level options starting at $7 per month for cats and $16 per month for dogs. However, these minimal-coverage options are not representative of realistic costs. For decent coverage, sample monthly premiums average $57 for dogs and $36 for cats. A more realistic quote for a 2-year-old dog with a $250 deductible, 90% reimbursement, and moderate annual limits is $78.63 per month, and $39.09 per month for a 6-year-old cat. It is important to note that premiums can climb significantly for older pets and certain breeds.

Pricing Factors

Your premium depends on your pet’s species, breed, age, and your location, plus the coverage options you select.

Customization Options

MetLife Pet Insurance provides flexible customization options for policyholders to tailor coverage to their budget and needs. For the Annual Deductible Options, choices range widely, starting from $0 and increasing through various increments up to $2,500. Regarding the Reimbursement Percentage Options, policyholders can select from 50%, 70%, 80%, and 90%, with some policies offering 65% or 100% depending on the underwriter. Finally, Annual Coverage Limit Options are also highly customizable, ranging from a minimum of $500 up to $25,000 in $1,000 increments, with an unlimited benefit option also available, subject to availability.

Discounts Available

MetLife offers a solid array of discounts. A Multi-Pet discount is available, providing 5% off for the second pet and then 10% off for any additional pets. A 10% discount is also offered to Military, Veterans, First Responders, and Healthcare Workers. Furthermore, an Animal Care discount is available for veterinarians, animal welfare and shelter employees, and volunteers. Additional discounts include the Employer Group Discount (10%) and the Affinity Group Discount (5%). When using multiple discounts, the total discount cannot exceed 30%.

Value Assessment

MetLife lands in the middle of the pack on pricing. MetLife ranks 10th in affordability for cats and sixth for dogs, making it a mid-tier option rather than the cheapest choice. You’re not getting the absolute cheapest premiums, but you’re also getting solid coverage backed by a financially stable company. The family plan with shared deductibles and the diminishing deductible feature can make it more affordable over time.

MetLife Pet Insurance Claims Process

MetLife provides several options for submitting your claim and veterinary records. You can submit your claim via the MetLife Pet mobile app, the MyPets online portal, email, text, fax, or mail.

Average Reimbursement Timeframe

Most claims are processed relatively quickly, generally within 5–10 days.

Reimbursement Process

If your claim expense is covered by your policy, MetLife will reimburse you using your preferred method, including multiple direct deposit options, a paper check in the mail, or quick-pay options like Zelle and Apple Pay.

Claims Requirements

For your first claim with MetLife Pet Insurance, the company requires the last 12 months of veterinary records (or adoption records, if applicable) to process the claim. Additionally, you must submit a claim within 90 days of your pet’s treatment to be eligible for reimbursement.

Digital Claims Tracking

You can easily check the status of your claim via the MetLife Pet app or your MyPets account.

MetLife Pet Insurance Customer Service

MetLife offers multiple contact options for accessibility. Phone support is available during business hours, along with email and chat support. For policyholders, MetLife also provides a 24/7 vet chat service through a third-party partner (AskVet).

Regarding the digital experience, the MetLife Pet app is available for both iOS and Android devices. Consumers have highlighted the ease of using the app for claims and appreciate the fast, hassle-free reimbursements through quick-pay options like Zelle.

Customer Satisfaction Metrics

MetLife Pet Insurance has generally favorable reviews on key platforms. On Trustpilot, the company holds a 4-star rating with approximately 3,900 reviews, with reviewers often praising the straightforward claim submission process, quick reviews, and reimbursements, sometimes within the same week. The company holds an A- rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), though it is not currently BBB-accredited. Reddit Sentiment is mixed, showing a 40% positive sentiment. Users on Reddit praise responsive customer service and clear policy language, but many also express frustration with claim denials and unexpected coverage gaps.

MetLife Pet Insurance Customer Highlights

Positive Testimonials

“My cat has many health issues that are complex and chronic. I have to manage them with both medication and alternative medicine. MetLife Pet has been covering it all, and it is not hard to submit to them either, like with other companies. Super simple, and it is covered.”

“I have had MetLife Pet Insurance since I adopted my boy cat as a kitten, with an incredible plan that I was offered due to their partnership with the shelter. He is only 3 years old but recently had a urinary block, and having insurance made the emergency life-or-death decision-making about his health rather than the limits on what I could afford.”

Common Complaints

“I bought this insurance because they claim to cover hereditary/congenital. Well, that is a load of garbage. My dog had a very rare skeletal muscle hamartoma, which was congenital (as he was born with it). Well, we submitted for his surgery only to be denied. They deemed it PREEXISTING. Of course, it was preexisting; it was congenital. He was born with it.”

“I just tried MetLife Pet insurance. They charged me 146 dollars monthly. I took my miniature schnauzer to the vet because he was not acting as himself, and the vet said he had eaten something that made him sick. Anyway, the bill was almost $400. I sent the claim to MetLife, and they denied it because this is an already existing condition of being a dog and eating crap all the time. I cancelled it.”

The common themes in complaints center around pre-existing condition determinations (which can feel arbitrary to policyholders) and occasional confusion about what’s covered versus what falls under exclusions.

Pros and Cons of MetLife Pet Insurance

Pros

• Financial Stability You Can Trust: MetLife’s A+ AM Best rating means this company isn’t going anywhere. When you’re paying premiums for years, knowing your insurer is rock-solid matters.
• Family Plan Is a Game-Changer: Covering up to three pets on one policy with a shared deductible can save multi-pet households significant money and simplify paperwork.
• Same-Day Accident Coverage: Unlike competitors who make you wait up to two weeks, your pet is covered for accidents starting at midnight after enrollment.
• No Age Discrimination: Whether you’re insuring a puppy or adopting a 12-year-old rescue, MetLife doesn’t turn you away based on age.
• Flexible Customization: With deductibles ranging from $0 to $2,500, reimbursement rates from 50% to 90%, and annual limits up to unlimited, you can truly dial in coverage that fits your budget and risk tolerance.

Cons

• No Direct Vet Payment: You’ll need to pay your vet bill to receive care and wait for reimbursement. For a $5,000 emergency surgery, that’s a significant cash flow hit.
• Pre-Existing Condition Frustrations: While standard for the industry, some customers report frustrating experiences with MetLife’s determinations of what constitutes a pre-existing condition.
• Premium Increases Over Time: Like most pet insurers, expect your rates to climb as your pet ages and as veterinary costs rise generally.
• Mixed Customer Service Reports: While many customers praise the claims process, others report delays and difficulties getting straight answers.

Our Verdict and Score for MetLife Pet Insurance

MetLife Pet Insurance is a solid choice for pet owners who value financial stability, want flexibility in customizing their coverage, and especially those with multiple pets who can take advantage of the unique family plan. It’s particularly strong for owners of senior pets or those with exotic animals.

Recommended For:

• Pet parents with multiple dogs and cats who want simplified coverage under one policy
• Owners of senior pets who might be turned away by insurers with age limits
• Those who prioritize financial stability and brand recognition in their insurance company
• Exotic pet owners looking for coverage options
• Federal employees, military members, and healthcare workers who can stack discounts

Not Ideal For:

• People who need direct vet payment options for large emergency bills (consider Pets Best)
• Budget-conscious pet owners seeking the absolute lowest premiums (consider Pets Best)
• Those who want accident-only coverage (consider ASPCA pet insurance)

About Our Methodology

We use a weighted scoring system for pet insurance reviews. We compared 20 companies on key factors, including their pet insurance rates, to inform our ratings. Once we scored each company, we applied a curve based on the best overall product.  Here’s what we look for:

• Financial Strength: 20%
• Coverage Options: 10%
• Affordability: 30%
• Claims Experience: 20%
• Customer Experience:20%

How MetLife Scored

• Financial Strength: 9/10
• Coverage Options: 7.5/10
• Affordability: 7/10
• Claims Experience: 7.5/10
• Customer Experience: 7/10

You can learn more about how each company scored and what curve was applied here:  Pet Insurance Reviews.