Jan. 30, 2023

2 min read

Metlife Summary

MetLife Pet Insurance offers comprehensive pet insurance coverage that includes illness, accidents, examinations, and even alternative therapies as part of its standard package. It insures all breeds of cats and dogs and has no maximum age limits. MetLife’s wellness plan and accident coverage begin at midnight on the policy start date, so you’re covered almost immediately. Claims payments are fast, with 80% of all claims paid within ten days.

Pros

No maximum age limits
Coverage for accidents within 24 hours
Most claims paid within ten days

Cons

Difficult to find information on the website
Policies differ depending on underwriter
Claims process is time-consuming

Metlife at a glance

10.0

Editorial score

Online experience

Excellent site with mobile optimization, learning resources, and live chat

10.0

Customizable rates and services

Customizable plans and rates, 50-90% reimbursement No upper age limit

10.0

Claims payout waiting period

Within 5 days

10.0

Customer support

24/7 communication and a pet hotline available

10.0

Bundles

Multi-pet and multi-policy bundles available

10.0

MetLife Pet Insurance at a Glance

Online Experience	Easy to get a quote App available for Android and iPhone
Customizable rates and services	Annual benefit limit from $2,000-$10,000 Deductibles from $50 to $500 Customizable reimbursement options from 70% to 100% No upper age limit for pets
Waiting period	No waiting period for accidents. Your pet is covered from midnight on the policy start date. Waiting period for illness is 14 days.
Customer Support	Support available via webchat, email, and phone, Monday to Friday, 8am to 9pm EST, Saturdays 10am to 7pm EST.
Bundles?	Family bundles with discounts for two or more pets insured on the same policy.

What Does it Cover

MetLife Pet Insurance covers illnesses and accidental injuries. It also covers the following:

Hereditary and congenital conditions
Chronic conditions
Examination fees
Surgery
Medication
Ultrasounds
Hospitalization
X-rays
Hip dysplasia
Holistic care and alternative therapies

You can also add wellness coverage, which includes routine checks, dental treatment, and vaccinations.

Insurance Plans & Pricing

MetLife’s rates are reasonable compared to other pet insurers and vary depending on pet type, breed, age, and location.

In August 2022, I obtained quotes for a two-year-old labrador and an eight-year-old mixed-breed cat living in Colorado Springs. Quotes include an annual limit of $5,000, reimbursement of 80%, and an annual deductible of $250.

For the dog, I was quoted $38.20 per month for standard cover and $65.59 per month when including wellness coverage. For the cat, the standard plan is $36.58 per month and $49.06 per month with added wellness coverage.

MetLife Pet Insurance also has family packages for multiple pets. Insuring my dog and cat together would cost $60.24 (standard) or $100.11 (including wellness), which saves $14.51 per month.

Several other discounts are also available, including 10% off for animal care workers and military personnel and a $1 per month discount for purchasing online.

Note that quotes are subject to change and will differ based on location.

What Is Not Covered

Like most pet insurers, MetLife Pet Insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions. However, curable pre-existing conditions may be eligible for coverage if the condition has been previously resolved.

Other conditions not covered by MetLife Pet Insurance include:

Elective procedures
Breeding or conditions related to breeding
Special diets and vitamins
Grooming

Waiting Periods

There is no waiting period for accident coverage. Your pet is covered for accidents from midnight on the policy’s inception date. Wellness coverage (if selected) also applies immediately.

For all other coverage, including illnesses, the waiting period is fourteen days.

Coverage Limits

MetLife Pet Insurance uses two underwriters, Independence American Insurance Company (IAIC) and Metropolitan General Insurance Company (MetGen). The state in which you live will determine which company will underwrite your pet insurance policy.

Coverage limits can range from $500 to unlimited coverage, depending on your location, pet, and whether your policy is underwritten by IAIC or MetGen.

Reimbursement and Deductibles

Reimbursements and deductibles differ depending on location, pet details, and whether IAIC or MetGen underwrites your policy.

Reimbursement options include 70%, 80%, 90% and 100%. Deductibles range from $50 to $500.

In August 2022, I obtained a quote for a two-year-old labrador and was offered the following options.

Deductible

$50
$100
$250
$500

Yearly Coverage Limit

$2,000
$5,000
$10,000

Reimbursement Level

You can select any combination of deductible, yearly coverage limit and reimbursement level.

Claims and Service

MetLife Pet Insurance covers all licensed vets in the USA. You can submit your claim form via the mobile app, online portal, email, fax, or mail. Vet bills are paid upfront by the customer and then reimbursed. There is no option for the insurance company to pay the veterinary practice directly. Most claims are paid within ten days.

Customer support is available via webchat, email, or phone, Monday to Friday 8am to 9pm EST and Saturdays 10am to 7pm EST.

What You Might Like

MetLife Pet Insurance covers all breeds of cats and dogs, including difficult-to-insure dog breeds like rottweilers and Shar Peis. Unlike many other pet insurers, MetLife doesn’t have a maximum age limit for pets it insures.

Plus, your pet is insured for accidents and wellness coverage from midnight on the policy start date, so even if they have an accident within 24 hours of your start date, this will be fully covered by your policy.

What MetLife Pet Insurance Could do Better

MetLife does not score well on customer review sites, with 1.6 on Trustpilot and 1.09 on Better Business Bureau (BBB). However, these scores are for all MetLife’s products, not solely pet insurance, including life and home insurance.

Customer feedback indicates that the claims process is not easy as you are required to download a claim form, fill it out, and then either mail it or scan it and submit it online. A fully online form would make the process easier.

Contact Details and Address

MetLife Pet Insurance

400 Missouri Avenue

Suite 105

Jeffersonville, IN 47130

Phone: 855.270.7387

Fax: 877.281.3348

Email: pet_info@metlife.com

Bottom Line

MetLife Pet Insurance offers a wide range of coverage, including for difficult-to-insure dog breeds. It also has no maximum pet age limit and provides immediate coverage for accidents and wellness care. Overall, MetLife Pet Insurance is a good option for those who want comprehensive coverage, and its wide range of discounts will be enticing to many.

Methodology

Information for this review was sourced from MetLife’s website and online chat with its customer service team. I also consulted Trustpilot and Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Written by

Emma Street

Emma holds a BSc in Computer Science and has worked in software development for 15+ years as a support analyst, developer, and technical writer. Emma currently specializes in low-code software and web development, and has extensive experience in the fields of InsureTech and FinTech, with a keen understand—and enthusiasm for!—the intersection of personal and corporate finance and technology.

Trustpilot reviews

See what some costumers are saying about Metlife

Poor

•

Reviews 18

Excellent

17%

Bad

83%

scammed pet parent

24 days ago

AVOID THESE SCAMMERS

SCAM. Signed up for insurance in December, never received any communications about my policy, not even a policy number. Apparently I was supposed to receive a whole Policy Packet, never saw it. I guess that’s my fault for trusting MetLife to be reputable. When trying to activate my account online- emails were ignored, customer service agents couldn’t give a straight answer on how to activate my account. The only easy part was cancelling the policy. They scammed me out of $130 as I was paying for this insurance for months and I didn’t even get a policy number.

colton diaz

a month ago

All do NOT use MetLife

All do NOT use MetLife. We signed our dog up for MetLife after a few months of her being off insurance. We took her for a routine checkup and they found an issue with my pets hips. Insurance said it was pre existing. How would we know it's pre existing? Cancer is Pre existing along with anything else. Don't waste your time and money with this company. Company also owes me money from 4 months ago that they never caught and I have yet to receive it.

heidi mcdonald

2 months ago

Not a good customer experience.

I signed up last September and had to call them 4 times before I was able to get any help. The first time was to set up the app. No one told me not to include the letters on my policy until the 4th call. That is why it was not accepting the policy number. The second time I called I set up my credit card instead of through my employer. The third time for some reason they did not charge the card on file. I emailed my claim with the policy number. No email response. I later found out that they want it in an attachment not in the body of the email otherwise they just completely ignore it and will not respond back to the email. I almost cancelled my policy because this is not a streamlined process. I will not recommend this to anyone. Get it together!

bern garci

2 months ago

MetLife Pet Insurance - the Hyundai of Pet Insurance

If you think claims should be processed within 15-30 days and its ok NOT to be able to view claim details after they are processed to understand how much was applied to your deductible and how much is being reimbursed - get MetLife Pet Insurance. I thought saving a few bucks on the monthly premiums was a good think after investigating a few different plans but quickly realized that you get what you pay for. And when you finally receive your reimbursement, even though you asked to be reimbursed via credit card, you receive a CHECK in the mail, because they can't even follow the simplest of instructions. Do yourself a favor, run in any other direction, just don't get MetLife Pet Insurance.

pete lewis

2 months ago

Poor business ethics

I bought a puppy from parade and along with my purchase was an offer for 1 month free at metlife pet insurance company, I called and discussed the options they had and decided to purchase their plan and I chose to pay for a full year, in doing that my free month actually became a paid month,no big deal Here is where I am not happy with them,,While talking to sales guy he charges monthly of 75 dollars on my card I correct him and we do the charge for 1 year 724 00 with discount added in he assured me that I would be refunded the 75 00 promptly, of course I gave them the ok no problem ,Alomst 1 month later I get my bank statement NO refund I call to find out why , I get the run around and one person tells me that I would not get back my 75 because of an enrollment fee I would get back 65 ,I'm not happy about this so I get handed to another person to tell me that it is a 12 dollar enrollment fee so now it's 63 for refund NOT happy about this fantom fee I get to the whatever stage and tell them to just send my refund, Three weeks go by and I call my bank to see if they did send my refund NO so I call again but now I do not want to deal with this company so I canceled my policy completely but they are still keeping the enrollment fee WHAT the person I was talking to gave me her honest most convincing word that I would be contacted by her on Wednesday 4/12 and again I find I cannot trust this company for the care of my dog and his wellness One thing I forgot to throw in here us that I was contacted by a manager I think I never heard back from her either update. I FINALLY received my 63 dollars and guess what out of 724 dollars I paid they went and prorated for two months of their service This just goes to show you not to deal with this company they will steal from you also the reply from them is a standard reply,They have all my info but they are wrong on this one so they won't contact me I called and asked for a supervisor and they wouldn't talk to me ,do yourself and your pet a favor dontcuse this company

customer

2 months ago

0 Stars

0 Stars This is the absolute worst pet insurance company. They lie and give you the runaround then still deny your claim. You should be ashamed of yourselves MetLife! I paid $6,500 for my pet’s surgery, he had a fracture on his Left hip, I tripped over him one night. When I took him to urgent care the next day, they only saw hip dysplasia on the right hip. Nothing wrong with the left at the moment. When I took him back to my vet when the pain didn’t stop and he was limping on left hip, it was discovered he actually had a fracture on the Left hip which had NO hip dysplasia, only the right did. They denied it over and over again claiming they needed additional documents. Almost 6 months later and they never approved or paid surgical bill. This was clearly due to an accident but these scumbags saw hip dysplasia and blamed it on “preexisting conditions” You will find yourself in a lawsuit one day MetLife for all the people you’ve wronged. DO NOT ENROLL IN A POLICY WITH METLIFE. They are a nightmare to get any claim over $500 approved. Save your time, energy and go with any other pet insurance company. If you have a current policy with MetLife, CANCEL IT, I wouldn’t wish this frustration on anyone.

ecelestri

3 months ago

This insurance is a SCAM

This insurance is a SCAM. They denied my dog's bronchitis claim saying it was preexisting only because it was a lengthy recovery. Better to save your money from these Thieves!

teresa paquin

4 months ago

Worst insurance ever

Worst insurance ever. Always requesting more information and never covering what they say they will when you sign up. I would have never signed up if I knew how bad this company is for pet insurance.

lina bellard

4 months ago

Worst experience

Worst experience, adopted pet with MetLife pet insurance, dog got sick after 24hours, MetLife refused coverage saying it was a "pre-existing condition". Called shelter to let them know they should stop using MetLife, they couldn't believe they considered it pre-existing. Horrible customer service.

for god and country

6 months ago

Cancellation Even though I called & updated card

They have a poor claims process, large price increases from year to year, and a lack of communication. They did not communicate to me that they were charging my old credit card on the automatic payments they require. They just cancelled my pet's insurance, then said they could write a new policy, but everything they had been paying for would be pre-existing. They said they sent emails, but I didn't get them. A good company would send an old-fashioned letter in the mail. They said I didn't update the card, but I know I called in and updated to the same card I have on file with Healthy Paws Pet Insurance. Thank God my pet had two policies, so my little dog is covered. Metlife doesn't care, just cancelled for lack of payment without ensuring I actually received their emails. They said they sent emails, as I changed out my card because it was stolen. It was the same bank, and other service providers transferred to the new card automatically, without notification and without a glitch. They said I passed the grace period. My little Schnoodle was relatively healthy, so I didn't log into Metlife for months. I bought a new policy with Pets Best, and it's $53 cheaper, offering unlimited instead of Metlife's $20,000 annual limit for $292. She was already insured with Healthy Paws, and now her Pets Best is her secondary insurance. Buy smart! Don't Trust your pet to Metlife!

zachary

6 months ago

Predatory and scummy

They wouldnt accept a claim on my last policy because it was past 90 days. I dont know what would change in 90 days other than to scam you out of your benefits. They want a year of vet records before your first claim I only discovered on trying to make the claim the first time. It took me a while to get it just to get denied because it was too late. I also wasnt notified that my renewal was going up almost double and didnt until 3 months in. I just wasted 700 dollars on this over the past year for nothing. This is not worth it for a 5000 max.

msq qmar

6 months ago

It's a Nightmare!

It's a Nightmare! Over a month and still haven't received the approved claim funds ~$1800.00 They said they would Zelle on November 16 but didn't receive it. Later, the same day, they said it would be deposited in to my bank account within 1-3 business days but haven't. On November 16, 2022, then again on November 26 and 28; they said I will receive Zelle payment the next but never received it. I've spoken to Customer Service several times but no resolution yet. Also, earlier this year, they never paid a valid $2000 plus claim. December 8, 2022; I see a response from MetLife asking to send them an email. It was already done at least 10 times and just asked to send again to deceive readers of this post and trying to act like this email address provided to resolve the issue. It's a bull crap sweet talking.

ivana f.

7 months ago

They didnt cover accidental injury even thoug accident happened after policy accident effective day

My dog had an accidental injury 5 days after policy accident effective day, she ran and suddenly started limping, on third day vet did x rays and diagnosis was that there was no hip dysplasia or any other illness, but most likely soft tissue injury. She took antiinflammatory for 7 days and finaly recoverd. Insurance did not cover any cost, they told me that illness cover effective day was still not active. But diagnose was injury not caused by any illness. Dog got injured by accident. I do not have time to fight with them, I canceled insurance immediately, but I will find some time to copy paste this experience whereever possible. Policy #1316217-01 my bill was 700$

jen

7 months ago

Terrible experience and terrible…

Terrible experience and terrible customer service. Be warned - there is a 14 day wait period before illness coverage pays for any claims, which is apparently in the fine print. The day I purchased coverage was not the day it started (mine started a day later). The claims examination process took approx. 20 days - twice as long as they claim most claims adjudications take. They entered the wrong date of service, had me running back to my vet to get additional documentation for the visit and then after 20 long days, the first rep said the claim was denied because it was not a covered service and the second rep said i couldn’t get reimbursed because I was in the 14 day wait period. Either way, the customer service is sub par (the rep in the chat function just deserted the chat mid way and stopped responding after giving me inaccurate information), I did not get a copy of the policy in the mail, I got an email with a link to the policy which didn’t work. So I downloaded the app, again no way to see the policy. So if you don’t scroll down to the very bottom when you sign up to read the fine print, you might not know about the wait period. It‘s deceptive in my opinion and the defensive tone of their customer dis-service really soured it. Needless to say, I am cancelling my policy and going with a company that doesn’t mistreat me as a customer, has a fair and transparent claims process and appreciates my concern and efforts as a pet owner.

kirby davis

8 months ago

Terrible

Terrible. They claimed my dog throwing up once was a "preexisting condition" and refused to cover his hospital stay for pancreatitis. My policy was in effect several days before the hospital stay. I'm disputing the claim but I will absolutely be switching pet insurance providers.

matthew bernardini

8 months ago

Great coverage - highly recommend

Great coverage, excellent customer service and friendly team.

david m.

9 months ago

SO GLAD we had this insurance

When our dog became sick, we learned just how important pet insurance was to have. We spent thousands of dollars dealing with GI issues with no clear root cause. When the vet asked if we wanted expensive tests and treatments, we were able to not think twice. We knew that we were covered and that was the best feeling. MetLife Pet has been helpful and responsive to our questions and claims. I tell everyone to consider getting this insurance for their pets.

lynn

a year ago

Don't buy insurance for your pet without looking at this one!

After looking at a dozen pet insurance companies I came across MetLife, the funny thing is they are not listed on any of the so called "pet insurance review sites" which convinced me that those review sites only post reviews for the companies that pay them to do so. (I found out about fake paid reviews a few years ago when I tried to compare mattresses) Metlife covers almost everything and have a wellness plan that pays 100% of immunizations, dental cleanings, spay/neuter and exams. They even cover pre-existing conditions if you currently have pet insurance and the plan is covering claims involving the condition. There weren't many reviews of it so I contacted them directly with a list of questions and they are legit so I took out a policy with them. Within a few weeks my puppy ate some pills that were toxic to dogs and I ran up a $900 vet bill - Metlife paid it without question in under 2 weeks. By the way I am a current customer, and I don't get benefit in any way by writing this review. The only downside to Metlife is that they aren't available in all states yet.

Metlife﻿ at a glance

Online experience

Customizable rates and services

Claims payout waiting period

Customer support

Bundles

MetLife Pet Insurance at a Glance

What Does it Cover

Insurance Plans & Pricing

What Is Not Covered

Waiting Periods

Coverage Limits

Reimbursement and Deductibles

Claims and Service

What You Might Like

What MetLife Pet Insurance Could do Better

Contact Details and Address

Bottom Line

Methodology

Metlife at a glance