Editorial Score8.8MetLife Pet Insurance Review
MetLife Pet Insurance offers instant accident coverage, customizable plans, exotic pet options, and family plans for U.S. pet owners. Learn more today.
Overview
MetLife Pet Insurance, administered by Metropolitan General Insurance Company, offers customizable accident and illness plans with a range of annual limits (e.g., $2,000–$10,000), deductibles ($50–$500), and reimbursement tiers (70%–90%).
Accident coverage begins at midnight following purchase, with no waiting period, while illness coverage typically begins after 14 days. Optional Preventive Care add-ons (e.g., Preventive 365 and Preventive 575) cover routine services like vaccinations, spaying/neutering, and microchipping.
Families with multiple pets can join a family plan, covering up to three pets under a shared deductible. MetLife’s pet plans extend beyond dogs and cats to include certain exotic animals, such as reptiles, rabbits, ferrets, and birds, making it a distinctive offering in the U.S. market.
The policy is reimbursement‑based, meaning vet bills are paid upfront and claims are submitted for reimbursement.
Pros
- Instant accident coverage (0‑day waiting period)
- Covers exotic pets
- Customizable deductibles, limits, reimbursement tiers
- Family plans let up to three pets share one deductible
Cons
Community Involvement
MetLife Pet Insurance demonstrates meaningful community engagement via its Animal Welfare and Shelter Partner Programs. Beyond financial support, the company’s dedicated Animal Welfare team actively collaborates with shelters and rescues to enhance their impact and help pets find forever homes.
These partnerships not only alleviate shelters' operating costs but also reinforce MetLife’s broader commitment to animal welfare across the U.S. Honoring the company’s values, these partnerships provide resources, shared outreach, and education to better support shelter clients and newly adopted pets.
While MetLife doesn’t publicly publish exact donation figures on its site, the structured support, financial and operational, underscores a genuine investment in the community of pet lovers and caregivers.
Policies
MetLife Pet Insurance policies are highly customizable, letting pet owners tailor deductibles, reimbursement percentages, and annual limits to fit their pets' needs and budgets.
Accident coverage starts immediately, while illness has a brief 14‑day waiting period; however, specific issues like cruciate ligament problems may require longer periods, e.g., six months.
Policies work on a reimbursement model: pet owners pay upfront, then submit claims for reimbursed expenses based on plan settings. Coverage may be managed via the MyPets online portal or mobile app, where policyholders can view policy details, download the policy packet, and access plan documents.
Policy changes, such as adjusting coverage level, adding Preventive Care, or adding/removing pets, can be made during the annual renewal window.
MetLife also sends email reminders 30–60 days before policy renewal and automatically renews the plan to avoid coverage lapses.
Limitations
MetLife’s pet policies do not cover preexisting conditions, whether they are curable or incurable. Other common exclusions include grooming, obedience training, microchipping (unless added via Preventive Care), elective or cosmetic procedures, breeding-related services, and non‑prescription food.
Annual benefit limits, typically between $2,000 and $10,000, may be insufficient for chronic or severe medical conditions. The illness waiting period of 14 days (plus longer for certain conditions) may delay coverage for health issues emerging during that time.
Cost
Cost depends on factors like species, breed, age, location, and chosen plan settings. On average, MetLife pet insurance costs approximately $47 per month for dogs and $26 per month for cats under a plan with $5,000 annual coverage, $250 deductible, and 80% reimbursement.
Sample rapid quotes range: depending on location, breed, and plan choices, premiums for dogs may start as low as $15/month, and for cats, as low as $9/ month.
Discounts help reduce cost: they are available for veterans/military, healthcare workers, first responders, online enrollments, employer-affinity plans, multi-pet/family plans, and healthy-pet claim-free years (which lower deductibles). For example, some programs drop the deductible by up to $50 per claim‑free year.
Customer Support
MetLife offers substantiated support via multiple channels.
Prospective and existing customers can contact us through live chat, email (pet_info@metlife.com), or phone (e.g., 855‑934‑6153). Policyholders can access a 24/7 vet chat year-round.
The MyPets portal and mobile app enable policy access, document downloads, and plan management.
