MetLife Pet Insurance Reviews: How It Stacks Up (2024)

Pet insurance can reimburse you for the costs of medical care when your pet is sick, injured, or in need of alternative care options. While it adds to your monthly costs now, it could help you avoid large vet bills in the future.

MetLife Pet Insurance offers a standard pet insurance plan that’s affordable, offers extensive coverage, and includes extras like an optional wellness plan and a free 24/7 telehealth line. MetLife could be a good fit if you’re looking to insure a cat or a dog and want add-ons.^[1]

MetLife Pet Insurance: Our verdict

MetLife offers a dependable policy for dogs, cats, and a long list of exotic animals, including birds, reptiles, small rodents, amphibians, opossums, hedgehogs, pigs, goats, rabbits, and ferrets. MetLife doesn’t restrict the breeds it covers or impose upper age limits, but it does exclude certain services and won’t cover animals with pre-existing conditions in most cases.

MetLife is a good option for pet owners seeking affordable, reliable coverage. A standard plan from MetLife costs about $482 per year for a dog and $334 for a cat, which is cheaper than the national average of $584 and $343, respectively. Pet owners even get a price break by putting up to three pets on one plan with a single deductible.

You can use MetLife at any licensed vet, and it offers plans that cover accidents and injuries, illnesses, and hereditary conditions. Accident coverage begins at midnight on the day you buy a policy, while illness coverage begins 14 days from the effective date of your policy. You also get access to a 24/7 vet health line and the option to add a preventive care wellness plan.

MetLife Pet Insurance pros and cons

Each pet insurer has different strengths and weaknesses. Consider your pet’s health and your financial situation when deciding on a policy — some insurers may be better suited to your needs. Here’s where MetLife excels and where it lacks:

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MetLife Pet Insurance plans and coverages

MetLife Pet Insurance offers one standard plan and an optional add-on wellness care plan. Coverage is available in every state for dogs and cats. But if you have an exotic animal — such as a rodent, reptile, goat, pig, or hedgehog — then coverage is only available in 19 states. Here’s what each plan includes:

Standard plan

MetLife’s standard pet insurance plan covers accidents and illnesses that first occur during your coverage term. The plan typically won’t cover pre-existing conditions, but MetLife may make exceptions if the condition was covered by a previous insurer. Here’s a list of what’s typically covered under the standard plan:

• Accidents, injuries, and hospital care

• Illnesses and conditions

• Surgeries and other procedures

• Diagnostic tests, such as X-rays, ultrasounds, and exams

• Medications, prescription food, and prescribed vitamins

• Holistic care and alternative therapies, such as hydrotherapy

Preventive care add-on

MetLife has a wellness plan you can purchase alongside a standard plan. The plan reimburses you for preventive care services, such as teeth cleaning, vaccines, and spay and neuter procedures. The cost of the plan is based on details about your pet and where you live.

Here’s a list of what’s typically covered:

• Parasites, heartworm, and Lyme prevention

• Vaccines

• Teeth cleaning

• Supplements and vitamins

• Medically necessary nail trimming

• Genetic testing

• Dew claw removal

• Radiograph screenings

• Tail docking

• EKG

• Spay and neuter services

• Prescribed behavior training

• Gastropexy

• Anal gland expression

What MetLife Pet Insurance doesn’t cover

Neither of MetLife Pet Insurance’s plans covers the following:

• Pre-existing conditions (with some exceptions)

• Microchipping

• Breeding or conditions related to breeding

• Obedience training

• Grooming costs and routine nail trims

• Nonprescription food

• Organ transplants

• Illness or injury that arises out of racing, coursing, commercial guarding, law enforcement, or organized fighting of your pet

• Health/travel certificates

• Elective surgeries

• Cosmetic or aesthetic procedures

How much does MetLife Pet Insurance cost?

MetLife Pet Insurance says its standard plans start at $9 per month for cats and $15 per month for dogs. Standard plans cover things like accidents and illnesses, and you can add the optional wellness plan to get reimbursed for some preventive services, too.^[2]

Your premium depends on factors like your pet’s species, breed, age, and risk of needing services. The price also depends on how you tailor your coverage. Here are the customization options MetLife offers:

Reimbursement amount

The reimbursement is the amount your insurer pays you for covered veterinary expenses, and it’s expressed as a percentage. Higher reimbursements will increase the premium because the insurer pays more toward your claim. MetLife plans can reimburse you for up to 100% of your vet bills for covered incidents.

Annual benefit

The annual benefit is the maximum amount your insurance company pays once you’ve met your deductible. Larger benefits push your premiums higher because the insurer pays more toward your claim. MetLife offers annual benefits ranging from $1,000 to $25,000 in $1,000 increments. Unlimited coverage is available as well.

Deductible

The deductible is the amount you’ll pay for veterinary bills before your pet insurance policy kicks in. Choosing a higher deductible can lower your premium because you pay more out of pocket when making a claim. MetLife offers deductibles ranging from $0 to $2,500.

Cost of MetLife dog insurance

A standard dog insurance plan with MetLife costs $40.20 per month, based on a sample quote for a 2-year-old mixed-breed male of medium weight. The quote included an 80% reimbursement limit, a $15,000 benefit, and a $500 deductible.

Cost of MetLife cat insurance

Using the same coverage limits, a standard cat insurance policy with MetLife costs $27.82 per month. The sample cat was a 2-year-old female American shorthair.

You can save some money in a few ways, though. Buying two MetLife plans for the dog and cat would cost $68.02, but putting both pets on a standard family plan costs just $50.06 per month. That saves you $215.52 per year. Adding the wellness plan to the family policy would cost $86.94 per month, but it covers routine services such as vaccines and flea and tick prevention.

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How customers feel about MetLife Pet Insurance

Some third-party websites show negative feedback on MetLife’s pet insurance policies. The company received a score of 2.1 out of 5 with Trustpilot based on 31 reviews and a slightly higher score of 2.7 out of 5 through Yelp based on 301 reviews. These are much lower scores compared to some other pet insurance companies, such as Embrace, Nationwide, and AKC.^[3]

Some of the reviews with MetLife cited slow and confusing customer service during the claims process, failure to receive claims payments, and long wait times on customer service phone calls.

Some reviews were positive but still noted poor customer service, such as this review:

Ratings through Google were much better, with 4.5 out of 5 stars based on nearly 1,300 reviews. Many cited positive experiences like this one:

But other reviews on Google report a frustrating and slow claims experience like this one:

The bottom line: Is MetLife Pet Insurance worth it?

Pet insurance can help reduce the costs of large vet bills if your pet is ill or injured, so MetLife’s plan could be a worthwhile investment. It offers a standard plan plus a wellness add-on, and you can customize your policy limits and get coverage for many types of exotic animals.

The 24/7 telehealth chat function may come in handy when you have questions about your pet, especially if your vet’s office is closed. The preventive plan pays for many routine services that can help you save money. But it’s a good idea to review the coverage and make sure you can use it.

The company’s customer reviews on third-party websites may leave you with some hesitation, but ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether the benefits outweigh the cons. Consider your pet and its health, along with your financial situation, to make your decision.

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