Key takeaways
- MetLife provides top-notch flexibility for annual-coverage limits, deductibles and reimbursement levels.
- Its rates for cat insurance are highly competitive, though its dog insurance rates are higher than the national average.
- MetLife offers a distinctive “Family Plan” that lets you cover multiple dogs and cats under a single policy.
Our expert take on MetLife pet insurance
Summary
Base-plan generosity
You’ll find a decent range of coverage included in MetLife’s pet insurance, including coverage for dental illnesses, alternative therapy (chiropractic care, acupuncture and hydrotherapy), holistic treatments like aromatherapy, prescription food and vet-exam fees.
Among the best pet insurance companies in our analysis, MetLife is the only one to cover costs such as:
- Pet-boarding fees if you’re hospitalized (up to $500).
- Advertising and a reward if your pet is stolen or strays (up to $500).
- A mortality benefit to match the amount you paid for the pet if it dies before age 8 (up to $500).
- Grief counseling if your pet dies.
MetLife has no bilateral exclusions for orthopedic problems, unlike many competitors.
Customization power
MetLife pet insurance has top-notch customization power, with a variety of ways to customize a monthly premium. There are many choices for annual-coverage limits, deductibles and reimbursement levels.
But we found that MetLife’s online pet insurance quotes do not reflect this wide range of options. Call to get quotes for the options you want. MetLife did not respond to our request for information about how to get the full range of choices or why they’re not included in online quotes.
Price-shock protection for claims
While MetLife does not have a formal system for paying vets directly, it still has a high level of price-shock protection after claims:
- There are no claims-payment caps for specific medical conditions.
- MetLife has very low deductible options that can help keep your out-of-pocket costs to a minimum.
- It uses a “deductible-first” calculation for claim payments, compared to competitors that first apply the reimbursement percentage. We favored a “deductible-first” calculation in our analysis because it leads to higher claim payments to pet owners.
Premium stability
We found MetLife to have high premium stability between young and older-dog ages. MetLife’s average cost difference between puppies and senior dogs is low at $34, compared to a national average of $39 in our evaluation.
Importantly, claims you make won’t lead to a rate increase, reducing surprises at renewal time—unlike some competitors.
Cost
MetLife’s dog insurance rates are high in our analysis, with an average of $55 a month compared to the national average of $46 for a $5,000 policy. MetLife’s cat insurance rates are more average.
Other notable features
- Automatic policy increases. If your annual-coverage limit is at least $5,000, and you have not used $1,000 or more at the end of the policy period, MetLife will automatically add $500 to your limit for the next renewal period at no additional cost (but this feature cannot be stacked).
- Healthy Pet Incentive: For each policy period that you don’t receive a claim payment (not including wellness-plan claims), MetLife will reduce your deductible by $50 at each renewal. This reduction can continue until your deductible reaches $0.
- Family Plan. The MetLife Family Plan will cover up to three dogs and cats using a shared annual-coverage limit and deductible. This allows you to allot coverage to the pet that needs it most during the year without buying separate policies.
- Exotic pets. You can buy MetLife pet insurance for exotic pets such as birds, lizards and rabbits.
What does MetLife pet insurance cover?
MetLife pet insurance covers medically necessary charges for injuries (such as animal bites or poisonings) and illnesses (such as ear infections, chronic conditions and congenital or hereditary disorders). Coverage also includes:
- Advertising costs and reward money if your pet is stolen or strays
- Diagnostics such as lab work, blood tests and ultrasounds
- Grief counseling through a third-party provider following the loss of a pet
- Holistic treatments such as aromatherapy, herbal remedies and CBD oil if they are prescribed by a veterinarian
- Loss of a pet if your pet goes missing or is stolen and is not found within 60 days
- Medications prescribed by a vet
- Mortality benefits if your pet dies and was less than 8 years old
- Pet-boarding costs if you or a household member are hospitalized for more than 48 hours
- Prescription foods that can only be purchased from a veterinary provider with a prescription to treat an illness or injury
- Surgery, hospitalization, physical therapy and emergency dental treatment
- Telemedicine provided over the phone or online
- Vet-exam fees
What does MetLife not cover?
MetLife pet insurance does not have any exclusions for fundamental coverage. It does exclude:
- Cosmetic and elective procedures, such as tail docking, declawing, and cosmetic, aesthetic and elective surgeries
- Grooming
- Nonprescription pet food and vitamins
- Obedience training
- Out-of-country care, such as treatments provided outside of the United States
- Pre-existing conditions, including curable pre-existing conditions (which some top competitors cover)
- Progression of prior injuries that occurred before the policy’s effective date
- Symptom-free claims where the pet did not have any symptoms
- Treatments that aren’t medically necessary unless explicitly listed in the policy
- Working pets, including pets involved in racing, law enforcement, guarding or exhibiting the pet for pay
MetLife’s pet-wellness plan
If you want some reimbursement for preventive care, an optional pet-wellness plan is available in the following amounts:
- $365 in annual benefits
- $575 in annual benefits, with higher reimbursement caps for routine exams, spaying/neutering or teeth cleaning, health screenings, deworming and more
How much does MetLife pet insurance cost?
Our analysis found MetLife’s pet insurance rates are usually higher than average, but the average includes competitor policies with fewer coverage benefits.
Dog insurance cost comparison
Cat insurance cost comparison
What discounts are available?
MetLife has these pet insurance discounts, which are stackable up to a total maximum discount of 30%:
- Multipet discount of 5% for two policies and 10% for 3+ policies
- 10% for military, veterans and first responders
- 10% for federal employees
- 10% for healthcare workers
- 10% for owners, staff members or volunteers in the animal-care industry
- 10% for employer groups
- 5% for affinity groups that partner with MetLife
- $1 off your premium every month for your first policy year for purchasing your pet insurance policy online
Methodology
We evaluated 16 pet insurance policies based on:
- Base-plan generosity (50%). The most important factor in a pet insurance policy is how much coverage you’re getting for your money. For this category, we looked at coverage included without add-ons, such as alternative therapies, vet-exam fees, dental illness, burial and cremation, and more. We also factored in whether curable pre-existing conditions are covered after a certain period.
- Cost (20%). We factored in average costs for plans with $5,000 and unlimited annual coverage for cats and dogs ages 4 months, 2 years and 8 years.
- Price-shock protection for claims (15%). No one wants an unpleasant surprise with a claim. For this category, we analyzed how claims payments are calculated, low-deductible options, condition-specific payment caps and direct-vet-payment systems.
- Premium stability (10%). When you find good pet insurance, you want to avoid being priced out of it in the future. We looked at the current cost spread between puppies and older dogs and whether making a claim can lead to a rate increase.
- Customization power (5%). It’s beneficial to have some control over your monthly premium. We looked at the range of annual coverage and reimbursement and deductible options available from each pet insurance company.
We use a curved-rating system: Scores are assigned relative to the top-performing product or company; providers that score the most points are assigned 5 stars, and other star ratings are assigned based on performance relative to the top performer. The lowest-scoring companies received 1 star.
