MetLife Pet Insurance Review: No Accident Wait, One Family Plan

MetLife sells one pet insurance plan with three dials, and, like Lemonade, its published terms put no waiting period on accidents. The terms below come from MetLife’s own pages, its Ohio sample policy, and the state disclosures its site links to, all read on 2026-10-28. They vary by state, and the last section lists what we couldn’t confirm.

One plan, three dials, and no accident-only option

MetLife’s plans page describes one accident-and-illness plan that you set by reimbursement rate, deductible, and annual limit. There is no accident-only version; its how-it-works page says MetLife Pet currently doesn’t offer that type of plan. Two things bolt on: a Preventive Care add-on, sold as Preventive 365 and Preventive 575, and a Family Plan. Increases to coverage happen only at renewal; decreases any time.

Zero days for accidents, 14 for illness, and the waiver exam

Accident coverage and the preventive add-on start at midnight after you enroll, with no waiting period. Illness has a 14-day wait, which the disclosures we read say doesn’t apply again at renewal while coverage stays continuous. MetLife’s pages say there’s no separate orthopedic wait: a hip or knee condition falls under the accident or illness wait like anything else; the waiting period guide lists the six-month orthopedic waits elsewhere.

The illness wait can be cut. In the states whose disclosures we read, a waiver exam of all body systems within 7 calendar days before the effective date waives the whole 14 days, and an exam within 5 calendar days after it waives the days that remain from the exam date. The paperwork goes in with the first illness claim, and anything the exam finds is pre-existing; 30-day policy periods carry no illness wait at all. The no waiting period guide covers the rest of the market.

Deductibles down to zero, a $50 reward for a quiet year, and limits to unlimited

The deductible is annual, applied once per policy period, and subtracted before the reimbursement rate; what a deductible is explains the two orders insurers use. Options run from $0 to $750 in $50 steps, then $1,000, $1,250, $1,500, $2,000, and $2,500, with restrictions. The Healthy Pet Incentive lowers the deductible by $50 at each renewal without a claim payment, down to $0 on the Ohio form; a paid claim, other than a preventive care payment, sends it back to the original amount at renewal.

Reimbursement is 50%, 70%, 80%, or 90% on the current footnotes. Annual limits run from $500 to $25,000 in $1,000 steps, or unlimited, with no per-incident and no lifetime limits; what an annual limit is covers the choice. The Ohio form also raises a limit of $5,000 or more by $500 at renewal when $1,000 or more went unused.

The family plan: three pets, one deductible

The Family Plan covers up to three pets, dogs and cats mixed, on one policy with one shared deductible, one shared annual limit, and one reimbursement rate; Florida’s disclosure says the deductible applies to the policy, not per pet. The plan carries its own discount, and the multi-policy discount for separate policies can’t be combined with it. One deductible to meet, but one limit shared by all three. The multi-pet discount guide compares the per-pet discounts other insurers publish.

MetLife names other discounts (affinity group, internet purchase for the first year, military and first responder, healthcare and animal care workers) without percentages, except an employer benefit discount its employer page puts at 10%, with state exceptions and restrictions when combining. Employees who join through an employer plan while already insured elsewhere may, in MetLife’s words, have conditions the previous insurer covered carried over; that applies only to employer-group purchases.

Hereditary, hip dysplasia, and MetLife’s version of the curable rule

Hereditary, congenital, and chronic conditions are covered when they aren’t pre-existing, with no breed exclusions; the hereditary conditions guide shows how that compares. MetLife’s hip dysplasia page says it applies no age restriction and no extended waiting period, which matters next to the enrollment-age rules in the hip dysplasia guide.

On the policy form, pre-existing means a vet gave advice, or the pet was treated or showed consistent signs, before continuous coverage began or during the illness wait; the disclosures add that a covered condition can’t become pre-existing at renewal. The curable rule has no fixed clock: MetLife says curable conditions like ear infections, vomiting, or broken bones can typically be covered when the incident after enrollment is unrelated to the earlier one, while conditions it calls incurable, from allergies and diabetes to hip dysplasia, will likely never be. Curable pre-existing conditions compares the windows elsewhere. On bilateral conditions MetLife says it doesn’t automatically exclude the second side, but a side with symptoms before coverage makes the other side related and pre-existing; bilateral conditions in pet insurance explains the clause.

Enrollment starts at 8 weeks with no upper age limit, under a footnote that coverage options may be limited for certain ages. No exam or records are needed to enroll; the last 12 months of records go in with the first claim.

Claims, free look, extras on the Ohio form, and what we couldn’t verify

MetLife doesn’t pay vets. You pay, submit within 90 days of treatment, and are reimbursed by direct deposit, PayPal, Zelle, or check; MetLife says most claims are processed within 5 days with full documentation, its footnote says 5 to 10 days, and the policy allows 30 days. The free look is 30 days in most of the states whose disclosures we read, 15 days in Louisiana, Montana, Rhode Island, and Washington, and 10 days in Maryland. Per the disclosures, premiums aren’t raised for claim history but can rise at renewal with age, address, or coverage changes.

Exam fees are covered, specialty and emergency exams included. Dental covers new injuries and illnesses, periodontal disease included; cleanings are paid only through Preventive Care, which reimburses set amounts per item, $365 or $575 a year in total, with no waiting period (pet insurance with wellness coverage explains that model). A free AskVet chat in the app can’t prescribe, while telemedicine visits with a vet are covered when the same service would be in person. The Ohio sample policy adds lines we flag as “on the Ohio form MetLife publishes; confirm in your state’s policy”: boarding up to $500 if you’re hospitalized more than 48 hours, advertising and reward up to $500, a theft payout capped at $500, a mortality benefit of up to $500 for cremation or burial, and grief counseling; see lost or stolen pets and euthanasia. Any licensed US vet is in; exotic pets are accepted in some states. Not covered: pre-existing conditions, grooming, obedience training, elective or cosmetic procedures, breeding, non-prescription food, and routine care without the add-on. MetLife’s price claim is its own: plans “start at $7 per month for cats and $16 per month for dogs” on select coverages.

The policy is issued by Metropolitan General Insurance Company; a 2022 leaflet also named Independence American Insurance Company for some states and no current page does, so we can’t say whether that’s still true. We also couldn’t verify the other discount percentages, a current-form sample policy (the published one is the 2021 Ohio form), disclosures for states outside the footer list such as New York, Texas, and Illinois, whether 100% reimbursement is still sold, what the age footnote limits, or the 30-day policy product. Read MetLife’s coverage page and your state’s disclosure, such as the California one before you buy.

This article is general information, not insurance or veterinary advice. Coverage, prices, and terms vary by insurer, pet, and location. Always read the policy and confirm details with the provider before buying.