MetLife Pet Insurance Review (2026)

MetLife Pet Insurance Solutions LLC sells and services MetLife Pet Insurance. Metropolitan General Insurance Company writes the policies; it is a Rhode Island insurer in the MetLife group (NAIC 39950). The dog and cat policy form is PET21-01-V.

How it works everywhere

• The main policy covers accidents and illnesses. You choose the annual limit ($500 to unlimited), the reimbursement percentage and an annual deductible ($0 to $2,500) (underwriting guidelines in filing 25-2234; MetLife FAQ, checked 13 October 2026). The California guidelines allow 50% to 90% reimbursement, or up to 100% with a limit of $5,000 or less. MetLife’s FAQ gives 50% to 90%. Preventive care is bought separately. The California rate manual also prices an accident-only plan and a 30-day policy for shelter pets (filing 25-2234).
• Accidents are covered from the day after enrollment, illnesses after 14 days. The FAQ gives no separate orthopedic waiting period (MetLife FAQ, checked 13 October 2026).
• Hereditary, congenital and chronic conditions are covered like any other illness. Conditions that existed before the policy are not covered (Florida disclosure document PET-DISC-2023).
• There is no upper age for enrollment and no breed restriction. The FAQ adds that some ages may have fewer coverage options (MetLife FAQ, checked 13 October 2026).
• You need no medical records to enroll. The first claim needs the last 12 months of vet records (MetLife FAQ, checked 13 October 2026).
• MetLife reimburses the owner. It does not pay the vet directly (MetLife FAQ, checked 13 October 2026).
• A Family Plan puts up to three pets on one policy. They share one deductible and one annual limit (MetLife FAQ; PET-DISC-2023). In filing 25-2234 the family plan factor is 1.69 for two pets and 2.30 for three. The plan’s minimum price is 5% or 10% above the highest single-pet price.
• Healthy Pet Incentive: for each year without a claim payment, the deductible drops by $50 at renewal until it reaches $0. After any paid claim other than preventive care, it returns to the original amount. Sources: the 2021 Ohio sample of form PET21-01-V and MetLife’s FAQ; not confirmed for Florida.
• The price formula in California filing 25-2234: base loss cost × sales channel × limit × reimbursement × deductible × territory (first 3 digits of the ZIP code) × family plan × species × breed and age × a preventive-care adjustment. The adjustment is 1.214 on the accident-and-illness price when standard preventive care is added, and 1.000 otherwise. The result is divided by (1 − 34%), the share for expenses and profit. There is no tenure factor (no charge for years with the company).
• The breed-and-age factor is reset at every renewal. For a French Bulldog it is 1.451 at ages 1 to 3, 3.446 at 8, 6.141 at 12 and 6.757 from 14 (filing 25-2234).
• People who buy directly from MetLife carry a channel factor of 1.184. Employer, shelter and other channels carry 1.000 (filing 25-2234).
• Fees in filing 25-2234: $3 per monthly installment (none if you pay annually), a one-time $12 enrollment fee for a new customer, a $10 late fee.
• The rate manual in filing 25-2234 caps a renewal increase at 80%, for one year only. The next renewal moves to the full filed rate. Any change to the policy cancels the cap (“Any revisions to the policy will nullify this rate cap”).

Pros

• You can choose a policy with no annual limit (rate manual in filing 25-2234), for dogs aged 0 to 11 “at inception”, that is, when the policy starts (underwriting guidelines in the same filing).
• The California formula has no tenure factor (filing 25-2234).
• The Florida disclosure says the policy does not cut coverage or raise the price because of claims (PET-DISC-2023). It lists what can raise the price: address, coverage, and the pet’s age at renewal. Rate increases, which also take effect at renewal, are not on that list.
• In Florida the illness waiting period can be removed. A vet visit within 7 days before coverage starts waives it fully; a visit within 5 days after waives it in part (PET-DISC-2023).
• There is no upper age for enrollment (MetLife FAQ, checked 13 October 2026; actuarial memorandum in filing 25-2234: “pets of all ages”).
• According to the FAQ, vet exam fees, prescription food and new dental illness are covered (MetLife FAQ, checked 13 October 2026).
• No medical records are checked at enrollment (MetLife FAQ, checked 13 October 2026).

Cons

• Three California increases in two years: +56% from 15 March 2024 (filing 23-1508), +20% from 11 July 2025 (25-180), +36.9% from 26 March 2026 (25-2234).
• In filing 25-2234 MetLife asked for +40%. Its calculation of +41.4% relied on departures from the standard method (variances) for cost trend and for claim development. The regulator rejected the trend variance and allowed +36.9%, the most the standard method supports (objections of 20 and 25 February 2026).
• Under 25-2234 individual prices change by −49% to +198%. For 58% of the 87,526 California policies the price rises by 30% or more (Exhibit 20).
• The regulator asked whether policies renewing from March to July 2026 would get two increases at once, July 2025’s and March 2026’s. MetLife said that was the intent (response of 12 December 2025). By its own exhibit, the 25,165 such policies would pay 79% more on average at the rates first requested, before counting that the pets also get older (filing 25-2234).
• In California, in the year to mid-2025, MetLife paid $51.0 million in claims on $55.3 million of earned premium: 92.3% of premium went to claims. The filing sets rates so that 66% goes to claims, and the increase is meant to bring the share down to that target (25-2234).
• The price climbs fast with age: at 12 a French Bulldog’s factor is 4.2 times its factor at 2 (25-2234).
• In the formula, direct buyers pay 18.4% more than buyers through an employer. Employer groups can also get a 10% discount (25-2234).
• For dogs 12 or older when the policy starts (“at inception”), the underwriting guidelines allow only a $500 to $2,000 limit and at most 80% reimbursement. A policy with no limit is open to dogs 0 to 11 at inception (filing 25-2234).
• 100% reimbursement comes only with a limit of $5,000 or less. Above that the maximum is 90% (same guidelines).
• The add-on that keeps cover for conditions from a previous insurer is sold only through employer groups (same guidelines).
• MetLife does not pay the vet directly (MetLife FAQ, checked 13 October 2026).
• On a Family Plan all pets share one limit (PET-DISC-2023).
• The deductible reduction for claim-free years is lost after any paid claim other than preventive care (2021 Ohio sample of form PET21-01-V; MetLife FAQ).

What we could not verify

• Florida rates. The Florida OIR IRFS list shows rate filing 26-030226 (filed 12 June 2026, closed as approved 6 August 2026) and forms filing 26-009274 (approved 13 March 2026). We have not read their documents. We do not know the Florida increase or what the rate pages look like.
• The press we used puts a late-2025 Florida increase for MetLife at +26%. We have not matched this figure to a filing number.
• California file 26-1256 (2026) asks for +7.6%. We have not read it.
• The first California rate manual in 25-2234 had an automatic cost-trend factor of up to 15% a year. The regulator said California does not allow it, and it was removed before approval. We do not know whether other states’ manuals have it.
• The California and Florida policy texts. We took coverage terms from the Florida disclosure, MetLife’s FAQ and the 2021 Ohio sample of form PET21-01-V.
• Whether a dog insured before 12 keeps a policy with no limit when it turns 12. The guidelines tie limits to age “at inception” but do not define the term. The actuarial memorandum says each policy renews at “the then current approved rates and options available to them on their renewal date”.
• Whether the Healthy Pet Incentive applies in Florida. The Florida disclosure says coverage is not cut because of claims. Neither filing 25-2234 nor the Florida documents we read mention the incentive, and we do not have the documents of Florida filing 26-030226. The Ohio sample policy and the visible text of MetLife’s FAQ (with its footnote 15) give $50. Only the FAQ’s hidden markup for search engines says “$25 or $50”, without saying when $25 applies.
• Whether the 80% renewal cap is actually applied. The filing’s rate-change exhibits do not show it.