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PetFirst Pet Insurance Review
By Jamela Adam MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
Are you worried about not being able to afford unexpected medical expenses for your four-legged companion? If so, you might want to check out PetFirst — a pet insurance company that offers comprehensive coverage for accidents, illnesses, routine care, and even alternative therapies for your pet. In this review, let’s dive deep into how PetFirst’s policies work and why they might be worth considering.
PetFirst pet insurance overview
Founded in 2004, PetFirst is an Indiana-based pet insurance company that has provided coverage to more than 40,000 pets for over a decade. In 2019, the business was acquired by MetLife, one of the leading insurance providers in the United States. And though PetFirst is now known as MetLife pet insurance, it continues to operate under the previous name in some states.
PetFirst’s services
When choosing a pet insurance policy, it’s important to find one that makes the most financial sense for you. Let’s look at PetFirst’s services to see whether they provide value for your money.
What it offers
PetFirst offers a comprehensive accident and illness plan for dogs and cats of any breed and age. Plus, there’s no lifetime or per-incident payout limit — provided that you meet your deductibles. In addition to covering expenses associated with services like hospitalization, emergency care, and surgeries, this plan also provides reimbursement for holistic and alternative therapy–a service that few of PetFirst’s competitors provide.
Besides the standard accident and illness plan, PetFirst allows you to purchase a preventive care add-on that covers microchipping, vaccinations, teeth cleaning, heartworm medication, and more.
With several annual benefits, deductibles, and reimbursement rate options, PetFirst makes it easy to customize your plan according to your budget. They also offer several discounts, including multi-pet, military, healthcare worker, and first responder discounts. Plus, if you make no claims in a policy year, PetFirst will automatically decrease your deductible by either $25 or $50.
PetFirst pet insurance coverage
| What’s covered | What’s not covered |
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What it doesn’t offer
PetFirst doesn’t offer pet insurance for pre-existing conditions unless that particular condition was covered by a previous insurance provider. According to PetFirst, pre-existing conditions are defined as any illness or injury incurred before the policy’s effective date.
PetFirst pet insurance costs
Here are some examples of policies for different dog and cat breeds to help you better understand PetFirst’s pet insurance cost. These examples are based on the rates of 3-year-old female pets in the Los Angeles area (using the $250 deductible, 80% reimbursement, and $2,000 annual benefit option)
| Premium – Dog Breeds | Premium – Cat Breeds | ||
| American Bulldog | $55.89 | Persian | $27.52 |
| Golden Retriever | $35.93 | American bobtail | $21.16 |
| Beagle | $25.50 | Colour Point | $19.91 |
PetFirst pet insurance waiting periods
The waiting period for PetFirst’s accident and preventive care policies is midnight EST, which means that coverage begins on the effective date of your policy. Compared to competitors who often make policyholders wait 2-15 days, PetFirst’s short waiting period is a major plus. Keep in mind, though, that unlike accident and preventive care, PetFirst’s illness coverage won’t begin until 14 days after your policy’s effective date.
PetFirst’s credentials
Choosing a reputable pet insurance company can save you lots of headaches down the road. Here’s a closer look at PetFirst’s credentials.
Licenses and registrations
While PetFirst doesn’t have pet insurance-specific licenses or registrations, the company is subject to the Pet Model Insurance Act promulgated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). This act regulates how pet insurance companies must operate and sets standards for policy terms and disclosure requirements.
Awards and certifications
PetFirst won the “Pet Insurance of the Year” award in the 2022 Independent Innovation Awards Program. In the same year, PetFirst was also recognized by another personal finance publication as one of the best pet insurance companies and received a 5-star rating.
Regulatory or legal actions
We couldn’t find any regulatory or legal actions against PetFirst, which is a good sign that the company is above-board and transparent.
PetFirst’s accessibility
We looked at PetFirst’s accessibility to see how easy it is for customers to find the information they need, contact support, and navigate the company’s products and services.
Availability
PetFirst is available across all 50 states, but not including U.S. territories like Puerto Rico and Guam. The company is headquartered in New York and also has an office in Indiana.
Contact information
You can reach PetFirst in these four ways:
- Phone: 855-270-7387 (Hours: Mon-Fri, 8 am to 9 pm EST; Sat-Sun, 10 am to 7 pm EST)
- Email: pet_info@metlife.com
- Mail: 400 Missouri Avenue Jeffersonville, IN 47130
- Fax: 877-281-3348
If you can’t contact the company for some reason, check out this FAQ page to see if PetFirst has already answered your question. You can also use the search bar function on the top right corner of their website to find relevant articles that may contain the information you’re looking for.
User experience
PetFirst’s website is user-friendly and easy to navigate. The top menu provides clear links to all the resources you need — whether you’re looking for customer support or want to learn more about PetFirst’s insurance plan options. And if you need a free quote, the “fetch your quote” button is displayed multiple times on the home page.
Besides the website, PetFirst’s customer online portal — MyPets — also provides a great user experience. You can submit a claim, update your payment information, or view your policy details all in one place.
Limitations
One of PetFirst’s biggest limitations is that, unlike many of its competitors, the company doesn’t have a 24/7 live chat tool. This lack of support can be frustrating for customers who need assistance outside regular business hours. While the company does have a phone number customers can call, it can often be difficult to get through to a live person during peak hours. Overall, the lack of a 24/7 live chat option is a significant downside to PetFirst’s otherwise excellent pet insurance coverage.
PetFirst’s customer satisfaction
Feedback from customers and third-party ratings are good indicators of whether a company provides satisfactory service. To give an accurate review of PetFirst, we did some research to see how customers feel about this company.
Customer complaints
Customers filed around 700 complaints with the Better Business Bureau against MetLife over the past three years. Over 240 of those came from the last year alone. However, a significant portion of the complaints is actually about MetLife’s other products, such as auto, home, and life insurance. In the very few complaints about pet insurance (PetFirst), customer voiced their frustration with the company’s claims process and pre-existing condition exclusion.
Besides the BBB, we also looked at customer reviews on Trustpilot. The opinions were quite divided. Some pet parents praised PetFirst’s wide coverage options and user-friendly website; others were dissatisfied with the company’s customer service and claims process.
We advise that you take both the positive and negative consumer reviews with a grain of salt and perform your due diligence before making a decision.
Third-Party ratings
The company has a rating of 1.1 out of 5 on Better Business Bureau and 1.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot. However, don’t write off PetFirst solely based on its third-party ratings. Sometimes, ratings can be skewed by a small number of unhappy customers. So always read individual reviews to get a more accurate picture of each customer’s experience.
PetFirst vs. the competition
| PetFirst | Lemonade | Spot | Trupanion | |
| Annual coverage limits | $500 to unlimited | $5,000 to $100,000 | $2,500 to unlimited | Unlimited |
| Deductible amount | $0 to $2,500 | $100 to $500 | $100 to $1,000 | $0 to $1,000 |
| Reimbursement percentages | 50% to 100% | 70% to 90% | 70% to 90% | 90% |
Though PetFirst offers a comprehensive pet insurance policy, their competitors may provide features that better suit your needs. So be sure to check out this Lemonade review, Spot review, and Trupanion review before committing to PetFirst.
PetFirst FAQs
How we evaluated PetFirst pet insurance
To provide an unbiased review, we compared PetFirst’s products to other leading companies in the industry. We considered factors such as pricing, customer satisfaction, coverage options, reputation, availability, and user experience to see how they stack up.
Summary of Miami Herald’s PetFirst review
So, is PetFirst’s pet insurance worth it? Overall, we believe the company offers a competitive product at a reasonable price. While there are some areas where they could improve (such as customer satisfaction), PetFirst boasts one of the most comprehensive coverage options in the industry and could meet the needs of most pet owners.
However, before you make a decision, remember to compare PetFirst to other best pet insurance companies to see whether they’re truly the right fit for you and your furry friend.
