MetLife

MetLife is an insurer best known in the UK for protection products sold directly and through employers, rather than for bank accounts or mortgages. Its individual range covers accident, illness and death through products such as EverydayProtect, MultiProtect, ChildShield and MortgageSafe, and its Employee Benefits business provides group life cover and related policies arranged through workplaces. It also runs investment funds, including Corporate Bond Funds, though these are closed to new money from new customers.

MetLife does not have branches: policies are bought online, by phone or through an employer or adviser, and managed afterwards through its website and its myMetLife online service. Its UK business is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and MetLife UK Limited appears on the Bank of England's list of UK-incorporated insurers authorised to carry out contracts of insurance¹. If the insurer could not meet its obligations, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme would step in: for insurance, it covers up to 100% of the value of any valid claim³.

What MetLife offers: protection, employee benefits and investments

MetLife's UK business falls into three broad areas. The first is individual protection: insurance that pays out on accident, illness or death, sold under names including EverydayProtect, MultiProtect, ChildShield and MortgageSafe. These are products you buy for yourself or your family, and they sit within the wider category of protection insurance, which explains how life, income and illness cover work across the market.

The second is employee benefits: cover arranged by an employer for its staff. MetLife's Registered Group Life policy, for example, is life insurance provided through a workplace scheme, where the policyholder is the employer and the people covered are the scheme's insured members⁶. If a family member has died and you believe they had cover through work, the practical first step is to contact their employer to find out whether they had life insurance and how to make a claim⁷.

The third is investments. MetLife runs Corporate Bond Funds, which aim to deliver investment growth through exposure to sterling-denominated corporate bonds⁸. These funds are structured as feeder funds investing in an actively managed master fund, with the underlying funds managed by MetLife Investment Management, the institutional asset management division of MetLife, Inc.⁸. MetLife Investment Management's team includes 67 research analysts and 27 traders⁸. These funds are closed to new money, which the next section explains.

MetLife is not a bank: it does not offer current accounts, savings accounts or mortgages. If you are comparing protection products, the guides to insurance and protection set out how this type of cover works, what it tends to cost and what to check before buying. MetLife also sells a product called Active Lifestyle Cover, which has its own page.

EverydayProtect, MultiProtect, ChildShield and MortgageSafe explained

MetLife's individual protection range is built around a family of products that pay cash sums or income if something goes wrong. EverydayProtect is the everyday product in the range, covering events such as accidents and illness. MultiProtect sits alongside it: under its terms, a claim payment is made to the policyholder named on the Policy Schedule, or to the executor or administrator of the estate if the policyholder dies before payment can be made³.

MultiProtect's terms also set out your duties as a policyholder. You must tell MetLife about changes to your personal details, including your name, address, bank details and anything affecting your eligibility³. The consequences of misrepresentation are set out firmly: if you misrepresent something material, your policy may be cancelled, any other policies you hold with MetLife may also be cancelled, premiums may not be returned, no benefit may be paid, benefits already paid may have to be repaid, and MetLife may refuse future cover³. This is standard for protection insurance, but it is worth knowing before you buy.

MortgageSafe is protection aimed at people with a mortgage. It comes in tiers: Core Cover is accident only, while Essential12 or Essential24 Cover covers accident and illness⁹. The numbers in the product names refer to the benefit periods. One notable feature of the terms is the premium refund rule: if you are unable to work, are receiving the policy benefit and continue to pay the premium, the premium payment is repaid to you in addition to the policy benefit⁹. MortgageSafe premiums are reviewed: MetLife monitors the premium needed to provide the benefits and may increase or decrease it no more than every 2 years⁹.

ChildShield, as its name suggests, is cover focused on children within the family. Across the range, the products are insurance policies rather than savings plans: they pay out on defined events, and if you stop paying the premium the cover ends. How the premiums are worked out, and today's prices, are on MetLife's own site, since charges and terms change over time.

MetLife investment funds are closed to new money

MetLife's Corporate Bond Funds no longer accept new money from new investors. The funds continue to exist and be managed for existing policyholders, but they are not open as a destination for a new investment. This matters if you are comparing providers for a new pension or investment: MetLife's fund range is not a live option for fresh contributions, and the guides to investing and pensions explain the wider market.

For existing holders, it is worth understanding how the funds are built. The Corporate Bond Funds are classed as Mirror Funds and invest in underlying funds managed by MetLife Investment Management⁸. They are feeder funds: each feeder fund targets a specific interest rate duration and retains a small cash allocation to support that objective, and the feeder funds invest in an actively managed master fund⁸. The funds aim to deliver investment growth through exposure to sterling-denominated corporate bonds⁸.

The value of these funds is not guaranteed. MetLife's own guide states that, as with most investments, the value of the funds can go down as well as up⁸. If you hold MetLife funds within a pension, transferring or switching has its own considerations: the FCA notes that money might be invested in funds that pay an extra payment after a certain date, such as a with-profits fund, and that a terminal bonus of this kind could be lost on transfer¹⁰. Investment trusts, by way of comparison, are mostly managed by an external management group selected by the board of directors¹¹, a structure that concentrates reliance on one manager, much as MetLife's feeder funds rely on MetLife Investment Management.

If you hold MetLife funds inside an ISA and are thinking of moving, it is possible to switch to another product, but it is difficult and not all ISAs accept transfers; the provider should carry out the switch so you keep the tax breaks¹². The ISAs guide explains how transfers work.

How to make a claim with MetLife

For individual protection products, including MortgageSafe, the terms are clear about the first step: if you think you are entitled to claim, contact MetLife as soon as possible, by calling 0800 917 0100 or 01273 872 456, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm⁹. Claims need supporting evidence. Under the MortgageSafe terms, a claim needs to be supported by a registered doctor or medical practitioner in the United Kingdom, and MetLife will not pay a claim without that support⁹.

For group life cover through an employer, the evidence requirements are set out in the policy terms: the claim form must, at the policyholder's expense, be accompanied by the original death certificate of the insured member and evidence of age, membership of the scheme where applicable, and earnings⁶. In practice, that means a bereaved family usually deals with the employer first, and the employer, as policyholder, submits the claim. Marie Curie's guidance for bereaved families suggests contacting the family member's employer to find out whether they had life insurance and how to make a claim⁷.

For MultiProtect, the payment destination is fixed by the terms: the policyholder named on the Policy Schedule, or the executor or administrator of the estate if the policyholder has died before payment can be made³. Keep your policy documents somewhere your family can find them, because the Policy Schedule is what names who is covered and for what.

Managing your policy online with myMetLife

MetLife's individual customers manage their policies through myMetLife, its online service, alongside the main metlife.co.uk website. Through the online service you can view your policy documents, check your cover and update personal details. Keeping your details current is not just housekeeping: the MultiProtect terms require you to notify changes to your name, address, bank details and eligibility, and failing to do so can affect a claim³.

MetLife's privacy notice, which forms part of the policy, is available at metlife.co.uk/privacy-policy or on request from MetLife³. If you cannot get online, MetLife's phone lines are the alternative: the protection products line is 0800 917 0100, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday⁵.

If you hold an investment or pension product rather than protection cover, the same online service covers policy values and fund information. Because the Corporate Bond Funds are closed to new money, what you see online is the management of an existing holding rather than an invitation to add to it⁸.

Help if you are struggling to pay premiums or contributions

If paying a MetLife premium becomes difficult, the first step is to contact MetLife before you miss payments, because letting a protection policy lapse means losing the cover. MetLife's terms also show that premiums are not fixed forever, in both directions. For MultiProtect, MetLife may increase or decrease the premium no more than once every 5 years³. For MortgageSafe, the review can happen no more than every 2 years⁹. Any change is assessed fairly to reflect unexpected changes in MetLife's experience of claims, expenses, policy lapses and new policies, investment income, or changes in the law affecting the policy or MetLife³.

For group life cover, the premium structure works differently: schemes with 20 or more insured members are costed on a simplified administration basis with a year-end adjustment to the premium based on the change in membership during the last policy year, while schemes with fewer than 20 members are costed without that year-end adjustment; in both cases the unit rate of premium is fixed until the end of the guarantee period⁶. If a scheme terminates, any premium paid or payable for the period in which termination occurs is calculated pro-rata, with an adjusting payment between insurer and policyholder⁶. These are matters for the employer as policyholder, but they explain why the cost of workplace cover can move.

If the wider household budget is the problem, free help exists. MoneyHelper, a free government-backed service, explains how to open, switch or close bank accounts and where to get help with bills¹⁵, and the debt guide sets out the options, from breathing space to formal solutions, all of them free through charities and MoneyHelper.

MetLife's complaints record

MetLife publishes complaints data covering its Life and Critical Illness, Income Protection, Individual and Group Pensions, Annuities, Investments and Equity Release business⁵. For the Insurance and pure protection grouping, between 1 January and 30 June 2026 it opened 1,047 complaints and closed 1,042, a rate of 2.13 complaints per 1,000 policies in force⁵. Of the complaints closed, 4.0% were closed within 3 days and 84.2% after 3 days but within 8 weeks⁵. The percentage of complaints upheld was 55.3%, meaning MetLife agreed with the complainant in more than half of the closed cases it decided⁵.

The main cause of complaints opened was delays and timescales⁵. That is worth knowing if you are making a claim: the most common reason customers complain about MetLife is how long things take, so keeping copies of everything you send, and chasing if you do not hear back, is sensible.

For context, complaint volumes in financial services are much larger in banking: in the first quarter of 2026/27 the Financial Ombudsman's data shows 8,945 complaints about current accounts, against 327 about catalogue shopping and 228 about credit records¹⁷. MetLife's 1,047 complaints over six months is small by comparison, though the upheld rate of 55.3% is the more telling figure for an individual deciding whether their own complaint has merit.

How to complain and when to go to the Financial Ombudsman

MetLife asks customers to complain first through it, and gives different contact routes for different product areas. For Employee Benefits products, write to Complaints Department, MetLife, PO Box 1411, Sunderland, SR5 9RB, telephone 0800 917 1112 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday), or email eb@metlife.uk.com⁵. For protection products, telephone 0800 917 0100 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) or email customerservice@metlife.uk.com⁵. For Retirement and Investment products, write to MetLife, Beacon House, 27 Clarendon Road, Belfast, BT1 3PR, or telephone 0800 022 4443 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday)⁵. For creditor insurance, write to Complaints Manager, MetLife, c/o Direct House, 4 Sidings Court, Doncaster, DN4 5NU⁵. If you are resident outside the UK, MetLife directs you to your policy documentation for the complaints procedure⁵.

MetLife says it will promptly acknowledge receipt of your complaint, typically within three days, and immediately seek to resolve it⁵. If it can resolve the complaint within three days, it writes to you with a summary of the action taken¹⁶. After four weeks, if the complaint is resolved, it sends a final response; if not, it sends an explanation and the date by which it expects to contact you again⁵. After eight weeks without a final response, it gives reasons for the further delay, an expected final response date, and a copy of the Financial Ombudsman Service explanatory leaflet⁵. The MultiProtect terms follow the same pattern, with acknowledgement typically within five days if the complaint is not resolved within three working days, and an explanation of delay after eight weeks³.

If you are unhappy with MetLife's final response, or eight weeks pass without one, you can take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The Ombudsman's process is to make a formal complaint to the company first, and if it does not send a final response letter within eight weeks, or you are unhappy with the response, to bring the complaint to the Ombudsman using its complaint form¹⁸. MetLife's own guidance confirms the timing: you may refer a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman after eight weeks have elapsed since you first complained, or within six months of a final response⁵. The FCA's rules give consumers the right to complain to the firm, seek redress, and refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service if the firm does not satisfy the complaint¹⁹. The service is free. Complaints about pension schemes, including some workplace arrangements, may instead go to the Pensions Ombudsman, which handles complaints about pension administration and offers support such as documents in large print, Braille or audio format, British Sign Language video interpretation and Relay UK²⁰.

How your money is protected: the FSCS and MetLife's funds

Because MetLife's products are insurance and investments rather than bank accounts, the protection that matters is the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the UK's statutory compensation scheme. For insurance, the FSCS covers up to 100% of the value of any valid claim, and if MetLife cannot meet its obligations the FSCS will seek to transfer policyholders and benefits to another provider³. MetLife's MortgageSafe terms confirm that all its UK customers are eligible to apply for compensation through the FSCS⁹. The consumer protection guide explains how the FSCS works across banking, insurance and investments.

The limits differ by product type. The FSCS deposit protection limit, which applies to bank and building society savings, is £120,000 per person per banking licence¹⁷, but that limit is about bank deposits, not insurance policies. For insurance claims the position is as stated above: up to 100% of a valid claim³. If you are unsure which type of protection applies to a particular MetLife product, the Policy Schedule and the product's terms will say what kind of contract it is.

For the investment funds, the structure matters. The Corporate Bond Funds are Mirror Funds investing in underlying funds managed by MetLife Investment Management⁸, so the value of your holding depends on the funds' performance, and MetLife's own guide is plain that the value is not guaranteed and can go down as well as up⁸. Investment risk of this kind is not covered by the FSCS: the scheme compensates consumers when an authorised firm fails, not when investments fall in value. The FCA's guidance on pension transfers makes the same point from another direction: money invested in funds paying an extra payment after a certain date, such as a with-profits fund, could lose a terminal bonus on transfer¹⁰, so moving money out has its own risks.

Finally, which company stands behind your policy depends on the product. Group life cover is insured by MetLife Europe d.a.c., which the group life terms name as the insurance company providing that cover⁶. MetLife UK Limited is the firm authorised by the FCA with reference number 994043, with a status effective date of 1 January 2024¹, and it appears on the Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority list of insurers incorporated in the UK authorised to carry out contracts of insurance². It was incorporated on 21 March 2022⁴. You can check any of this yourself on the FCA Register using the reference number, and your own Policy Schedule names the company behind your specific contract.