Metro By T-Mobile: What Are the Pros and Cons?
- Lots of free phones for switchers
- Good family plan discounts
- Includes weekly perks/freebies like free cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts
- Free Amazon Prime Subscription and Google One on select plans
- Expensive for single line customers that don't need unlimited data
- Could be charged $20 to switch phones
- Does not cater to low-usage customers
Phone Plans
Data Only Plans
How Metro By T-Mobile Plans Work
MetroPCS originally launched in 1994 as General Wireless INC, which was a company whose purpose was to bid on, and acquire and operate broadband PCS licenses ((source)).
General Wireless INC changed its name to MetroPCS INC in 1999 ((Bloomberg)) and the company provided cellular service as a CDMA network.
In 2007 MetroPCS became a publicly traded company when it launched its IPO. ((Reuters))
In 2010 MetroPCS made history by becoming the first carrier in the USA to offer service on an LTE network with an LTE handset ((Gigaom)).
Shortly thereafter, in 2012, the company reached a deal with T-Mobile to merge to help T-Mobile better compete with other national providers. In 2015 MetroPCS’s legacy CDMA network was fully shutdown and replaced by T-Mobile’s LTE network. Today MetroPCS operates as a no contract prepaid provider that is still owned by T-Mobile.
In October of 2018 MetroPCS was rebranded to Metro By T-Mobile. Also in October, the company became the first prepaid brand to commit to launching 5G wireless service.
Network speeds are generally equivalent to T-Mobile’s. However, during times of network congestion data speeds may slow down compared to other customers on T-Mobile plans.
Metro by T-Mobile offers phone plans, and data-only plans for home internet, hotspots, tablets, smartwatches, and Chromebooks. To subscribe to a data-only plan from Metro you must also have a phone plan from them.
Metro’s Flex phone plans allow current Metro by T-Mobile subscribers to get the same deals on phones as new customers as long as they stay on their Flex plans for at least 12 months and trade-in their old phones. Some customers may need to stay on their plans longer than 12 months to get deals on even more devices. Unfortunately, if you get a discounted phone as a new customer or new line and want to switch to a cheaper plan, you will be charged $50 if you downgrade your plan within your first six months of active service. If you switch plans after six months, there is no fee to do so.
Phone Unlock Policy
Metro By T-Mobile will unlock your Metro By T-Mobile purchased phone, as long as it been used on the network for at least 12 months.
Metro By T-Mobile
This wireless plan's guide is part of BestMVNO's comprehensive coverage of Metro By T-Mobile. See BestMVNO's coverage of the latest Metro By T-Mobile news or visit the links below to sign up for service, or configure your APN settings.