MetroPCS is owned by T-Mobile, and the prepaid carrier operates a lot like its parent company. Customers have just five plans to choose from, get unlimited music streaming on select plans, and use T-Mobile’s growing nationwide network.
Unlike T-Mobile’s prepaid cell phone plans, however, MetroPCS offers family plans.
AT A Glance
- Plans start at $25 for unlimited talk and text.
- Strengths: Mobile hot spot included in all data plans; simple international packages available.
- Weaknesses: Minimal plan options; no autopay discount; data may be slowed to serve T-Mobile customers.
MetroPCS cell phone plans
Like its parent company, MetroPCS tries to keep its plans simple. The carrier gives customers five options, ranging from $25 for unlimited minutes and messages, but no data, to $60 for unlimited everything. The $25 plan is for basic phone only. Here are MetroPCS’ current plans:
- Unlimited minutes and texts, no data: $25
- 1 gigabyte: $30
- 3 GB: $40
- 5 GB: $50
- Unlimited: $60
The carrier’s smartphone plans include a set amount of high-speed data, plus unlimited talk and text. All data plans include mobile hot spot access, so you can use your phone — and your data package — to connect your laptop or tablet to Wi-Fi. And you get unlimited music streaming on plans with 3 GB or more.
MetroPCS is one of a handful of prepaid carriers that offers family plans. The carrier gives a $5 discount for each additional line on its data plans, with a maximum of five lines on one account.
Where to buy MetroPCS
You can purchase a MetroPCS phone or plan via the carrier’s website or at any MetroPCS store or authorized dealer. MetroPCS is also sold at select Wal-Mart stores.
MetroPCS’ network
MetroPCS customers use T-Mobile’s nationwide network. But the self-proclaimed “un-carrier” prioritizes the data usage of customers signed up with T-Mobile over that of its MetroPCS customers. That means MetroPCS users will likely have slower data speeds.
» MORE: How much data do you really need?
Bringing your own phone to MetroPCS
If you have a compatible phone, you can purchase a SIM card from MetroPCS and activate it with the carrier. The SIM card will run you $10 and can be ordered online or purchased in a store.
Current MetroPCS deals
MetroPCS’ deals as of May 2, 2016, include:
- Get 6 GB of data per line, on up to four lines, for $30 each when you bring your number to MetroPCS.
- Get a free Samsung Galaxy Core Prime or LG K7 when you bring your number to MetroPCS. The offer is good for up to five lines, but is not valid on numbers currently with T-Mobile.
How MetroPCS compares on price
MetroPCS has one of the best values for people who don’t use much data, offering 1 GB of data, plus unlimited talk and text, for just $30. Virgin Mobile gives customers half the data for the same price. And AT&T GoPhone customers don’t even get data with their $30 plan.
The price advantage is less clear for average or heavy data users, though. For example, you can get 5 GB for $50 with MetroPCS. But you can get 6 GB for the same price with Virgin. Or you can get 5 GB for $45 with Boost Mobile and earn an extra 500 megabytes on every three on-time payments. When the margins are that close, the difference may come down to network and features. Keep reading for more on the latter, and click below to see a side-by-side comparison of the most popular prepaid providers.
How MetroPCS compares on features
MetroPCS falls in the middle of the road on feature options. The carrier gives customers unlimited music streaming, with select services, on plans of $40 or more. And customers can turn any data plan into a family plan.
Smartphones can be used as a mobile hot spot for no additional charge on all plans, though using a phone to connect other devices to the Internet will burn through data in a hurry. And unlike some other carriers, MetroPCS does not offer a discount to customers who sign up for automatic payments.
Click the image to see in more detail how MetroPCS stacks up on features. Asterisks indicate features available for an additional charge.
Autopay discount: Signing up for automatic payments will not earn you a discount with MetroPCS. The same is not true with other prepaid carriers, though. Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless and AT&T GoPhone each gives customers a $5 monthly discount if they opt for autopay. And, for a limited time, Straight Talk Wireless customers on select plans can get $5 off per month for three months if they elect automatic payments.
Family plans: MetroPCS is one of just four prepaid carriers that offers family plans. You can have up to five lines on a family plan, and each line gets its own data package, so you don’t have to share gigabytes. Additional lines are $25, $35, $45 or $55 per month, depending on the plan.
Unlimited 2G: MetroPCS customers get a set amount of high-speed data, but unlimited 2G data. So if you exceed your data package, you can still browse Facebook or send emails, albeit at much slower speeds. With 2G speeds, for example, uploading 30 pictures would take more than 20 minutes. The same task takes about a minute with high-speed 4G.
Unlimited music streaming: With Music Unlimited, MetroPCS customers can stream to their hearts’ content without burning through their data. The feature is available on the carrier’s 3GB, 5GB and unlimited data plans. Unlimited streaming is limited to select services, including Spotify, Pandora and Apple Music.
International calls/texts: Domestic calls and texts are unlimited on all MetroPCS plans. International ones, however, are not. You can add international calling to your plan, though: The Mexico Unlimited or Canada Unlimited plans, each for $5, offer unlimited calling and texting to and from the selected country, plus unlimited data while traveling there. MetroPCS also offers a $10 World Calling package, which includes unlimited calling to landlines in more than 75 countries, but limited minutes to mobile numbers. The World Calling plan also includes 200 minutes, 200 texts and 200 MB to use while traveling in select countries.
» MORE: How does MetroPCS stack up on features?
Mobile hot spot: All MetroPCS data plans have mobile hot spot access included at no additional cost. But be aware that using your phone as a Wi-Fi device for your laptop or tablet will burn through your high-speed data quickly. And customers on the Unlimited plan are capped at 8 GB of high-speed hot spot usage per billing cycle.
Is MetroPCS right for you?
T-Mobile Simple Choice customers looking for a less expensive alternative will find what they’re looking for in MetroPCS. The carrier’s prepaid plans are more affordable than those offered by its parent company, but still offer many of the same features. There are better prepaid deals out there, though, specifically with Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile, both owned by Sprint. Both prepaid carriers offer more data for less money, but still include many of the same features touted by MetroPCS.
Kelsey Sheehy is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: ksheehy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @KelseyLSheehy.
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