MetroPCS Cell Phone Plans – Prepaid/Monthly/Pay As You Go Plans

MetroPCS is a prepaid cell phone service provider with approximately 8.9 million subscribers .It was taken over by T-Mobile USA in May 2013. Its network coverage is expanding throughout the nation. Before MetroPCS was acquired by T-Mobile GSM carrier, it was an only CDMA cell phone service provider which ran on its own network. It is known for providing family plans and unlimited music streaming on certain selected prepaid cell phone plans.

Technology Used

MetroPCS runs on the T-Mobile network. The frequency bands used are 1700 MHz (AWS) and 1900 MHz (PCS) for voice and 2G, 3G and 4G HSPA+. Bands 2, 4 and 12 are used by LTE (4G) service.

MetroPCS Cell Phone Plans

There are mainly five monthly prepaid cell phone plans. You can avail any plan which has the benefit of unlimited minutes and messages with a variable amount of web data allotted to each one of them. You can browse the data using 4G LTE high-speed data. After the completion of high-speed web data before the month expires, the internet speed is slowed down to unlimited 2G for the rest of the billing cycle.

The prepaid cell phone plans of MetroPCS are as follows:

NOTE:

• Unlimited Talk & Text 25 Plan: A Promotional plan is available for a limited time only at MetroPCS Stores. It is not available online. Customer must pay a $10 promotional fee in addition to the usual $15 activation charge.
• Unlimited Talk, Text & Data 30 Plan: Promotional plan available for a limited time only at MetroPCS Stores. It is not available online.
• The plans of MetroPCS include all kinds of taxes and fees.

MetroPCS Family Cell Phone Plans

You can avail the benefit of combining two to five phones to your monthly regular cell phone plan. This multiple line benefit allows a discount of $5 per month on every line you add. The maximum number of lines you can add to one account is five. All the plans are valid for 30 days period. This feature is not applicable for the Unlimited Talk & Text 25 plan (basic phones).

MetroPCS Monthly Plan Add-ons

The table enlisting the monthly plan add-ons of MetroPCS is as follows:

International Calling and Texting Rates

There is three international add-on for MetroPCS plans. They are:

MetroPCS’ Network

MetroPCS runs on the T-Mobile network. It provides 4G LTE high-speed data on all its monthly cell phone plans whose price is $30 and above. After you complete the high-speed web data before the month expires, the internet speed is slowed down to unlimited 2G for the rest of the billing cycle. The throttled speed is 129 Kbps. The network coverage provided by MetroPCS is same as that of T-Mobile.

Where to Buy MetroPCS

You can any plan or phone of MetroPCS from the “big box” or MetroPCS store or Walmart or Best Buy or Amazon or from any supermarket or any authorized dealer. You can also purchase it online via the carrier’s website. It has a number of feature phones and Android devices.

Bring Your Own Device

Bring Your Own Device also called as BYOD is allowed by MetroPCS. Any T-Mobile or compatible unlocked GSM cell phone can be used by you. It is entirely your choice.

You can get your own GSM SIM Card online or at any MetroPCS store or dealer. The cost of a GSM SIM Card is $10. However, SIM swapping is not allowed. This means that you cannot switch your SIMs between two phones.  If you still want to do that, then you can give a call to the customer care executive or visit your nearest MetroPCS store. They will charge you a specific amount of money for linking the SIM to your brand new cell phone.

How to Activate MetroPCS Phone

If you have got a new phone and you wish to activate any particular prepaid cell phone plan then, you can simply go online or any authorized store or dealer. If you have got a phone number of other cell phone carrier and wish to port it to MetroPCS then you are welcome to call our porting department at 800-518-7519. You can also activate Pay By The Day phones by dialing *228 on the Pay By The Day phone.

Payment Options 

You can pay for the monthly phone plans via any method. However, they may have their own charges.

The payment methods which have no extra charge are as follows:

• Online using a debit or credit card or electronic check.
• Auto-pay using a debit or credit card or checking account.
• Using a MetroPCS Payment Card online or at 800.680.5962. Cards are available at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and other retailers.
• Using a drop-box at a MetroPCS Store (takes up to 48 hours to process).
• Using the MyMetro app on the phone.
• Mailing a check to MetroPCS Wireless, Inc., PO Box 5119, Carol Stream, IL 60197-5119 (allow 10 days for delivery and processing).

The payment methods which carry extra charge are as follows:

• Calling *99 from the MetroPCS phone – $2.00
• Calling 1-888-8metro8 from any phone – $3.00
• Calling 1-888-8metro8 from any phone – $3.00
• Calling 1-888-8metro8 from any phone – $3.00
• Calling 1-888-8metro8 from any phone – $3.00

Metro PCS Account Management

Management of your account can be done in the following ways:

1. You can visit the MetroPCS website online and go to My Account, you can check all the details of your account like check your balance, the monthly expiration date, view call logs or to make payments online.
2. Call *611 from your cell phone.
3. Visit MyMetro app on your cell phone.
4. Call 888-8metro8 (888-863-8768) from any phone.

Remember that online call records can be availed by you for $1 extra per month on every cell phone plans.

Calling Options

• Call Waiting: Call waiting feature is supported. When you are talking to one person over the phone then, you can receive another call which can be recognized by a short alert tone. You have got 30 seconds to pick up the second call. Charges are applicable for both the calls.
• Call forwarding: This feature is not available.
• To answer Call Waiting: Press “SEND” tab to put the first call on hold; this will automatically connect you to the second call. If you wish to return to the first call, press “SEND” again. To toggle between the two calls, press “SEND.”
• To cancel Call Waiting before placing a call:If you want to cancel call waiting before placing a call then, press *70 + the 10 digit number you are calling, then press “SEND.”
• 3-Way Calling: Conference calls are allowed among three people. While you are on the call with the first person, dial the cell phone number of the second person and press “SEND”. The first call will automatically be put on hold. When the second call is answered, you should press “SEND”. This will create a conference call. F the second person does not answer the call, then press the “SEND” option twice and you will be directed back to the first call. Press the “END” tab to exit both the calls.

Metro PCS Customer Service Information

• Free information services calls:
  711 – Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) for the hearing and speech impaired
  911 – Emergency services
• Call customer support number on *611
• Call *611 or 888-8metro8 (888-863-8768) for 24/7 customer telephone support.
• Mail support is available on MetroPCS Wireless, Inc. PO Box 601119 Dallas, TX 75360.

MetroPCS Comparison on Price

MetroPCS Comparison on Features

Asterisk sign (*) indicate features available for an additional charge.

Features of MetroPCS:

Auto Pay Discount: This feature is not available. You can sign up for automatic payments for the monthly cell phone plans but MetroPCS will not give you any discount for automatic payment. However, other carriers give a $5 discount on the monthly payment.

Family Plans: This feature is available. Only a few of the cell phone carriers allow the benefit of having a family plan. You can add a total of five lines to one plan. $5 discount is given to every additional line you add. So, the additional lines will cost $25, $35, $45 or $55 per month depending upon the plan charges.

Unlimited 2G: This feature is available. All the cell phones have unlimited minutes and text messaging. The variable limiting factor is the amount of 4 G LTE high-speed data allotted to each plan. If the high-speed web data is over, then the speed is converted to unlimited 2G. If you wish to upload any documents or pictures then that will take a longer time than with the help of high-speed web data.

Unlimited Music Streaming: This feature is available. You can easily stream the music without thinking about the data shortage. However, unlimited music streaming is allowed on selected applications like Pandora, Apple Music and Spotify and available for 3 GB, 5GB, and unlimited plan.

Mobile Hot Spot: This feature is available. Hotspot tethering is allowed on all the plans and you can connect all your devices to the internet. Hotspot usage is limited to 8 GB/month for the unlimited plan and after that, it is throttled to 128 Kbps.

Is MetroPCS right for you?

You can get unlimited calls and text at inexpensive rates. Family plans and unlimited music streaming is also allowed. However, the benefit of auto pay discount is unavailable and there is no call forwarding facility.