Metro by T-Mobile vs. TracFone

TracFone is a Verizon-owned MVNO that sells discounted phone plans operating on Verizon’s nationwide networks. Now that TracFone phones work on 5G networks, they provide lightning-fast coverage throughout the country. This phone company is all about customers who value affordable prices over unlimited data. 

Metro by T-Mobile is an MVNO that operates on T-Mobile’s network. It provides affordable plans with the caveat that it is more likely to experience data deprioritization than major wireless providers. Metro has a more expensive set of plans (relative to MVNOs) that come with a good data allocation, which is pretty high relative to other MVNOs. 

In this article, we plan to discuss the ins and outs of both carriers and what they offer. We’ll also cover:

• What the coverage of both carriers looks like
• How do the prices of their plans compare to how much data you get
• The features each carrier offers for their plans 

Coverage & Reception

Tracfone and Metro by T-Mobile are both MVNOs. Tracfone uses Verizon’s network, while Metro by T-Mobile uses, well, T-Mobile’s! Before you go further, check out T-Mobile coverage in your area, as well as Verizon’s coverage in your area. If T-Mobile has noticeably spottier coverage than Verizon, or vice-versa, then we recommend focusing your search on MVNOs that operate exclusively on that strong network. In all likelihood, you will find that these two networks have pretty comparable coverage and reception in your area. 

Verizon has an impressive set of networks active in the United States, including: 

1. 5G Ultra Wideband (UWB): Verizon's high-band millimeter-wave 5G network offers extremely fast speeds and low latency. Where active, this delivers lightning-fast speeds. 
2. 5G Nationwide: A combination of low and mid-band spectrum providing extensive 5G coverage nationwide. While not as fast as 5G UWB, it provides fantastic reception across a wider area than Verizon’s UWB. 
3. 4G LTE: Verizon's 4G LTE network is extensive and serves as the backbone of its nationwide coverage, ensuring connectivity in areas where 5G has yet to roll out.

T-Mobile operates several active networks to deliver extensive and reliable coverage across the United States. Their primary networks include:

1. 5G Ultra Capacity: T-Mobile’s high-band 5G network, which uses mid-band spectrum to provide very high speeds and lower latency. This network is designed to enhance performance in busy urban areas and high-traffic locations, offering a significant boost in capacity.
2. 5G Extended Range: Utilizing low-band spectrum, this network delivers broad 5G coverage with good signal penetration, making it effective in rural and suburban areas. While not as fast as Ultra Capacity 5G, it ensures widespread coverage.
3. 4G LTE: T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network covers a large portion of the country, providing reliable service where 5G is not yet available. It acts as a crucial component in their network strategy, ensuring consistent connectivity across diverse regions.

Major wireless carriers are unrolling multiple 5G networks, one of which is clustered over the highest-volume areas around the country. Cities like NYC, Miami, Chicago, Denver, and other super metropolitan areas have received the new, lightning-fast 5G networks, like the Ultra Wideband from Verizon and the Ultra Capacity from T-Mobile. These networks are in constant development, and their other 5G networks, likewise, are increasing coverage throughout the country. 

These major wireless networks are awesome, but MVNO customers don’t quite have the same high-speed data. MVNOs rent bandwidth from major networks, so they have a lower data priority than major wireless customers. 

MVNOs always use the lowest-priority data, meaning MVNO users experience slower data speeds during times of high network usage. This can be unpredictable, leading to potential data slowdowns throughout the day when using mobile data. To understand the quality of coverage in your area, we recommend checking local reviews for MVNO carriers, as users of services like Metro by T-Mobile can provide valuable insights about their experiences.

Interested in a detailed breakdown of major wireless networks and MVNOs? Check out our website!

Plan Options

TracFone and Metro by T-Mobile offer various plans with limited high-speed data. Along with high-speed data, both carriers offer unlimited talk and text along with various features and add-ons. First up, let’s talk about Metro’s cell phone plans. 

Metro Mobile Cell Phone Plans

Metro by T-Mobile’s unlimited plan provides unlimited high-speed data, which separates them from other MVNOs. Few MVNO data plans offer the same. Metro Mobile has four cell phone plans. Three are unlimited plans, and the last is a 10 GB plan. Each plan comes with unlimited talk and text, as well as the same 5G and 4G LTE coverage that T-Mobile users get. The phone plans at Metro Mobile are competitively priced and come with a variety of benefits and shortcomings, just like their competitors. Their four major plans are:

MetroFlex Plus

Metro Mobile’s most expensive cell phone plan offers a huge selection of add-ons on top of their unlimited high-speed data. The difference between Metro Mobile’s three unlimited cell phone plans is the hotspot data and additional add-ons like international messages and subscription services. With MetroFlex Plus, you receive 25 GB of hotspot data, an Amazon Prime membership, a 1-year VIX Premium subscription, and a 100 GB Google One membership. That’s a lot of add-ons!

The downside, of course, is the price of this plan. A $70 MVNO is a steep price. The multi-line savings are great, but it is still around $44 a month per line. 

MetroFlex UP

This cell phone plan comes with 25 GB hotspot data, the Google One membership, the VIX subscription, and unlimited international texting. Along with unlimited high-speed data, this plan and all three unlimited plans have a soft cap of 35 GB. After you use 35 GB of data, you become further susceptible to data throttling in times of congestion. That means you will get slower data speeds than other Metro by T-Mobile customers as well as T-Mobile customers. 

MetroFlex Start

The basic unlimited plan from Metro still comes with 8 GB of hotspot data, as well as the Google One and VIX memberships. These are nice, but they add to the significant price tag of this unlimited plan. Paying $50 a month for an MVNO is still a hefty price tag, even if it does come with unlimited high-speed data. 

10 GB plan

Coming in at $40 a month with no multi-line savings, Metro’s limited-data plan is not very well priced compared to other MVNO plans that provide this amount of data. This means Metro is best for people who want unlimited high-speed data. If you are interested in limited-data plans where you can save big on your monthly phone bill, we recommend looking at providers like Tello Mobile, Mint Mobile, and Ting Mobile. 

Low-data providers have fantastically priced cell phone plans that provide single-digit GB of high-speed data. This data allocation does not give you a lot of wiggle room when it comes to data usage, but it is a fantastic way to get a phone number with unlimited talk and text, and, of course, you can use as much data as you want on WiFi. 

TracFone Cell Phone Plans

TracFone offers a tremendous amount of cell phone plans. All their plans have limited amounts of high-speed data, but others have limited talk and text, as well. This can be incredibly affordable for people who very rarely use their phones or people who need a second number for work. We will not highlight every cell phone plan that TracFone offers because, well, they have 20 plans. Rather, we will break down their offerings into monthly and multi-month plans. Let’s get into it. 

TracFone Monthly Plans

Tracfone’s monthly plans offer unlimited talk and text with low high-speed data allocations. These plans are great for low-data users, as they follow a pretty standard procedure. You pay every month, you can buy multiple months at a time for a discount, and they are priced fairly competitively with other low-data MVNOs. You can check out TracFone plans here for more information.  

TracFone Multi-Month Refill

Outside of their contracted monthly plans, TracFone offers plans that last for 60 and 90 days, with the option to auto-refill. These options offer plans with limited talk, text, and data as well as add-ons to give additional minutes to your plan, so if you are using a limited plan and run out of minutes right before a big conference call, you can auto-refill to rejuvenate your stores. They even have multi-month plans that stick around for an entire year! 

Major Wireless Network vs. MVNO

This article covers two MVNOs. This kind of carrier has some critical differences from major wireless networks, and we will highlight some of those differences so you understand the pros and cons of MVNOs. 

Data Speeds

One big difference between MVNOs and major wireless networks comes is your overall data speeds. With a major wireless network, you always have high-speed data, no matter how much data you use each month. Major wireless customers also have a higher data priority, meaning they receive full data speeds as long as possible as the network becomes congested. 

There is always a certain amount of data usage that congests every single user on the network. 

These two ideas are known as data throttling and data deprioritization, and they both result in MVNO users having lower total data speeds. Throttling happens when you hit your cell phone plan's high-speed data maximums. It depends on the carrier, but data throttling normally reduces you to 3G data speeds. Some carriers shut off your data completely. 

Deprioritization, which is also common among MVNOs, happens when a network experiences high traffic. In these cases, the network starts slowing the data of low-priority users (tier 3) so their high-priority data users can continue enjoying high-speed data. 

MVNOs have much higher data speed fluctuations than major wireless networks. MVNO customers are more frequently subjected to data deprioritization because these carriers must yield bandwidth to the major wireless networks' direct customers during times of network congestion. This makes Metro and other MVNOs less reliable in terms of consistent data speeds, but they are much more affordable.

Customer Service 

You can call Metro’s customer service line on this number: 888-8-METRO-8. You can reach Metro’s help pages following this link, which has answers to frequently asked questions, the option to chat, and more. 

TracFone has excellent customer support and their chat is available at all times on their website. 

The Verdict

This article covered two very different MVNOs. On one hand we have Metro by T-Mobile, which offers unlimited high-speed data plans with awesome multi-line savings for a pretty hefty price point. Metro’s plan and pricing structure is very similar to major wireless networks. Their plans are a bit less expensive with the downside that people have a greater chance of losing high-speed data in times of high usage. 

TracFone offers a wide variety of low-data cell phone plans that are perfect for people who need next to no data, or have a phone for work that needs a cell phone plan. TracFone also offers plans that span multiple months, which is a great way to keep your cell phone number active for a low cost. 

If you are a low-data user or use your phone very infrequently, we recommend TracFone. There are plenty of plans to choose from that leave you with a low monthly bill. If you are a high-data user, we recommend Metro by T-Mobile, where you can enjoy unlimited high-speed data. You should always try to make a multi-line account with Metro, whose pricing goes way down with two or three more lines on an account. 

Make sure to check your data usage before committing to a plan. Being able to limit your data consumption opens up the option for far more low-data plans that are a fraction of the cost of major wireless unlimited high-speed data plans. The downside, of course, is that it is difficult to keep data consumption low. 

Want to compare other carriers?

Really.com helps users compare features, coverage, prices, reviews, and more!

Are you still unsure which carrier to choose or which phone plan to pick? Use really.com to compare your top choices and find the best deal to fit your needs. Really allows you to compare and sort between most phone plans on the market without the hassle!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are data priority tiers, and how do they affect service?

Data priority tiers determine the order in which users experience slowdowns during network congestion. Major wireless networks offer Tier 1 and Tier 2 data, ensuring higher priority and faster speeds. MVNOs use Tier 3 data, which is the first to be slowed down in high-traffic situations, resulting in slower speeds for its users.

Depending on how much you rely on your cell phone, this data throttling can be incredibly annoying. It always feels like it happens at the worst times. 

Are T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile the same?

No, T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile are not the same. T-Mobile is a major wireless carrier, while Metro by T-Mobile is its prepaid subsidiary. T-Mobile offers a few prepaid cell phone plans that offer limited high-speed data, like these MVNOs, but those are still a part of T-Mobile proper, where users have a higher data priority and access T-Mobile’s robust support network. 

Is TracFone easy to cancel? 

Canceling Tracfone is easy since it's a prepaid service with no contracts. If you stop refilling your account, the service will expire on its own. For immediate cancellation or to transfer your number, contact customer service. There are no fees or penalties involved.

How do I choose a new cell phone provider?

To choose a new cell phone provider, evaluate your needs and preferences by considering factors such as coverage quality in your area, data plans, pricing, and additional features like international roaming or device options. Compare plans from different providers to ensure they align with your usage habits—whether you need high data limits and unlimited options or budget-friendly choices. Check for any hidden fees, contract requirements, and customer service reviews to gauge overall satisfaction.