Metro vs T-Mobile Prepaid: Who Should You Go With?

The age old question of prepaid or postpaid has been answered and today that answer is prepaid! Prepaid cell phone plans normally come with no contract and you pay for your service in advance before actually using it. Prepaid’s nickname is “pay as you go” which means that you pay for what you need and not anything more. 

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If you’re someone that clocks how many minutes, texts, and gigabytes of data you use per month then you’ll love a prepaid cell phone plan. They are a great option for those who don’t want to be locked down to a long contract which can be limiting, especially if you are currently shopping around and testing out different carriers to try to find the best one for your usage. 

There are a lot of prepaid cell phone providers out there and each come with their own set of pros and cons. Today we have an interesting match up of two prepaid options: Metro vs T-Mobile Prepaid. What’s interesting about it? Well, the two are under the T-Mobile brand! Metro by T-Mobile and T-Mobile Prepaid come with some of the same benefits, so it’ll be a unique dive comparing the two carriers, their coverage, and their cell phone plans. Let’s get started!

• Quick Overview: Metro and T-Mobile Prepaid
• What the Coverage Looks Like from Both Providers
• How the Plans Compare: From Price to Features
• The Verdict

Quick Overview: Metro and T-Mobile Prepaid

Before we take a look at what the coverage and phone plans look like from Metro and T-Mobile Prepaid, let’s first talk a bit about what makes these two carriers that are a part of the same family different, so you can get a general idea of what to expect as you debate on who to sign up with.

-> Metro by T-Mobile

You might know Metro by T-Mobile from its former name MetroPCS or through its most commonly referred to name: Metro. Metro is a MVNO which stands for Mobile Virtual Network Operator and this is a term used to describe smaller wireless carriers that don’t own their own cell towers and infrastructure. They instead piggyback off a provider that does, and in Metro’s case it is T-Mobile. What sets MVNOs apart from other independent providers is they’re more “budget-friendly” for the general public and can offer more flexible plans to those looking for something more specific to fit their needs.

However there are some downsides to MVNOs and two of the most common ones are data deprioritization and throttling.

• Data deprioritization is “the temporary slowing of data speeds for certain customers in order to give priority to other customers.” And this will happen when there is network congestion (which happens when the network is overloaded with transmissions and doesn’t have the bandwidth to handle it) or if you are in a high traffic area. A high traffic area is like a concert, sporting event, and/or festival where thousands of other people are also trying to use their phone like you. The primary network, T-Mobile in Metro’s case, will give priority to direct T-Mobile customers and your data will be a bit slower until the problem(s) are solved. 

• Throttling is  “the dramatic slowing of your data speeds to the point that it becomes almost unusable.” And unlike data deprioritization, throttling will last until the start of your next billing cycle date. This occurs when the user goes over their monthly allotment of data for the month, or data “cap” as it’s usually referred to. 

(A REALLY Helpful Tip: You can find this “data cap” number in a few places. Either in the phone plan itself, at the bottom of the website’s page in fine print, or in the Terms of Service).

These speeds are significantly slower than deprioritized speeds and can be quite a pain to deal with if you aren’t connected to wifi.

And since we know that Metro is under the T-Mobile umbrella, we’re essentially going to next be comparing T-Mobile with T-Mobile since we are next talking about T-Mobile Prepaid. This is a bit funky, but fun as since we are under the umbrella together we can get a bit more insight into Metro by diving further into T-Mobile.

-> T-Mobile Prepaid

T-Mobile itself as a company has been a part of the game since 1999 and ever since then technology and wireless communication has had quite the revolution. We’ve gone from flip-phones with limited capabilities to Smartphones that are essentially mini computers, and the First Generation of wireless has now become the Fifth Generation or “5G” as we know it today. With all of that it’s safe to say that T-Mobile has kept up with the times as they have millions of customers!

They have a wide range of phone plans both postpaid and prepaid. And today we’re highlighting their prepaid plans which will match up quite nicely as Metro is also a prepaid phone service. Their prepaid plans might not be as “flashy” as their postpaid plans but they are definitely enticing. What also sets T-Mobile apart is their “T-Mobile Tuesdays” program which is their program for customers to get free stuff, great deals, potential savings, and exclusive offers every Tuesday. How cool!

What the Coverage Looks Like from Both Providers

Coverage is in the top three most important aspects for any wireless carrier. If you don’t have good coverage where you live then obviously that provider won’t workout for you if you ever plan to use their data while you’re out and about. It’s super important to look at a carrier’s coverage before you sign up for their service so you know you’re getting the most bang for your buck. 

And since we are comparing both Metro by T-Mobile with T-Mobile Prepaid, and it’s all under T-Mobile directly, we’re going to talk about them as a whole here since their coverage is the same all around.

Although you’ve probably known or have seen in the commercials that Verizon is the “nation-wide leader in coverage” – what you don’t know is that they are the leader in 4G LTE, not 5G. In fact T-Mobile is the leader in 5G coverage which is HUGE considering more and more people are upgrading to 5G capable phones and 5G is our current best system for wireless communication. T-Mobile offers consistent speeds and widespread coverage which is nice to see as we look into further 5G technologies like  5G+, 5G Advanced, Ultra Wide-Band, and more.

Though their 5G is great, T-Mobile is ranked third overall in 4G LTE coverage which could mean that our friends who live in more rural areas might have a harder time finding a consistent signal. (Always check with the website and coverage map to see what the network looks like in your area so you can see if you are also in for that sweet sweet 5G).

And speaking of coverage maps, you’ll find that with most providers they offer you a coverage map where you can get an approximation of their network by zooming in and out of the map and looking at your location so you can see the type of coverage they offer in your area. Here’s a look at Metro’s by T-Mobile’s coverage map:

On the Metro by T-Mobile coverage map you do get a look at what type of coverage is available in your area. Here’s a close look at New York, Pennsylvania, and other Northeastern United States:

T-Mobile covers the majority of the United States along with parts of Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. You can view the full T-Mobile coverage map here.

How the Plans Compare: From Price to Features

Let’s get to the fun stuff, the phone plans. We’re going to go over all the perks, benefits, and basics each phone plan offers from both providers starting first with Metro by T-Mobile’s unlimited plans:

Then for our limited data users:

If you are a frequent researcher of phone plans then you’ll have seen a lot of different options for what each plan offers including benefits. And with MVNOs there can be very little “perks” with said phone plans- but Metro by T-Mobile is different! Metro’s unlimited plans all offer a one year VIX Premium subscription and 100GB Google One Membership which is pretty sweet for our storage numbers. 

Then the real eyebrow raiser on the Metro Flex Plus plan is an Amazon Prime subscription included which is a huge plus as if you are already paying for Prime you get a chance to save some money. And if you don’t have Prime, get ready for fast shipping and deals on all kinds of products. Each plan also gets you access to T-Mobile Tuesdays which we know is their program that gets you free stuff, and free stuff is always a yes.

Now let’s take a look at T-Mobile Prepaid’s phone plans:

T-Mobile’s prepaid 10GB, Unlimited, and Unlimited Plus plan are all pretty bare-bones as they get you your basic phone needs along with a mobile hotspot and access to T-Mobile Tuesdays. Their Unlimited Promo Plan gets you a bit more international benefits. Though you can get add-ons like Mexico & Canada Coverage and North America Stateside International calling for $5/mo and $15/mo respectively if you’re hankering for international with any other of the plans.

The Verdict

We’ve written down the important information of both the coverage and the phone plans for both Metro by T-Mobile and T-Mobile Prepaid and now we get to make a decision on who we think you should sign up for, or at least cross off your list as you narrow down your search a little bit more. When looking at the price, data, and perks of all the plans it seems like to use, you'll be getting a bit more of your money's worth with Metro by T-Mobile today rather than going for a T-Mobile Prepaid option. 

With Metro by T-Mobile you’ll get the added benefits of the one-year VIX Premium Subscription along with the Google One Membership and that ever-great Amazon Prime membership in the Metro Flex Plus plan. While T-Mobile Prepaid isn’t bad by any means, you aren’t getting a whole lot more than what you would if you paid for Metro, and we want you to get the most of your money. We will say though, if you aren’t interested in those Metro perks like the VIX subscription or the Google One membership, then the T-Mobile Prepaid “Unlimited Promo Plan” is a great second-pick as you get a lot from it and it seems the offer the most out of all the prepaid’s we’ve taken a look at thus far.

So to recap: Metro by T-Mobile is the winner today with the T-Mobile Prepaid “Unlimited Promo Plan” as a runner-up. Whatever you decide to choose, going for a T-Mobile-based phone plan definitely is well worth the money in our experience. Make sure you read what each plan gets you and choose what best fits your needs!

And if you want to compare and contrast Metro by T-Mobile and T-Mobile Prepaid to over 1,200 other phone plans so you know you’re getting the service that’s right for you, then make sure to check out the REALLY compare page which allows you to look at pricing, coverage, what phone plans are available, current deals and steals, and how you can make the most of your potential phone bill.