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3.7

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: April 27th, 2024

MetroPCS is a prepaid wireless service that offers no-contract cell phones. MetroPCS is the sixth largest telecommunications network in the United States and offers customers up-to-date CDMA technology and services including nationwide calls, text, and data through T-Mobile’s networks. 

The company boasts that its coverage network covers 99% of the people in the U.S.

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The Good

  • Prepaid Plans
  • Unique Plan Benefits
  • No Overage Fees
  • Good Phone Selection
  • Add-On Services

Prepaid Plans

Depending on what plan a customer chooses plan pricing ranges anywhere between $30-$60. MetroPCS offers four simple, straightforward 4G LTE data plans:

  • $30 per month
    • 2 GB of 4G LTE Data
    • 2 hours of video streaming
    • 100 hours of music streaming
    • 100 hours of social media
    • 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot
  • $40 per month
    • 5 GB of 4G LTE Data
    • 8 hours of video streaming
    • Unlimited hours of music streaming
    • 300 hours of social media
    • 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot
  • $50 per month
    • Unlimited use of 4G LTE Data
    • Unlimited video streaming
    • Unlimited hours of music streaming
    • Unlimited social media use
  • $60 per month
    • Unlimited use of 4G LTE Data + 10 GB Hotspot
    • Unlimited video streaming
    • Unlimited hours of music streaming
    • Unlimited social media use

Unique Plan Benefits

Customers with the $50/month or $60/month plans get free access to Google One which gives you 100 GB cloud storage, mobile backup, family sharing, and other benefits. 

Customers with the $60/month unlimited plan also get free access to Amazon Prime including free shipping, TV streaming, movie streaming, and ad-free music.

MetroPCS offers a variety of affordable service plans for customers to choose from, especially for families. The family plan offers the best savings in the market for non-contract phones. A family can simply get an unlimited data plan or share the same data plan between multitudes of different lines.

No Overage Fees

There are no overage fees or contract fees for cell phone service with MetroPCS.

Good Phone Selection

Currently, MetroPCS offers a number of cell phone brands:

  • Samsung
  • Apple
  • Motorola
  • ZTE
  • LG
  • Alcatel

For customers who don’t plan on using a phone for streaming videos or music, MetroPCS has several “basic” or "flip" phones available.

There is the option for customers to keep their phone number and bring their phone over when they switch to MetroPCS. Before making the jump, prospective customers should make sure their phones are compatible with the MetroPCS Sim Card. In order to check, customers will need to check the IMEI number on their current phone. After this initial step, customers can enter their IMEI number on the MetroPCS site and find out if their phone is compatible.

However, MetroPCS does charge $10 for the SIM Card Kit. This kit includes the Nano SIM card, a Micro SIM card adapter, and a Standard SIM card adapter.

Add-On Services

MetroPCS has plenty of additional services that customers can add to their monthly plan, should they need it. Whether you need international calling capabilities or the ability to block unwanted callers, MetroPCS offers these types of services for a fairly low price. Some of the services include:

  • Mexico Unlimited: pay $5/month
  • MetroPCS Global Voice: pay $10/month
  • 2 GB Extra Monthly Data: pay $5/month
  • Select Shared Calling (1000 minutes): pay $10/month
  • Name iD: pay $2/month
  • Lookout Mobile Security Premium: pay $3/month
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The Bad

  • Data Speed Limits

Data Speed Limits

One issue with MetroPCS is that it advertises all plans as being "unlimited" regarding data. 

In reality, a customer’s data plan has a designated allotment of high-speed data. After this amount is exhausted, data speed is reduced for the rest of the payment cycle.

If traffic is congested, the customers using more than 35 GB/month are especially prone to reduced download speeds while streaming video and other actions that utilize large data amounts because of T-Mobile's "prioritization" system.  

There may be times where MetroPCS is testing new services and customers gain temporary additional high-speed access, but as soon as the test is over, the access is revoked and customers will have access to the service as an additional purchase. Especially during congested times, MetroPCS customers may notice their speeds being reduced vs. those on the T-Mobile network directly through T-Mobile.

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The Bottom Line

MetroPCS offers a straightforward service to those wary of enrolling in a bigger-name carrier network while providing excellent coverage to almost any area in the U.S. 

Many customers appreciate the fact that getting a family plan equates to real savings for customers and that they can choose plans based on their current cell phone usage. Plus, there are plenty of iOS or Android smartphones to choose from. And if customers don’t plan on using apps or streaming music or videos, several basic phones will suit their needs. 

However, keep in mind that the data limits set on specific plans may affect device speeds. After using the allotted amount of data, a cell phone may considerably become slower.

For those looking for a no-contract cell phone service provider, MetroPCS has plans that accommodate most needs and preferences. Whether you're looking for a basic prepaid plan or for unlimited talk, text, and data to Mexico, MetroPCS is worth a try.

MetroPCS customer reviews are mixed, though, so a higher-ranked carrier is worth looking into. 

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Star Rating

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2.9

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272 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

27%

4 grade

20%

3 grade

8%

2 grade

7%

1 grade

38%

Sentiment Criteria

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Dustin W

I travel the state of California often (From Northern to Southern) with no problem in Urban Areas.(The Bay Area to Los Angeles) My only issue is the coverage/reception while in the rural areas between these Urban Giants. As soon as I get outside of San Jose I experience a lot of call drops and poor reception. (Traveling South Bound) That experience continues until I reach The San Fernando Valley/ Santa Clarita. That's a 350+ miles of nothing/or close to nothing coverage loss. Will like to see improvements of Metro PCS's services, because I'm a long time customer who loves my carrier. I recommend Metro PCS to Majority of my family and friends. Hands down the ratings of this company doesn't give the correct projection output. Metro should be ranked amongst the top Giants. I will do my part to promote, but need Metro to fulfill it's part and fix the small discrepancies. Overall I'm with Metro Til the Very End.

8 years ago

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Lisa Lee Tacoma, WA

"Message blocking active" this is the auto reply that metro sends out to friends and family of their customers when there is a service interruption of any kind. Ppl end up thinking I've blocked them and that is no good especially when vip contacting you receive that as a reply. My boss texting me got that a a reply,, I almost lost my job.. other than that garbage of a auto msg Metro has decent service

2 years ago

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Darlene M. Dortch Chicago, IL

Excellent value $$ with no binding long term contract.contract. However, the down side is they don't offer the best phones and once you become a customer, there are NEVER any specials for current customers to upgrade to a better phone and any offers that come are not for current great rated phones. I've been a customer for 6+ years and only new customers are offered better phones free or at a lower cost. They should do the same for current customers.

5 years ago

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LadyMiles Dallas, TX

Metro PCS phones don't last long their phones are setup to go out every year so that you have to keep purchasing new phones.The ZTE phone you can't open up the back of the phone because it will damage the phone but how are you going to change out the battery.I think all of their phones have chips place in them so that they can tamper with your phone such as shutting your phone off and on.Metro PCS doesn't have any promotion for their long term customers the new subscribers are able to get alot of deals.

6 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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Heidi Summers

I switched to Metro PCS from cricket. I've only been with them a month, however... The service is equally comparable, the price is better, Annnnd they gave me a 48 hour extension to pay my bill for free. Which is something that was unheard of during my 11+ years with cricket. Not to mention, I got an amazing phone for free.. So far, so good. Glad I made the switch!! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

7 years ago

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bud Pittsboro, NC

Their coverage for us is just fine. Our free J3 Galaxy phones are inexpensive but work fine and is more than I need with more features than I expected. Love this company and we save over $800 a year with our two phones over Verizon. Plus Metro PCS has three offices in our town (and looking to open a forth) were we can go in person if we have a problem. Verizon has just one.

8 years ago

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Johnathan Tulloch

To make it short and to the point they're a fair company. Their deals are solid I haven't seen better deals anywhere else. The customer service I've recieved was very outgoing felt like I was talking to a friend instead of a forced worker. Overall the company is solid in my eyes would always recommend.

5 years ago

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Hila Dallas, TX

We had an issue regarding our phone numbers and called MetroPCS customer service. Alfonso was patient, friendly, and extremely helpful in addressing our concerns. He exhibited exceptional customer service and walked us through everything we needed to do. Thanks to Alfonso, our problem was solved quickly and efficiently.

6 years ago

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Jenni Walker American Fork, UT

I started using Metro PCS about 2 years ago. I haven't had any problems with my phones or the service. I feel like I get a great plan for a great cost, and I don't pay a lot 8f extra money for a lot of extra things that I don't need. Their customer service isn't that great though. You have to go into a store - don't call or you'll be on the phone forever!

6 years ago

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David Adrian Morales Weslaco, TX

I had Metro before I went back to Verizon. It works in my immediate area but doesnt work so well when I leave my area. Not great coverage for traveling. It is affordable though. Stores are easily accessible.

2 years ago

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Gina Donofrio

MetroPCS Agents makes it very easy to enroll in an agreement. The phone and plan prices are affordable. It uses many towers around the Country so service is nearly always at my fingertips without question.

2 years ago

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Bettye Chambers

I have had trouble with metropcs in paying my bill, their web sight would not accept my payment but when I went to the store it would accept it but I would have to pay 3 dollars and I refused .

5 years ago

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Dawn

My current plan is economical and phone price i believe was competitive. The stores are usually very organized but staff could improve their customer service with some training and development

6 years ago

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Carolina Martinez Las Vegas, NV

I changed 10 years ago from T-Mobile to metro PCs and I’m happy 😃 . I have 4 lines with internet, calls and messages unlimited, 15 gb of hotspot and one line unlimited international calls and Amazon prime !! I know. Great costumer service so it’s amazing.

4 years ago

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Derek G Pleasant Grove, UT

MetroPCS is a fairly cheap phone service provider that definitely doesn't have the fastet internet connection, in fact at times it is really slow. My phone wasn't connecting to the internet so I took it into the store and within 10 minutes they were able to diagnose the issue, fix the issue and send me off

6 years ago

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Estefi Arreola Leyva Gilbert, AZ

I have used MetroPCS for at least two years now and works good. MetroPCS has a good family plan for unlimited data and I love it. The cell service is great at times, I like the idea that MetroPCS has their own voicemail box. MetroPCS is affordable and reliable.

7 years ago

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Andrew Rousseau

Cell reception is top notch. Call quality is excellent. Data speeds are among the fastest out there. Plans are cheap. Only $50 for unlimited data plan.

8 years ago

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Destiny Wyche Tampa, FL

This company has always been willing to work with me and my family since we became customers. They not only help with choosing a plan, but also give information about which products to buy. Also, they have great deals.

5 years ago

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Olmanika Milfort Tallahassee, FL

I am a customer of the Metro by TMobile phone company and I love it. Very affordable, the people really care about your purchases and the customers. I have unlimited data for an affordable monthly rate.

5 years ago

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Sarah Marfo Tallahassee, FL

Very affordable and not bad for the price. My family of 4 pays 115 for 4 lines. The service is pretty fast and we don’t much problems. People just make things seem worse off the what it really is. Metro is great.

5 years ago

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Eric San Diego, CA

I used this for a bit and at the time it was the cheap alternative with OK service. I have since found better alternatives but at the time I was good with the service provided.

6 years ago

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Natalia Correa MDTribe Tallahassee, FL

MetroPCS was very affordable and they had good customer service. The only challenges I faced was losing signal in some locations.

5 years ago

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Doug San Jose, CA

After 40 years I left ATT for Metro and realize I should have done the move years ago. Metro is daylight/sunshine to ATT dark/gloomy confusion.

5 years ago

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BKey327 Clarkston, MI

Issue resolved by company. Thanks! The problem was on the side of the company that sold me the phone. Not Metro PCS directly.

6 years ago

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A Allen Hampton, GA

Love the monthly bill . I like the the bill does not fluctuate. You get exactly what you pay for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7 years ago

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Yvette Berry

They could improve customer service. They tell you one thing in the store and yet your bill shows something else.

6 years ago

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Amy Louhela Chicago, IL

Metro is a very affordable cell phone company. The connection is fairly good. There are a few dead spots but it's not too bad for the affordability.

3 years ago

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Wilgens Paul Jacksonville, FL

Ive been with metro since I first owned a phone. They are reliable and affordable compared to many other service providers

5 years ago

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Federico Lombardi Spring, TX

I never had any issue, I have coverage everywhere and it's way cheaper than the other companies.

5 years ago

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JAN BUCKMAN

They are fine for the small cost. The value of using the Family Plan can't be beat.

6 years ago

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Bienah

Little to no problems with service and I have 4 lines connected for $130 a month

7 years ago

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Mitch Wingfield Llewellyn Orlando, FL

Great Value and services. I am using the hotspot to surf the net. Faster than cable.

7 years ago

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Lindaplank55 Houston, TX

Had metro for a few months now and im loving it got a brand new phone and a months worth of service for only 60 dollars

4 years ago

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laura o Sayreville, NJ

I have no problem with service. the only problem I had was going overseas

5 years ago

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Ryan Davis Horn Lake, MS

I like the fact that I'm not on a contract and it has free unlimited data.

5 years ago

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Joan Cutlip Madison Heights, MI

I get good service, but don't care for the last phone they sold me

5 years ago

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Donald FellAirbus61 Enterprise, AL

Good phone, only thing I can think of is better connection would be nice

6 years ago

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David Stellwagen Monroe, WA

Cell service works just fine, store personnel can be kind of rude.

7 years ago

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terryjamison Gulfport, MS

metroPCS has amazing prices and the staff is very welcoming and helpful. a very judge free zone!

5 years ago

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Makayla Manus Long Beach, MS

I had MetroCPS for about a year and they had such great service and great customer service.

5 years ago

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Wislane Noel Tallahassee, FL

I have metro pcs through t mobile and I can’t complain coverage is good and well

5 years ago

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Kurt Hammer

good price but the coverage is not the best

5 years ago

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Francisco Broadview, IL

Affordable prices and you get decent value

5 years ago

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SJ WONG ORTIZ San Pablo, CA

The prices are good but the service sometimes suck s

5 years ago

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Diana Independence, MO

Great but would like better coverage in OK. Area.

5 years ago

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Sharron Baudier

Excellant and not ripped off like Verizon did me for years

6 years ago

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Eneida Cruet

Their rates are excellent for the services provided

6 years ago

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Sue Ellen Davis

They have great prices for service and mice employees

6 years ago

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Angel carrion Redford, MI

Loose signal frequently and besides that is really good

7 years ago

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George Perrier

Would of gotten a (5) except for occasional outage!

7 years ago