Metropcs or Metro by T-Mobile however you want to call it, is a wireless service that essentially gives you the same coverage that T-Mobile offers, at a lower price. Do you really get the same type of coverage that you’d get with T-Mobile? That’s something that we’ll go over in this article as well. When it comes to getting an unlocked phone for Metropcs there are a couple of things that you’re going to want to keep in mind. The phone that you get has to be compatible with the Metropcs network. If you’re keen to be a Metropcs user for a while you can explore other buying options. These may not even include getting an unlocked phone for Metropcs by the way.
When you have an unlocked phone you’re going to have the freedom to change service providers virtually whenever you want. Ideally though, you won’t put yourself in a long term contract. If you do, even with an unlocked phone you’re going to tie yourself down to a service provider. That being said, maybe you’re interested in an unlocked phone for international travel. You can be in a long term contract with your local service provider and still have an unlocked phone for sure. That shouldn’t be a problem or at least it doesn’t have to be. As you can see we’re going to be covering many topics around getting an unlocked phone for Metropcs. Let’s get going then!
- Where Can You Get An Unlocked Phone For Metropcs?
- Do They Really Give Out Free Phones With Metropcs?
- Are Those Phones Unlocked?
- The True Benefits of Having an Unlocked Phone
- Get A Phone That Is Compatible With The Network
- What Type of Coverage Can You Expect To Get?
Where Can You Get An Unlocked Phone For Metropcs?
The beauty of having or even buying an unlocked phone is that you can essentially buy it anywhere. What we typically recommend is that you get the phone directly from the manufacturer. There are two reasons for this, number one it’s essentially the best way to guarantee that you are getting a new phone. We’re of the mindset that you can’t even trust wireless service companies to give you “new phones”. They have a lot of refurbished phones that they use for folks who want the company insurance to give them a new device. Buying directly from the manufacturer is going to allow you to make sure that you’re getting an unlocked phone. Plus, they usually have the best options when it comes to colors and other features.
The second thing that we feel is important is that when you buy from the manufacturer you’re also able to enter a credit scheme and essentially a leasing scheme. A lot of times people end up tying themselves down to a wireless service provider because that provider allows them to pay the phone on a monthly basis and trade their phone in after a couple of years for a new model. You can put yourself in the same type of scheme with the manufacturer. If you get an unlocked phone for Metropcs, you could turn around and use the same phone with another service provider if you don’t love the rates that you’re getting from that company.
Of course, you’re going to be able to go out and buy an unlocked phone for Metropcs on some of the top online shopping platforms. There are a couple of things that you’d need to be aware of when you’re buying on these platforms. To keep it short and sweet, you need to make sure that you trust the seller. Read through the product description before you hit buy. There are a lot of refurbished options on these platforms. We’re not saying that refurbished phones are always a bad option. It’s just that if you buy a refurbished phone when you think you bought a new one that’s not ideal.
Do They Really Give Out Free Phones With Metropcs?
We’d have to say yes, and no to this. The thing is, you are not going to be able to arrive at a Metropcs or Metro by T-Mobile store, and choose from the different phones that they have on hand. You have to pay for the phone though, and then you’ll get a rebate for the phone. In most models you’ll be getting a full refund on the phone. In most models that are offered under the current free phone promotion that is. The thing is, you do have to pay for the phone upfront. So don’t expect to be able to walk into a store without a penny and just your free phone when you sign up.
We have been heavy promoters of prepaid plans on this site. However, there are certain things that you have to be aware of. At least with Metropcs. For example, there’s a 60 dollar activation fee on these phones. We’re not sure if the activation fee applies to all of the phones. As far as we know you don’t have to pay the 60 dollar fee if you bring your phone. If you’re going to want to get these “free phones” though the activation fee is a part of the deal. As we mentioned, you also have to be able to pay for the phone upfront and then wait for the rebate. We’re not saying this is the worst deal in the world. We just want to make sure you know what you’re getting into.
Are Those Phones Unlocked?
The short answer is no. This is going to be the case with virtually any phone that you buy directly from a service provider. Whether it be, Metro by T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon or any other service provider that you like. There are a couple of things that you’re going to be able to do though in order to have an unlocked phone. With Metropcs as is the case with other service providers if you pay the full price of the phone they should be able to help you unlock it at the store. We always say when it comes to this, that it’ll depend on the store employee that helps you out. There are some folks who are very happy to unlock your phone, others not so much. Overall though virtually none of the phones that you buy from a service provider will be unlocked.
Should you be looking to get a free phone with Metropcs? The fact that you’re going to be able to get a phone at a minimal cost is certainly an appealing idea. There’s still a 60 dollar activation fee that you’re going to have to pay. That’s for the “free phones” that Metropcs is essentially “giving out”. You could get an unlocked phone from somewhere else. Actually another option could be to switch service providers. When you bring your phone to a new service provider they’ll usually be super friendly at the new place.
The True Benefits of Having an Unlocked Phone
On the site we talk a lot about the freedom of having an unlocked phone. If we’re being honest when you’re looking into getting coverage from a company like Metropcs or Metro by T-Mobile we feel that freedom is something that you’re looking for. With an unlocked phone you can essentially shop around for the best deal whenever you want. Now, that being said, make sure that you are not putting yourself in a long term deal with a service provider to be able to get the full extent of that freedom. Your phone can be unlocked, but if you still owe it to the service provider you’re going to be stuck there.
If you haven’t guessed, we talk a lot about traveling on this site. If you want to travel with your regular device you have to make sure that you have it unlocked. When you travel with a locked device you are only going to be able to get coverage on that phone from your regular service provider. That could ultimately mean that you’re going to end up paying quite a pretty penny from roaming fees when you’re abroad. All because you could not get a local SIM card to work on your locked phone. Is having an unlocked phone the most important thing to everyone? That answer is certainly no. However, it can bring benefits and freedoms that would be hard to find when you’re locked to your regular service provider.
Get A Phone That Is Compatible With The Network
Whether you are getting a phone directly from them or you’re actually going out and getting an unlocked phone for Metropcs you’re going to want to make sure that the phone is compatible with the network. Essentially only fairly recent phones are going to be compatible with the 5G network. This is an issue that T-Mobile has brought up of late. That doesn’t mean that you’re not going to be able to use an older phone on Metropcs. If your idea was to use an old phone that you have laying around. The problem with doing that though is that you may not be able to get access to the 5G network. You’re going to be limited to surfing at 4G speeds. It’s not like they are going to charge you less for the coverage.
There’s a list of phones on the site that you can look into where you’ll find what’s compatible and what’s not. The other way that you can find out if the phone that you have is compatible is to literally head down to your local Metro by T-Mobile store. There they’ll be able to let you know what they can offer. It’s a good idea to look online first, particularly if you are going to go out and buy the unlocked phone for Metropcs. That way you’ll know what phone models you should be looking into, and what models to avoid.
What Type of Coverage Can You Expect To Get?
Before you go out and buy an unlocked phone for Metropcs you’re probably going to want to know what type of coverage you can expect to get on the network. After being bought by T-Mobile the expectation was that all of the coverage issues that Metropcs may have had in the past were going to be all but gone. That being said, some people could argue that the T-Mobile network isn’t exactly great. We would surprisingly agree. We did a comparison of the coverage areas from some of the popular wireless service providers a while back. Although we did find that T-Mobile had one of the most extensive networks in the country we would understand if certain people didn’t feel the same way.
Just by looking at the coverage map we can see that coverage in the mountain states isn’t exactly ideal in the T-Mobile network. That’s why we mention that we would understand if people aren’t impressed by the coverage they get from this service provider. As far as our original question that we posted on this section we would have to say that it really depends on where you’re located. It can be worth it for some people, and totally not worth it for others.
Unlocked Phone for Metropcs – Should You Get One
There are a couple of points that we wanted to get across in this whole article. Number one being that it does make sense to get an unlocked phone for Metropcs. Although it’s not truly a prepaid plan option only, it works a lot like a prepaid plan. If you’re paying month to month without a long term contract it’s smart to have a phone that you can switch over to another service provider without any type of hassle. Therefore, we certainly feel that having an unlocked phone for Metropcs is a good idea.
As far as where you want to buy the phone, well that’s entirely up to you. Make sure that you check the list of phones that are compatible with the Metro by T-Mobile network. You don’t want to be paying for 5G coverage that you are not going to receive. There are actually a ton of different places that you can buy an unlocked phone from. If you want to look into the free phone promo that Metropcs has by all means do so. Although we didn’t love the small letters on the site. Where they literally tell you that you’ll get a rebate, and that there’s a fee for this and that. Nothing in life is free. It just feels really bad when you’re reminded of that so forcefully.