Metro by T-Mobile feels like customers who stick with their wireless carrier are getting short-changed. And it's decided the best way to correct that is by making it easier for those customers to get their hands on a new phone.
That seems to be the thinking behind the new Metro Flex plans the T-Mobile-owned prepaid carrier is launching on Thursday (May 16). Customers who sign up for a Metro Flex plan with Metro By T-Mobile will get a free 5G phone for their troubles. And when they trade in the device after one, two or three years, they'll be eligible for the same deals available to new customers on a new phone through Metro.
According to Clint Patterson, prepaid chief marketing officer for T-Mobile, the Metro Flex plans will solve a problem that arises at any prepaid carrier. "Two customers walk into a store — one is lifelong customer, and one is brand new," Patterson said. "We will give a free phone to one of them, and it is not the long-term customer... It makes customers feel like they're not valued."
The opposite figures to be true with Metro Flex prepaid phone plans, which reward customer loyalty. More options on phone deals become open to you the longer you remain a Metro by T-Mobile customer. "The options get better, the longer you stay," Patterson added.
Metro Flex plans all feature unlimited talk, text and data, though your data speeds may be slowed if you use more than 35GB of data in a given month. The least expensive Metro Flex plan starts at $50 a month (after a $5 autopay discount) and includes 8GB of hotspot data plus 100GB of Google One storage. The $60 Metro Flex plan increases hotspot data to 25GB and unlimited texting in 210-plus countries.
There's also a $70 Metro Flex plan, which brings back one of our favorite perks from past Metro By T-Mobile offerings. This plan offers the same perks as the $60 Metro Flex offering while also including an Amazon Prime membership.
The $50 and $60 Metro Flex plans mirror current unlimited data plan offerings at Metro, with the main difference being that adding extra lines on Metro Flex costs $35 per line instead of $30. However, additional lines are eligible for those trade-in phone deals as well.
Metro by T-Mobile is owned and operated by T-Mobile, taking advantage of its parent carrier's wireless network, including the largest 5G network among U.S. wireless providers. Metro is not the only sub-brand in the T-Mobile family though, as the carrier recently completed its purchase of Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile.
That may seem like a lot of overlap, but Patterson says the three prepaid carriers serve different audiences. Metro targets customers who like to go into a brick-and-mortar store and talk to a rep about phones and plans. In contrast, Mint serves a digital-first audience that prefers to supply their own phone and buy their service in bulk, while Ultra appeals to customers with international talk and texting needs.
"It's three different brands targeting three different types of customer," Patterson said.
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