Most cellular shoppers assume “prepaid” is synonymous with “settling for less” — you save money, but you give up quality in return. Slower speeds, hidden fees, unreliable coverage, a free phone that becomes a paperweight inside of 18 months. Metro by T-Mobile is ready to dismantle those assumptions for years, and its new offer stack is the clearest evidence of that effort yet: a free Samsung Galaxy A17 5G, unlimited 5G for $20 a month, the iPhone 16e on them, and a rate that’s locked in for five years.
Metro runs on T-Mobile — the Best Mobile Network in the US, according to Ookla® Speedtest®, the gold standard of broadband speed tests — with all of the amazing speed and coverage that T-Mobile customers enjoy. Getting on that stellar network at the prices offered by Metro by T-Mobile is most definitely not settling for less. It’s just smart shopping.
Three Ways to Save
There are three paths to outstanding cellular savings here, with no bad choices. The Samsung Galaxy A17 comes free on a $40 plan when you bring your number — no activation fees, taxes and fees included, and a 5-year price guarantee on talk, text and data (exclusions apply; see details at MetrobyT-Mobile.com). For new customers who haven’t been with Metro or T-Mobile in the past 180 days, it’s a clean entry point: modern 5G hardware, zero upfront cost, no bill surprises.
The $20/month unlimited 5G line is for new customers only, and it’s built for the math-minded — prepay six months of service ($120 upfront, based on the $40 rate plan), and your effective monthly rate drops in half. That’s one line of unlimited talk, text and 5G data, taxes and fees included, running on T-Mobile’s ultra-fast network. For once, $20 means $20, period.
The iPhone 16e offer rounds things out for the aspirational side of the market: bring your number and ID, sign up for the $50 AutoPay plan (first month $55), and get a $100 virtual prepaid Mastercard after your third monthly payment. This one’s also for new customers who haven’t been with Metro or T-Mobile in the past 180 days.
What You Won’t Miss
What actually separates Metro by T-Mobile from the noise isn’t just what the plans include — it’s what they exclude. No activation fees. No bill that mysteriously inflates once your promotional period ends. No speed tiers that quietly degrade your service. The 5-year price guarantee on Talk, Text, and Data is the kind of commitment that most carriers don’t make because they don’t want to be held to it; Metro is leaning into it as a selling point rather than burying it in the fine print. Unlimited data means unlimited, with the standard caveat that customers using more than 35GB per month may notice reduced speeds during congestion.
Metro runs on T-Mobile, which Speedtest by Ookla® ranked the best mobile network in the U.S. based on Speedtest Intelligence data from the second half of 2025. That’s not a vague brand claim; it’s third-party data with a specific methodology behind it. Metro may be slower than T-Mobile during periods of high network congestion, but for most customers in most situations, the gap between what they’re used to paying and what they’d actually experience is smaller than the marketing around postpaid has made it seem.
Keep Your Number and Your Money
Metro’s killer lineup of great deals is available now at Metro by T-Mobile retail locations and online. New customers can bring their existing number and, depending on the offer, their existing phone. The $20/month unlimited line requires bringing your own device. The free Samsung A17 5G and an iPhone 16e at no cost require porting your number. All three offers are exclusive to new customers who haven’t been with Metro or T-Mobile in the past 180 days. Activation is handled in-store or online with no activation fee on any of the three offers.
For anyone who’s been giving their cellular bill the side eye because it’s been quietly charging more than it used to — the current Metro by T-Mobile deal lineup removes most of the friction that’s made switching feel complicated. A free phone, a locked-in rate, and a network that’s earned its ranking aren’t minor concessions to get you in the door. It’s that “Get that more for your money” feeling that everybody loves.