Metro by T-Mobile customers can qualify for free wireless service through federal program

Metro By T-Mobile Galaxy S20+
Metro By T-Mobile Galaxy S20+ (Image credit: Samuel Contreras / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • T-Mobile has brought the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) to Metro by T-Mobile plans.
  • Qualified customers can get $30 per month off ($75 for tribal lands) of their Metro by T-Mobile plan with data.
  • Qualification depends on factors such as income and existing assistance program eligibility. New and existing customers can check eligibility at acpbenefit.org before applying.

T-Mobile announced that it's prepaid carrier Metro by T-Mobile will begin participating in the federal government's Affordable Connectivity Program bringing discounted service to qualifying customers. The $30 discount can be applied to Metro by T-Mobile plans with data for both new and existing customers.

Metro by T-Mobile has four plans available though the discount can also be applied to an existing customer's wireless plan with data. Metro by T-Mobile's plans all come with unlimited talk and text. The smallest 5GB plan is free with ACP and comes with access to T-Mobile's 5G network as well as its Music Unlimited, so customers can stream music without using up any of their data. For $10 per month, the data can be increased to 10GB with the other features remaining the same.

The next unlimited plan comes in at $20 per month with the discount and comes with unlimited data though users that exceed 35GB in a month may find their speeds deprioritized. Still, with a strong connection, this deprioritization won't be an issue for many. This plan also comes with 5GB of hotspot data which can be shared with Wi-Fi devices like the best Chromebooks for students or even a streaming device. It also comes with 100GB of Google cloud storage, making accessing files between devices a breeze.

Finally, for $30 per month, ACP customers can get unlimited data, 15GB of hotspot data, 100GB of Google cloud storage, and a subscription to Amazon Prime. This subscription alone is worth the upgrade if you were already paying for the service. All of these plans also come with T-Mobile's Scam Shield. This software can block incoming scam calls before your phone even rings.

Customers can qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program based on household income or current participation in other government assistance programs. You can check your eligibility and apply for the program at acpbenefit.org.

Samuel Contreras

When Samuel is not writing about networking or 5G at Android Central, he spends most of his time researching computer components and obsessing over what CPU goes into the ultimate Windows 98 computer. It's the Pentium 3.