Search for an iPhone 18 Pro deal and nearly every result is a postpaid offer: a “free” phone paid back through 36 months of bill credits on an expensive plan. Metro by T-Mobile, T-Mobile’s prepaid brand, does it differently. It cuts the iPhone 18 Pro to $899.99 at checkout when you bring your number, and the plan underneath starts at $50 a month with taxes and fees included. Whether that beats a free phone comes down to the math, and to three conditions in Metro’s terms.
What Metro’s iPhone 18 Pro deal costs
Metro lists the iPhone 18 Pro (256GB) at $899.99 after a $300 instant discount at checkout, plus any sales tax. You pay for the first month of service at the same time. Prices are as listed on Metro’s deals page and offer terms on November 9, 2026.
There are no bill credits. The discount is taken when you buy, so the price you pay is the price of the phone from day one, instead of $1,200 credited back to you over three years.
Who can get it
- You have to bring your number from another carrier (Metro calls it a qualifying port-in).
- Current T-Mobile customers can’t get it, and neither can anyone who has been with Metro in the past 180 days.
- Up to two lines.
- In a store, you have to verify your name and address.
- Metro calls it a limited-time offer and gives no end date.
Which plans qualify
Metro says eligible plans start at $55 for the first month and $50 after with AutoPay. On its current lineup that’s two plans:
- $50 a month with AutoPay ($55 the first month): unlimited 5G data, 8GB of hotspot, SD video. Data may slow after 50GB in a month when the network is busy.
- $55 a month with AutoPay ($60 the first month): unlimited premium data, 25GB of hotspot, HD video.
The $40 Period plan doesn’t qualify. Metro’s FCC broadband labels show taxes and fees included in all three prices. More on the lineup in our Metro plans guide.
Metro vs a “free” iPhone 18 Pro: the math
T-Mobile’s iPhone 18 Pro offer for switchers gives up to $1,200 in bill credits over 36 months on a T-Mix plan of $95 a month or more with AutoPay, which covers the phone. Here is what each costs on one line, at the prices listed on November 8 (T-Mobile) and November 9 (Metro).
| First 12 months | 36 months | |
|---|---|---|
| Metro, $50 plan | $1,504.99 (phone, $55 first month, 11 × $50) | $2,704.99 (phone, $55 first month, 35 × $50) |
| T-Mobile, T-Mix Loaded | $1,140 in plan payments, plus taxes and fees | $3,420, plus taxes and fees |
Over three years, Metro comes out about $715 cheaper before T-Mobile’s taxes, fees and device connection charge, which only widen the gap. In the first year T-Mobile looks cheaper, but its credits stop if you leave: the rest of the phone’s price is still owed.
It isn’t a like-for-like plan comparison. T-Mix Loaded is T-Mobile’s top plan, but on one line the iPhone deal uses all three of its Picks for the 36 months, leaving none for streaming or other extras. Metro’s $50 plan caps hotspot at 8GB and can slow after 50GB on a busy network. If you’d pay for T-Mix Loaded anyway and don’t need its Picks, T-Mobile’s phone is effectively free and the comparison changes.
The phone stays locked to Metro for a year
Metro unlocks a phone it sold once 365 days have passed since activation, as long as the phone hasn’t been reported lost, stolen or blocked. Eligible phones are unlocked remotely within two business days, free of charge. Deployed military customers in good standing can unlock sooner with deployment papers. Until then, the iPhone works only on Metro. Details in our Metro unlock guide.
Buy online, not in a store
Online orders come with free shipping and no activation fee. In a Metro store, activation costs $25 a line, according to Metro’s FCC broadband labels, and you’ll have to verify your name and address for this deal. The $899.99 price is Metro’s own: if a store quotes you more, order online instead.
Other ways to get an iPhone 18 Pro on prepaid
Apple’s monthly payment options run through AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, so prepaid buyers usually pay up front. PhoneArena reported a way to finance the iPhone 18 Pro through Apple on a prepaid plan; we explain it in iPhone Duo on prepaid: Apple won’t finance it. We’ll add other prepaid carriers’ iPhone 18 Pro offers here as we check them.
Who should take it
- Take it if you’re switching from Verizon, AT&T or another carrier that isn’t T-Mobile, you want the iPhone 18 Pro, and a $50–$55 prepaid plan suits you for at least a year.
- Skip it if you’re on T-Mobile or were with Metro in the past 180 days (you can’t get it), or if you may want to take the phone to another network within a year.
- Compare the carrier deals if you’d pay for a premium unlimited plan anyway.
For every carrier’s current offers on the iPhone 18 Pro, Galaxy and Pixel, see all phone deals.
$899.99 for switchers on plans from $50 a month, taxes and fees included.
See Metro’s deals →Frequently asked questions
How much is the iPhone 18 Pro at Metro? +
Can T-Mobile customers get Metro’s iPhone 18 Pro deal? +
Which Metro plans qualify? +
Is Metro’s iPhone 18 Pro unlocked? +
Is it cheaper than T-Mobile’s free iPhone 18 Pro? +
How many lines can get the deal? +
- Metro by T-Mobile, Apple deals page and iPhone 18 Pro offer terms — checked November 9, 2026
- Metro by T-Mobile, prepaid phone plans page and FCC broadband labels — checked November 9, 2026
- Metro by T-Mobile, phone unlock policy — checked November 9, 2026
- T-Mobile, iPhone 18 Pro offer and T-Mix Loaded pricing — checked November 8, 2026
- PhoneArena, Apple and T-Mobile oversight lets you finance iPhone 18 Pro or Duo on a prepaid plan (October 2026)
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Jean writes ShopCellPlans' reviews. He compares carrier plans using each carrier's own published prices, its FCC broadband labels and reporting from named outlets, and ranks them on the bill you actually get, taxes and fees included, not the price on the ad.