As of November 1, T-Mobile became the first major carrier in the U.S. to offer discounts for first responders, such as EMTs, paramedics, police officers, and firefighters, and their family members. Shortly thereafter, AT&T followed suit, and now, Verizon and Sprint have joined them. Signing up for these first responder plans is easy and can save you quite a bit of money on your phone bill.
In this article:
- T-Mobile First Responder Plans
- AT&T First Responder Plans
- Verizon First Responder Plans
- Sprint First Responder Plans
- Are First Responder Plans Worth it?
T-Mobile First Responder Plans
T-Mobile has launched brand new first responder plans, with 20% off the first line, then 50% off up to five additional lines. As with the rest of T-Mobile’s phone plans, taxes and fees are already included in the plan price, so what you see is what you get.
T-Mobile First Responder Plan Features
| T-Mobile Magenta First Responder | T-Mobile Magenta Plus First Responder | |
|---|---|---|
| Single-line cost | $55/month | Only available on 2 or more lines |
| Data | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Streaming | SD | HD |
| Hotspot | 3GB of 4G LTE | 20GB of 4G LTE |
| International | Basic data & texting in 210+ countries | 2x data speed & texting in 210+ countries |
| Mexico & Canada | 5GB of 4G LTE | 5GB of 4G LTE |
| Other Perks | Netflix (1 screen) | Netflix (2 screens) |
T-Mobile First Responder Plan Prices Compared
| Plan | 1-Line Cost | 2-Line Cost | 3-Line Cost | 4-Line Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magenta First Responder | $55/month | $80/month | $90/month | $100/month |
| Magenta Plus First Responder | n/a | $100/month | $120/month | $140/month |
With these discount plans, first responders can save up to $480/year on a four-line T-Mobile family plan. Consider: four lines on the Magenta First Responder costs $100/month, which is $40 less expensive than the plan is normally. Likewise, the Magenta Plus First Responder plan only costs $140/month for four lines, instead of its regular $170/month price tag. There’s no reason not to take advantage of this discount if you’re a first responder! Just check out the comparison table below:
| Lines | Magenta | Magenta First Responder | Magenta Plus | Magenta Plus First Responder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $70/month | $55/month | $85/month | n/a |
| 2 | $60/month | $40/month | $70/month | $50/month |
| 3 | $40/month | $30/month | $47/month | $40/month |
| 4 | $35/month | $25/month | $43/month | $35/month |
Who is Eligible?
People who are eligible for T-Mobile’s first responder plans include active state and local first responders, pensioned retirees, volunteers, and parents, children, or spouses of first responders killed in the line of duty. These include:
- State Troopers
- Sheriffs
- Sheriff’s Deputies
- Local Police
- Firefighters
- Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
- Families of these first responders
Federal employees are not eligible for T-Mobile’s first responder discounts at this time.
How to Sign Up for T-Mobile First Responder Plan
In order to sign up for a T-Mobile first responder plan, you can visit a T-Mobile retail store or call 1-800-T-MOBILE (or 611 from your T-Mobile phone). Once you complete activation, you will be asked to validate your eligible first responder status. Make sure that the first responder is designated as the primary account holder.
You have 45 days to verify your eligible first responder status online here. If you verify your status within 45 days, then your plan will be changed to the traditional Magenta or Magenta Plus plan with no discount, so make sure you do this in a timely fashion.
You may need the following documentation in order to verify your eligibility:
- Employee or volunteer ID card
- Paystub fewer than 60 days old
- Signed affidavit issues from first responder agency
- EMS/EMT certification
- Pension statement
Occasionally, you may be required to provide additional information. If so, you will be notified that you need to upload documents confirming your first responder status.
AT&T First Responder Plans
AT&T has now extended its military discount to include first responders and their families as well. First responders and their families can now receive a 25% discount on single-line and family plans.
AT&T First Responder Plan Features
| Unlimited Starter | Unlimited Extra | Unlimited Elite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-line cost | $48.75/month | $56.25/month | $63.50/month |
| Data Deprioritization | At any time | 50GB | 100GB |
| Streaming | SD | SD | HD |
| Hotspot | n/a | 15GB | 30GB |
| Mexico & Canada | Unlimited talk, text, data | Unlimited talk, text, data | Unlimited talk, text, data |
| International | Unlimited texts to 120+ countries | Unlimited texts to 120+ countries | Unlimited texts to 120+ countries |
| Other Perks | n/a | n/a | HBO |
AT&T First Responder Plan Prices Compared
| Unlimited Starter | Unlimited Extra | Unlimited Elite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Line Cost | $48.75/month | $56.25/month | $63.50/month |
| 2-Line Cost | $90/month | $97.50/month | $112.50/month |
| 3-Line Cost | $101.25/month | $112.50/month | $135/month |
| 4-Line Cost | $105/month | $120/month | $150/month |
With these discount plans, first responders can save up to $600/year on a four-line family plan. Four lines on the Unlimited Extra First Responder plan costs only $120/month, while typically a four-line plan on Unlimited Extra will run you $160/month. Check out the comparison table below to see how much you’ll be saving per line.
Cost Comparison Per Month
| Lines | Unlimited Starter | Unlimited Starter First Responder | Unlimited Extra | Unlimited Extra First Responder | Unlimited Elite | Unlimited Elite First Responder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $65 | $48.75 | $75 | $56.25 | $85 | $63.50 |
| 2 | $60 | $45 | $65 | $48.75 | $150 | $112.50 |
| 3 | $45 | $33.75 | $50 | $37.25 | $180 | $135 |
| 4 | $35 | $26.25 | $40 | $30 | $200 | $150 |
Who is Eligible?
The following first responders are eligible to receive a discount on their phone plans through AT&T:
- Employees and volunteers of primary first responder entities (public and private)
- Law enforcement
- Firefighters
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
- Emergency Management Agencies
- Public Safety Answering Points
Those who are not eligible at this time include:
- Other public safety employees
- Retired employees
- Federal agencies
- Employees and volunteers of entities in MA
- Customers on certain offers
How to Sign Up for an AT&T First Responder Plan
AT&T doesn’t explicitly state how you can sign up for an AT&T first responder discount plan, so it may be best to call the carrier at 800-331-0500 (or dial 611 from an AT&T phone) or go to an AT&T retail store near you.
You may need the following to provide proof of eligibility:
- Your volunteer/employee ID or badge
- A current paystub
- Your 1099 from the previous year
- A signed affidavit from your first responder agency
As with the T-Mobile first responder discount, the first responder must be the primary wireless account holder in order to get this AT&T discount.
Verizon First Responder Plans
First responders are now eligible to receive discounts on certain Verizon plans, as well as up to 25% off select accessories from Verizon (if you order online; otherwise, 10% off when purchased at a Verizon store).
The first responder discounts are available on Verizon’s signature unlimited plans, Start Unlimited, Do More Unlimited, Play More Unlimited, and Get More Unlimited. On any of these plans, first responders will save:
- $10/month for one line
- $25/month for two or three lines
- $20/month off account access fees for four or more lines
For other eligible Verizon plans, you’ll receive 15% off your plan price.
Who is Eligible?
The following first responders are eligible for a discount through Verizon:
- Firefighters
- Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
- State troopers
- Sheriffs
- Sheriff’s Deputies
- Local Police
As of (today’s date), federal-level law enforcement personnel, such as CIA, FBI, and Border Patrol Agents, are not eligible for Verizon’s first responder discount.
How to Sign Up for a Verizon First Responder Plan
Registering for a Verizon first responder discount is relatively easy—you can begin the process online through your Verizon account. First responders will need to provide either a paystub, pension stub, volunteer ID, or statement of volunteer service. In order to qualify for the discount, you must be the account owner or the account manager. If the account is in someone else’s name, you’ll have to complete a Transfer of Service before signing up for the discount.
Sprint First Responder Plans
First responders and emergency personnel who have service through Sprint are eligible to receive special discounts on Sprint’s monthly plans, as well as up to 25% off accessories. Sprint hasn’t provided many details about these first responder discounts, so you may have to contact the carrier directly to learn more.
Who is Eligible?
Sprint hasn’t provided a complete list of eligible first responders, although the dropdown menu includes:
- Fire and rescue employees
- Fire and rescue retirees
- Law enforcement employees
- Law enforcement retirees
- Municipal/Local/State employees
- Municipal/Local/State retirees
How to Sign Up for a Sprint First Responder Plan
You can sign up for a Sprint first responder discount online. Simply fill out the form, selecting the appropriate employment category from the dropdown menu. You will need your program corporate ID, as well as appropriate proof of eligibility (although Sprint doesn’t specify what that may be; it’s likely you’ll need a recent paystub or pension stub). Then you will receive an email confirming your enrollment.
Are First Responders Plans Worth it?
In short, absolutely! No matter which carrier you’re on, you should consider the first responder discounts in order to save some money on your monthly bill.
The T-Mobile first responder discount plans are definitely worth checking out. The Magenta First Responder plan is just $25/month per line, and the Magenta First Responder Plus plan costs only $35/month per line. Not to mention, T-Mobile offers all-in pricing with the taxes and fees already included in these price tags. Plus, T-Mobile’s plans include perks like free Netflix subscriptions and data and texting abroad.
AT&T’s first responder plans are also worth looking into if you’re already an AT&T customer, are happy with your service, and simply want to save a little money on your monthly bill. AT&T offers some of the best coverage in the country, and some of its unlimited plans (like Unlimited Extra) include key features like dedicated hotspot data and high data deprioritization thresholds.
There’s also no reason not to check out what first responder discounts Verizon is offering, especially if you’re already a Verizon customer. Verizon has the most coverage in the country, with 71% 4G LTE coverage, so you can rest assured you’ll have coverage no matter where you go.
Sprint hasn’t released much information yet concerning the details of the first responder discounts, but if you’re a first responder on a Sprint plan, you should definitely contact a Sprint representative or stop in at a store to learn more about how to save on your monthly phone bill.
