Verizon takes $10 a month off one Unlimited line and $25 off two lines for firefighters, EMTs and police. T-Mobile’s First Responder Savings plans save $720 a year on four lines, and AT&T takes 20% off Premium 2.0 lines for families of verified FirstNet subscribers, with FirstNet plans starting at $45 a month for one line. C Spire, PureTalk and Rogers in Canada have first responder prices of their own. The other 14 carriers here don’t discount for your job, so each one says what does save you money.
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Every discount has a verification step: ID.me at Verizon, your T-Mobile account within 45 days, FirstNet’s own check for AT&T. Check the price on the order screen after you verify and before you pay.
Verizon, AT&T And T-Mobile
Verizon: $10 Off One Line, $25 Off Two
Active, retired and volunteer firefighters, EMTs and EMS personnel, and state troopers, sheriffs, deputies and local police qualify. Federal law enforcement, such as Border Patrol, FBI and DEA agents, isn’t covered. Select Unlimited plans (Ultimate, Plus and Welcome) get $10 off for one line or $25 a month off for two lines. The Simplicity Plan gets 10% off each eligible line, and most other standard plans get 15% off the monthly account access fee when the fee is $34.99 or higher. Prepaid plans and shared data plans aren’t eligible. You verify through ID.me, and you renew every year or lose the discount if you wait more than 30 days past the renewal date.
Verizon Frontline: Priority On Your Own Phone
Verizon Frontline puts first responders on priority voice and data using their personal devices on the job, at no additional cost. Voice priority is set up through your organization’s point of contact, and data priority is for select devices that mainly carry data, such as tablets and hotspots. It sits alongside the Verizon discount, not in place of it.
AT&T: 20% Off Premium 2.0 For FirstNet Families
AT&T’s first responder offer runs through FirstNet. Families of a verified FirstNet subscriber save 20% on AT&T Premium 2.0, 15% on Extra 2.0 and 10% on Value 2.0 plan lines, and the credits show up within three bills. A verified FirstNet subscriber has to be on the account. Retired law enforcement officers and firefighters have their own offer at the same 20%, 15% and 10%: show a retiree ID or badge or a pension letter, be the primary account holder, and verify with a form or at an AT&T store.
T-Mobile: $720 A Year On Four Lines
T-Mobile’s First Responder Savings plans save $720 a year with four lines on Experience plans, and T-Priority comes with them. State and local firefighters, EMTs and law enforcement qualify, whether you’re active, a volunteer or a pensioned retiree. After you activate or switch, verify on your T-Mobile account within 45 days with an employee or volunteer ID, a paystub less than 60 days old, an EMS or EMT certification or an affidavit from your agency. Retirees send a pension statement. Miss the 45 days and the plan costs up to $20 more per line each month. The first responder has to be the account holder, and you re-verify once a year. UScellular and Sprint now send you to T-Mobile’s site, so UScellular and Sprint customers use this plan too.
FirstNet
FirstNet: Plans From $45 A Month For One Line
FirstNet is AT&T’s network for public safety, and it’s sold as its own set of plans. Value 2.0 is $45 a month for one line, $40.50 a line for two, $31.50 for three and $27 for four or more. Extra 2.0, Premium 2.0 and Elite 2.0 cost more per line and add things like a mobile hotspot and international data. Prices are after autopay and paperless billing, with taxes and fees extra, and you need a FirstNet Capable device with a FirstNet SIM or eSIM. Every individual plan includes always-on priority and preemption. To verify, use an affiliation code from your agency or fill in your job details yourself, and you have up to 30 days to send documents.
Smaller Carriers With A First Responder Price
C Spire: $39.49 A Month For Unlimited
C Spire sells first responders unlimited plans at $39.49 a month per device on the Unlimited Smartphone Standard plan, $43.49 on Enhanced and $33.99 on the Data Only Device plan. They come with top data priority, unlimited tethering and no overages. C Spire’s consumer plans are built for Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. You don’t order these online: fill out C Spire’s form or email it to [email protected] and a government wireless expert contacts you.
PureTalk: 20% Off Starting Your Second Month
PureTalk takes 20% off your plan for military members and first responders. Sign up and activate a plan first, then email a professional ID card and a contact phone number for your organization to PureTalk. The discount starts on your second month’s bill, and the first month is charged at the regular price. Plans start at $24.99 a month for 7GB of data, with taxes and fees extra, and there’s a 30-day money back guarantee.
Rogers (Canada): 5G+ Plans From $70 A Month
Rogers sells discounted 5G+ plans to firefighters, paramedics and police officers in Canada. 5G+ Essentials is $70 a month after the Auto-Pay discount (it’s $85 before), Popular is $85 and Ultimate is $95 after Auto-Pay. The offer is in store only for new activations. Bring proof of employment, such as an employee ID or a payslip with photo ID, and you can bring your current number over.
No First Responder Discount, And Where Cash Back Helps
Cricket Wireless
Cricket runs on AT&T’s network and has no first responder discount. Rakuten pays cash back when you open a new line, so click through Rakuten before you pick a plan.
Boost Mobile
Boost sells prepaid plans with no contract and no credit check, and nothing about your job changes the price. Rakuten pays cash back on a new activation.
Metro by T-Mobile
Metro prices by plan, not by job, so there’s no badge to show. TopCashback pays cash back on a new Metro line.
Visible
Visible is owned by Verizon and runs on Verizon’s network, with no first responder discount. Rakuten pays cash back to new customers who bring their number over from another carrier.
Mint Mobile
Mint is an online-only carrier on T-Mobile’s network with no first responder discount. Rakuten pays cash back on a new Mint plan.
Straight Talk
Straight Talk is Walmart’s prepaid brand and has no first responder discount. Rakuten pays cash back on Straight Talk purchases.
Xfinity Mobile
Xfinity Mobile requires Xfinity Internet and has no first responder discount. Rakuten pays cash back when you add a new line.
Spectrum Mobile
Spectrum Mobile has no first responder discount and is sold only to Spectrum Internet customers. If you already have Spectrum Internet at home, you can add phones to the same account.
Google Fi
Google Fi has no first responder discount and doesn’t price any plan by job. It charges by the number of lines, so the way to pay less is the plan you pick and how many people share it.
US Mobile
US Mobile has no first responder discount, and no cash back site lists it. Its promotion codes, student discount and new customer offers are open to anyone who signs up.
Tello
Tello has no first responder discount. Rakuten pays cash back on new Tello plans.
Ultra Mobile
Ultra Mobile has no first responder discount. Rakuten pays cash back on a new Ultra Mobile plan.
Total Wireless
Total Wireless has no first responder discount. Rakuten pays cash back when you activate a new Total Wireless line.
Tracfone
Tracfone’s 10% discount is for military members and veterans, so first responders don’t get it. Hoopla Doopla lists a cash back offer on Tracfone that’s open to everyone.
Q&A
Q: Does my family qualify?
A: At AT&T and T-Mobile, yes. AT&T takes 20%, 15% or 10% off plan lines for families of a verified FirstNet subscriber, and T-Mobile says first responders and their families save $720 a year with four lines. Verizon extends its discount to next of kin of first responders killed in the line of duty, with a signed affidavit from the agency.
Q: Do retired and volunteer first responders qualify?
A: At Verizon, yes: active, retired and volunteer firefighters and EMTs qualify. T-Mobile covers active first responders, volunteers and pensioned retirees. AT&T has a separate offer for retired law enforcement officers and firefighters. The FirstNet family discount is for active first responders.
Q: Do federal law enforcement officers qualify?
A: Not at Verizon, which lists Border Patrol, CIA, DEA, FEMA, FBI and NSA personnel as not eligible and points active federal employees to the federal government employee discount program. T-Mobile’s plans are for state and local first responders.
Q: Do I have to be the account holder?
A: Yes, at T-Mobile and Verizon. At T-Mobile the first responder must be the account holder, and at Verizon you must be the Account Owner or Account Manager. AT&T’s retired offer also needs the retiree to be the primary account holder.
Q: Can I combine a first responder discount with another offer?
A: Not at Verizon, where only one discount program can be attached to an account at a time.
Q: What happens if I don’t verify in time?
A: At T-Mobile, you have 45 days, and after that the plan costs up to $20 more per line each month. At Verizon you renew every year and lose the discount if you don’t renew within 30 days of the renewal date. FirstNet gives you up to 30 days to send documents, and PureTalk doesn’t apply its 20% until your proof is verified.
More Information:
For every category, see our guide to first responder discounts. If you’re comparing home internet too, see the Fios first responder discount. Your job has its own page as well: firefighter discounts, police officer discounts and EMT and paramedic discounts.