T-Mobile cell phone plans have a lot of features, including unlimited music and video streaming, and rollover data good for a full year. One thing they do not have? A premium price tag to match. Although T-Mobile beats the competition in terms of price and features, the self-proclaimed “uncarrier” still has some ground to make up in terms of network coverage. T-Mobile’s network is fast and reliable in urban areas, making the carrier a “great choice” if you use your phone mainly in major metro areas, according to the latest RootMetrics report. But it lags behind other carriers in national and state level network tests.
AT A Glance
- Plans start at $50 for 2GB of data
- Strengths: Affordable price, international coverage, lots of features
- Weaknesses: Network strength, only four plan options
T-Mobile cell phone plans
T-Mobile keeps things simple, with just four plans to choose from. All four Simple Choice plans include unlimited minutes and text messages, and plans with 6GB or more also have rollover data and unlimited video streaming. T-Mobile’s plans include international coverage as well. Customers can use data, minutes or texts in Canada and Mexico, and text or use data in more than 140 other countries, for no extra charge. T-Mobile’s current Simple Choice plans include:
- 2GB: $50
- 6GB: $65
- 10GB: $80
- Unlimited: $95
Prices are all inclusive, so there’s no separate line access charge, but taxes, fees and monthly device payments are extra. Any T-Mobile plan can become a family plan, but the pricing structure gets a little more complicated. T-Mobile charges $30 for the second phone line and $10 for each line added beyond that. You can have a total of six lines sharing one plan.
T-Mobile prepaid plans
T-Mobile has four different ways you can go prepaid. Its Simple Choice Prepaid plans mirror the carrier’s traditional Simple Choice plans detailed above. You pay a monthly fee for a set data package and unlimited calls and text, but you skip the credit check and contract. The prepaid version even includes free music and video streaming on select plans, and unlimited calls to Canada and Mexico. T-Mobile also has plans called Simply Prepaid that are similar but do not include international calling.
In addition, T-Mobile also has a pay-as-you-go prepaid plan and a basic monthly prepaid plan.
Simple Choice Prepaid
- 2GB: $50
- 6GB: $65
- 10GB: $80
- Unlimited: $95
Simply Prepaid
- 3GB: $40
- 5GB: $50
- 10GB: $60
Basic Monthly Prepaid
- Unlimited talk and text, no data: $25
- Unlimited text and Web access, plus 100 minutes: $30
Prepaid Pay As You Go
- $3 per month for any combo of 30 minutes and texts, and 10 cents per additional minute or message
Current T-Mobile deals
T-Mobile’s promotions typically require customers to activate a new phone or upgrade their current one. Existing customers may not be eligible for promotions and may also have to switch plans to take advantage of an offer. T-Mobile’s current deals include:
- Get four lines with 10GB each for $140 per month. Regular price on T-Mobile’s 10GB Simple Choice plan is $220 per month for four lines.
- Buy one iPhone and get a 50% rebate on a second one (via a prepaid Mastercard) when you add a line.
- Switch to T-Mobile’s prepaid service and get a free prepaid smartphone
How T-Mobile compares on price
| AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | Verizon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB or less | $45 (300MB) | $40 (1GB) | N/A | N/A |
| 2-3GB | $55 (2GB) | $50 (3GB) | $50 (2GB) | $55 (2GB) |
| 4-6GB | $75 (5GB) | $65 (6GB) | $65 (6GB) | $70 (4GB) |
| 8-10GB | N/A | N/A | $80 (10GB) | $90 (8GB) |
| 12-15GB | $115 (15GB, during promotion) | $80 (12GB) | N/A | N/A |
| 16-20GB | $155 (20GB) | N/A | N/A | $110 (16GB) |
| 22-25GB | $190 (25GB) | $100 (24GB) | N/A | $130 (24GB) |
| Unlimited | $100 (must have DirecTV or U-verse) | $75 | $95 | N/A |
How T-Mobile compares on features
| AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | Verizon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited 2G data | Yes | Yes | Optional | |
| Unlimited video streaming | Yes | Yes | ||
| Unlimited music streaming | Yes | |||
| Rollover data | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Unlimited 2G data: T-Mobile doesn’t charge you if you go over your data package. Instead, the carrier bumps you down to 2G speeds for the remainder of your billing cycle. Although that saves you costly overage charges, it does mean putting up with slower speeds. For instance, uploading 30 photos would take more than 20 minutes, instead of less than a minute with 4G speeds. Sprint also offers unlimited 2G data, but AT&T does not. Customers with AT&T will pay $15 per gigabyte of data used beyond their plan. And AT&T rounds up, so if you go over by only a few megabytes, you’ll still pay for 1GB in overage.
Video streaming: Thanks to Binge On, T-Mobile customers can stream as much video as they want without dipping into their data package. The catch: Streaming is unlimited only from participating services such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go and ESPN. Binge On is included on traditional and prepaid Simple Choice plans with 6GB or more. Verizon also offers unlimited streaming, but only via its Go90 app.
Music streaming: All T-Mobile Simple Choice plans come with Music Freedom, which allows customers to stream music from dozens of apps without touching their data allotment. Partner services include Pandora, Spotify and Google Music, among others. Music Freedom is also included on most T-Mobile prepaid plans. This is a huge benefit for regular streamers, since streaming an hour of music each day for a month can use up as much as 2GB of data. No other major carrier offers unlimited music streaming.
Rollover data: T-Mobile’s 6GB and 10GB plans come with Data Stash, which lets customers keep unused data. You can stash up to 20GB of data, for up to 12 months. AT&T and Verizon also offer rollover data, but it expires after 30 days. Sprint does not offer rollover data.
» MORE: 3 steps to finding a cheap cell phone plan
The bottom line
T-Mobile gives you a lot of value for your money. Consider this: A 6GB plan with T-Mobile is $65 per month. The 4GB plan with Verizon is $70, and 5GB with AT&T is $75. Sprint competes on price, but no carrier touches T-Mobile on features. The weak point? Its network. Although T-Mobile has made strides in this area, it still has some work to do to match the network strength of Verizon or AT&T on a national level.
Call T-Mobile’s customer service at (800) 501-0952.
Kelsey Sheehy is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: ksheehy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @KelseyLSheehy.
This article was updated July 7, 2016. It was originally published March 16, 2016.
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