T-Mobile Tablet Plans

T-Mobile’s great deals aren’t exclusive to cell phone plans. The carrier’s high-speed data-only plans let you connect your tablet or mobile hot spot, often for less than its competitors charge.

T-Mobile tablet plans

T-Mobile’s tablet plans come in two forms: prepaid and postpaid. Postpaid plans are typically billed monthly and require a credit check. Prepaid plans require no commitment or credit check and give you the option of purchasing daily, weekly or monthly data packages.

postpaid

The per-month prices below are for one device, but you can add multiple devices to the same plan. And because T-Mobile plans don’t share data, you can choose a separate data package for each device.

• 2GB: $20.
• 6GB: $35.
• 10GB: $50.
• 14GB: $65.
• 18GB: $80.

Plans that include least 6GB come with BingeOn, which lets you stream video via services like Netflix and YouTube without using your high-speed data. You can also add a tablet or hot spot to a T-Mobile family plan for as little as $10 per month, depending on the data plan.

prepaid

These plans include unlimited music streaming via select services and unlimited 2G data, which kicks in after you use up your high-speed data allotment. Always-Connected monthly plans automatically renew every 30 days; passes don’t.

Always Connected

• 2GB: $20.
• 6GB: $35.
• 10GB: $50.
• 14GB: $65.
• 18GB: $80.
• 22GB: $95.

Passes

• 500MB (1-day pass): $5.
• 1GB (7-day pass): $10.
• 3GB (30-day pass): $30.

How T-Mobile’s tablet plans compare on price

T-Mobile’s prices are hard to beat.

For example, T-Mobile offers 10GB for $50 per month. For the same cost, you’d get just 5GB from AT&T and only 6GB from Verizon or Sprint. Even prepaid-only carriers have a hard time beating T-Mobile’s prices. MetroPCS is the exception, and it’s owned by T-Mobile and uses the carrier’s network.

The table below compares postpaid and prepaid tablet plans from the four major carriers, as well as tablet plans from prepaid-only carriers such as Virgin Mobile and StraightTalk Wireless. Keep in mind that some carriers’ data-only plans for mobile Wi-Fi hot spots are more expensive.

We’ve added Verizon and U.S. Cellular’s “plan fee” with their “device connection” fee to get a more accurate picture of their monthly costs.

Some prepaid carriers allow data access for more or less time than the usual monthlong period, which we’ve indicated in the footnotes.

	1GB or less	1.5-3GB	4-5GB	6-7GB	8-9GB	10GB
* Data usable for less than one month † Data usable for more than one month
AT&T	$14.99 (250MB)	$30 (3GB)	$50 (5GB)
AT&T GoPhone		$25 (2GB)	$50 (5GB)		$75 (8GB)
Boost Mobile		$25 (1.5GB)				$50 (10GB)
MetroPCS		$15 (2GB)	$25 (4GB)	$35 (6GB)
Net10	$10 (500MB)* $20 (1GB)	$30 (2.5GB)	$50 (5GB)†
Straight Talk	$15 (1GB)	$25 (2GB)	$40 (4GB)† $50 (5GB)†	$75 (7GB)†
Sprint	$15 (1GB)	$35 (3GB)		$50 (6GB)
T-Mobile		$20 (2GB)		$35 (6GB)		$50 (10GB)
T-Mobile Prepaid	$5 (500MB)*	$10 (1GB)* $20 (2GB) $30 (3GB)		$35 (6GB)		$50 (10GB)
U.S. Cellular	$15 (300MB) $20 (1GB)	$30 (2GB)	$40 (4GB)	$50 (6GB)	$60 (8GB)	$70 (10GB)
Verizon		$30 (2GB)	$40 (4GB)	$50 (6GB)	$60 (8GB)	$70 (10GB)
Verizon Prepaid	$15 (500MB)* $20 (1GB)	$35 (2GB)†	$60 (5GB)†			$100 (10GB)†
Virgin Mobile	$5 (250MB)*	$25 (1.5GB)		$55 (6GB)

Are T-Mobile’s tablet plans right for you?

T-Mobile’s data-only plans are worth considering for their prices alone; features such as BingeOn and unlimited 2G data are just the icing on an already inexpensive cake. That said, if you have another carrier and data to spare, consider adding your tablet to your current plan. You may be able to do so for as little as $10 per month. But if adding your tablet would require you to bump up your data package, T-Mobile might still be a less expensive alternative.

Kelsey Sheehy is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: ksheehy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @KelseyLSheehy.