T-Mobile unveils new contract-free plans

(Credit: Matt Hickey)

T-Mobile on Sunday took the veil off of its rumored new aggressive pricing plans and made them official. And they're not just attractive, they're simple as well.

They are split into two major categories: the Even More Plus plans that don't include hardware subsidization but has no contract, and the Even More plans that include hardware and have a two-year contract.

The noncontract Plus option looks great for people who already own hardware that would run on T-Mobile's network, like an unlocked GSM phone. The top plan, at $79 a month, includes unlimited airtime, texting, and even Web browsing. That's about $20 less than the full unlimited plan that is offered by Sprint, until now the best all-in plan around.

Don't need data and just want talking and texting? That'd be just $49 a month for all-you-can-eat on both. Like we said, aggressive.

But just because they're not subsidizing hardware with these Even More Plus plans, it doesn't mean someone would be stuck with their current phone. T-Mobile's offering these plans in conjunction with its Equipment Installment Plan, which allows a user to break up payment on a new phone into 4 or 20 installments on top of what they're paying for their bill, and it's interest free. A $399 G1 would be just $19.95 a month for 20 months. If you're anti-contract, that's a great way to go.

Of course, one could still go the traditional route and get a phone with the Even More plans and get a handset subsidized, but the Even More plans don't offer an unlimited everything plan. Adding a data and text plan to the same G1 available on the installment plan takes the unlimited side up to $99 a month, on par with Sprint. In addition the G1 costs $129, leaving $270 to be made up for by subsidization. On a two-year contract that's $11.50 per month.

But what's the best way to go? This can get confusing, but bear with us here.

Doing the math we see we could have a G1 with an unlimited Even More Plus plan without a contract for $79.99 and a handset installment plan of $19.95 a month. That gives us about $99 a month for a handset and unlimited everything (voice, data, text) plan without a contract.

Or we could go for the unlimited Even More plan for $59, add unlimited texting and data for $40 a month, and then pay $129 up front for the handset, and be stuck in a contract. The monthly cost is about the same at $99, but the $129 up front kind of rubs us the wrong way.

So that brings about the question: who'd sign a 2-year contract if they have to pay $129 for the handset and be stuck in a 2-year contract?

We're not sure we would, and that's exactly why the Even More Plus has us excited. If you're on T-Mobile or looking to switch carriers in the near future, then you should take a look at these aggressive new plans. We're hoping they'll force the other carriers to create similar plans of their own as well. It's looking like $99 a month for unlimited everything, including a cutting edge handset, is where the market wants to be.

[adcas2009]

I've been a customer for tmobile for a long time now(8 years), and I called about these new plans. Even though the plans are great and will save me about $60 a month, they will charge a $35 per line to change to the new plan. That's an additional $105 to change to the new plan and they still will want a 2 year contract with a $200 termination fee. These fees are getting outrageous, and they wonder why tmobile's customer service scores are going down and their losing customers

[Gherbian]

Apart from the $35 fee, that $200 termination fee is actually par for the course for all cell phone companies with 2 year contracts.

[T_Mobile]

Only a one time charge of $70 per family plan to change your rate plan and save you $60 a month. Depends on your current contract agreement and if you go with the Even More Plus plan, you just have to fulfill your current contract and after that no more contract and termination fee. I hope this clear up some of the miss understanding and confusion. Please feel free to stop by your local T-Mobile retail store for more details.

[wirelesscaller]

Why should we have to pay just to change our rateplan? Sounds like gouging to me, if we're already out of a contract and wanting to change to a non-contract plan they're still charging a "migration fee". What's there to migrate when a person's already out of contract going to another out of contract rateplan?

[courtjames26]

My wife and I have been customers with TMobile for 6 years, and we have been very happy with the service they provide. But when I told my wife about the new rate plans she called because she wanted to know how this would benifit us. And as it turns out, it wouldnt. See we have a family plan with 3 lines and the @home service. Now about 2 weeks ago, I was offered to up the rate plan to the myfaves for families 1800(which isint offered anymore, I have the 1000) I told the rep I would think about it, not knowing that the plans would change. Needless to say, I'm not able to do that switch anymore, and we also have unlimited text for $9.99(which if we switched, we wouldn't be able to keep either). Another thing that wont benefit us is the fact that instead of $9.99 pm for the 3rd line, and $10 pm for the at home service, it would be $30 pm and $15 respectively. Which all adds up to us spending a lot more money than we do now. I really dont know how the new plans will benefit us, but I'm gonna call again and go into a store to see what we can do or we might become "former" Tmobile customers.

[coitusnoncircum]

This is pretty exciting, and the obvious choice would be the no contract route. After doing the math, someone purchasing the G1 at $399.99 and an all-inclusive plan of $79.99 per month would save $210.00 over the same two-year term that a person who purchased the subsidized phone and higher-priced plan.

[Gherbian]

This is all pretty interesting. I have a T-mobile account and was going to leave simply for a sexier phone, but love the low price of service. This may make it worth staying.

[Valethar]

'Bare with us'?

Someone forgot to proof their copy.

[jah1138]

Someone forgot to proof his copy.

[NathanJ1979]

The problem with this -- and it goes the same for Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint -- is that pretty phones with pretty features are all well and good in the city. While I have nothing against fun phones -- I'm still having fun with a ROKR z6m Slider -- we have to remember what cell phones were originally for, and that's emergencies. Sure, if you have a fancy phone, you don't have to go into a convenience store and ask someone who might not speak English if you can please use their phone. That's nice. But if you're out in the country, between towns, all those pretty features are worthless if you can't get signal. Where I live, in eastern NC, you can't get signal with Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Though I suppose if you do break down here, you can play a game on your phone until someone with a US Cellular phone comes by to call you a tow. I don't know how they do it, but I've never been unable to get service to make a call. I had T-Mobile, and they were good people, but the coverage just was not there. I've also had Verizon, and they were not good people, and the coverage was good in the city, but outside the city limits, it got sketchy. US Cellular aren't the nicest people to deal with, their prices are high, but the coverage is there. I guess they know they're the best and charge accordingly? Only they have no exclusives, but again, they have a lot of rural customers who want to be able to call from inside their home without having to walk down the road until they catch a bar or two.

[jlt0x]

I guess most of your complaint is based on where YOU live. None of the carriers claim to provide 100% coverage service for the entire US. There are pockets the exist all over the country that can't get reception for one or any of the cell phone carriers. You aren't alone, but don't blame the carrier, blame the sales rep that led you to believe that you'd have service where you live.

When you bought the phone & signed the contract, didn't you take the phone home to test your reception there? You should've had maybe 30 days to return the phone and opt out of the contract once you relized that service was very "spotty" or nonexistent. What happened? You moved months after you got the phone?

[ChamberlinAK47]

A few months ago, I switched to their "Loyalty" plan, and was paying about $81/mo (with taxes) for unlimited voice (who fricking cares about that anymore!) ($50), the unlimited internet ($20), and the 400 txt msg ($5)options... So now I have just switched to this new "Even More Plus Plan" for $80/mo (withOUT taxes), so now I have all that plus unlimited texting finally. Now have no worries about txting over the measly 400 limit (.25 cents per txt!!!) and it's gonna only cost me a couple bucks more per month now (probably like $85/mo with taxes). I just signed up for it and made all the changes from my unlocked iphone. Whoopdeedoo, finally everyone can text the crap out of me without worry. Welcome to 2009 right? Funny, how data plans and txt plans are their biggest money makers (rape in the digital age), and since nobody actually talks on the phone anymore, they give away free talk plans like it's nothing.

[dylan72986]

Despite the most stripped-down of these new T-Mobile plans coming in at around $50 per month, if you're feeling like the pricing here is still rather steep in general (particularly in light of the tough economy), I thought I'd add a tip for effectively and seriously minimizing these monthly wireless bills. I actually work for the consumer advocacy division of the company Validas, where we electronically audit and subsequently reduce the average cell bill by 22 percent through our website, http://www.fixmycellbill.com. Put simply, Validas guards against frivolous and unnecessary charges that inflate your cell bill more than it should be for your usage. You can find out for free if fixmycellbill.com can modify your plan to better suit your needs by going to the website.

For more info, check out Validas in the media, most recently on Fox News at http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/consumer/conlaw/lower_cell_phone_bills_072409 .

Good luck to everyone reading on wrangling down your cell bills.

Dylan
Consumer Advocacy, fixmycellbill.com

[heulenwolf]

I dig it. Bring on the competition!

[smithsj78]

Actually, I work for T-Mobile corporate and understood there is a $35 transfer fee for indivual, $70 for family plan - but NOT an early termination fee of $200.

[sab81790]

I am a current tmobile customer as well as i worked for tmobile, so when i heard about these new plans i quickly started asking the right questions...and apparently if you are NOT under a contract currently and you want to switch to a Even More Plus plan...there is no migration fee...it is only if you are under contract and you want to switch...and since i am not under contract...i will be making the switch and saving a ton of money at the same time...go tmobile...finally....

[wirelesscaller]

I was told otherwise by a tmobile rep but then it seemed like she didn't know what she was talking about (she didn't realize the third line would only be $5 per month).

[billyjoro]

Our teenage daughter is beginning to use alot more minutes calling boyfriend. We had almost used up our family rollover minutes and were about to switch from AT&T to T-Mobil "myfaves family 400" and a data plan which would work well for us because we only call a few numbers. These new "Even More..." plans would cost us alot more so we are staying put. I am getting her a Majic Jack instead!

[jofssie]

These plans are certainly a step in the right direction. I especially like that they are giving customers a no-contract option that is cheaper, BUT it is still way more expensive than the Straight Talk plan I'm on. I only pay $45 for unlimited talk, texting and data. So T-Mo needs to drop the prices even more to tempt me away. Especially since ST works off the Verizon network which I consider to be better overall.

[wirelesscaller]

Then you might want to consider www.pagepluscellular.com instead, it's $39.95 month with them and they roam on Verizon as well.

[talmy]

As a very light cell phone user I was displeased with plans offering more and more features for more and more dollars. But I finally "won" with T-Mobile's prepaid phones. The phone was free and I just pay $10 every thee months to keep it activated. I went from paying $50/month plus tax for two phones, the lowest rate I could find (T-Mobile again) to $80/year with no tax.

[onee1222]

I switched to the loyalty plan a couple months back and even added two other family members to my account so we could all take advantage. Well, I called TMo customer service yesterday to remove one of the lines because they weren't using enough minutes to justify having unlimited and this is when I found out about these new plans. The representative was very excited...me, not so much. My biggest gripe was, yes the Even More Plus plan will save me money (they even have an option of putting the 3rd line on a 200 Minute plan for only $10 extra), but I don't think it's fair to not allow for discounts on handsets when it's time to renew. To me, this has been the luxury of having a "real phone company" as opposed to being with Metro PCS. I appreciate the cost savings, don't get me wrong, but I can't help but feel as though TMo's marketing scheme of competing with these lesser companies such as Metro is in effect making them the SAME as them. I have no problem paying my bill each month, because I have a piece of mind that "you get what you pay for". I'll admit that the reduced bill is VERY TEMPTING, but I enjoy upgrading my BlackBerry every 2 years for a cheaper price....paying $500 for it, not so much. This may seem petty to most, the representative was baffled by my issue. But it's the reality of how I feel :(