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T-Mobile is raising prices on several cellular plans - here's how much and when
Typically known for its low prices on cellular subscriptions, T-Mobile is bumping up the monthly cost for a number of plans. In a series of X posts on Wednesday, the so-called "Un-carrier" revealed that it's adjusting the prices on some of its plans in response to rising costs. Although the posts didn't reveal which plans would be affected, The Mobile Report has spilled the beans.
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The increases will affect customers on the Simple Choice and ONE plans and possibly on older plans, including those from Sprint, which officially merged with T-Mobile in 2020, The Mobile Report said. The price changes are due to go into effect on your June 5 billing cycle. Affected customers are due to start receiving confirmation messages from T-Mobile on Wednesday.
In an internal T-Mobile memo obtained by The Mobile Report, the carrier confirmed the changes.
"As costs continue to rise, for the first time in nearly a decade we're making small adjustments to the prices of some of our oldest rate plans," the memo said. "The majority of our customers are not included. The small fraction of customers who are included will be notified on May 22. Included customers will see a rate plan price increase of $2 or $5 per voice line and $2 per eligible BTS (Beyond the Smartphone) line on their next bill, as early as June 5."
Based on a few confirmed cases, The Mobile Report has so far reported the following changes: The Magenta, Magenta 55+, Magenta First Responder, and ONE plans may see prices rise by $5 per month per line. The Magenta MAX, Magenta Amplified, and Simple Choice plans may see prices go up by $2 per line per month.
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The increases could be staggered or might not even occur for all customers. For example, one Simple Choice subscriber did see the $2 price change, while another customer on the same plan has not seen it. As another example, some Magenta plans aren't impacted, according to The Mobile Report, which urged T-Mobile customers to be patient with customer support and wait for the confirmation text to see if they're affected.
On the surface, a price jump of $2 or even $5 per month may not sound like a lot, but the increase impacts each line. So a household that has four or five lines will have to pay as much as $20 or $25 extra per month. That's particularly painful given that some of these affected plans are designed for customers on a budget.
Asked about the price increases, a T-Mobile spokesperson told ZDNET: "We won't be sharing details about which plans, but we notified included customers yesterday. They'll see the change on their June or July bill, and it's $2 or $5 per line."
The spokesperson also sent the following statement: "T-Mobile is committed to offering the best value in postpaid wireless with low prices and a differentiated, best-in-class 5G network - and we have no intention of ever changing that. That being said, as inflation and costs continue to rise, for the first time in nearly a decade we're making small adjustments to prices of some of our oldest rate plans. The majority of our customers are not included, but the fraction who are heard from us yesterday."
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So far, the people responding to T-Mobile's X post are not happy about the increases.
"I am pretty sure when I chose the plan I have, the advertisement said the price would never change," wrote one customer. "WHAT rising costs? We pay for the phones, not T-Mobile. Those of us on the 55+ are on it for our budgets. What costs do you have?" said another. "No rate increases ever...is a lie. Thanks, T-Mobile. Time to find a new carrier," said a third.
If you're affected by one of the price increases, you can speak with T-Mobile customer support to review other plans and benefits to see if any might be cheaper. If not, jump ship to a different carrier.
T-Mobile's plans are already relatively low-priced compared with those at Verizon and AT&T, so you may want to consider going outside the big three US carriers. That brings us to mobile virtual network operators. MVNOs don't own any mobile spectrum themselves but sell their own services that use the network of a larger mobile carrier.
MVNOs such as US Mobile, Mint Mobile, Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless, and Xfinity Mobile typically offer less expensive plans. You may not get all the bells and whistles that you would with one of the major carriers, but if price increases are breaking your budget, this is an option worth investigating.