T-Mobile offers a study in contrasts. Their plans tend to be somewhat more economical than other cell phone providers. They’re also well thought out, offering customers combinations of features that are likely to be used rather than being inflated in one area while falling short in another. The cell phone provider's plans are flexible enough to meet just about anyone’s needs. The cell phone provider’s downside continues to be the reach of its network. Customers inevitably report more areas without service outside of their home area than the other national cell providers. The situation is worse for data service than voice, with the expansion of its 3G network being painfully slow.
On a positive note, customer service from T-Mobile routinely ranks higher than either AT&T or Sprint and only a fraction behind industry leader Verizon Wireless.
Unlimited Plans
T-Mobile categorizes its service plans into three categories: Talk, Talk + Text and Talk + Text + Web. Unlimited talk time costs $59.99 per month, making it the least expensive among the major carriers. Unlimited voice calls and messaging are also a bargain at $69.99 monthly. The unlimited Talk + Text + Web plan runs $99.99 a month, the same as Sprint’s Simply Everything plan.
The cell phone provider’s unlimited voice family plan costs $99.99 a month for the first two lines while third, fourth and fifth lines can be added for $40.00 per month each. As an alternative, the additional lines can get 200 minutes of talk time for $9.99 monthly.
The Family Talk + Text plan runs $119.99 per month for the first two lines of service. Like the voice only plan, additional lines, up to a total of five, can be added for $40.00 a month each. The option for 200 minutes of talk time for the extra lines is the same.
Family Unlimited Talk + Text + Web plans start at $179.99 for two lines of service. There’s a good deal of flexibility for lines three through five in that not all services have to be chosen for each. Unlimited voice and messaging can be added to the extra lines for $40.00 each, or the $10.00 for 200 voice minutes option is also available. Adding unlimited data for the additional lines costs $30.00 per month for each smartphone or $10.00 a month for other phones.
Traditional Plans
For customers who don’t need an unlimited calling plan, there are a number of options. There’s a 500 minute voice only plan available for $39.99 or 1000 minutes for $49.99. Unlimited messaging can be added to either plan for $20.00 more each month and unlimited web access for another $20.00.
There’s a family plan that features 750 shared anytime minutes for $59.99 for the first two lines of service and up to three more lines can be added to share those same minutes for just $5.00 more per line per month. A similar plan offers 1500 shared minutes for $79.99 monthly, with additional lines at $5.00 each. Unlimited messaging can be added to either plan for $20.00 more.
Similar 750 minute and 1500 minute shared voice minute plans can have both messaging and unlimited web access added to them. The 750 minute plan starts at $139.99 for two lines, while the 1500 minute plan runs $159.99. Each additional line costs $5.00 per month more to share the voice minutes and unlimited messaging. To add data access to the additional lines costs $30.00 a month for smartphones and $10.00 monthly for other devices.
T-Mobile was the first U.S. cell phone provider to offer an Android OS based smartphone, the T-Mobile G-1. Several other Android phones are also now available. BlackBerries are also featured, as are a couple of Windows Mobile-based devices. There’s a wide selection of free phones, as well as some good deals that can be snagged with T-Mobile Certified open box devices.
Presumably based primarily on network limitations, this cell phone provider doesn’t offer the streaming services like music and TV that the other national carriers can provide. Still, they do offer a large selection of ringtones, ringback tones and wallpapers to allow individuals to customize phones to their own liking. Games are also available for purchase and downloading.
For customers who don’t qualify for contract plans or for those who simply prefer the benefits of pre-paid cell phone programs, T-Mobile offers a program called Even More Plus. The plans offered by this cell phone provider are essentially the same as detailed above in the Plans section though they cost less on a monthly basis. The downside is that the purchase price of phones isn’t subsidized.
There’s a $200 early termination fee for cancelling a contract before its term is completed. A $35.00 activation fee is charged for establishing a new line of service by this cell phone provider.
T-Mobile’s website offers plenty of information that is helpful to customers, including an extensive FAQs section and support videos. The My T-Mobile feature allows customers to access account information and to complete many transactions. Telephone and email customer service are available, but the site lacks the live chat function that the other national carriers offer.
T-Mobile has broad appeal because the pricing plans are generally a bit less expensive than other providers for similar service. They’re also consistently near the top in customer service rankings. Network coverage, on the other hand, has been a weak point for some time, particularly with regard to data coverage.
