Skip to main content

T-Mobile’s Simply Prepaid plans strengthen its lead over Sprint

A T-Mobile store.
Shuttershock
T-Mobile overtook Sprint as the largest prepaid carrier in the U.S. last year, and now it’s making sure that it stays in first place with new plans. The Simply Prepaid plans follow the same logic as T-Mobile’s traditional Simple Choice plans: You get unlimited talk, text, and data, as well as a specific amount of 4G LTE data each month.

Users can choose set amounts of 4G LTE data ranging from 1GB to 5GB, but even when they exceed that allowance, they’ll still have access to unlimited data at slower speeds. In comparison with earlier prepaid offerings, T-Mobile’s new plans give users a whole lot more data, in addition to unlimited calls and texts, for a low price. Users can also take advantage of T-Mobile’s Wi-Fi calling option.

Here’s the breakdown of the pricing:

  • $40 / month for unlimited data, talk and text (1GB 4G LTE)
  • $50 / month for unlimited data, talk and text (3GB 4G LTE)
  • $60 / month for unlimited data, talk and text (5GB 4G LTE)
Recommended Videos

In contrast, Sprint offers prepaid plans with unlimited talk and text, but your data is limited to 1 to 6GB of data, and you will be charged for more data once you exceed that amount. Additionally, video streaming speeds are limited to 3G LTE, which can be a hassle. Its plans cost slightly less than T-Mobile’s and range from $35 to $55.

T-Mobile’s new plans will be available on January 25. In the meantime, you can check them out on T-Mobile’s website.

Malarie Gokey
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…
5 carriers you should use instead of T-Mobile
The T-Mobile logo on a smartphone.

When it comes to performance, quality, and reliability, T-Mobile is undoubtedly one of the best carriers in the U.S. It offers the fastest speeds and the broadest coverage with reasonably priced plans that include quite a few perks.

However, that may still add up to more than you want to pay; top-notch performance comes with a higher price tag attached. The good news is that T-Mobile is far from the only game in town. In addition to the other two of the big three U.S. carriers -- AT&T and Verizon -- there are dozens of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) that piggyback on the big carrier networks with more affordable plans that offer the same coverage and great performance at a fraction of the price. You’ll get fewer perks, and customer service may not be as responsive, but those may be reasonable tradeoffs for how much you’ll save.

Read more
T-Mobile is buying one of the largest carriers in the U.S.
Cell phone tower shooting off pink beams with a 5G logo next to it.

If you were impacted by T-Mobile's latest price hike and were looking for an alternative carrier, we have some bad news — T-Mobile is buying US Cellular. For those unaware, U.S. Cellular is the fifth-largest carrier in the U.S. despite being a regional carrier based mostly in the Chicago area. Unlike mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) like Metro by T-Mobile or Visible, which piggyback on a parent carrier’s network, US Cellular has its own towers and stores.

The deal would see T-Mobile pay $4.4 billion to take over US Cellular’s wireless customers, stores, and 30% of its spectrum assets. It includes a combination of cash and T-Mobile assuming $2 billion of U.S. Cellular’s debt. US Cellular will keep control of 4,400 of its towers and 70% of its spectrum portfolio, but T-Mobile will extend its leases for 600 US Cellular towers and sign new long-term leases on 2,015 more towers. In a conference call about the deal, T-Mobile also committed to hiring a significant number of U.S. Cellular associates.

Read more
Your next T-Mobile bill might be more expensive
The T-Mobile logo on a smartphone.

We have bad news for you if you have an older T-Mobile wireless plan. According to internal company documents obtained by The Mobile Report, rates for your plan are going up by $2 to $5 per month.

Customers with a legacy Simple Choice, ONE, or Magenta plan will likely experience price increases. The increased price applies to each line, meaning that if you have four lines, you could potentially see a monthly increase of up to $20 per lmonth. CNET also corroborated the report with its own sources.

Read more