Is pink not your color anymore? Cancel T-Mobile and find one that suits you.
You may have signed a multi-year agreement with T-Mobile, but that doesn’t mean you’re truly locked in. You can cancel at any time; you just might have to pay some penalties.
- Can I cancel my T-Mobile contract online?
- What kind of fees will I have to pay to cancel?
- Is there any way I can avoid paying these fees?
- What’s the easiest way to get out of my T-Mobile agreement?
- The bottom line
Can I cancel my T-Mobile service online?
Nope. T-Mobile needs to verify who you are and the only way they’ll do that is in person or over the phone. You can call T-Mobile’s customer service line at 1-877-453-1304.
What kind of fees will I have to pay to cancel?
Depending on your plan and your agreement with T-Mobile, you may end up paying a variety of fees.
Billing charges
Depending on where you are in your monthly billing cycle, you might have to pay out the rest of the month.
Early termination fees
Compared to other carriers, T-Mobile lets you off easy. There are no early termination fees for cancellation.
Device/equipment charges
T-Mobile has separated the device payment contract from any service contract, but you will have to pay the balance for any phone you’re buying from T-Mobile in full if you stop using their service. If you return your phone within 14 days of purchase, you only have to pay the restocking fee of $50 ($75 for tablets). If you return your phone after 14 days, you’ll have to pay out whatever you owe. But then of course you also now own the phone, and can use it on another carrier, or sell it.
Is there any way I can avoid paying these fees?
You might be able to sweet-talk a T-Mobile customer service rep into waiving the restocking fee, but I wouldn’t count on it, and there’s certainly no guarantee.
As for paying out your phone, there’s no real way around it. You bought the phone; you might be paying for it on installments; if you want to keep it, you have to buy it out.
Here’s a couple tips to try to get around the penalties:
Poor service
You could try claiming that the service provided by T-Mobile was not what was guaranteed in your agreement. This might lead to them waiving the restocking fee and just taking your phone back for free. Then again, T-Mobile also has a response ready with its home Wi-Fi router program aimed at helping supplement service at your house. Again, it’s pretty unlikely that they’ll let you keep the phone for nothing.
New provider pays your fees
You could try to get your new carrier to buy out your phone for you, like T-Mobile does for other providers’ phones. Depending on the carrier’s policy, it might be a bit of a long shot, but it couldn’t hurt. You might just have to trade in your phone and buy a new one on that carrier’s network.
What’s the easiest way to get out of my T-Mobile agreement?
Tell them you’re moving to another country. Or, just tell them you’re switching providers. T-Mobile is all about “mobile freedom,” so they shouldn’t put up too much of a fuss when you want to leave.
The bottom line
If you’re with T-Mobile and want to cancel, you probably have it much easier than if you were with another carrier. While others charge hundreds of dollars in early termination fees, T-Mobile lets you off with just the restocking fee, taxes, and maybe your monthly bill amount.
