Why it matters to you
T-Mobile’s new prepaid plans are cheap, and its free MLB.tv streaming benefit and Apple Care+ discount aren’t bad deals, either.
You can’t stop the inevitable march of progress. In T-Mobile’s case, that means new prepaid plans and subscriber benefits.
This week, the self-coined “Un-carrier” announced revamped prepaid offerings with unlimited talk, text, and a bucket of data: Simply Prepaid and One Prepaid.
The carrier’s Simply Prepaid plans cost $45 or $55 for 4GB and 6GB of data, respectively, and includes many of the same features available to T-Mobile’s postpaid customers. Wi-Fi calling is included, as is a mobile hot spot and unlimited music streaming.
More: T-Mobile takes the wraps off its new Un-Carrier Next Service
The $75 One Prepaid offers all the benefits of Simply Prepaid with the addition of on-device 4G LTE, coverage in Mexico and Canada, and 200MB of roaming data, but with caveats. Hot spot speeds are limited to 3G, and the resolution of streaming video is downgraded to “DVD quality” (HD video passes are available for $3 each).
Prepaid plans aren’t the only things T-Mobile rolled out this week. Postpaid subscribers to the carrier’s Jump plan get Apple+ coverage for the discounted rate of $12 a month per device. That’s in addition to Jump’s other highlights: The freedom to upgrade your smartphone once you’ve paid 50 percent of the previous model’s cost, and insurance for loss, theft, and accidental damage.
Apple+ coverage, normally $130, includes 24/7 priority access to “award-winning” technical support via chat or phone, hardware service with genuine Apple parts, a discounted $29 service fee for iPhone screen damage, $0 for battery maintenance, and an Apple-certified repair or replacement at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers.
More: T-Mobile covers nearly as many people as Verizon and will commit to 5G in the future
To cap off the revamped plans, T-Mobile announced a new subscriber benefit on Tuesday: A free year of MLB.tv baseball streaming. All prepaid, postpaid, and business subscribers get unlimited access to the service, which normally runs $113 a year (and an additional $20 for MLB at Bat mobile phone streaming).
Customers have until 4:59 a.m. ET on April 5 to sign up for the promotion. Once registered, they’ll need to sign into to the MLB.tv app or website before 4:59 a.m. ET on April 11 to retain the free subscription. Free access expires on February 28, 2018.
In addition to the MLB.tv subscription, T-Mobile’s gifting a free Vudu baseball movie rental, a $2 Dunkin’ Donuts gift card, and 30 percent off Groupon Local purchases (up to $40).
More: T-Mobile’s new One plan, with no hidden fees, is rolling out now
T-Mobile has been adding steadily to the pile of benefits its customers already enjoy.
Mobile Without Borders extended T-Mobile coverage to parts of Mexico and Canada. Binge On and Music Freedom provided access to a number of streaming video and music services that don’t count against data caps. And in December, T-Mobile announced Digits, a new service that provides a single phone number that works across smartphones, tablets, and even wearables like smartphones.
These moves come on the heels of a range of network improvements. In December, T-Mobile announced that it covers 313 million people in the U.S. — one million shy of Verizon’s coverage — and that its current generation of cellular can now achieve a faster theoretical speed (1Gbps) than every other major carrier in the U.S.