T-Mobile to Move to No-Contract Model Soon?

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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TMO News is reporting that T-Mobile is preparing to make an announcement as early as Monday to outline the switch to a no-contract system. Other major changes are rumored to be in the works for T-Mobile including new marketing plans.

Legere also said then that T-Mobile would eliminate subsidies on handsets this year -- that's the model used by most big carriers, which gets you an upfront deal on the cost of your phone but typically locks you into a two-year contract.
 
Everything they've said so far indicates that they are taking a hybrid approach. They will allow the customer to subsidize their own handset. Case in point.

16GB iPhone 5 - retail is $649
On Verizon, you can get it for retail, or for $200 subsidized. The BASE plan is $90/mo (1GB of data) and goes up from there. It doesn't matter if you pay in full or subsidized.

On T-Mobile, their base plan is 500min, unlim txt, unlim data (throttled after 2GB) for $49.99/mo. You can get unlimited everything for $69.99/mo. You have the option (under these new plans), you can buy it up front, or you can name your own price and pay the rest off as part of the plan, over 20 months. IE, if you wanted to pay the $200 (Verizon-like) cost, you'd ow $449 over 20 months, or $22.45/mo. So, your monthly bill on the base plan would be $72.44/mo ($92.44 on the unlimited plan), and then $49.99/mo after your first 20 months is up ($69.99 on unlimited).

It's an interest free loan that makes it feel like the subsidy model, but you still ultimately end up paying less.
 
I was planning on moving to T mobile eventually. Virgin Mobile dosent have very good signal here in norfolk. and the good phones have been lacking due to their sluggishness in adopting tech.

I for one am excited in the possible model they may go to.
 
I have a sweet T-Mobile plan for only $30 a month, total. All taxes and fees are built in.

I get unlimited text, 5GB data ( not trottled, and yes, I've double-checked with 3 different stores here in the KC area as well as over the phone ) and 100mins voice.

Ok, 100mins is pretty limited but I'm just never on the phone with people for more than a few minutes here and there. BTW, the plan is hidden somewhere on T-Mobile. It's called the Walmart $30 Pre-Paid Plan I think.

I've said this a few times here on HardOCP. You owe it not only to yourselves but your pocket book as well to at least make the effort to save money. I'm not talking $5 - $10 here and there I'm talking about major MAJOR monthly savings of 50% - 70% or more for the same exact service.

$%#K dealing with ATT / Verizon and Sprint directly. All 3 of those companies re-sell their services to smaller players. There are many out there with unlimited txt, 2GB data and unlimited voice for $45 - $60 a month. And the high-end phone you want can be found on craigslist / eBay for around $225 - $300. Here in Kansas City you can find near mint / new Apple 32GB 4S's for $300, S3's, LG's etc, the really nice ones in the same price range.

$120 a month, $600 phones, 2 year contracts, ......... seriously?
 
I've been with verizon - for almost 2 years (contract is up in November of this year) and while I've been very happy and had zero issues with them (billing or service wise) I must say paying 98 dollars a month (that's with a 20% discount is pretty damn tiring.

I love 4G LTE -- truly badass, I get 10GB of data per month, 400 minutes, unlimited text... I'd be willing to give up a lot of that for a smaller bill.

My problem is that I'm a total phone whore -- I wanted a Galaxy Nexus and got it on Verizon via Amazon (actually a great deal at the time)

If Tmobile can get the Galaxy S4 around the time I'm jumping ship, and if they can provide decent voice/data coverage here in Dallas/Ft Worth -- I'd happily sign up with them, and save 40 bucks a month.
 
My T-Mobile plan was going to go up in contract in October, and mostly because I have tons of minutes I never use. I rarely talk to people on the phone, but texting seems to be the only way people wanna talk. I have people asking me how to do certain things, and want me to explain through text messages.

So I'm overpaying, but can't change the contract otherwise I risk extending it for another 2 years, which at that point will only put me in a similar situation. I also don't worry about buying phones from T-Mobile. I just bought a $50 myTouch 4G Slide from Ebay with a broken digitizer. Easy and cheap fix for an additional $20. Rooted and S-OFF the phone and now I'm running around with JellyBean. I have the option to upgrade, but I'll just be stuck for another 2 years paying that off too. Fixing the phone was cheaper then dealing with the activation fee.

And honestly, when my contract is off I'll probably go with Walmarts family plan, which is honestly just T-Mobile with cheaper plans. Plus I can just migrate my existing phones over with no problems.
 
I have a sweet T-Mobile plan for only $30 a month, total. All taxes and fees are built in.

I get unlimited text, 5GB data ( not trottled, and yes, I've double-checked with 3 different stores here in the KC area as well as over the phone ) and 100mins voice.

Ok, 100mins is pretty limited but I'm just never on the phone with people for more than a few minutes here and there. BTW, the plan is hidden somewhere on T-Mobile. It's called the Walmart $30 Pre-Paid Plan I think.

I've said this a few times here on HardOCP. You owe it not only to yourselves but your pocket book as well to at least make the effort to save money. I'm not talking $5 - $10 here and there I'm talking about major MAJOR monthly savings of 50% - 70% or more for the same exact service.

$%#K dealing with ATT / Verizon and Sprint directly. All 3 of those companies re-sell their services to smaller players. There are many out there with unlimited txt, 2GB data and unlimited voice for $45 - $60 a month. And the high-end phone you want can be found on craigslist / eBay for around $225 - $300. Here in Kansas City you can find near mint / new Apple 32GB 4S's for $300, S3's, LG's etc, the really nice ones in the same price range.

$120 a month, $600 phones, 2 year contracts, ......... seriously?

Seriously as long as you have good T-Mobile signal and don't need a large amount of minutes the $30 plan can not be beat. Throw in a Nexus 4 from Google for $299 and you have an amazing deal. I am never going back to being locked into a shitty contract and overpaying for service again.
 
Tmobile is seriously steam rolling the way of the big carriers, they are going to steal a ton of customers in the coming months. They just need to better advertise their prepaid and "bring your own phone" plans though.

After their refarm is 100% done it will be tough to compete.
 
Once I'm done with the contract I'm in, my hope was to switch. I still have the unlimited unthrottled LTE from Verizon but a 50% cheaper bill every month seems quite tempting.
 
even if you have the tmo 100 minutes plan for $30 minutes are not an issue, groove IP + google voice = free unlimited minutes lol as long as you have wifi....
 
As always, your voice of reason and depth of knowledge shines through Mr. Rattle.

Here in AZ, Cricket offers a pretty slick deal for $50 a month. Unlimited talk and text with I believe a gig of 4g(unlimited 3g).

But ill be all over tmo simply to support their war on the big three. Just waiting on S4 vs One reviews...
 
When the S4 drops I will jump to T-Mo, I am sick of sprint and the craptastic service they have provided over the last few years.
 
Makes total sense. Contracts are completely outdated business models. Everyone I know is going for unlocked phones for upgrading this time. Pre-paid no contract setups are far more appealing than some multi year contract that over charges the crap it of you. With an unlocked phone you can easily resell it and it makes upgrading a synch.
 
I have a sweet T-Mobile plan for only $30 a month, total. All taxes and fees are built in.

I get unlimited text, 5GB data ( not trottled, and yes, I've double-checked with 3 different stores here in the KC area as well as over the phone ) and 100mins voice.

Ok, 100mins is pretty limited but I'm just never on the phone with people for more than a few minutes here and there. BTW, the plan is hidden somewhere on T-Mobile. It's called the Walmart $30 Pre-Paid Plan I think.

I've said this a few times here on HardOCP. You owe it not only to yourselves but your pocket book as well to at least make the effort to save money. I'm not talking $5 - $10 here and there I'm talking about major MAJOR monthly savings of 50% - 70% or more for the same exact service.

$%#K dealing with ATT / Verizon and Sprint directly. All 3 of those companies re-sell their services to smaller players. There are many out there with unlimited txt, 2GB data and unlimited voice for $45 - $60 a month. And the high-end phone you want can be found on craigslist / eBay for around $225 - $300. Here in Kansas City you can find near mint / new Apple 32GB 4S's for $300, S3's, LG's etc, the really nice ones in the same price range.

$120 a month, $600 phones, 2 year contracts, ......... seriously?

That plan actually has unlimited data, but the first 5GB is up to 4G speeds. I paid full price for my phone up front and jumped on that plan the first day it came out. Factoring in the cost of a $600 phone plus tax, it would have been equal to paying $55/mo for 2-years then $30/mo after that.
 
I will never go away from Verizon, ONLY because of service.

I think I could find a lower monthly bill BUT a lot of my buddies have AT&T and TMobile and get CRAP for service but have the same phone. I pay 159 dollars a month for 700 minutes, Unlimited Texts, 6GB shared.

I used to be with TMobile up in Massachusetts, and AT&T in Texas...and everytime I have moved, I had very different service. With Verizon I dont have to worry about that.
 
I will never go away from Verizon, ONLY because of service.

I think I could find a lower monthly bill BUT a lot of my buddies have AT&T and TMobile and get CRAP for service but have the same phone. I pay 159 dollars a month for 700 minutes, Unlimited Texts, 6GB shared.

I used to be with TMobile up in Massachusetts, and AT&T in Texas...and everytime I have moved, I had very different service. With Verizon I dont have to worry about that.

That's what bothers me so much with the big guys. As time goes on they've offered less and less for more and more money. I pay $65 for unlimited LTE with no throttling, 450 minutes and 500 texts (unlimited to other Verizon phones). To top that off, spending any amount of time in Europe shows you how ridiculous the way cellular service works here is. My sentiments are the same as a few others here, I'd rather support something other than AT&T or Verizon.
 
More than any other company in recent history, I am hoping for T-Mobile's success....

Sure, they have some scale problems, but they are the only one of the big four that are espousing fair pricing, transparency, and openness.....
 
Sadly, T-mobile and Google Voice do not work together as stated within the Google Voice options.

And thank you for the correction on the unlimited data on my plan. I think maybe I blocked out the throttled part after 5GB and told myself, well, you have 5GB.
 
Sadly, T-mobile and Google Voice do not work together as stated within the Google Voice options.

And thank you for the correction on the unlimited data on my plan. I think maybe I blocked out the throttled part after 5GB and told myself, well, you have 5GB.

Yep no call forwarding on T-Mobile prepaid. You have to make GV your primary number for this to work.
 
Seriously considering trading my HTC EVO 4G LTE to someone for a GSM S3 or GNex and T-Mobile when my plan is up.
 
Really hope this means that there will be some sales on the S4 for us value plan people instead of having to buy it at full price. Right now I'm on the value plan and if I want a new phone I have to pay full price.
 
We switched from Sprint to T-Mobile. T-Mobile still excludes the IPhone 5 from 4G or LTE. But Sprint service was absolutly non-existant in DFW (like getting 11-30 KILOBYTES per second).

My family and my parents all got under a "Family Plan" and its like $45 a month per phone for unlimited everything. And eventually the Iphone will actually be able to do LTE.

It did suck buying a $650 phone though. Luckily my old Iphone can still fetch $300.
 
Yeah I have a mint / basically new Galaxy Nexus Prime with box and brand new in box otter defender I'm wanting to sell for $275 shipped. Amazing phone just never used it. Jelly Bean 4.1.2 I think is on it. Still has the plastic film on the screen
 
Yep no call forwarding on T-Mobile prepaid. You have to make GV your primary number for this to work.

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I think certain T-Mobile MVNOs support this. The ones I've got in mind are Solavei (if you don't mind the multi-level marketing stench) and Ptel, but I'm sure there are others.

I just switched to Ptel's $50 plan. Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and 2GB HSPA+ data with a soft cap - and no tax! It's a nice happy medium between the T-Mo $30 plan and the more expensive $70 T-Mo unlimited, unthrottled plan.
 
I was planning on moving to T mobile eventually. Virgin Mobile dosent have very good signal here in norfolk. and the good phones have been lacking due to their sluggishness in adopting tech.

I for one am excited in the possible model they may go to.

Sprint. The 'good phones' are lacking not due to their sluggishness in adopting tech, but because Sprint doesn't want to compete with itself. Virgin Mobile USA is a wholly owned Sprint subsidiary and will always have average phones for as long as Sprint has the newest and premium models to entice people into signing a contract instead.

Personally, I can't wait for the contract model to go bye bye for good.
 
I will never go away from Verizon, ONLY because of service.

I think I could find a lower monthly bill BUT a lot of my buddies have AT&T and TMobile and get CRAP for service but have the same phone. I pay 159 dollars a month for 700 minutes, Unlimited Texts, 6GB shared.

I used to be with TMobile up in Massachusetts, and AT&T in Texas...and everytime I have moved, I had very different service. With Verizon I dont have to worry about that.

Oh you will. I said the same thing until Verizon started charging more for the same service and because paying $180 a month for 2 phones without unlimited plans will scare anyone away.

Verizon does have the best network in the US but they are awful about everything else and cost more than anyone else. T-Mobile is expanding its service more and more and its gotten a lot better than you probably experienced it.
 
We switched from Sprint to T-Mobile. T-Mobile still excludes the IPhone 5 from 4G or LTE. But Sprint service was absolutly non-existant in DFW (like getting 11-30 KILOBYTES per second).

My family and my parents all got under a "Family Plan" and its like $45 a month per phone for unlimited everything. And eventually the Iphone will actually be able to do LTE.

If I'm not mistaken, T-Mobile uses a unique 3G and 4G signal that isn't compatible with whatever AT&T or Verizon uses. Sprint and Verizon are identical in signal frequency I think.

This unfortunately means that any phone from these Carriers won't work on anything but Edge speeds on T-Mobile. iPhones are unique though, as they can do both CDMA and GSM. Most phones can't.
 
If Tmobile can get the Galaxy S4 around the time I'm jumping ship, and if they can provide decent voice/data coverage here in Dallas/Ft Worth -- I'd happily sign up with them, and save 40 bucks a month.

Unless TMo plans to make some major upgrades in the DFW area I highly recommend staying away from them. TMo absolutely blows in the DFW area. The more statistics I compile, I'm convinced it is because they have far too many people on the network in the area than it can handle. Case in point: I work on the north border of DFW airport. The entire work day I have no internet (it says 4G but it doesn't work). When I get off work at 5 and sit in the parking lot to check emails etc. it works okay (its still not great speeds, but at least works). I think its because all the people that are crammed into that business park are leaving and no longer having to compete with all the DFW airport commuters as well. It may just be Irving, but if I recall BlueFalcon visits these boards and he is over in Ft. Worth and he stated his TMo was bad over there too.

I've got two AT&T Straight Talk sims I bought before they sold out and I'm just itching to switch. I would like to stay with TMo because they seem the most adaptive, but why go with a service that means well but can't deliver? I keep holding out faith on news they are going to upgrade the DFW area soon to LTE with all that AT&T spectrum they won. I guess it's a pipe dream for now.
 
I have been with Tmo for about 9 months now and love my "value plan" that I am on. I have 5 lines and my monthly total is about $78 a month for 1000 min. unlim txt. I was paying $148 for the same service (only 4 lines) on AT&T. When I got to the end of my contract I had them unlock my phones and then I took them to Tmo and didn't look back.
 
Once I'm done with the contract I'm in, my hope was to switch. I still have the unlimited unthrottled LTE from Verizon but a 50% cheaper bill every month seems quite tempting.

I was grandfathered into the AT&T unlimited iPhone plan and switched to Straight Talk as soon as I could. Sucks not having a truely unlimited plan anymore (since it's throttled after a certain amount of data is used)... but the amount I'm paying is awesome. You're also not locked into a contract for 24 months, which is really nice too.

At this time, I would NEVER go back to a contract based plan unless I was getting truely unlimited, all you can eat, data.... and at a sub-50.00 price point.

On AT&T I was paying, after discount, around 100.00 a month. Screw that noise.
 
(dang no edit)

I'm really hoping that TMo turns on iPhone usable 3/4G in my area soon. I'll gladly give them a try.
 
I'm in the Chicago area, and nothing really beats US Cellular's service out here.

However, I heard last year sprint is trying to buy them out. :(
 
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I think certain T-Mobile MVNOs support this. The ones I've got in mind are Solavei (if you don't mind the multi-level marketing stench) and Ptel, but I'm sure there are others.

I just switched to Ptel's $50 plan. Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and 2GB HSPA+ data with a soft cap - and no tax! It's a nice happy medium between the T-Mo $30 plan and the more expensive $70 T-Mo unlimited, unthrottled plan.
What's Ptel? This plan looks ideal for me, where did you get it?
 
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