T-Mobile is one of the major cellular carriers in the US.
T-Mobile's prepaid plans are designed for those who don't qualify for postpaid T-Mobile plans, want more flexibility, or who don't need all the features of a post-paid plan. Prepaid plans do NOT include the added perk of having fees and taxes included in a plan's base price, as T-Mobile Postpaid plans do.
Currently, T-Mobile offers several prepaid plan options:
- T-Mobile ONE Prepaid
- T-Mobile ONE Domestic Only Prepaid
- T-Mobile Simply Prepaid
- T-Mobile Prepaid Pay-as-you-go
- Prepaid Mobile Internet
For Our Comparative Pricing Grid:
Guide to Cellular Data Plan Pricing
Table of Contents
- Testing Status
- Smartphone Plans
- Data Only Plans
- Simple Choice Prepaid Mobile Internet
- Retired Plans
- Thoughts & Analysis (Member Only)
- Prepaid Policies (Member Only)
Testing Status
We are not currently testing any T-Mobile Prepaid (direct) plans.
Current Smartphone Plans
T-Mobile prepaid currently offers four prepaid plan types, none of which include taxes and fees in their pricing:
- T-Mobile ONE Prepaid: Unlimited talk, text and on-device LTE Data. Unlimited 3G mobile hotspot. 5GB data in Canada/Mexico. (T-Mobile Plan Details)
- T-Mobile ONE Domestic Only Prepaid : Unlimited talk, text and on-device LTE Data. Unlimited 3G mobile hotspot. No international use (international options available for an additional fee). (T-Mobile Plan Details)
- T-Mobile Simply Prepaid: Unlimited talk, text and 10GB of hotspottable LTE Data. (T-Mobile Plan Details)
- T-Mobile Prepaid Pay-as-you-go: Purchase 500MB LTE Data for $5/ day or 1GB data for $10/ week. 30 minutes of talk/texts - each additional is 10 cents per minute/message (sending and receiving) Single line only, starts at $3/month. (T-Mobile Plan Details)
Policies & Perks
- Carrier Networks Used: T-Mobile
- Carrier Relation: Direct, prepaid
- Plan Types Available: Phone
- Device Types Permitted: Phones
- Device Purchase Required: No, but can purchase a device
- Mobile Hotspot Use: Varies by plan
- T-Mobile ONE Prepaid & Domestic Only Prepaid: Unlimited 3G speeds.
- T-Mobile Simply Prepaid: 10GB of full LTE speed per month then slowed to 2G speeds (~256kbps).
- T-Mobile Prepaid Pay-as-you-go: Allowed for any purchased data pass.
- Throttling: Hotspot data on ONE prepaid plans is throttled to 3G speeds.
- Network Management: 50GB for all plans
- International Roaming:
- T-Mobile ONE Prepaid: 5GB of data in Canada/Mexico included
- T-Mobile ONE Prepaid Domestic Only: 5GB of data in Canada/Mexico available for +$5/month
- T-Mobile Simply Prepaid: 5GB of data (from data bucket) in Canada/Mexico available for +$5/month
- T-Mobile Prepaid Pay-as-you-go: Up to 5GB of data (from data bucket) in Canada/Mexico available for +$5/month
- "Not for extended international use; you must reside in the U.S. and primary usage must occur on our U.S. network. Service may be terminated or restricted for excessive roaming."
- Domestic Roaming:
- 200MB/Month for plans launched after 11/15/15
- For plans launched before 11/15/15, check this T-Mobile Support Document.
- Plan Period: Monthly
- Data Roll Over: No
- Overage Charges: None
- Streaming:
- T-Mobile ONE Prepaid & ONE Domestic Only Prepaid: Video Streams throttled to 1.5Mbps (~480p). A daily ($3) pass can be purchased to enable HD video.
- T-Mobile Simply Prepaid: Includes Music Unlimited. Subject to Data Maximizer (480p) restrictions, but these can be turned off.
- T-Mobile Prepaid Pay-as-you-go: Subject to Data Maximizer (480p) restrictions.
- Unlimited: Yes, with ONE Prepaid
- Lines permitted per account: Varies
- Extras: Music Unlimited is included on Simply plans.
Data-Only Plans
Currently, there is a single data-only prepaid option.
Prepaid Mobile Internet
This is a tiered data only plan for hotspot devices, tablets, and wearables. After the capped data amount is reached, speeds are slowed to 2G. This plan is also eligible for Data Passes on a per-day, week or monthly basis.
Available Plan Data Buckets:
- 2GB: $10 + taxes&fees
- 6GB: $25 + taxes&fees
- 10GB: $40 + taxes&fees
- 14GB: $55 + taxes&fees
- 18GB: $70 + taxes&fees
- 22GB: $85 + taxes&fees
Policies & Perks:
- Carrier Networks Used: T-Mobile
- Carrier Relation: Direct, prepaid
- Plan Types Available: Data Only
- Device Types Permitted: Hotspots, Tablets, Wearables
- Device Purchase Required: No, but can purchase a device
- Mobile Hotspot Use: Yes, all
- Throttling: Full speeds available up to data allotment then data is slowed to 2G speeds for the balance of service period.
- Network Management: 50GB (not applicable)
- International Roaming: Fine print: "Not for extended international use; you must reside in the U.S. and primary usage must occur on our U.S. network. Service may be terminated or restricted for excessive roaming."
- Max 5GB/month of high-speed data use permitted in Canada & Mexico.
- Domestic Roaming: None
- Plan Period: 30 Day
- Data Roll Over: None
- Overage Charges: None
- Streaming:
- Video streams at 480p (SD) via Data Maximizer, but this feature can be turned off at any time for HD streaming.
- Plans include Music Unlimited which means that audio streaming doesn't count against your high-speed data limit.
- Unlimited: None
- Lines permitted per plan: N/A
- Extras: None
Simple Choice Prepaid (Retired)
In late March 2017, T-Mobile retired their popular Simple Choice Prepaid plans. Customers on those plans will be grandfathered until they change/end their payments on their plan.
Potential Alternatives to Consider:
For other featured cellular data plans ideal for RVers and Crusiers - here's some other options to consider:
Learn More About Selecting Cellular Data Plans
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Purchasing Options
Selecting the right cellular data plan for your mobile internet needs is only one part of the equation. Here's some further guides on understanding the selection process as well as the additional gear you might need.
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