I sat down with T-Mobile's execs and learned what the T-Mix press release left out

The T-Life window that decides when you choose your Picks

I asked Samson for more specifics about how "remixing" (the term T-Mobile is using to describe when you choose your mix of perks) works on T-Mix. For example, I described my very specific needs as someone who is always looking to cut unnecessary monthly expenses where possible. These needs include hopping between streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max and never keeping the two subscriptions active at the same time so my bills don't climb.

Samson's response was a simple one: you can manage all of this through the T-Life app and only worry about one bill, your T-Mobile bill. You won't be stressing about rogue bills if you have a centralized location for all these perks you normally have to sign up separately for.

And I understood that, because the way I'm doing things now forces me to keep a bills calendar where I have to set reminders to cancel and cycle between the streaming services I want, all depending on which shows I'm into at the time.

However, my next question was about the lifetime of these Picks. You see, with T-Mix each Pick runs for 90 days, and once you make a Pick it was my understanding that you are stuck with it for the next 3 months.

But what happens if you forget to set your Picks? Is there a grace period where you get to go back and change your choices?

Samson confirmed that the cycle runs for 90 days and you can only change your Picks in the last 10 days of that cycle (meaning days 81 to 90). On day 91, your new Picks start, and if you forgot and didn't pick anything, your previous Picks just roll over to the next cycle.

However, he also explained that this isn't an all-or-nothing approach. First, the T-Life app will begin a countdown as soon as you make your Picks that will run the whole cycle and will be clearly displayed when you open the app. In addition to that, you receive a text message when that window opens to ensure you do not miss it.

That said, if none of this got your attention and you still missed the window and really want to make a change to your Picks, you'll be glad to know that there is a way. It's just probably not the one you want to hear, as making changes outside the allowed window will set you back a $15 "Perk Swap Penalty."

Samson explained that this fee is necessary because T-Mobile commits to paying each partner for the full 90 days of service, so this fee covers that. However, there's comfort in knowing that if you somehow drop your phone in a lake you can at any time trade those streaming Picks for $15 and put them toward getting a replacement phone, even if it happens in the middle of a 90-day cycle.

Using T-Mix to handle the subscriptions you already pay for

When I asked McLellan what her T-Mix pitch is to someone who only needs one line, is looking for the most value and wants to pay the least amount of money, her answer was simply: value.

McLellan explained that in her opinion T-Mix is still worth it on one line starting at $55 because you still get the choice to bring your own phone and add a Pick, and the savings become that one subscription you can now stop paying for separately.

Everyone's case is different, but while speaking with her I was doing the math in my head for my own situation. I'm a former T-Mobile customer who moved to an MVNO for the savings I thought I was getting. But calculating what I'm paying now for my service and that Netflix subscription that used to be covered by T-Mobile, I'd just about break even.

Except, I now have more on my plate as I have personally taken on the rigmarole of cycling through subscriptions and making sure they don't overlap so I don't get double-billed. It's a tedious chore that, depending on your situation, you might want to skip.

On the marketing side, McLellan said her first task when it comes to educating people about T-Mix is to wake them up to the fact that they may be paying for things that they don't use. She used her own example, where she discovered she was paying for DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart and two Shipt accounts (one with her Apple ID and one with her personal ID) and then ended up asking herself whether she really needed five food delivery services. Probably not.

This, McLellan explained, is where the new "Wake Up" ad campaign with Bryan Cranston ties in. The first ad debuted on Thursday Night Football the same day of the launch. Meanwhile, a second ad was shown to us at the press conference where Cranston had the line that stuck with me throughout the whole event: "I'm funding a life I don't live."