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It's not easy to be a T-Mobile fan nowadays, as the wireless service provider that arguably revolutionized the industry with its "Un-carrier" moves, promotions, and free stuff not very long ago appears to have borrowed every "traditional carrier" trick in the book over the past couple of years, taking some of them to new heights of deviousness.
Amid a flurry of increased fees and rumors of monthly price hikes on the horizon, Magenta seems to have made a small but important change to the prepaid section of its website at some point in the last few days. This revision could have gone completely unnoticed were it not for an eagle-eyed Redditor, whose observation we've been able to independently confirm using a tool that cannot be tampered with.
Farewell, sweet $10 Connect plan!
Introduced more than two years ago as part of an initiative dubbed somewhat pompously "5G for Good", the dirt-cheap $10 a month Connect plan with 1GB data, 1,000 minutes of talk, and 1,000 texts was live on T-Mobile's website as recently as April 24, 2024, according to the Wayback Machine records.
As of today, April 29, this option no longer appears in T-Mobile's Connect portfolio of affordable prepaid plans. Instead, customers have to pay at least $15 a month now for their wireless service with the nation's second-largest operator, no matter how modest their data consumption and mobile communication needs may be.
These were T-Mobile's most affordable plans last week.
The $15, $25, and $35 prepaid options with 5, 8, and 12GB data respectively, as well as unlimited talk and text across the board, are all totally unchanged from five days ago, mind you, which is naturally making a few Redditors quite unhappy.
Interestingly, several people are saying that the $10 Connect plan is still available through "assisted channels" and brick and mortar stores, which essentially means that you only need to ask T-Mobile nicely for a new line of ultra-affordable service with a little bit of data and a few minutes and texts on it.
That's probably a temporary situation set to change before long, and what's perhaps even worse is that we expect all "Connect by T-Mobile" plans to be retired in the relatively near future.
So what are your best low-cost options now?
Simply put, these prepaid plans are truly unrivaled in today's wireless landscape in terms of their value for money, which explains why T-Mobile is discontinuing one of them... and burying the rest.
That's right, the $15, $25, and $35 Connect plans that are still very much available for any and all T-Mo customers don't appear in the operator's main prepaid lineup here. To find them on the "Un-carrier's" official website, you have to specifically Google the T-Mobile Connect program, which only goes to show how little Magenta cares about those promises made all the way back in 2020 of helping the "most vulnerable in America get and stay connected."
These are T-Mobile's most affordable plans today.
What's interesting is that the "5G for Good" initiative originally debuted with a single $15 Connect plan, which has since been upgraded to included 5 gigs of high-speed data instead of just 2. The $25 option released in 2022 with 6GB data was similarly bumped up to 8 gigs, while the $35 plan is unchanged to this day.
If you're in the market for a new prepaid plan or line, you should definitely hurry and at least try to join the Connect program while you can, as T-Mobile is more heavily advertising its "standard" prepaid options setting you back $40 a month with 10GB data and at least $50 for "unlimited" service (with various caps and asterisks).
Elsewhere, you can get 5GB high-speed data for $30 a month at Metro by T-Mobile or 15 gigs a month for $35 with Verizon's most affordable prepaid plan. That latter offer is really not bad (especially for Big Red), but if you don't need that much data and simply want to spend as little money as possible on your wireless bill, we certainly understand your anger and frustration at T-Mo's apparent decision to kill off its entry-level $10 plan.
Galaxy S24+ with T-Mobile and trade-in: save up to $800
Get the Galaxy S24+ with a subscription to T-Mobile via Samsung.com, and you can save up to $800 over 24 monthly bill credits. The promo requires trade-ins, plus the Go5G Plus or the Go5G Next plan.
Galaxy S23 is up to $535 off with T-Mobile and a trade-in
Alternatively, you can trade in a suitable phone and sign up to T-Mobile through Samsung.com to save up to $535 on the Galaxy S23. Extra savings are available via Samsung's Offer Programs.
Save up to $1,000 on Z Flip 5 with T-Mobile at Samsung
Currently, you can get the Z Flip 5 with a subscription to T-Mobile through the official Samsung store for up to $1,000 off! The deal requires an eligible device trade-in, plus the Go5G Plus or Go5G Next plan.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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