T-Mobile Super Essentials Saver review: the secret plan hiding inside Walmart for newcomers

T-Mobile is hiding a super secret plan in Walmart stores that it doesn’t openly advertise but which might be the best option that the un-carrier is currently offering newcomers. The Super Essentials Saver plan is super affordable but what’s interesting is that it offers the same pros and cons of the standard Essentials plan at a much lower cost.

It’s a “Walmart Exclusive” plan that seems to have appeared out of nowhere a few weeks back, actively being offered from August 6. Most people didn’t even know it existed until a few customers saw the plan being shown off at Walmart and shared it online.

Chances are, you probably still didn’t know about the Super Essentials Saver plan. So, what does it offer and what’s the catch?

T-Mobile Super Essentials Saver plan, what does it offer?

The Super Essentials Saver plan offers the following:

• Unlimited 5G data (50 GB of Premium data followed by deprioritization)
• Unlimited Talk, Text, and Hotspot (hotspot limited to 3G speeds)
• Unlimited text messaging to over 215 countries
• Coverage in Canada and Mexico
• Includes T-Mobile Tuesdays
• Includes Scam Shield
• Activation fee waived at sign-up
• Exclusive to Walmart
• $25 per line with AutoPay, $30 per line without AutoPay
• Allows up to only two lines

What’s the catch?

If you’re wondering how this is any different to the Essentials or Essentials Saver plans offered by T-Mobile, you’re in for a surprise. The Super Essentials Saver plan is offering the same features as the other Essentials plans but at a much, much lower cost. It’s even cheaper than the new Essentials Saver with Student Perks Savings 2.0, which starts at $30.

While the Essentials 2.0 and Essentials Saver 2.0 plans start at $50, the Super Essentials Saver plan starts at half that price. Everything is the same for this plan as its counterparts, including:

• Network deprioritization from QCI 7 to QCI 9 after 50 GB of data has been used
• Video streaming is capped at only 480p resolution
• Hotspot is always capped at 3G speeds, but it remains unlimited

However, the Super Essentials Saver plan isn’t without its downsides. This is where it starts looking like something that you might not want to, or be able to, go for.

• The plan offers no phone promos
• The plan does not allow more than two lines
• The plan can only be acquired by visiting a Walmart
• Taxes and fees are not included in the $25 price
• The plan is limited only to new T-Mobile customers

Taxes and fees won’t add much over the $25 price tag, but an increase of around $5-8 still means that you’re paying more than the advertised $25 cost.

It’s the last downside that is the biggest hurdle for most customers: it’s limited to new T-Mobile users only. If you’ve been considering switching over to T-Mobile, you should probably consider paying your local Walmart a visit.

What you should know before making the switch

When it comes to network reliability and coverage, it’s a pretty simple decision. If T-Mobile’s coverage in your area is good, then you’ll be perfectly fine with the Super Essentials Saver plan. If not, you should probably look elsewhere, even if you have to pay a little bit more each month.

The plan is too recent to gather an overall consensus from subscribers, but it should, in theory, work just like the older Essentials plans mentioned above. As also mentioned previously, there are no phone promos, and you’ll have to bring your own phone to qualify. Be prepared for a $10 charge to port over, and you will not be eligible for “free with trade-in” deals and monthly bill credits.

The promotional signs at Walmarts also show that this plan is a limited-time deal that can be pulled from the Warp kiosks at any moment. Obviously, if you’ve already signed up, then you will keep the plan and the price (likely for up to five years) until you switch to something else. However, you’re definitely on the clock if you’re interested in getting the Super Essentials Saver plan for yourself.

T-Mobile staff reckons that the plan was introduced because a large number of people sign up with the carrier at Walmart, and T-Mobile needs to boost its quarterly figures. Once that date has passed, expect the Super Essentials Saver plan to disappear from the kiosks at Walmart.

Rival offerings that might catch your eye

Alleged T-Mobile employees on Reddit claim that the carrier likely introduced the Super Essentials Saver plan because Verizon Simplicity was stealing customers. Verizon’s plan starts at just $30, provided you meet the eligibility criteria, and offers a much more generous 500 GB of data on its fastest 5G network before throttling speeds.

Hotspot is capped to just 10 GB but at premium speeds, after which it gets throttled at 1 Mbps instead. Simplicity also offers satellite-powered texting as well as roaming across Canada and Mexico. It is the best direct alternative to T-Mobile’s Super Essentials Saver plan, in my opinion, and it will definitely appeal to a lot of customers, especially if Big Red’s coverage is better in their area.

What other plans or rival carriers are worth checking out?

• Verizon Simplicity is a fantastic deal
• T-Mobile Essentials Saver 2.0 for existing customers
• Google Fi has its own advantages

There are other rival offerings as well, of course. For example, the Visible Base plan costs $25 a month with taxes and fees included. It offers unlimited data on Verizon’s network, though deprioritization will be noticeable in crowded areas. You also get unlimited hotspot capped at a bandwidth of 5 Mbps.

The Visible Base plan also offers unlimited talk and text to Canada and Mexico. Lastly, like the Essentials plans at T-Mobile, video streaming is capped at 480p.

In my opinion, the Visible Base plan gives you the lowest bills while Verizon Simplicity offers the best bang-for-your-buck if you’re looking for alternatives to T-Mobile. However, if the un-carrier’s coverage reigns supreme in your area, then you can’t do better than the Super Essentials Saver plan.

Super Essentials Saver: there’s a lot of good stuff here for $25

To recap, T-Mobile’s super secret Super Essentials Saver plan offers the following:

• Unlimited 5G data (50 GB of Premium data)
• Unlimited Talk, Text, and Hotspot (hotspot at 3G speeds)
• Unlimited texting to 215+ countries
• Coverage in Canada and Mexico
• Activation fee waived
• $25 per line with AutoPay

The plan has its downsides too:

• Exclusive to Walmart
• Only two lines allowed
• Exclusive to new customers
• No phone promos

Go for the Super Essentials Saver plan if you’ve been considering switching to T-Mobile and don’t care for high-definition video streaming and don’t use a ton of data each month. If you’re more of a power user, then you’d be better off opting for T-Mobile’s more premium plans instead.

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