Since there seem to be a lot of threads asking questions about this plan, I'm making this thread to hopefully answer some of the more frequently asked questions about the plan.
What is this plan?
This is a prepaid plan offered by T-Mobile USA. It offers 100 voice minutes, unlimited messaging, and unlimited data.
Unlimited data... Is there a catch?
Yes, you will be throttled to 2G speeds after hitting 5GB of usage. However you will not be cut off or charged extra if you exceed 5GB.
100 minutes....that's too few for me. How can I manage?
There are two ways to do this.
I looked for this plan on T-Mobile's website but cannot find it. Is this plan discontinued?
Ever since rolling out their uncarrier plans, T-Mobile has removed any reference to their prepaid department from their main website. However it can still be found by searching Google. To save everyone the time, here's the link to all their prepaid plans: T-Mobile Prepaid Plans
Alright, I found the prepaid site but can't see the plan. All I see are $50, $60, $70 and $80 options
Even on this website, this plan is somewhat hidden. Thus making it more difficult to locate it. But here's where it's located on the site:
How do I get this plan?
First thing you'll need is a prepaid SIM. You can pick those up at retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, etc for $10 dollars. But if you can be patient, you can order one on their website usually for much less. Sometimes even free. The link to do so is right here: SIM Card details from T-Mobile
Once you get the SIM card, it will contain instructions on how to activate it online. DO NOT TRY TO ACTIVATE THIS PLAN IN A T-MOBILE STORE. This plan is for online activations only. If you activate this plan, and either choose not to refill for 3 months or change to a different prepaid plan and later wish to change back, you lose it. You'll need to activate a brand new SIM to get back on it. The bit about Walmart in the description is for devices that can be bought at Walmart that come pre-bundled with this plan. These are for the most part gone, so stick with online activation.
What devices can use this plan?
IT MUST BE A GSM PHONE. Any T-Mobile branded phone will work just fine. If you are trying to use an AT&T or International device, it will have to be SIM unlocked. Devices bought from Google Play will work as well. Make sure you check frequency compatibility when bringing an unlocked phone.
Which frequencies am I looking for?
T-Mobile operates mostly on two different frequencies which go as follows:
So when looking for a phone, make sure it supports 1900 for 2G, and 1700/2100 for 3G & 4G and you will be fine. If it doesn't support those frequencies, you might be stuck with 2G only and that doesn't get much better than 200kbps and that's if your lucky.
What is this plan?
This is a prepaid plan offered by T-Mobile USA. It offers 100 voice minutes, unlimited messaging, and unlimited data.
Unlimited data... Is there a catch?
Yes, you will be throttled to 2G speeds after hitting 5GB of usage. However you will not be cut off or charged extra if you exceed 5GB.
100 minutes....that's too few for me. How can I manage?
There are two ways to do this.
- T-Mobile will charge you $.10 extra per minute you go over. If you have extra money loaded into your account it will deduct it from that total. If you don't, it will move your account into negative cash totals. This means that next time you try to refill with $30, it will deduct your negative balance from this. If your account doesn't have at least $30 dollars in it when it T-Mobile goes to renew your service, it will be cut off.
- You can use VOIP solutions like Hangouts, Google Voice Integrated Hangouts, etc to get any serious calling done. It's quality may not be as good as talking over the network, but on Wifi or LTE is will be satisfactory for most. Doing this will use you data or nothing at all if on WiFi and thus leave your minutes untouched.
I looked for this plan on T-Mobile's website but cannot find it. Is this plan discontinued?
Ever since rolling out their uncarrier plans, T-Mobile has removed any reference to their prepaid department from their main website. However it can still be found by searching Google. To save everyone the time, here's the link to all their prepaid plans: T-Mobile Prepaid Plans
Alright, I found the prepaid site but can't see the plan. All I see are $50, $60, $70 and $80 options
Even on this website, this plan is somewhat hidden. Thus making it more difficult to locate it. But here's where it's located on the site:
How do I get this plan?
First thing you'll need is a prepaid SIM. You can pick those up at retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, etc for $10 dollars. But if you can be patient, you can order one on their website usually for much less. Sometimes even free. The link to do so is right here: SIM Card details from T-Mobile
Once you get the SIM card, it will contain instructions on how to activate it online. DO NOT TRY TO ACTIVATE THIS PLAN IN A T-MOBILE STORE. This plan is for online activations only. If you activate this plan, and either choose not to refill for 3 months or change to a different prepaid plan and later wish to change back, you lose it. You'll need to activate a brand new SIM to get back on it. The bit about Walmart in the description is for devices that can be bought at Walmart that come pre-bundled with this plan. These are for the most part gone, so stick with online activation.
What devices can use this plan?
IT MUST BE A GSM PHONE. Any T-Mobile branded phone will work just fine. If you are trying to use an AT&T or International device, it will have to be SIM unlocked. Devices bought from Google Play will work as well. Make sure you check frequency compatibility when bringing an unlocked phone.
Which frequencies am I looking for?
T-Mobile operates mostly on two different frequencies which go as follows:
- 2G/EDGE/GPRS: 1900MHz (Band 2)
- 3G/HSPA/UMTS: 1700/2100(AWS/Band 4) MHz or 1900MHz(Band 2)(only in refarmed areas)
- 4G/LTE: 1700/2100(AWS/Band 4), 700MHz(A Block/Band 12)(Not deployed in any market yet)
So when looking for a phone, make sure it supports 1900 for 2G, and 1700/2100 for 3G & 4G and you will be fine. If it doesn't support those frequencies, you might be stuck with 2G only and that doesn't get much better than 200kbps and that's if your lucky.
