GoKawiilJoe Maring / Android Authority
T-Mobile is officially preparing to end support for legacy plans for many of its customers. While the full list of affected plans isn’t yet known, it’s expected to include anything from the Magenta era or before. Some customers might be preparing to suck it up and just deal with the change, which is expected to raise pricing to $3-6 per line on average as the carrier shifts users to newer plans.
Not sure you want to do that? We don’t blame you. If you’ve had enough of T-Mobile and the other big postpaid carriers, below are five options that could make for solid substitutes.
Which T-Mobile alternative would you recommend? 15 votes Google Fi 13 % US Mobile 20 % Metro by T-Mobile 27 % Visible 7 % Total Wireless 7 % Other (Let us know in comments) 27 %
Google Fi
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Google Fi is a natural replacement simply because it’s the only network that offers high-priority access on T-Mobile’s network without paying for a T-Mobile postpaid plan. As if this wasn’t enough of a reason, you can also get the first year locked in at 50% off right now. You might think such a deal would require you to pay for the whole year up front, but that’s not the case.
The most basic Fi plans now start at just $18 a month for the first year, or as low as $33 for its highest-end plan. That’s just for single lines; Google also offers a multi-line discount program. This should be comparable to what most users are currently paying for T-Mobile legacy plans, and might even save you some cash. Either way, it’ll likely be cheaper than whatever plan you are bumped over to when T-Mobile officially ends your legacy plan.
I’d personally start with a Premium plan, at least during the 50% off period. You might as well taste the best option, right? If you opt for Unlimited Premium, you’d pay just $80 in total for 4 lines right now, and yet you’d get 100GB of high-speed data, 50GB high-speed tethering, as well as solid freebies like 100GB of Google One storage and free connectivity perks for tablets, laptops, and watches. Of course, it’s worth noting you might miss out on a few things, depending on your legacy plan. There are no streaming perks here, for starters. You’ll also find limited phone deals, but to be honest, that’s also true of legacy plans anymore.
For those who prefer truly unlimited data, you might want to keep looking. If you have more modest needs, Google Fi is the only option that performs identically in actual network use.
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