T-Mobile One Unlimited 55+

[Sue J]

Thanks for posting about this. We are not big cell phone users, we are usually home with the wifi. We currently have old flip phones on a very cheap legacy pre-paid plan that make cell phone calls and can text.

When we are out and about I'm seeing that having a smartphone for navigation or checking an online price would be useful.

We would have to get smartphones to use the T-Mobile plan. At home we both have iPads and I have an iMac desktop. I like the Apple-ness of these but an iPhone is expensive.

What phones would any of you recommend for using with T-Mobile? With a non Apple phone would I be able to co-ordinate with my Apple Calendar or my iPad texting or photos on my Apple devices?

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I have tried T-Mobile twice. Both times they lied about their coverage. Both times they refused to refund my payment, forcing me to reject the charge on my Visa card.

We have been with T-Mobile for almost 15 years, they never lied to us, showed us a map (That I looked at and studied) that is accurate and have always been the most economical "Reliable" service. Both in the USA, Canada, Mexico, UK, all over Europe, Korea and Australia which is where I have used them.

 

[mpeirce]

Thanks for posting about this. We are not big cell phone users, we are usually home with the wifi. We currently have old flip phones on a very cheap legacy pre-paid plan that make cell phone calls and can text.

When we are out and about I'm seeing that having a smartphone for navigation or checking an online price would be useful.

We would have to get smartphones to use the T-Mobile plan. At home we both have iPads and I have an iMac desktop. I like the Apple-ness of these but an iPhone is expensive.

What phones would any of you recommend for using with T-Mobile? With a non Apple phone would I be able to co-ordinate with my Apple Calendar or my iPad texting or photos on my Apple devices?

Gazelle has used iPhone SE's for just over $200 and iPhone 5s for well under $200.

The SE's a great phones (my DF has one and loves it and it's fairly modern). The 5S is older, but not a bad phone really (I use one to test iOS 11 beta and it works fine).

If you still with old iPhones you'll have zero problems inside the Apple ecosystem.

 

[braumeister]

The SE's a great phones (my DF has one and loves it and it's fairly modern). The 5S is older, but not a bad phone really (I use one to test iOS 11 beta and it works fine).

If you still with old iPhones you'll have zero problems inside the Apple ecosystem.

True, but ...

Each successive iteration of the iOS is only backward compatible so far. The next version, iOS 11, will be compatible with the 5s and SE, but no earlier model. So as long as you don't want to take advantage of future enhancements to the OS, you would be fine.

 

[FIREmenow]

True, but ...

Each successive iteration of the iOS is only backward compatible so far. The next version, iOS 11, will be compatible with the 5s and SE, but no earlier model. So as long as you don't want to take advantage of future enhancements to the OS, you would be fine.

I update my phones (Android) at the same periodic rate as the rest of the population when new phones come out, its just that I buy the one-previous versions on ebay/craigslist/Amazon for typically $50-100. Usually I can find brand new units that were "cleared out" from a supplier/distributor to make room for the new ones. So (usually) I am only ever one generation back.

 

[mpeirce]

True, but ...

Each successive iteration of the iOS is only backward compatible so far. The next version, iOS 11, will be compatible with the 5s and SE, but no earlier model. So as long as you don't want to take advantage of future enhancements to the OS, you would be fine.

True. The 5S may only allow the latest iOS for another year (or two? hard too tell since the big discontinuity as the 64-bit support which these both have).

The SE on the other hand uses the same processor as the 6S - same camera too - so it'll be supported as long as the 6S.

 

[kimcdougc]

We have been with TMobile since they were first Airstream, the Cingular and finally TMobile. Never have been lied to. Customer service is always professional and helpful.

Years ago we did have problems with their coverage, but they have really stepped up there coverage area and we don't have any problems anymore with making calls or using data.

When we go camping, we use the hotspot function to run our laptops and tablets.

Thanks for the heads up on the new program.

 

[OldShooter]

I update my phones (Android) at the same periodic rate as the rest of the population when new phones come out, its just that I buy the one-previous versions on ebay/craigslist/Amazon for typically $50-100. Usually I can find brand new units that were "cleared out" from a supplier/distributor to make room for the new ones. So (usually) I am only ever one generation back.

+1, though I am not as good. My one- or two-generation phones are usually a bit north of $100. Early adopters are our friends. Too bad they will probably never reach FI.

 

[walkinwood]

Thanks for posting. Alas, T-mobile coverage sucks outside of the big cities in Colorado. Verizon has much better coverage, so we suck it up and stick with them.

 

[braumeister]

For those who have poor opinions of T-Mobile's coverage where they live or travel, I would suggest checking it currently. They have been feverishly building out their network and I would call it just about as good as Verizon's today.

AT&T isn't quite as extensive, and Sprint is downright poor IMHO, but the others are really good now.

 

[REWahoo]

For those who have poor opinions of T-Mobile's coverage where they live or travel, I would suggest checking it currently. They have been feverishly building out their network and I would call it just about as good as Verizon's today.

This group of maps compares the major carrier's service area. I'm not a T-Mobile user but it does appear they have made huge improvements in coverage over the past two or three years: https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/lte-comparison-map?icid=WMM_TMNG_Q217NETWOR_Y6ZFTW7BB8990

 

[ncbill]

Before switching to T-Mobile, grab a prepaid SIM off ebay to cheaply test your local coverage.

I bought a pre-activated T-Mobile SIM on the top $75, unlimited plan for around $25 off ebay (30 days unlimited talk/text/data) for a relative who was traveling in Canada last month.
(the top, $75 prepaid plan includes coverage in Canada & Mexico)

For local coverage here, however, I had to switch from T-Mobile to Cricket (AT&T towers)

 

[walkinwood]

For those who have poor opinions of T-Mobile's coverage where they live or travel, I would suggest checking it currently. They have been feverishly building out their network and I would call it just about as good as Verizon's today.

AT&T isn't quite as extensive, and Sprint is downright poor IMHO, but the others are really good now.

They are making this decision very difficult for us!
First, their coverage map shows that they have improved tremendously v/s 4 years ago when we last used them
Secondly - THIS!

For a limited time, buy two Galaxy S8 phones with finance agreements and get up to $750 back via prepaid card with new qualifying line.

Don't know if this 55+ plan qualifies, but I plan to find out.

 

[LastOfTheBoomers]

Like some people on this forum - we are on CC for service - total bill is about $50 for 2 lines including taxes and aarp discount. I do wish we had international roaming - but the feature I really want is wifi calling - no service in basement!

 

[Nightcap]

Like some people on this forum - we are on CC for service - total bill is about $50 for 2 lines including taxes and aarp discount. I do wish we had international roaming - but the feature I really want is wifi calling - no service in basement!

What carrier's SIM are you using? We switched to CC and originally used the AT&T SIM, but AT&T doesn't allow third party companies to use the wifi calling feature. This was a deal breaker, because we live in a marginal cell reception area. We called CC and they switched us to T-Mobile SIMs. Voila, wifi calling. Great customer service!

 

[jimbee]

This group of maps compares the major carrier's service area. I'm not a T-Mobile user but it does appear they have made huge improvements in coverage over the past two or three years: https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/lte-comparison-map?icid=WMM_TMNG_Q217NETWOR_Y6ZFTW7BB8990

Those are handy maps, but keep in mind they are probably only accurate for postpaid, not prepaid cell phone plans. Prepaid cell phone plans are often limited to a carrier's native network.

 

[REWahoo]

Those are handy maps, but keep in mind they are probably only accurate for postpaid, not prepaid cell phone plans. Prepaid cell phone plans are often limited to a carrier's native network.

True. Here is T-Mobile's prepaid network coverage. It is very close to the same, but there are some variations:

https://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-coverage

 

[flyingaway]

We have a T-Mobile service, we like the international plan that is included. We can use the data plan worldwide, especially convenient for Google map. It works for the majority of the countries we visited, even in Cambodia. However, sometimes we might loss signals in the U.S. (so funny).

For those who think WIFI is good enough, I had an experience in Santorini island this May. Ryanair cancelled my flight from Santorini to Athens, so I had to reschedule my United flight from Athens to Chicago. I used the hotel WIFI and the signal could not maintain uninterrupted for 30 minutes. So I had to call back twice and re-started the process since they had different operators. On my third call, I switched to my mobile service, and waited for more than 30 minutes, and gave them my number for them to call back. It was 20 cents for a minute.

 

[LastOfTheBoomers]

What carrier's SIM are you using? We switched to CC and originally used the AT&T SIM, but AT&T doesn't allow third party companies to use the wifi calling feature. This was a deal breaker, because we live in a marginal cell reception area. We called CC and they switched us to T-Mobile SIMs. Voila, wifi calling. Great customer service!

Wow! I knew CC offers SIM cards for both - I've always had AT&T - will give them a call and try a TM sim on one phone for a while and check out coverage and of course wifi! Thanks for pointing this out!

 

[jonat]

I have been a Cingular/AT&T customer for a very long time (15 years?). My phone was on an AT&T Mobile Advantage 3GB plan, which with my (past) employer discount cost me about $55/mo. My wife, who almost never uses her phone, was on AT&T Prepaid for $25 every 90 days, but no data. So combined I was spending more than the $60 T-Mobile plan, and that's before the extra I pay for international roaming data when I am on vacation.

With Tmo both of us get unlimited talk, text and data, plus international data and low-cost calls outside North America. I added the "Plus" feature for $10 on my line, which gives me caller ID name, unlimited GoGo WiFi on planes and faster international data.

I don't yet have a sense for coverage, but it's at least ok where I have been around my home. My phone is an iPhone 6, and I'll likely upgrade to a new iPhone later this year and hopefully pick up some new TM bands. My wife's phone is a non-LTE dual-SIM Moto E (2015), that doesn't play well with TM so I bought her a Moto E4 that does. (We don't need the dual SIM feature anymore.)

 

[NW-Bound]

I have ting. I don't hear the screaming from my teens until they actually run out - typically about 5-6 days before the end of the billing cycle. That's with 2.5 G... which I think is MORE than enough.

They are very anxious for me to change to t-mobile - but my DH is out of town and I need him as the 2nd 55+ you to get the 4 of us switched over.

This T-Mobile deal is only for 2 lines. We learned that at Costco when inquiring to sign up.

 

[audreyh1]

We have a T-Mobile service, we like the international plan that is included. We can use the data plan worldwide, especially convenient for Google map. It works for the majority of the countries we visited, even in Cambodia. However, sometimes we might loss signals in the U.S. (so funny).

For those who think WIFI is good enough, I had an experience in Santorini island this May. Ryanair cancelled my flight from Santorini to Athens, so I had to reschedule my United flight from Athens to Chicago. I used the hotel WIFI and the signal could not maintain uninterrupted for 30 minutes. So I had to call back twice and re-started the process since they had different operators. On my third call, I switched to my mobile service, and waited for more than 30 minutes, and gave them my number for them to call back. It was 20 cents for a minute.

Well sure - you need a reliable Wifi connection. The non-wifi solution is the backup. I had to talk to United from NL and it was a 40 min call with lots of hold time, but all wifi calling to a US number, so free.

 

[explanade]

But are there restrictions on tethering?

Though with two SIMs, I could just use one in my iPad and not have to tether as much.

They throttle any video streams though I believe.

 

[OldShooter]

I mentioned Project Fi previously. I did forget to mention that data-only SIMs are free and the data usage is charged against the basic refundable $10/gig. I think you can get three or four data sims per cell phone number. So we have data-only SIMs in DW's Nexus 7 tablet, in my Nexus 7 tablet, and in an old Nexus 4 phone. The phone is handy little tablet computer for navigation, etc. It just isn't a cell phone with the data-only SIM plugged in.

So although tethering is available we have little need for it. I have only used it a couple of times when our home DSL was down and we needed to get our regular computers on line.

 

[Nightcap]

But are there restrictions on tethering?



Though with two SIMs, I could just use one in my iPad and not have to tether as much.



They throttle any video streams though I believe.

T-Mobile has no restrictions on tethering or HD streaming.