A few months ago my family politely asked forced me to leave the AT&T family plan we have all be on together since 2005! They said it was time to grow up. I once again fought back, but in the end decided switching to T-Mobile actually made a ton of sense and I was excited to venture out on my own. T-Mobile had just introduced the T-Mobile One plan and I decided it was the best fit for me and have zero regrets. I absolutely love T-Mobile One, but it anytime I mention that I have T-Mobile to friends they almost always have the same reaction: “YOU DO!?” which is quickly followed by “Is T-Mobile One Good?” It seems they still consider T-Mobile in the same class as Boost Mobile or Metro PCS and I really don’t think the Dog Watching Dogs Shake commercials are helping.
Why I have T-Mobile One
Typically right after I hear the “YOU DO!?” response I am asked to explain why I chose T-Mobile.
T-Mobile One comes with UNLIMITED Talk, Text, and Data. No questions asked. Since I previously had unlimited data on AT&T I have never developed the fine tuned skill of latching onto every Wifi network in existence to save precious gigabytes. I knew whatever plan I chose, I would have to have unlimited data. In fact, I am halfway through my current billing cycle and I have used 5.6GB already this month! Sure, T-Mobile starts to slow speeds once you hit about 24GB/month, but I typically average around 10GB.
Free texting on EVERY Gogo Internet enabled flight, which is nearly every flight I take these days on American or Delta. Sure, I may value this a little more than the average person considering I typically take around 6 flights a month, but even if you fly a few times a year you will find this is an incredible benefit. The days of sending that last text before takeoff coordinating your plans when you land are over.
1 Hour of Free In-Flight Internet, again from Gogo. This benefit is again extremely valuable to me because majority of the flights I take are just 2 hours or less. Sure the one hour goes rather quickly, but it is much better than having no internet at all. I find this incredibly useful if I forgot to download a Podcast before taking off.
FREE International Data & Texting! (And calling in Canada & Mexico). Yep, this one is incredible. Next time you are on your way across the pond you no longer have to either turn of the cellular data function and leach on to Wifi or pre-purchase a certain number of GBs you may or may not use while overseas. Once you land you will connect to the local GSM carrier and it’s like you never left home. We recently visited Canada and found this benefit unbelievably beneficial when our travel plans were interrupted and we have to make several calls to members of our family back home.
T-Mobile One also does not carry an annual contract so you can cancel anytime. Let’s say you purchase an Unlocked phone at full price, join T-Mobile, and after a few months decide its not for you. With other carriers you may be stuck in a contract for up to two years, but at T-Mobile you can walk away at anytime. Also, being a young professional you may move frequently, again if you find your new residence does not get great service, you can cancel and move at anytime.
T-Mobile One plans are also extremely affordable. For a single line the price is around $70/month all in, but this drops to $40 per line when you add up to 4 lines. Since there is no contract, it is easy to add and remove friends as you wish.
There Are Downsides, but Not Many
Most notably, T-Mobile and the other GSM carriers in the United Stats have pretty terrible service in rural areas. I often end up in some pretty remote locations for work and thankfully carry a Verizon Jetpack and Verizon Phone which save the day, but if you travel frequently to remote locations and are relying on a single phone, you will be better off getting a plan from Verizon. Further, in the areas where I do get service, I sometimes get choppy service. I am not sure what exactly is causing this, it is not enough of an issue to make me leave T-Mobile, but it is worth noting.
Final Thoughts
If you live in a major metropolitan, travel frequently, and are getting kicked off of your parents phone plan (basically every Millennial) you are doing yourself a disservice by thinking T-Mobile is the joke of a carrier that many young professionals think it is. Sure, the commercials are a bit odd and make you question the quality of the carrier, but I have had an incredible experience with T-Mobile One and hope to show others how great of a value T-Mobile One is.
Lastly, existing T-Mobile One customers can refer friends by using a name and phone number. If this helps influence your decision to signup for T-Mobile One please shoot me a note at MilesandMoore1 at Gmail with your name and number so I can refer you. I will not use your information for any other purposes and Thank You.
