T-Mobile's 'Un-Carrier 4.0' Initiative Offers Up to $350 Per Line to Switch Carriers

[Thunderhawks]

Interesting. I may switch some co-workers/GF over.

Switching GFs is not that easy.

For those on an ATT unlimited data plan this is not a worthwhile offer.

 

[slu]

Wait...So if I want to join this, I would have to turn in the phone that I have already bought outright and be devalued for what its worth in the market.

Then, I need to cough up the ETF out of pocket and then get reimbursed by a prepaid card instead of good old cash.

After that, I would then need to buy a new phone where the old one is perfectly fine and not really OLD by any means.

Last but not least, I have to port over the numbers and start all over with all the paperwork and hassles.

All while the area I live in is like a T-mobile signals black hole? (Even the map says it has good coverage, but clearly not the case with my buddy's iPhone 4S when he comes over to play).

This sounds like a no-brainer to me...

Not that I think this is not a good deal when comparing to what we have seen so far, but still not enough bait for me to switch...

Why would you ever buy a phone outright if you are on a contract? That makes no sense. If you are on a contract and don't use the subsidy every two years, you are throwing money away. If you buy a phone outright, you need to use a pre-paid MVNO or T-Mobile or you are wasting money.

 

[osx11]

Actually I think I misread... I'm an idiot... they give you 300$ for your phone and then an additional 350$ to switch. Gotcha. So 650$ total. Way better than when I thought but still I'd rather get 350$ to tell ATT goodbye and sell the phone on eBay

NO!

They give you UP TO $300 for your phone and UP TO $350 depending on the early termination fee.

Example: phone worth $200 and ETF $150 will get you $350. Simple.

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They call it aggressive because T-Mobile pays $350 plus the value of your phone, up to $300. Almost $650 for switching. I think it's pretty aggressive.

NO! Reread the article!

 

[slu]

With respect to a single line, this plan is really at it's best if you don't have a newer phone with AT&T. Otherwise you'll probably lose money via the trade-in alone via going Swappa/eBay/Craigslist.

For most people AT&T and Verizon are still superior choices with respect to coverage. One must do the math in their respective scenario and figure out the pros/cons.

Personally I love this move for T-Mobile. It's aggressive and keeps the other 3 on their toes. I'm an AT&T post-paid customer and am I'm planning on staying with them and simply switching to GoPhone at some point. $60/month for 2GB of LTE plus unlimited talk/text is a great deal IMO. It's pretty rare that I go over 2 GB a month.

Why not switch to Straight Talk and pay $45 for the same thing, except 2.5 GB of LTE?

 

[erio]

Exactly.

Look at his background and history. The guy was well groomed at AT&T...worked at Dell...educated at MIT, UMASS, and Harvard...and up until he becomes CEO at T-Mobile, he was never known as cool or revolutionary...smart guy wearing expensive suites, definitely, but not revolutionary. Brilliant marketing spin by T-Mobile. Proves my theory that you can throw Chuck Taylor All-Stars on most anybody and at least make them look cooler.

And is it just me or does he look like Christopher Walken. I was hoping that Un-Carrier 4.0 was going to be "MORE COWBELL!"

In other words, your opinion is based on his looks, rather than what he's actually doing - giving consumers more options/choices. Marketing spin or what not, at least he brought forth: no more contracts, international data, jump, and now early ETF payments. Prior to T-Mobile's "uncarrier," please tell me if AT&T and Verizon had these plans in place? Also, let's remember AT&T wanted to buy T-Mobile.

Since judging people's looks pleases you, then here's Ralph de la Vega with Magnum:

 

[brianbunge]

Wait...So if I want to join this, I would have to turn in the phone that I have already bought outright and be devalued for what its worth in the market.

Then, I need to cough up the ETF out of pocket and then get reimbursed by a prepaid card instead of good old cash.

After that, I would then need to buy a new phone where the old one is perfectly fine and not really OLD by any means.

Last but not least, I have to port over the numbers and start all over with all the paperwork and hassles.

All while the area I live in is like a T-mobile signals black hole? (Even the map says it has good coverage, but clearly not the case with my buddy's iPhone 4S when he comes over to play).

This sounds like a no-brainer to me...

Not that I think this is not a good deal when comparing to what we have seen so far, but still not enough bait for me to switch...

If you bought the phone outright then you shouldn't be on a contract unless you bought the phone before the contract on your previous phone was up. Therefore you wouldn't have a $350 ETF fee and would have no reason to trade in your phone. So the only incentive to switch would be for lower monthly rates.

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Switching GFs is not that easy.

For those on an ATT unlimited data plan this is not a worthwhile offer.

For $20 more per month per line you can get unlimited 4G data (including LTE) and you're not throttled after 5GB. I'm saving $80 or so a month over what I was paying on AT&T.

 

[jrswizzle]

Indeed. I've got 5 phones on my family plan. All have unlimited voice and text, 4 have 2 gig data, one has 5 gig with tethering. Tmobile charges me $150/month including all taxes and fees. The coverage is good in cities, not so hot away from them. But since we travel little, $150 per month sounds way better than $450/month. Granted, my plan does not include phone subsidies, we bought all our phones off craigslist.

I would love to see how you come up with $150/ month for all of that.

That's $30/phone and somehow you have 2 GB data on 4 and 5 GB on 1.....I wasn't aware any of their lines went as low as $30....

 

[bs-2010]

Already hear the screams of pain from people getting screwed...

"Beginning tomorrow, customers who hand in eligible AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint devices at a participating T-Mobile location will receive an instant credit of up to $300 based on the value of the phone.

After purchasing a new device from T-Mobile, customers can send the final bill (with early termination fees) from their previous carriers to T-Mobile and the company will send an additional payment of up to $350 per line to pay those fees (actual fee paid is based on the early termination cost) in the form of a prepaid MasterCard. "

So basically after you kill your current plan and commit to Tmo then they will decide how much they pay you. The "UP TO" phrase just means they are going to bend you over and give you next to nothing for your $600 smartphone and then decide after you already leave your carrier what they will pay as the termination.

Devil is always in the details. Tmo is NOT going to lose money in this deal, the consumer is.

You're not reading the details correctly though. The reason it says "up to" is because that is the maximum amount that you could have to pay for ETF if you started a two year contract today. What they pay for ETF is dependent on how many months you have left on your current contract, not what T-Mobile deems appropriate.

Also, since you get a new phone $0 down plus credit for your old phone you are saving money on top of the smaller bill each month.

This route makes much more sense than paying $200 upfront for a new phone, and then the service which is twice as much as the T-Mobile service. It is also nice not being tethered to a contract like on ATT that comes with ETFs. Leaving T-Mobile you just pay for the cost that remains on the phone, which makes much more sense than paying for a made up figure by ATT.

 

[2298754]

$282 for a 16gb iPhone 5S on trade-in towards their ETF offer? It's worth double that.

Selling an iPhone 5S nets you almost enough money to cover 2 lines' ETF ( avg $300 each). If you have popular devices like some newer Galaxy phones or iPhones, you might net some more money in your pocket, and then switch.

What a joke. Complete ripoff offer.

-------------------
quick math:

I have three lines on my plan.

Line 1: iPhone 5S 16gb ETF: $325-$20 (2 months)
Line 2: iPhone 5 ETF: $325-$150 (15 months on contract)
Line 3: iPhone 5S 16gb ETF: $325-$20 (2 months)

Total ETF: $785

I can sell unlock all three and sell the 5S each for $550-600. 5 for $400-450.

550(2) + 400 = $1,500 - $785 ETF paid: $715 profit made

T-Mobile offer: no profit. They make profit off of us. They don't care about the customer. They're just as bad as AT&T/VZW.


This offer only makes sense for people with worthless Android or old non-smartphones. They can't sell them for enough to cover the ETF.

 

[bs-2010]

So are you REQUIRED to hand over your device to T-Mobile?

If I were to sign a new two year contract with AT&T and get a phone for $200. Could I then pay the ETF, get the phone unlocked and then have T-Mobile reimburse my $350 ETF and I just use my unlocked phone on T-Mobile for $50 per month?

I think you could but that wouldn't make any sense. Why would you want to keep your phone if you are switching from ATT? If you are paying $200 for the subsidized phone that probably means it has a greater trade-in value.

You might as well trade it in to T-Mobile and then get the extra money back and just get one of their phones.

 

[zlogs]

bye bye AT&T

Hello terrible service.

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I think you could but that wouldn't make any sense. Why would you want to keep your phone if you are switching from ATT? If you are paying $200 for the subsidized phone that probably means it has a greater trade-in value.

You might as well trade it in to T-Mobile and then get the extra money back and just get one of their phones.

That's a stupid idea, any time you "trade in" a device it always goes for a far less value than what you could sell it for on ebay or craigslist.

 

[bs-2010]

Hello terrible service.

----------



That's a stupid idea, any time you "trade in" a device it always goes for a far less value than what you could sell it for on ebay or craigslist.

I know it is stupid but the person wanted to just keep the ATT phone. They would get better value trading in the ATT phone or like you suggest selling it, which is what I was trying to convey.

 

[blairh]

Why not switch to Straight Talk and pay $45 for the same thing, except 2.5 GB of LTE?

Several reasons. Don't want to get throttled if I do go over my monthly cap. I want CSR's that can be contacted over the phone if needed. A lot of ST customers have trouble getting MMS to work on non-iPhone's.

 

[navvet8992]

$282 for a 16gb iPhone 5S on trade-in towards their ETF offer? It's worth double that.

Selling an iPhone 5S nets you almost enough money to cover 2 lines' ETF ( avg $300 each). If you have popular devices like some newer Galaxy phones or iPhones, you might net some more money in your pocket, and then switch.

What a joke. Complete ripoff offer.

-------------------
quick math:

I have three lines on my plan.

Line 1: iPhone 5S 16gb ETF: $325-$20 (2 months)
Line 2: iPhone 5 ETF: $325-$150 (15 months on contract)
Line 3: iPhone 5S 16gb ETF: $325-$20 (2 months)

Total ETF: $785

I can sell unlock all three and sell the 5S each for $550-600. 5 for $400-450.

550(2) + 400 = $1,500 - $785 ETF paid: $715 profit made

T-Mobile offer: no profit. They make profit off of us. They don't care about the customer. They're just as bad as AT&T/VZW.


This offer only makes sense for people with worthless Android or old non-smartphones. They can't sell them for enough to cover the ETF.

BUT
T-mobile way- They pay off your ETF and give you credit of
$282 X2 for 5S's
$218 for 5
total credit of $782 for new phones
You actually benefit by $67 vs. your way. Remember they are paying your ETF's.

 

[2298754]

BUT
T-mobile way- They pay off your ETF and give you credit of
$282 X2 for 5S's
$218 for 5
total credit of $782 for new phones
You actually benefit by $67 vs. your way. Remember they are paying your ETF's.

Still a ripoff because I'm forced to use that $782 thru TMo's EIP.

I could take the $712 I make, buy 3 Nexus 5s or Moto Xs for $349 each. And still be up again because I won't be forced to re-pay for another 5S.

One would have to be completely clueless to actually use this plan.

 

[B4U]

Why would you ever buy a phone outright if you are on a contract? That makes no sense. If you are on a contract and don't use the subsidy every two years, you are throwing money away. If you buy a phone outright, you need to use a pre-paid MVNO or T-Mobile or you are wasting money.

Because there are some of us who loves technology advancements and can't wait the whole 2 year...?

----------

If you bought the phone outright then you shouldn't be on a contract unless you bought the phone before the contract on your previous phone was up. Therefore you wouldn't have a $350 ETF fee and would have no reason to trade in your phone. So the only incentive to switch would be for lower monthly rates.

----------



For $20 more per month per line you can get unlimited 4G data (including LTE) and you're not throttled after 5GB. I'm saving $80 or so a month over what I was paying on AT&T.

Lower monthly rates for no service even at home...
hm...

 

[bushman4]

Price wars are Always great for the consumer.For those waiting to upgrade or switch carriers now is the timeDont wait !!!! .

 

[mattwallace24]

BUT

T-mobile way- They pay off your ETF and give you credit of

$282 X2 for 5S's

$218 for 5

total credit of $782 for new phones

You actually benefit by $67 vs. your way. Remember they are paying your ETF's.

But don't you still have to now buy 3 new iPhones from T-Mobile for $649/each (16GB)?

 

[LordJohnWhorfin]

$282 for a 16gb iPhone 5S on trade-in towards their ETF offer? It's worth double that.

Selling an iPhone 5S nets you almost enough money to cover 2 lines' ETF ( avg $300 each). If you have popular devices like some newer Galaxy phones or iPhones, you might net some more money in your pocket, and then switch.

What a joke. Complete ripoff offer.

-------------------
quick math:

I have three lines on my plan.

Line 1: iPhone 5S 16gb ETF: $325-$20 (2 months)
Line 2: iPhone 5 ETF: $325-$150 (15 months on contract)
Line 3: iPhone 5S 16gb ETF: $325-$20 (2 months)

Total ETF: $785

I can sell unlock all three and sell the 5S each for $550-600. 5 for $400-450.

550(2) + 400 = $1,500 - $785 ETF paid: $715 profit made

T-Mobile offer: no profit. They make profit off of us. They don't care about the customer. They're just as bad as AT&T/VZW.


This offer only makes sense for people with worthless Android or old non-smartphones. They can't sell them for enough to cover the ETF.

I don't understand your point. You don't have to take them up on their offer to switch, you know. Switching to T-Mobile will roughly cut your bill in half compared to AT&T, and you'll get better service. If you can have AT&T unlock your iPhone 5s, don't sell them! They will work just fine with a T-Mobile SIM. The iPhone 5 will also work but some early models don't support the AWS frequencies T-Mobile uses for its 3G, so in areas where there is no LTE coverage they fallback to EDGE.
T-mobile compatible AT&T iPhone 5 models
I think it's good news all around.

 

[iMikeT]

$350 for families, that's it? What about incentives for individuals?

It's actually up to $650 per line, and it's not just for families. The offer also extends to individual lines.

-ITG

You're right, my dyslexia got the better of me and I overlooked the part where it does mention individuals.

On that note, I went to a T-Mobile store to find out more and what would be needed from someone interested in jumping over. From what I understand, the $350 covers the ETF and new customers absolutely MUST trade in their current phone. With the trade in, T-Mobile will give a credit for the current value of the phone that can be put towards a new phone to be used on the network. So simply no jumping over, having T-Mobile pick up the ETF, and going month to month.

There are also a few caveats: new customers who buy a subsidized phone must use T-Mobile's Jump plan that adds an additional $10 per month per phone for the first six months, the ETF will come as a refund in the form of a pre-paid Master Card, and the ETF can take up to 8 weeks to process.

Personally, I'm on AT$T and ready to jump over but I might just hold out until my contract is up until October or November as I'm not ready to trade in my iPhone 5 for a 5S at the moment. I also don't want to have to be locked into a new contract or pay 100% of the cost of a 5S right now.

Isn't the incentive a cheaper bill and faster upgrades?

Really, the reasons they are targeting families are as follows:

-The savings on a T-Mobile "un-carrier" plan are minor compared to AT&T's family plans for those with multiple lines. When you factor in subsidies, there are cases to be made AT&T is still a good deal.

-60%+ of AT&T's customers are on family plans. Those are the customers T-Mobile needs to get if they are to grow substantially and REALLY disrupt the market.

-And the easy -> Family Plans = high monthly bills and more revenue. You convince the head of the household (or whomever runs the cell phone bill) to switch, you gain a much larger revenue stream versus an individual line.

As previously mentioned, this initiative is offered to individuals but the marketing materials are geared towards families. What ever the case, I'm just glad that T-Mobile is seriously giving AT&T a run for their money.

 

[cbflip2000]

Am I able to change all my phones on AT&T to old phones with little to no value then make the switch to t-mobile?

EDIT: as in buy cheap smartphones on eBay and activate them on my plan to save my 5S for myself.

 

[navvet8992]

But don't you still have to now buy 3 new iPhones from T-Mobile for $649/each (16GB)?

You have to buy new phones thru them but they don't have to be the 5S's. Also the price on their website states the 5S is now $600 not $650

 

[2298754]

I don't understand your point. You don't have to take them up on their offer to switch, you know. Switching to T-Mobile will roughly cut your bill in half compared to AT&T, and you'll get better service

Half? Exactly how is that? I ran the numbers. I trade in all my devices and sign up for a 3 line family plan with EIP. I save about $8 (+ taxes/fees, etc)

A whole eight dollars!

 

[mattwallace24]

You have to buy new phones thru them but they don't have to be the 5S's. Also the price on their website states the 5S is now $600 not $650

Thanks for the clarification. I got the $649 from Apple.com. I now realize the individual carriers have their own deals on their sites. I was using the 5S as it was the phones used in the situation I quoted (actually 2 x 5S and 1 x 5). The person didn't mention wanting to downgrade or change to non-apple devices.

 

[tdiaz]

So he stood up there for an hour and a half name calling and the like, just to tell people that they'll eat the ETF for them to switch?

Big deal.

Offer some ground breaking bold plans and bust the chops on the pre-pay MVNO brands.

They are certainly not paying you $350 to come to them. You're paying for that.