T-Mobile Senior Plan Reviews (with Costs)
T-Mobile Senior Plans: Takeaways
- For people 55 and older, T-Mobile’s senior plans start at $30 per month (per line) and include unlimited talk, text, and data.
- Only the primary subscriber needs to be age 55 or older in order to qualify for these discounted plans.
- T-Mobile senior plans are available nationwide, whereas similar plans from Verizon and AT&T are only available to Florida residents.
FYI: T-Mobile may be a great option for unlimited data, but they’re far from the most affordable provider. To find providers that start at $15 per month, check out our guide to the best cell phone plans for seniors.
T-Mobile Pros and Cons
T-Mobile Pros
- Cheap unlimited data: With unlimited talk, text, and 5G data plans starting at $30 per month per line, T-Mobile is easily the most affordable unlimited plan from a major provider, not to mention they’re one of the few with 5G access.
- Nationwide availability: While Verizon and AT&T offer similar discounted plans for seniors, only T-Mobile’s plans are available in every state.
- No annual contracts: T-Mobile’s Unlimited 55+ plans require no long-term contracts and are guaranteed to not go up in price.
- International coverage: T-Mobile’s senior plans offer unlimited data in Mexico and Canada, in addition to data and texting abroad.
- Advanced features: While other providers like Mint and Cricket offer affordable unlimited plans, T-Mobile is the only one to offer 5G data, mobile hotspot usage, and even plane Wi-Fi.
T-Mobile Cons
- Multiple lines required for lowest prices: T-Mobile’s Unlimited 55+ plans require multiple lines to receive the best price. With that said, for one line on their Essentials 55+ plan, it will cost $40 per month. That said, this is still lower than average for a plan with unlimited data.
- Hidden fees: Although T-Mobile's advertised prices are low, the Essentials Choice 55 plan has some extra fees, including a $35 device connection charge, and RPF and TRF fees which add $3.49 per month.
T-Mobile Senior Discount
T-Mobile offers a special discounted trio of unlimited plans to subscribers who are aged 55 and older. To get a quick rundown of what these plans offer, watch this video.
Breaking Down the 55+ Plans
T-Mobile offers three plans for their 55 and older customers: Essentials 55, Go5G 55, and Go5G Plus 55. Each plan has something to offer depending on what you may be looking to get out of a phone. For those who want to connect to family or for emergencies, the more pared-down Essentials plan could be a great option, while the Go5G plans cater more to tech-savvy users who plan on using their phones for streaming video, social media, and other applications.
Let’s take a look at the plans and see how they compare:
| Essentials 55 | Go5G 55 | Go5G Plus 55 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price Per Line (with two lines) | $30/mo | $50/mo | $60/mo |
| Taxes and Fees Included | No | Yes | Yes |
| Unlimited Talk, Text, Data | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scam-Blocking Protection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Service Abroad | Texting Only | Texting and Data | Texting and 2x Speed Data |
| No Annual Service Contracts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Streaming Quality | Standard Definition | Standard Definition | High Definition |
| Mobile Hotspot Data | 3G | 5GB of 4G LTE | 40GB of 4G LTE |
| Service in Mexico and Canada | 2G Data | 5GB of 4G Data | 5GB of 4G Data |
| In-Flight Wi-Fi | No | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| “Netflix on Us” | No | Yes | Yes |
| Enhanced Voicemail | No | No | Yes |
Unlike some other providers (check out our Consumer Cellular review) that offer more customizable plans with talk-only options, all of T-Mobile’s plans include unlimited talk, text, and data. All of the plans also include 50GB of data per month before service will be throttled, which we found to be more than enough to cover normal phone usage.
Another aspect of T-Mobile’s plans is two of the three don’t include additional taxes or fees when we signed up with Autopay (which just means monthly charges are automatically deducted from your account).
Note: While there are no taxes or fees on the plans themselves, customers may be subject to these additional charges on phones or SIM cards when purchasing the plan. The no taxes or fees guarantee is on the price of the plan only.
While buying a phone plan can be a relatively complicated process with a number of different, occasionally conflicting offers, we found T-Mobile to be uncommonly transparent with their pricing. The plan descriptions include a number of explanatory statements as well as a robust FAQs section to help answer any questions we may have had. Another great thing about T-Mobile is that they don’t require annual service contracts, so it’s easy to cancel service if it doesn’t meet expectations.
T-Mobile Benefits
The unique features of T-Mobile’s plans also deserve a bit more explanation. Let’s take a quick look at the different services the plans include.
- Scam Shield: As anyone with a phone can attest, the number of robocalls we all receive is out of control. According to the FCC, U.S. consumers received approximately 4 billion robocalls per month in 2020. As a result, T-Mobile has introduced Scam Shield to help combat this issue. T-Mobile customers can download the free Scam Shield app or upgrade to Scam Shield Premium for a small charge.
- “Free Stuff Every Week: T-Mobile offers special promotions and discounts to its customers, unveiled each week, called T-Mobile Tuesdays. While the offers aren’t world-shattering, some perks like free Postmates delivery for three months are a nice bonus.
Quick Note: Both ScamShield and T-Mobile Tuesdays are free, additional apps T-Mobile customers can download for Android and Apple to access the services.
- Services Abroad: One of the things we love most about T-Mobile is how well they cater to international travelers. All Unlimited 55+ plans offer either texting or texting and data. For instance, the Go5G 55 plan offers 5GB of 4G data in Mexico and Canada, and Go5G Plus 55 offers twice the data speed and texting abroad.
- Service in Mexico and Canada: T-Mobile offers data service throughout North America. For the Essentials 55 plan, we were able to get 2G data coverage, and the Go5G 55 and Go5G Plus 55 plans offer up to 5GB of 4G data, which was a big help looking up the best bagel in Montreal.
- Streaming: Streaming video is a big part of phone usage these days. With T-Mobile, the Essentials 55 and Go5G plans offer unlimited standard definition (480p, “DVD quality”) streaming, and the Go5G Plus plan offers up to 4K unlimited high-definition streaming.
- Netflix on Us: The Go5G and Go5G Plus plans both offer Netflix streaming. The Go5G plan offers a basic Netflix plan on one screen in standard definition, and the Go5G Plus plan offers a basic Netflix plan on one screen, and a Netflix standard plan on two screens in high definition for more than two line accounts.
T-Mobile vs. Verizon and AT&T
As of 2023, T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T all offer discounted unlimited plans for seniors; however, T-Mobile’s Unlimited 55 plans are the only ones available nationwide. For some odd reason, both Verizon and AT&T senior plans are only available to Florida residents. Even for Florida residents, these unlimited plans will still cost more than T-Mobile’s. Verizon’s start at $42 per line, and AT&T’s starts at $40 per line.
| Senior Plan | T-Mobile | AT&T | Verizon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Monthly Price | $60 for two lines | $80 for two lines | $84 for two lines |
| Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data | Yes | Yes | Yes (4G LTE data) |
| Extra Features |
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Recapping T-Mobile
While there are a number of cell phone plans specifically geared towards older adults like Consumer Cellular (or for another example, check out our Jitterbug Smart4 review), there is something to be said about keeping your phone service on one of the major three telecom companies in the US. Better coverage both at home and abroad offers the freedom to roam without worrying about lost service when you need it most.
We were impressed that T-Mobile offered 55+ plans when the other two major providers didn’t, and were even more impressed at the prices of the plans and the device options available. Broadly speaking, T-Mobile is a transparent and friendly company to deal with, which is a major positive as buying cell phones and mobile plans can be a complicated or confusing endeavor.
To learn more about our favorite cell phones and plans for seniors, be sure to check out our helpful guides:
FAQs
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Do T-Mobile senior plans come with any hidden fees?
The Essentials 55 plan requires Monthly Regulatory Programs and Telco Recovery fees, totaling $3.49 per line per month. You’ll also have to pay any applicable taxes. The Go5G 55 and Go5G Plus 55 plans have these fees included in the monthly rate plan price.
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How does T-Mobile verify age?
If you’re buying the device in-store, T-Mobile can verify age using a government-issued ID like a driver’s license or passport. If you’re purchasing a 55+ plan online, you’ll need to talk to a live chat representative and they can verify your age based on social security number or banking information (same goes with over-the-phone orders).
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Do both phone line users need to be over 55?
For T-Mobile’s senior plans, only the primary account holder needs to be 55 years or older. Additional lines do not require age verification.
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Can I add more than two lines on a T-Mobile 55+ plan?
Currently, the Essentials 55 plan can only be used with up to two lines; however, Go5G and Go5G Plus can be used with up to four lines.
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Is the Essentials plan going away?
Though the T-Mobile website says the Essentials plan is a limited-time promotion, those that sign up now will be grandfathered in for as long as they’d like to keep the plan.
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Are T-Mobile 55+ plans more limited in features?
No, T-Mobile 55+ plans are pretty much identical to their standard unlimited plans. The primary difference will be the price, with 55+ plans costing roughly half the price of standard plans.
