IT-Mobile Adds New Unlimited Phone Plan, But Is It Better Value?

If you want the the phone plan that includes plenty of benefits for three or more people, T-Mobile’s new Better Value plan is appealing. The company is calling this a limited time offer, but with no timeline for when it’s available, so now is a good time to check it out. As with all phone programs, be sure to read the fine print.

In our lists of best mobile apps, the best unlimited data plans again T-Mobile’s best planswe rate T-Mobile’s Essentials plan high. After reviewing the details of the Better Value plan, the More Experience plan — an unlimited postpaid plan No. 2 — provides an interesting comparison. Let’s see how they stack up.

Best Value plan price and features compared

For a three-line account, the monthly fee for the Best Value plan is $140 (with automatic payments active), plus applicable taxes and fees. Experience More similarly costs $140 per month for three lines. The Essentials plan costs $90 a month for three lines, but lacks the extras that make the other two plans attractive.

Both the Experience More and Better Value plans offer unlimited data on T-Mobile’s 5G network, a five-year price guarantee and two-year device upgrades.

However, the Best Value plan includes 250GB of high-speed mobile hotspot data, compared to 60GB for the More Experience plan. After those amounts are used up, data is available at an unlimited rate of 600Kbps. (T-Mobile’s highest plan by comparison, Experience Beyond, includes unlimited high-speed hotspot data.)

Better Value also includes high-speed data when you’re abroad, with 30GB available in Mexico and Canada, as well as 215 countries and territories worldwide. That’s more than the Experience More plan, which offers 15GB in North America and 5GB elsewhere.

Satellite it’s also included in the Better Value plan, a feature that costs $10 more than every other T-Mobile plan except Experience Beyond.

One complaint of these programs, especially in the context of families, is the set of broadcast services included. The Best Value plan and the More Experience plan both include ad-supported Netflix Standard and Hulu, and Apple TV can be added for $3 a month.

Essential qualifications

This is where the fine print comes in, and it seems that T-Mobile aims to encourage and reward loyalty.

If you’re moving from a different carrier, the Best Value plan requires three or more lines and two eligible slots. While it is possible that a family or small business will be transferred from another provider and not retain some of their lines, Better Value is an effort to build group plans and encourage the move away from other carriers.

If you’re already set up with T-Mobile, the Best Value plan requires you to have been a postpaid T-Mobile customer for at least five years. And if you have that much time left, you should be aware that your current plan may have taxes and fees included, while the Best Value plan does not.

The Best Price Plan is available on the T-Life app and on T-Mobile.com. When you enter a T-Mobile store, you will be directed by an employee to the app or website.

Finally, T-Mobile is producing this as a limited time offer, but I confirmed with a spokesperson that it currently does not have an expiration date.

Read more: I got the depth of view T-Mobile’s emergency response plans.