If you're staying at home or working from a place with Wi-Fi, you may find that you have more data on your phone plan than you need. Making sure you have a plan that offers everything you need with nothing you don't can be a great way to save money. You can change your T-Mobile plan, for example, by visiting the My T-Mobile section on T-Mobile's website. From there you'll be able to see your lines and available plans once you've signed into your account.
Products used in this guide
- Grab an unlocked phone: Google Pixel 3a ($350 at Best Buy)
- A Galaxy with 5G support: Samsung Galaxy S20 ($800 at Best Buy)
Change your plan online
- Navigate to My T-Mobile on T-Mobile's website.
- Click on ACCOUNT.
- Select your current plan.
- Click Manage my plan.
- Follow the prompts to select a new plan and confirm your selection.
Unlike some other carriers, T-Mobile does not allow you to modify your plan through the T-Mobile app. It must be done online or with customer support. If you aren't sure what plan you need, check your usage for previous months either on your bill or with the data usage section in your phone's settings.
Keep in mind that if you downgrade your plan, you may lose access to extras such as Netflix, or the amount of hotspot data may be reduced. Luckily, T-Mobile offers 5G support on all of its plans so there is no risk of dropping 5G support. If you are unsure which plans will work for you, you can call T-Mobile's customer support by dialing 611 on your T-Mobile phone.
What plans are available
Postpaid plans
If you want to stick with a postpaid plan, T-Mobile has three options for you and all of them come with unlimited talk, text, and data. The main differences will be the inclusion of Netflix and hotspot data. If you go with Magenta Plus, you'll get the most hotspot data at $20GB as well as HD Netflix with up to two streams.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Essentials | Magenta | Magenta Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talk and Text | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Data | Unlimited (50GB deprioritization) | Unlimited (50GB deprioritization) | Unlimited (50GB deprioritization) |
| Hotspot | Unlimited 3G speed | 3GB 4G speedUnlimited 3G speed | 20GB 4G speedUnlimited 3G speed |
| Video Streaming | SD | SD | HD |
| Extras | NA | SD Netflix (2 or more lines)Gogo in-flight texting and 1 hour of Wi-Fi | Gogo in-flight texting and Wi-Fi |
| Single line | $60 | $70 | $85 |
| Additional lines | 2 lines: $903 lines: $1054 lines: $120 | 2 lines: $1203 lines: $1404 lines: $160 | 2 lines: $1403 lines: $1704 lines: $200 |
Prepaid and MVNOS
Two of T-Mobile's most interesting prepaid plans are part of its newest T-Mobile Connect tier with a choice of 2GB or 5GB of data. You get unlimited talk and text but once you use your data, you're out. Still, this can be a great plan for a lighter user or someone that makes great use of Wi-Fi for data. The smaller comes in at $15 per month plus taxes and fees while the 5GB plan is $25 per month plus taxes and fees.
There are also other Prepaid plans including the 10GB plan starting at $40 per month for one line plus fees and taxes. This plan can also share its data with a hotspot, and music streaming doesn't count against your data. There are two unlimited plans available as well coming in at $50 and $60 per month for one line plus taxes and fees. The larger of these two plans come with 10GB of 4G speed hotspot data while the standard plan only comes with a 3G speed hotspot. Chnaging to a prepaid plan will likely be a lot more work and may even require a new SIM card.
Finally, there are MVNOs like Mint Mobile and Google Fi that use T-Mobile's network. These plans can be a good option but will require a lot more time and work to move to since you will need to make an all-new account and get a new SIM card.
Our top equipment picks
Take your unlocked phone with you
Google's Pixel 3a is a great unlocked phone with pure Android and a great camera. It also works on nearly any carrier making it easy to switch.
5G support with flagship hardware
The Samsung Galaxy S20 comes with great cameras, a large 4,000mAh battery, and a striking 120Hz display. It also supports T-Mobile's current and future 5G spectrum.
