T-Mobile has a new unlimited plan coming this week that is cheaper than its other offerings. Just be prepared to give up some perks.
The new plan, called Base Essentials, launches on April 21 and runs $45 per month for a single line or a $15 savings compared with its current cheapest Essentials unlimited plan, which is $60 per month. The new option is also $25 cheaper than the Magenta option and $40 less than a single line on its priciest Magenta Max offering.
With this plan, you’ll get 20GB of high-speed data and access to T-Mobile’s 5G network, but you will lose out on high-speed data after that allotment has been used up. Instead, your download speeds will slow to 1.5Mbps for the remainder of your billing cycle.
Those on this Base Essentials plan will also be limited to “3G speeds” when using your phone as a hotspot, according to Reddit user a9uirre and The T-Mo Report, which first spotted the details of the new plans. (It’s unclear where a9uirre got the details, but CNET has confirmed that T-Mobile is planning to release the new plan this week. More on that below.)
Read more: CNET’s Guide to Picking the Best Unlimited Plans
Unlike other T-Mobile plans, people on Base Essentials will not be able to take advantage of device upgrade offers or have taxes and fees included in the sticker price. There is no discount for automatic payments and the carrier is not bundling subscriptions to Netflix or a free year of Apple TV Plus as it does with its Magenta and Magenta Max plans. You may still, however, be able to get a free year of Paramount Plus Essentials.
Two lines, as spotted by Reddit user a9uirre, will run $80 on the Base Essentials plan — a savings of $10 per month compared with regular Essentials (which runs $90 per month with AutoPay).
“Starting April 21, 2022, new and existing customers can get Base Essentials for $45 per month plus taxes and fees for 1 line, with 20GB of high-speed smartphone data, with 5G access included,” the company said in a statement Monday provided to CNET.
“We know there’s a group of customers who are looking for a low-cost option, have limited data needs, aren’t looking for device offers or extras and don’t need more than four lines — but who want a T-Mobile branded service. And Base Essentials enables us to reach and serve that group of customers uniquely.”
T-Mobile isn’t the only carrier creating new, stripped-down unlimited plans for single users. AT&T recently added a new unlimited plan option to its portfolio called Value Plus. The $50 per month option is limited to just a single line and lacks any hotspot functionality or perks like HBO Max but does include unlimited talk, text and data with access to AT&T’s 5G network.
