- The new plan is $140/month for three lines – aimed squarely at families seeking “Better Value”
- The plan includes large hotspot allowances, international roaming, satellite connectivity and discounted streaming
- T-Mobile leans into “value” branding as affordability becomes a bigger selling point in 2026
T-Mobile kicked off the new year with the launch of a new price plan – this one aimed at packing in the perks at a lower price point.
Named the “Better Value” plan, it starts at $140/month for three lines with autopay, penciling out to $46/line.
According to T-Mobile’s press release, the plan, which is being offered starting January 14 for a limited time, is for families who want a premium wireless experience without the premium price. It’s cheaper than T-Mobile’s $170/month Experience Beyond plan but with many of the same perks.
The Better Value plan includes 250 GB of high-speed hotspot data every month, unlimited North America data with 30 GB of data in Mexico and Canada, satellite connectivity and an entertainment bundle with Netflix, Hulu and Apple TV for $3/month.
Interestingly, it’s not a direct response to Verizon’s $25/line offer that raised questions (and some investor concerns) before the holidays.
“It’s clearly a top-of-the-line plan,” said Jeff Moore, principal of Wave7 Research. “This (T-Mobile) plan provides a heck of a lot more than you would get on the basic unlimited plan.”
It’s likely to be attractive to high-end data-intensive families, “but that’s a small demographic. I think this could appeal to families who have to spend time abroad with relatives or who have international careers,” Moore told Fierce. “The inclusion of satellite data is an interesting differentiator.”
T-Mobile sticks with a familiar pattern
Jason Leigh, senior research manager at IDC, said T-Mobile has never simply aligned “value” with “price.” One can certainly find cheaper prices – $25 and $30/month for a single line are quite common – elsewhere, but “it is the amalgamation of features and services within one pricing bundle where T-Mobile is attempting to demonstrate value,” he said.
Consistent with T-Mobile’s past behavior – think Magenta Status or T-Mobile Tuesdays – it’s trying to demonstrate that consumers can get more for their money if they spend it with T-Mobile.
“T-Mobile is able to include some things that others aren’t or can’t yet – such as an evolving satellite service (though it is arguable how much any given customer NEEDS satellite), which differentiates and creates more perception of value,” Leigh said.
What’s more telling is the decision to overtly put the word “Value” in the name of the plan, he said. Carriers have always had a somewhat obtuse naming convention for their plan tiers – Welcome, Plus, Max, Starter, Beyond, etc.
“In the macro environment where ‘affordability’ is the current economic buzz word, the hit-them-over-the-head placement of the word ‘value’ front and center is a bit of a clarion call and acknowledgement that the company expects customers to be laser focused on the cost-value analysis of household functions in 2026,” Leigh said.
Calling out AT&T, Verizon
Another way T-Mobile is playing true to form is calling out rivals. “Families are looking for ways to save and get more value from the services they rely on every day, especially wireless,” T-Mobile Chief Business and Product Officer Mike Katz touts in the press release. “While AT&T and Verizon keep asking people to pay more for less, we’re doing the opposite.”
AT&T and Verizon are no doubt going over every word in T-Mobile’s latest marketing medley with a fine-tooth comb. Last year, AT&T challenged some of T-Mobile’s advertising claims around the launch of its Experience More and Experience Beyond rate plans, with the BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division (NAD) this week announcing the results of its review.
NAD found that some of T-Mobile’s statements related to price increases were OK, but recommended that some claims be modified or discontinued, including a claim that AT&T and Verizon announced price increases a combined 10 times in the past two years. NAD found that wasn’t the case and recommended that T-Mobile discontinue those and other claims related to satellite coverage.
T-Mobile said it will be appealing NAD’s decision to the NAD Review Board.