I recently got notice from T-Mobile that my plan had changed to Experience Signature w/55+ savings.
However, looking at the plan closely there are some changes to the international portion:
--monthly price increase
--data speeds at up to 256k
-- international calls from overseas are now 50¢/minute
I looked at some of their other plans and they are more expensive.
Has anyone else seen this?
Hmmm I haven't looked at my parents ' terms in a month or two. Will check, thanks for the heads up.
Haven't received yet, but I'm very disappointed as this was why I switched to T Mobile and I've always been satisfied when I travel to Europe.
Regarding price increases, phone lines went up $6 each and home internet went up $6.
Frank, your question scared me into delving into our plan which is Experience Beyond with 55+ savings. I did’t see an Experience Signature version.
We thought the 15GB high-speed international more than made up for the price increase, along with getting HULU included. International data used to cost us each $50/month when abroad, so about $100/year each.
The new plan looked like Int’l was only at 256Kbps but a little research revealed the following AI summary, which I confirmed with a dive on the T-Mobile site https://www.t-mobile.com/commerce/plan-details
We don’t make more than 5 or 6 calls when we are overseas so the $.50/minute was no problem.
Yes. Our plan changed with a small increase in the monthly rate. While we were in Europe (for just under 90 days) the service worked just as before. We did not make any international calls.
I have T-Mobile and I use wifi calling in Europe.
No charge at all to my bill.
Frank, you may be on a grandfathered plan that doesn't exist for new customers. I recently switched to the plan Laurel referenced. It has unlimited international texting and up to 15GB of high-speed data, then unlimited data at up to 256Kbps, plus calls at 50 cents per minute. Sounds like they may have adjusted your plan to match their current offerings. My plan also includes Hulu, Netflix, and Apple TV (for $3/mo), all services I was previously paying for separately. And I have T-Satellite which is very handy for my off grid camping and I understand it may also work overseas (haven't tried that yet).
Frank II, thanks for starting this thread. I'm a pretty satisfied Tmobile customer, but they sure do a lousy job of telling anyone the plan details for "their" plan. I'm sort-of "grandfathered", with a Magenta 55+ plan. Now I'm an "Experience Signature w/ 55+ Savings". The changes for me are:
1-- Each line is $6/month more.
2--Calls from International places are 50 cents/minute, up from 25 cents.
3--Instead of 5 gb. high speed data in only 11 countries, I now get it in all 214 countries
I don't like the extra $6/month, but that just makes it $41/month for me.
As mentioned here, I don't care about the 50 cent/minute calling.
Getting high speed data everywhere will save me a few $50/month add-ons, so that's great.
And if I need more than 5 gb./month, I'll use my Roamless or Bcengi esims, no problem.
I never could find the details of the hotspot allowance, my plan was 5 gb/month, now it might be more, but that doesn't matter much to me.
And I have T-Satellite which is very handy for my off grid camping and I understand it may also work overseas
CL, it does work overseas. It kicked in a couple of times for us in Ireland. Also worked great on the North Shore of Lake Superior where there are a surprising number of cellular dead spots.
As to the hotspot, I think it is domestic only, 250Gbps high speed, which is good but I think use overseas would eat the 15Gbps… LMK if anyone has a different interpretation.
Frank II, What plan did you previously have?
We have the grandfathered Magenta 55+ plan that came with Price Lock.
For accounts activated between April 28, 2022, and January 17, 2024, customers who signed up for qualifying mobile wireless plans received our original Price Lock Guarantee (“Original Price Lock”). Under that promotion, new accounts with qualifying service could keep their regular monthly rate plan price for unlimited talk, text, and data on our network, excluding taxes/fees, select limited-time promotions, per-use charges, third-party services (such as satellite connectivity), discounts, and network management practices.
We haven't been advised of any changes. My understanding is that as long as we make no changes, we keep our original plan and rates.
A quick google search indicates that T-Mobile will be “migrating” customers with older plans.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/t-mobile-customers-on-old-plans-are-being-pushed-to-new-ones-starting-this-week/
I’ve got a Simple Choice plan from 2014 and my price has never been raised. My plan has the slow international data so I always pay extra for a high speed international data pass ($50 for 30 days). I considered upgrading to one of the newer plans but could not justify it because my old plan was cheaper even with the extra fees. I just logged into my account and they have not yet changed anything yet but I expect that I will eventually get a similar notice.
Do these prices include your handset or do you need to buy your own?
GerryM, Speaking for myself, my grandfathered Magenta 55+ plan did not come with a new phone. I just bought a used, unlocked one on Ebay. If I had Tmobile give me a new phone, I believe I'd have to pay something monthly for it. And definitely it would be locked to Tmobile. That was the deal-breaker for me. I do not want a locked phone.
For this sort of money in the UK you'd also be getting an iPhone 17 or equivalent included.
GerryM, when we started with T-Mobile in 2022, they offered a choice of “free” phones. We were basically billed and credited the cost of the phones for 24 months. So, yes, the handset was included. It’s time for my husband to upgrade his phone, but I think we’ll hold off a bit. I don’t want to rock the boat.
It always seems like American consumers get a bit of a raw deal with mobile phone and internet connectivity pricing compared to over here. I guess it balances out with the price we pay for electricity and gas, in both uses of the word, fuel for cars and homes.
I got "migrated" to this new plan with an added $6/month/line and a bunch of streaming add-ons that I don't want. But it was four years since I started with T-Mobile -- unfortunately a few months before the "price lock" that jeanm mentioned above (sweet!). I use the phone overseas for data and texting, wifi for Zoom conversations with my wife. So I don't like the increase (we have two lines so $80 has become $92), but it's roughly in line with inflation over time. I'm sure there will be future increases, bundled with other stuff I don't want.
I can't get T-Mobile to stop billing me for a tracker they sold me several months ago without telling me it would cost another $2/month. I canceled and returned it immediately but every month they still pull that $2 from my bank. Neither the "customer care" line nor the store has been able to change this, they just string me along. A company that seems very technologically advanced but ethically primitive. Maybe some other poster has some advice. Thank goodness, the phone's unlocked so I can switch if it all becomes too frustrating. But T-Mobile's overseas service still seems much better than other carriers.
I've been with T-Mobile for over 12 years. At first, I was put on a plan with no price increase. Then I was moved to a new plan with a slight increase. My old plan was no longer available.
Now I'm moved to a new plan, with a price increase, because my old plan is no longer available.
At least it does say my price is locked in for five years.
Unless, of course, they change plans again.
I am with them strictly because of the included international component. I don't want to have to pay an extra fee to be able to use the phone outside the US. I spend about 75% of the year outside the US.
I do my best to only make calls when wifi is available and use Google Voice. I try to keep my data use limited and again use wifi whenever available. I don't keep earbuds in my ear when out and about because it takes away from me being aware of my surroundings.
I hope that those people who insist on walking around constantly looking at their phones, and having earbuds in their ears, completely oblivious to other people, never procreate.
We have been with T-Mobile for many years and the plan we had is now obsolete. We were switched to the Experience Signature w/55+ Savings plan. This plan raised our price $6 per line, so $12. We are now paying $82/month. They doubled the price per minute when traveling internationally but I rarely have the need to make a call. I tend to use more data than my husband because I use my phone as a hotspot when I’m using my iPad. I don’t like using unsecured public wifi which includes most hotels. I’m thinking that a VPN might be the solution for that. I’ve mentioned it to my husband before but he was skeptical. An eSIM is also a consideration. If he keeps dragging his feet I’m just going to take care of it myself.
I found this research report useful. The spreadsheet of plans links provide a staggering number of actual plans.
https://tmo.report/2026/07/heres-every-t-mobile-experience-migration-plan-along-with-prices/
My T-Mobile account did not show my new plan name until (roughly) the day before my monthly bill preview rolled out for inspection.
You are correct that the overseas voice call rate has doubled, but the various downgrades of data speed after a certain amount of highest 5G speed is not a new "feature." Since I use Waze and Google Maps extensively while traveling, I can live with this form of "unlimited" data.
I’ve been a T-Mobile customer for so long that it was called Voicestream when I started. My plan is a Simple Choice plan. As of today, I have not been migrated to anything new but I’m sure it’s coming.
I’m expecting a price increase but what makes me nervous is the change from 25 cents a minute to 50 when I’m traveling. I make a lot of calls since I work when I travel. To avoid fees, when I make a call, I turn off my phone completely, move to my iPad, using the hotel WiFi since the iPad does not have data, and make my call on WhatsApp.
This didn’t happen previously but this year - when I got home - I had about $60 in international charges - despite making no international calls on my phone.
I talked to T-Mobile numerous times. They agreed I made no calls. They really could not explain the charges (they credited them back to me). The charges only occurred for WhatsApp calls where I called my business partner on his T-Mobile phone that is on the same plan as mine.
This has happened on my last two international trips -I can’t prove it’s related to these company-wide changes, but I wonder.
At any rate - it leaves me in a bind with TMobile. For my trip later this month, I might buy an international plan…although I’m gone longer than 30 days and will actually need to buy two…for nearly $100!
For the tMobile users:
We’ll be in Germany, Czech, Vienna and Hungary for 21 days next month. We have tMobile.
We traveled to Asia where tMobile isn’t great coverage so We usually buy the international passes for 30 days for $50. Just looked today and it’s $75 for 30GB.
Has anyone used their tMobile without buying international passes in Central Europe?
Should I research for eSim providers? Any recommendation on which?
I used the included international benefits on my T-Mobile plan in all of those places. No problems.
Has anyone used their tMobile without buying international passes in
Central Europe?
Apparently, there are different T-Mobile plans. My old fart T-Mobile Magenta +55 MAX plan comes with 5GB of high-speed international data and $0.25 international calls and free texts. Sometimes when I travel outside of the EU I use my US T-Mobile because it seems to have better coverage than my local (Hungarian) Telekom (T-Mobile) phone. I am good for about a week with the 5GB if I show some control and use Wi-Fi for sending pictures and the like. I just use the phone till it quits responding then I get on a Wi-Fi and buy what ever additional time I think I will need. Generally its just a few days so it might cost $20.
Some plans I understand have no international data and maybe higher rates; I just don’t know what you have. So, I don’t know how to answer you.
I can tell you that T-Mobile has excellent connections in all the places you are going to. If you don’t have an international plan, you will just pay higher fees if you use your phone and I am not sure you will be able to get high speed data. That’s not about local coverage, that’s about T-Mobile.
For phone calls I almost always use the T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling feature. It is free and works in both directions, that is, people in the states can call your personal phone number and if you have the phone on Airplane Mode with the Wi-Fi connected your phone will ring and texts will appear. No charge.
I had the grandfathered Magenta 55+ plan, which gave me 5 gb. of high speed data in 11 countries, and slow data in 203 countries. Like many of you, I was migrated into a new plan for an extra $6 per line.
I'm not certain (it's hard to find all the details from Tmobile), but I believe I now get 5 Gb. high speed data in ALL the countries. If true, then that is worth something to me. In any event, I have Roamless and BCengi esims on our phones which give me very cheap data in all those countries, so I may need to keep doing that. And maybe (?), the 5 Gb. is now 15 Gb., but I don't think so. I'll know for sure, next month when I'm in Germany. As Mr. E said, the phone calls went from 25 cents/min. to 50 cents/min, but I don't care about that.
travelerguy, it is hard. I got curious so I just went looking. Not until you reach a screen where you are about to buy an upgrade do they show you in detail what you alread have. 5GB in my case. And thats fine. I learned a new routine when I walk into a cafe, "Americano and the wifi password please"
I think, worst case scenario that the 5GB will last me 10 days then if I do run out (but I rarely travel for more than 10 days), I can but a few extra days. Oh, here is a warning of an inconvenience. You will need a high speed connection to buy more data. So you will need WiFi if you wait till its all gone.
5GB is 5000MB
Low Data Use (Under 100 MB per hour)
• Web Browsing & Text Messaging: Reading articles, checking search engines, or texting via internet messaging apps utilizes roughly 15 MB to 60 MB per hour.
• Checking Email: Interacting with standard text emails without bulky attachments uses very little data—averaging around 80 MB per hour of active use.
• Music Streaming: Listening to audio on apps like Spotify or Apple Music at standard quality uses roughly 70 MB per hour, though this can triple if you switch to "Very High" audio quality.
Medium Data Use (100 MB – 500 MB per hour)
• Social Media Scrolling: Standard browsing through image-heavy feeds (like Facebook or basic Instagram scrolling) averages around 100 MB per hour.
• Voice and Video Calls: Standard voice-only internet calls use very little data, but basic video calls (like standard FaceTime or Skype) jump to roughly 180 MB per hour.
• Online Gaming: Real-time gameplay for mobile titles ranges dynamically between 40 MB to 150 MB per hour, heavily influenced by graphical complexity and player counts.
And I have T-Satellite which is very handy for my off grid camping and I understand it may also work overseas (haven't tried that yet).
It worked for me when I was in Norway, which was really good to know.
HappyTrvler, T-Satellite comes with some of the more expensive T-Mobile plans or its only $10 a month to add to any plan and apparently you can install it on your phone if you have someone else’s service for the same $10 a month and instantly you and Elon Musk are partners (it uses Starlink). No contract so you can turn it on and off at will.
Here is what it does:
With T-Satellite you can stay connected in places cell towers can’t
reach. Send and receive text, audio, and picture messages
(SMS/MMS/RCS), and share your location. Use some of your favorite
satellite-ready apps for navigation, weather, and more. You can even
talk over satellite via WhatsApp on T-Satellite.
So, some data, with some apps, but no voice. No idea about data speed or how much data you can use, if there is a limit?
To be honest, it’s sort of a bargain for some folks. Certainly for Norwegians, but in your list of countries (Germany, Czech, Vienna and Hungary) I can’t imagine you needing it. Worst case scenario is walk into the café and say, “An Americano and your wi-fi password please.”
My list of holidays in the last few years is Ukraine, Romania, Malta, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro (oh, and Austria and Germany and Italy and Pennsylvania) and I have a return trip to Albania coming in a few days. Even with that esoteric travel list T-Mobile always connected as well as anyplace in the U.S. Even out in the middle of who-knows-nowhere on a train between the Hungarian border and Kyiv I had a connection.
FrankII, you know how sometimes we get off track in these threads. I went back and read your post.
Experience Signature w/55+ savings
So, last night I checked my plan. Yes, I have the same as you. In looking in the description page for the plan, even the detailed description plan, it says what you said. Thats not good. But it occured to me that I have been using my T-Mobile data from time to time and its working fine.
Still I went to look at plans with highspeed international coverage. The cheapest I found was $100. There was a prompt to compare what I had with the $100 plan, so i selected the prompt. In the comparison it said that my current plan had 5GB of high speed data and the $100 plan had 15GB (it think that what I remember). So maybe, apparently cause its working, I do have 5GB of high speed data. I will find out soon I guess. Why do they make it so hard?
Thank you for your research, Mr. E. So I don't have 15 gb. data. That's ok.
Last April, in Ireland, I had the slow 256 kb/s. data, and found that texting worked ok. Even texting a photo worked, it just took 30 seconds to send it. Mostly, I didn't bother using my Bcengi esim.
And thanks for the info about $10/month satellite texting, that's sounds very reasonable for those remote places. Even my 4 year-old Galaxy S24 has the hardware for Satellite communications.
Who knows what you have, TMobile isn't very transparent. Go to their phone app and find your way to where you change plans. Pick one and you get prompted to compare to what you currently have. And it shows exactly what your current data allowance, etc is.
I still haven’t been moved to a new plan nor have I gotten any notice; I’ve been logging in to check and it still shows ”Simple Choice”. I have an upcoming trip and because I only get slow data, I always purchase the 30 day international pass. They’ve raised that price to $75.
For those of you that were migrated to new plans, how far in advance did you grt the notice? Did they text you or mail you about the change?
Laura, I was migrated from a Magenta plan. I got texts starting about 1.5 months prior to it happening, the first text said it was coming. The next text said the change would happen after the next monthly plan rollover. Somehow, I've been getting a monthly text saying my bill was due, then another that my bill was autopaid. The migrating text didn't say any details about the new plan, though.
