T-Mobile Senior Plan
Overview
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classifies an “older worker” as anyone who is over the age of 55. In the last decade, older workers have continued to make up an exponentially increasing part of the workforce in the U.S. Retirement is being put off longer and post-retirement jobs are more common than they have ever been modern history.
Much of this is due to the constantly increasing cost of living in today’s society. The fixed income and tight budget of an older adult can cause them to have to continue working well into their golden years. T-Mobile has implemented a special pricing structure for older adults to help reduce the strain that having a cell phone puts on those budgets.
Features for Seniors
Unlimited 55+ from T-Mobile does not have any distinctive features specifically for seniors such as larger buttons or a louder speaker. Rather, the plan itself is uniquely designed to provide the same great service as their standard T-Mobile ONE postpaid service at a special price that is easier for senior citizens to afford.
Costs
The entire basis of this plan is to save older adults money on their cellular costs. There may be the need to purchase a phone if a customer does not already have one and there are some fees associated with starting new service but overall, the monthly service fees are the only cost for this service.
Phone Costs
The Unlimited 55+ plan from T-Mobile works with any compatible phone. Current customers can simply have their plan changed to reflect their savings. New T-Mobile customers can buy a new phone or bring their current cell phone with them for use.
Customers are free to choose from the newest most advanced phones from Apple, Samsung, and others or the most basic phones still in use. T-Mobile sells phones with special discounted pricing for their customers and with convenient monthly payment options. These phones can be purchased online or via a T-Mobile distributor.
Monthly Service Plans
The T-Mobile ONE Unlimited 55+ plan is available for single lines as well as for two phones. Unlike some other cellular company’s senior plans, only the primary account holder has to be 55 years of age or older.
In addition, the special pricing is only available for postpaid plans and thus is dependent upon credit approval and may involve a one-time refundable deposit for imperfect credit. Moreover, each phone in the plan is responsible for a $25 SIM starter kit charge.
Unlimited 55+
This plan includes features identical to those offered at a full price to T-Mobile customers. However, customers taking advantage of this discounted pricing cancel eligibility for the T-Mobile ONE Netflix offer. It does offer T-Mobile features such as:
- Unlimited talk, text, and LTE data
- T-Mobile Tuesdays: offering awesome deals every week
- 480p video at DVD quality
- In-flight texting on flights with Gogo® technology
- Overseas Data & Texting in more than 200 locations
- Unlimited talk, text, and 5 GB of 4G LTE data in Mexico and Canada
- Mobile Hotspot with 3G speeds
- Taxes and fees included in the monthly charge
| Number of Lines | Monthly Cost | Monthly Cost with AutoPay Discount |
|---|---|---|
| One Line | $55 | $50 |
| Two Lines | $80 | $70 |
Senior Discounts
A regular T-Mobile ONE plan is $70 per month for one phone and $120 per month for two phones (with the same Auto Pay discount of $5 per line). Thus, the discount for seniors is $20 per month for single lines and $50 per month for two line plans.
Summary
T-Mobile has been offering cellular service for more than 20 years. They have a proven track record for providing dependable nationwide coverage. If customers are looking for reliable cellular service for a decent price, then this Unlimited 55+ plan is perfect for them.
However, T-Mobile has a history of issues including being a part of the Equifax security breach. Their Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile shows them as an unaccredited business with a B rating and multiple customer complaints. All of this information should be weighed carefully before choosing a cellular phone provider.
Overall, T-Mobile ONE Unlimited 55+ offers senior consumers with quality cellular service at a reasonable rate that is exclusive to those more than 55 years of age. Read our full review of T-Mobile's senior plan here.