Last Call for Sprint Plans – New Customers To Be Directed to T-Mobile starting August 2

With the recent merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, we expected to see changes to the plan offerings as the new combined T-Mobile works to integrate Sprint. As of July 2020, we are starting to see those changes come to fruition, with more changes expected to start next month.

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Last Call for Sprint Based Plans

If there are any Sprint plans that you've been considering, this is your last call to get them.

T-Mobile recently announced that as of August 2, new customers will be handled under the T-Mobile brand with only T-Mobile plans offered. And at present time, T-Mobile doesn't have overly attractive plans that include high amounts of mobile hotspot data (except for their Global Plus 15GB smartphone add-on). 

Sprint's plans are more attractive in terms of available mobile-hotspot data, but Sprint-branded plans are expected to no longer be available by August 2nd, 2020. And we've already seen one alluring plan, the 100GB data-only plan for mobile hotspot devices, removed from Sprint's website and no longer an option for new activations. 

Other plans could go away at any time -  If you want to lock-in a Sprint-based plan, act now.

The following are other plans worthy of consideration for mobile internet users that you will want to lock-in soon:

• Unlimited Premium, $80/month - Includes 100GB of high-speed mobile hotspot use and 1080p streaming
• 50GB Hotspot plan, $50/month - 50GB of high-speed data, and additional data can be added if needed (The 100GB hotspot plan has already been removed.)
• Tablet Plan, $25/month - Includes unlimited on-device high-speed data, and 10GB of high-speed mobile hotspot data

What’s Next for Sprint Plans?

With the merger, the new combined company will eventually only offer T-Mobile branded plans, but customers with existing Sprint plans will be grandfathered in. If you're currently on a Sprint plan, or sign up for one before they go away, you should be able to keep that plan going forward.

Under the terms of the merger, T-Mobile promised no price increases for 3-years on these plans. However, don't expect to be able to add new lines of service, upgrade devices (especially financed or subsidized), or make other plan changes to grandfathered plans. 

While grandfathered plan terms are not expected to change, fees will reportedly change including activation and upgrade fees, which will become "support" fees. 

We've also recently learned that the Sprint brand will continue to hold a storefront presence in Best Buy stores, which will be able to provide service for existing customers of Sprint-based plans. 

The Future of Non-Profit and FMCA Plans

The future of official Sprint-based plans offered by the FMCA ($49.99/month unlimited hotspot plan) as well as Non-Profit plans ($15-58/month unlimited hotspot plans) offered by organizations like Calyx & PCs for People is not confirmed at this point.

We don't know if existing customers will be grandfathered in, if they will benefit from T-Mobile's coverage map or if new customers will be able to continue to sign up. 

We wrote to Calyx and FMCA for a statement. Calyx reports that there are no changes noted on their end, and the FMCA marketing director made a statement in their community forums last week that they have not been informed of any changes either. 

The non-profit plans survived the acquisition of Clear by Sprint back in 2013 and they should hopefully survive this merger as well.  We will update this article and our content should more information become available.

New Essentials Plans

Sprint recently rolled out two basic plans that may continue after August 2nd and retain Sprint branding, including Sprint Essentials and a promotional variant called Sprint Value Essentials. The Essentials plans will be similar to the current Sprint Unlimited Basic, except they will no longer include Hulu or any high-speed mobile hotspot use. 

Mobile hotspot with these plans is unlimited but only at 3G speeds (512kbps) - so we do not consider them of interest to mobile users looking for home internet replacement options.

• The Essentials plan autopay price is one line is $60/month, the 2nd line is $30/month, and lines 3-6 are $15/month.
• The Essentials value plan is only available by phone or in a store.  It costs $100 for 1 line with up to 3 free additional lines.

These new plans should also be available through the Best Buy storefronts. 

T-Mobile $100 Unlimited Promotion

T-Mobile also announced they are gearing up for promotions and deals on plans in preparation for the brands combining. 

Last week they announced a new 4 for $100 limited-time offer. You get 4 unlimited smartphone lines for $25 each ($100/month total), and you can add two additional lines for $20/line. The plan is actually based on their Essentials plans, and include unlimited data and 5G access where available, but mobile hotspot use is capped at 3G speeds.

This offer is very similar to the promotional Sprint Value Essentials plan, except for the pricing structure and 5G access.

We expect other plan changes in the future as T-Mobile and Sprint continue to combine their operations. We'll continue to report on anything mobile internet relevant. 

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