Discriminatory T-Mobile policy will let some customers save more than others on same plan

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T-Mobile promotional value
Carriers like T-Mobile routinely introduce new plans and try to goad people on older plans into switching to the latest ones by adopting tactics such as reserving the highest discount for modern plans. As a part of that presumed strategy, the company has apparently now decided to discourage customers from going for certain plans.

Older plans are grandfathered as new ones are introduced, meaning carriers let existing customers keep a plan that's no longer available to new customers.

Since carriers would ideally like you to be on a new plan, they often make it harder for customers to stick with old plans. New plans are usually pricier, which is why some customers are reluctant to switch to them. But they do have their own perks, which is why for customers who want the best of both worlds, T-Mobile's segmented rate plans are a great choice. Or they used to be, anyway.

It allowed customers to get both the highest device promotional values and the best service discounts. The segmented plans are basically the modified versions of the regular Go5G, Go5G Plus, and Go5G Next plans with discounts for military and veteran officers, first responders, and customers above the age of 55.

Starting October 4, T-Mobile will lower the discounts offered to those on segmented plans, per The Mobile Report. Previously, when new device promotions were announced, everyone on a plan received the same discount, including those on a segmented plan.


Leaked documents have revealed that from October 4, those on segmented plans will get reduced promotional values compared to customers on a non-segmented version of a plan.

As an example, once the plan goes into effect, if you add a new line on Go5G Next, you will save $800 on the Galaxy S24, but if you are on the 55+ version of the plan, the promotional value will be restricted to $600.

T-Mobile had never offered segregated discounts before and to some extent, the reduced promotional values offered on new devices sort of offset the lower monthly rates.

It's not known if this strategy is only for this round of promotions or is a permanent change to how campaigns work. T-Mobile says it will introduce other promotional changes throughout the holiday season. Hopefully they will not be as discriminatory as this one.
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