T-Mobile Senior Plan: Costs and Reviews in 2025
T-Mobile Senior Plans: What You Should Know
- For people 55 and older, T-Mobile’s senior plans start at $60 a month for two phone lines that include unlimited talk, text, and data.
- T-Mobile senior plans are available nationwide, whereas senior plans from Verizon and AT&T are only available to Florida residents.
- Depending on your T-Mobile plan, it may also include Netflix, AAA, and Apple TV subscriptions.
FYI: T-Mobile may be a great option for unlimited data, but it’s far from the most affordable provider. To find providers that start at $15 per month, check out our guide to the best cell phone plans for seniors.
T-Mobile Pros and Cons
T-Mobile Pros
- Cheap unlimited data: With unlimited talk, text, and data plans starting at $40 per month with one line ($60 for two lines), T-Mobile is easily the most affordable of the major providers.
- Nationwide availability: While Verizon and AT&T offer similar discounted plans for seniors in Florida only, only T-Mobile’s plans are available in every state.
- No annual contracts: T-Mobile’s Unlimited 55+ plans require no long-term contracts.
- International coverage: T-Mobile’s senior plans offer unlimited data in Mexico and Canada, as well as data and texting abroad.
- Extras: T-Mobile’s senior plans offer streaming services like Apple TV and Netflix, plus a one-year AAA membership.
T-Mobile Cons
- Multiple lines required for lowest prices: T-Mobile’s Unlimited 55+ plans require multiple lines to receive the best price. That said, one line on the Essentials 55+ plan will cost $40 per month, which is still lower than average.
T-Mobile 55+ Plans and Pricing
All of T-Mobile’s 55-and-older plans include unlimited talk, text, and data. However, their cheapest plan limits your high-speed data to 50 GB per month. For unlimited high-speed data, choose either the Go5G Plus 55 or the Go5G Next 55 plans. The major difference between these plans, aside from price, is the frequency of potential upgrades (a minimum of two years and one year, respectively).
Senior Plan Comparison
| Plan | Monthly Price Per Line | Talk and Text Allowance | Data Allowance | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials 55+ |
|
Unlimited | Unlimited (Speeds slowed after 50GB) |
|
| Essentials Choice 55 |
|
Unlimited | Unlimited (Speeds slowed after 50GB) |
|
| Go5G 55 |
|
Unlimited | Unlimited (Speeds slowed after 100GB) |
|
| Go5G Plus 55 |
|
Unlimited | Unlimited high-speed data |
|
| Go5G Next 55 |
|
Unlimited | Unlimited high-speed data |
|
T-Mobile 55+ Plans vs. Standard Plans
T-Mobile’s senior plans are essentially the same exact plans as their conventional plans. For example, the Essentials plan (available to those of any age) and the Essentials 55+ plan have nearly identical features: unlimited talk and text, 50 GB of premium data, and no annual service contracts. The primary difference is price. The regular Essentials plan costs $60 per month for one line, while the Essentials 55+ plan costs $40 per month.
Across the board, you’ll find that T-Mobile’s senior plans result in $10 to $20 discounts on your monthly bill.
How to Purchase T-Mobile Senior Plans
You can purchase T-Mobile’s senior plans on the company’s website. Alternatively, you can go to a store near you. Enter your ZIP code on T-Mobile’s website to find the stores closest to you.
Now, if you’d rather get a new phone than continue using your current phone, T-Mobile currently offers 38 phones to choose from, including from brands like:
- Apple
- Motorola
- Nokia
- Samsung
- Sonim
- TCL
Prices range from $96 to $1,899, but you can pay over a two-year period if you prefer. If you don't have the money upfront, 0 percent APR is available for those with good credit. There are also deals available when you buy a phone along with your plan. You can also trade in your current phone to get a discount. Or, if you simply want to use your current phone, an eSIM or physical SIM card is free.
As far as senior plans go: Once you sign up for a 55-and-over plan, you'll have to verify your age within 45 days of activation to get the senior discount. Verification requires going to a T-Mobile store and showing your valid, government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license or passport. If you don’t do this within the time period, your plan will be switched to a standard plan, and you won’t get the senior discount.
T-Mobile Senior Plan Pricing
T-Mobile’s senior plans cost $40 to $85 a month for one line, and all of the plans have a lower per-line cost when you add additional lines to your plan. Remember, only the primary subscriber needs to be 55 or older, so these plans can be a great option for households with multiple cell phone users.
Extra Fees
We’ve read the small print, so you don’t have to. Here are the fees you can expect to pay (and to avoid) with T-Mobile:
- Overage charges: Since 2014, T-Mobile has not charged overage fees. You can use as much data as you want with any plan, but your speeds will be reduced after your monthly allotment of high-speed data.
- Activation fee: You will, however, have to pay a $35 activation fee per line, which T-Mobile calls a “connection charge.”
- Early termination fee: Since contracts are monthly, there are no early termination fees.
- Late payment fee: We recommend signing up for automatic payments to save $5 per month and avoid late payment fees, which can be either 5 percent of your monthly charges or $7, whichever is greater. For people living in New York, Maryland, or D.C., late fees are charged at about 2 percent instead of 5 percent of your monthly bill.
- International fee: All of T-Mobile’s 55-and-over plans include some level of international texting and possibly even calling and data. However, if your plan does not have what you need, you can pay for data at $0.01 per MB or talk at $0.25 per minute.
- Taxes and fees: Keep in mind that although taxes and fees are included in most of the plans, that’s not the case with the Essentials Choice 55 plan or the Essentials 55 plan. Depending on where you live, you could pay anywhere from $0.20 to $4.25 extra per line per month.
T-Mobile Network Coverage
T-Mobile will have access to nationwide coverage. As the country's largest 5G cellular network, T-Mobile’s 5G coverage is accessible to 99 percent of Americans, while 4G LTE is available to 98 percent of Americans.
Data Speeds
Speeds will vary depending on your plan, but T-Mobile’s 5G network is included in all plans where available. The Essentials plans typically have lower speeds:
- Download speed: 79 Mbps to 257 Mbps
- Upload speed: 6 Mbps to 30 Mbps
- Latency: 17 Mbps to 32 Mbps
For faster speeds, sign up for one of the Go5G plans:
- Download speed: 89 Mbps to 418 Mbps
- Upload speed: 6 Mbps to 31 Mbps
- Latency: 17 Mbps to 32 Mbps
As you can see, the major difference is in the download speeds, which allow for activities like streaming and video chatting. However, each plan should be fast enough to do either of those activities; there are no “slow” plans with T-Mobile.
T-Mobile vs. Verizon and AT&T
As of 2025, T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T all offer discounted unlimited plans for seniors; however, T-Mobile’s Unlimited 55 plans are the only ones available nationwide. For some odd reason, both Verizon and AT&T senior plans are only available to Florida residents. Even for Florida residents, these unlimited plans will still cost more than T-Mobile’s. Verizon’s cost $62 for one line, while AT&T’s senior plan prices start at $50.
| Senior Plan | T-Mobile | AT&T | Verizon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price Per Line |
|
|
|
| Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data | Yes, but slowed after the first 50 GB | Yes | Yes (4G LTE data) |
| Extra Features |
|
|
|
Recapping T-Mobile
While there are a number of cell phone plans specifically for older adults, such as plans from Consumer Cellular, (or for another example, check out our Jitterbug Smart review), there are advantages to keeping your phone service with one of the major three telecom companies in the U.S. Better coverage both at home and abroad offers the freedom to roam without worrying about lost service when you need it most.
We were impressed that T-Mobile was the only company of the three biggest providers that offered 55+ plans in states other than Florida, and we were even more impressed by the prices of the plans and the device options available. Broadly speaking, T-Mobile is a transparent and friendly company to deal with, which is a major positive, as buying cell phones and mobile plans can be a complicated or confusing endeavor.
To learn more about our favorite cell phones and plans for seniors, be sure to check out our helpful guides:
FAQs
-
How does T-Mobile verify age?
T-Mobile verifies age by having customers visit their physical stores with valid, government-issued IDs such as a:
- Valid U.S. driver’s license
- Valid DMV-issued ID card
- U.S. passport
From activation, customers have 45 days to verify their age before they lose their 55-and-over discount.
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Do both phone line users need to be over 55?
The primary account holder must be at least 55 years old, but additional phone line users don’t need to be 55 or older.
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Can I add more than two lines on a T-Mobile 55+ plan?
It depends. Currently, the Essentials and Essentials Choice 55 plans only have options for one or two lines. However, the rest of the plans — Go5G Plus 55, Go5G Next 55, and Go5G 55 — can have up to four lines.
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Is the Essentials plan going away?
As of December 2024, the Essentials plans are still available from T-Mobile, and there is no indication that T-Mobile might discontinue these plans.
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How much is the Essentials plan with taxes and fees?
With taxes and fees, T-Mobile’s standard Essentials plan costs $60 per month for one line, or $100 a month for two lines ($50 per line.) However, these costs do not include taxes and fees, which vary by location but can range from $0.20 to $4.25 a month, increasing costs to anywhere from $60.20 to $64.25 for one line. For seniors, the Essentials plan is cheaper: $40 per month for one line or $60 a month for two lines ($30 per line), plus taxes and fees.
