Sprint is firing a shot over its competitors' bows.
The wireless carrier on Thursday (June 7) announced a new unlimited plan, called Unlimited Kickstart, that will cost you just $15 per month. And if you need one line or up to four lines, each of them will cost $15 per month. The deal will begin today (June 8).
In a statement, Sprint said that the Unlimited Kickstart plan is available to anyone that's switching from another carrier to Sprint. You can use your existing smartphone or buy a new one from Sprint and you can keep your number. The company is also ditching the annual contract for Unlimited Kickstart and promised unlimited data, talk, and text.
"No catch, no surprises," the company said in a statement.
That said, there are some caveats to keep in mind. As noted, the deal isn't available to current Sprint customers. Additionally, video streaming through the Unlimited Kickstart plan will be limited to 480p. If you want to listen to music, you're limited to 500Kbps and gaming streams will top out at 2Mbps. Additionally, if the Sprint network is congested, your traffic will be deprioritized to accommodate those on other plans.
And although Sprint said that there are "no surprises," the fine print suggests the company will still charge you taxes, surcharges, and roaming, so the $15 monthly fee will be a bit higher after those charges are factored in. You'll also need to sign up for Unlimited Kickstart online, since stores will not offer the deal, and you'll need to enroll in AutoPay and have your monthly charges debited from your account each month.
Still, the Sprint Unlimited Kickstart plan seems pretty compelling. And it suggests that Sprint is working hard to capture new customers even as the company works to get approval for a merger with T-Mobile.
Sprint's plan is available now. The company didn't say when — or even if — the Unlimited Kickstart program will end.
