T-Mobile's Unlimited Plan for Seniors Is Tough to Beat

T-Mobile’s onslaught of promotions is continuing with a new plan for an often overlooked demographic: seniors.

Credit: Goodluz/Shutterstock.com

(Image credit: Goodluz/Shutterstock.com)

This week, T-Mobile will roll out a deal for Americans over the age of 55. The One Unlimited 55+ plan, which launches Aug. 9, includes two lines for $60, including taxes and fees, if you set up autopay. For that price, you’ll get unlimited everything — talk, text and data — plus benefits like unlimited texting and an hour of free Wi-Fi while flying and unlimited text and data roaming overseas.

MORE: T-Mobile Phone Plan Buying Guide

To put that price in context, two lines of unlimited data at T-Mobile currently cost $100 a month, and that reflects a promotional discount. T-Mobile One, the company’s unlimited plan, costs $70 a month for one line of unlimited data.

Other carriers cater to seniors with ultra-basic plans and flip phones, but T-Mobile is clearly taking a different approach. In a statement, T-Mobile CEO John Legere said the new Unlimited 55+ plan “recognizes how boomers and beyond actually use their smartphones.”

Image
T-Mobile One Unlimited 55+

The company points to some data to back up this strategy. Of the more than 93 million people in the U.S. who are over the age of 55, 74 percent own a smartphone. Older smartphone owners spend almost as much time on their devices as millennials (149 minutes vs. 171 minutes, according to Nielsen).

At $60 a month for two lines, T-Mobile’s new plan seriously undercuts its rivals — even carriers who specifically court seniors such as Consumer Cellular. That carrier lets you mix and match talk and text/data plans to get the right ratio of features you need, which is useful. If you barely use your phone, a Consumer Cellular plan of 250 minutes, unlimited texts and 500 MB of data will only run you $25 a month.

Consumer Cellular doesn’t offer unlimited data; for unlimited talk and text with 5 GB of data, you’ll pay $75 a month for one line. Extra lines cost $10 a month at Consumer Cellular, with users drawing from the same pool of talk, text, and data.

Consumer Cellular’s strength comes with its AARP affiliation, as it offers a 5 percent discount on monthly bills to AARP members. Even then, T-Mobile’s unlimited plan pricing for data-hungry seniors is a better option.

T-Mobile’s direct competitors also offer plans targeted toward seniors, but they’re incredibly limited. AT&T’s Senior Plan for people over the age of 65 doesn’t even apply to smartphones — for $30 a month, you can get a plan for a basic phone that includes unlimited calling to other AT&T users and 200 anytime minutes.

Caitlin is a Senior editor for Gizmodo. She has also worked on Tom's Guide, Macworld, PCWorld and the Las Vegas Review-Journal. When she's not testing out the latest devices, you can find her running around the streets of Los Angeles, putting in morning miles or searching for the best tacos.

Latest in Network Carriers
Super Bowl LIX signage in New Orleans
Super Bowl 2025 — here's what the big carriers are doing to amp up their networks for the Big Game
Phones floating in the clouds showing the Helium mobile app
Helium Mobile unveils a free monthly wireless plan — here's what you need to know
Visible phone service on a smartphone with a deal tag
The best unlimited data plan just dropped 33% — but you've got to act now
Mint Mobile unlimited data deal with badge
Hurry! You've got until January 24 to cut your unlimited data bill in half at Mint Mobile
a Mint Mobile sim card envelope with a deal badge
Not a typo — Mint Mobile cuts the price of unlimited data in half for a full year
A smartphone with Visible being set up on it and a deal badge
Cellular bills are out of control — and this unlimited deal for $30 a month puts the big carriers to shame
Latest in News
A TV with the Netflix logo sits behind a hand holding a remote
Netflix is rolling out a big video quality upgrade — what you need to know
Choi Hyun-Wook, Hong Kyung, and Park Ji-hoon in "Weak Hero Class 1" now streaming on Netflix
This action-packed K-drama is now streaming on Netflix — and now’s the time to binge-watch before season 2
OnePlus 13 back, leaning against blue wall
OnePlus 13T could come with an even bigger battery than OnePlus 13 — this is incredible
Apple Watch Ultra 2
Apple Watch Ultra 3 just tipped for two major upgrades
NYTimes Connections
NYT Connections today hints and answers — Tuesday, March 25 (#653)
A nervous woman looking at her phone
Is ChatGPT making us lonely? MIT/OpenAI study reveals possible link