Author Topic: Would like to try a T-Mobile experiment, need two friends  (Read 879 times)

gabrielyoung

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Would like to try a T-Mobile experiment, need two friends
« on: March 30, 2022, 01:29:01 PM »
Hi

In the next 60 days or so, I'll be moving into my own place for the first time.  It's been a rough couple of months for me and I was thinking of trying something fun/taking a risk to take the edge off a bit.  My idea has two parts. 

The first risk is moving into my new place without signing up for home internet.  Instead, I will sign up for T-Mobile's Magenta Max plan, which costs $47 a month when 3 people are on the same plan.  That plan has unlimited everything, netflix, and a 40gb/month hotspot that I can use for my ipad. 

In addition, I will purchase an iphone 13pro with their current deal of $800 off the $1000 phone.  The savings is broken up over 24 months so they force you to stay for that time to get the deal or pay it off early.  My idea here is 1) I would really like the iphone 13 pro (it has a great camera, a 120htz refresh rate, and my phone is dying) and 2) with this deal I would be able either to have a really inexpensive iphone for its actual life or sell it after a couple of years and make my money back and probably more. 

So unless I'm missing something for 24 months I would be paying $47 a month for the Magenta Max plan and getting

1) an unlimited, excellent phone plan with netflix built in
2) free "home" internet through my hotspot
3) free use of an iphone 13 pro for 24 months, assuming I took care of it and didn't damage it

Total cost of this experiment is $1128, which is less than the cost of home internet by itself most places. 

So for me this sounds both like a good deal and a good challenge

The second part/risk of all this is I don't have anyone who wants to sign up for a Magenta Max plan yet.  I need to find two other people, which sounds like a good challenge as well.  It would have to be for two years, they would have to trust me and me them, and they would need to actually want to sign up for this kind of expensive plan.  That's a lot of conditions, but I wanted to throw it out there in case it would be financially beneficial for anyone else reading this to enter into this kind of thing, and maybe make a new friend at the same time. 

Tell me what you think!

Loren Ver

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Re: Would like to try a T-Mobile experiment, need two friends
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2022, 07:18:33 PM »
Sounds pretty decent.  My one caveat is know the cost of the out since you will be relying on two other people.  I say this because I know someone that did this with the Verizon (IIRC) type plan.  It made sense, it was a mom, dad, and kid.  Three really nice expensive phones, three lines, etc for two years.  All was well.  Then the dad died unexpectedly due to complications from Covid.  Verizon let them return one expensive phone, but then just divided up the plan for more cost over two people (mom and kid).  To break the plan they have to pay off the remaining phones plus a fee to break contract, not fun. 

Now the good deal is a bad deal they are stuck in for ~18 more months or so when they would rather be cutting costs.  The phones are really nice though :P.

Does it let you split up the Netflix if you don't all live together?  I don't have any streaming services, so I don't really know how that works.  I know people share passwords, but its on the iffy side.  Or do you plan on being the only one that gets the streaming service?

Good luck.

Loren

gabrielyoung

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Re: Would like to try a T-Mobile experiment, need two friends
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2022, 06:33:56 PM »
There would be a risk of people leaving, no doubt. Probably the best way to do it would be to have me being the only only locking myself into the two year commitment getting the new phone, and the two other people would just be signing up for the reduced rate plan. There are no contracts so they could leave whenever and the price would just go up for me.

I originally thought everyone on the plan gets their own Netflix but after reading a bit you’re right it sounds like maybe just one account with two screens. So that’s no ideal either.  Seems messy and overly complicated doesn’t it! Almost as if the telecom planned it that way.

Thanks for replying