Is T-Mobile Still the Best Phone Carrier for US Travelers?

A long time ago in a state far, far away (Massachusetts), I used AT&T as my cellphone service provider. When the iPhone first came out, I bought it because I could remove the original AT&T SIM card, insert a local SIM while on the road, and still have a handy-dandy smartphone to tweet from.

Flash forward again to the end of 2013, when T-Mobile announced it was giving all their users free international data and text messaging in over 140 countries. Free data and I didn’t have to get a local SIM card or change my number? Sign me up!

Since then, I’ve been using T-mobile as my service provider.

But are they still as good as they used to be?

Let’s talk about it

Now, historically, T-Mobile has had a reputation for having terrible coverage. And, for a number of years, they did — but thanks to the money they received after the failed merger with AT&T, they heavily invested in their network and began offering 4G and LTE speeds. Now, their coverage map is as good as the other carriers (it still doesn’t have Verizon-level coverage but they cover 96% of the country) and you can get 5G coverage pretty much everywhere.

With their plans starting at $60 USD per month, they are also the clear winner here too.

I have 5G or LTE wherever I go, and I haven’t had any dropped calls. I only have a few instances of “no service” in a few rural areas, but that usually only lasts a few seconds. However, that used to happen with Verizon too, so, while annoying, it’s not a deal-breaker for me.

I am thrilled that T-Mobile — with its contract-free (and cheaper) plans, free international data, and better customer service model — is out there. I never again have to worry about buying foreign SIM cards and coverage again. There are no more additional costs in my travels. I know what my phone bill is going to be every month, and I get to keep the same number worldwide.

Their plans come with a lot of perks. Their Experience Beyond plan comes with all the following features:

• 5-Year Price Guarantee 5Legal footnote
• Upgrade-ready every year
• T-Satellite included 4Legal footnote
• Unlimited premium data on the Best Mobile Network 1Legal footnote
• Netflix™ Standard with ads ON US
• Apple TV+ ON US
• Hulu ON US
• Watch & tablet lines just $5/month 3Legal footnote
• Unlimited mobile hotspot included 6Legal footnote
• Unlimited text, 30GB of high-speed data in Canada & Mexico
• Unlimited text, 15GB of high-speed data in 215+ countries & destinations
• Full-flight texting and Wi-Fi with streaming where available
• New T-Mobile customers and existing customers get the same great phone deals every year

This plan, which is $100 a month, offers a lot of great value, especially when you consider you are saving $30-40 a month on streaming services. (I had to tell a bunch of friends about this because they had no idea!!) And I absolutely love the free wi-fi feature for flights (you can get it on Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest, and United).

And, when you are overseas customers now get unlimited data and texting in 215+ countries and destinations on qualifying plans. Depending your plan you get about 15 gigs of fast data before they throttle it to 3G (and, depending on the country, sometimes 2G). That makes it easy to load some stuff but it makes anything that is data-heavy a pain. I don’t mind it since there’s Wi-Fi everywhere these days.

But, if you’re a short-term traveler, it might not matter. I always have enough data for a short term trip.

Additionally, they now have something called T-Satellite with Starlink. T-Mobile is the first and only U.S. wireless provider with a space-based mobile network in the U.S., allowing you to stay connected anywhere you can see the sky – no more dead zones. T-Satellite is now available to everyone for purchase and includes SMS texting, MMS, picture messaging and short audio clips. (Customers with Experience Beyond get T-Satellite included in their plan at no additional cost.) So, if you’re doing a lot of backcountry / off-the-grid travel, this feature is very, very clutch.

So, domestically – and for short-term travel – I absolutely love T-Mobile. However, if you’re a long-term traveler and plan on leaving the US for months at a time, you’re going to want to be sure to freeze your plan – or at least downgrade your number. Here’s why:

First, if you’re traveling for more than a month, it’s worth it to get local SIM cards. T-Mobile is great for people who bounce in and out of the country frequently (like myself). It’s not good for people who are doing multi-month trips. Get a local SIM card. It’s cheaper. (Additionally, in 2018, T-Mobile has decided that all accounts have to be in the USA for “the majority of their usage.” What that means is hard to decipher, but some accounts have been suspended for being away for more than 3 months in a row.) Note: In order to unlock your phone to put an eSim in it, you must buy the phone outright. You can’t do any trade in offers. T-Mobile no longer will unlock any phone on a payment plan.

Second, if you need fast Internet. They throttle your coverage to 2G and it can be painful if you need faster speeds for something important. You can upgrade to faster speeds for an added fee but then you’re not saving much money.

So, should you get (or people who are just fed up with the fees and services of the other carriers), make the switch to T-Mobile? Yes! I love T-Mobile and, while I don’t find the service as generous as it was when I moved over 10 years (and, hey, let’s face it, that’s going to be all corporations), I love the coverage, features, simple billing, free streaming services, and, as a traveler, free wi-fi in the sky!