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T-Mobile’s John Legere has just announced Uncarrier 8.0, and it’s being called Data Stash. Basically, whatever 4G LTE data you don’t use from the data plan you pay for, you’ll get back to use on your next billing cycles.
The CEO cheekily referred to it as “rollover for data,” a nice nod to the rollover calling minutes trend that shook the wireless industry up way back when. Legere spoke about the travesty of customers paying for a set amount of data, but losing the unused amount at the end of each period as billing cycles reset.
The data can’t be banked forever — you have 12 months to use each bit of leftovers you didn’t get to eat each month — but that’s long enough to make us take notice and spark a degree of appreciation inside of us.
The program does require a Simple Choice postpaid plan with qualifying data of at least 3GB for smartphones and 1GB for tablets, so pre-paid customers need not apply. T-Mobile also stresses that this is available for any Simple Choice customers, whether they’re individuals, on a family plan or part of a business plan.
Here’s the full rundown on how it works:
- Starting with your January bill cycle, Data Stash will be available to all T-Mobile postpaid Simple Choice customers.
- Sign up for a postpaid Simple Choice Plan with 4G LTE data for your phone (minimum 3GB 4G LTE data) or tablet (minimum 1GB 4G LTE data).
- Use your data all month to stream, surf, and download worry-free.
- At the end of the month, all your unused 4G LTE data – rounded up to the nearest megabyte – rolls into your stash to be used any time in the next 12 months.
To top that off, the company man revealed that they’d be kickstarting the program by giving everyone 10GB of data to play with on top of the amount they already pay for each month. That bucket of data won’t expire until the end of next year so you’ll have plenty of time to chew through it.
As many bold moves as T-Mobile’s made over the past couple of years, this arguably contends for the biggest yet. It’s something that makes a lot of sense and one of those things that makes you wonder why it didn’t happen sooner. All we can hope for now is that other carriers fall in line to make this an industry standard feature of subscribing to wireless service.
[via T-Mobile]
I love T Mobile….
This should be required by all carriers if they are not going to give unlimited. My question is will it work with prepaid tmobile
It will not, only postpaid.
Yeah I see the update thanks
Here is all the info on it: http://www.t-mobile.com/offer/data-stash-data-roll.html
Wow T-Mobile, just wow!!!!!!!!!
Double check the terms.. I’m fairly certain this only applies when you purchase additional data on top of your plan. T-Mobile’s press release is very clear in stating “additional data” of at least 3GB for phones and 1GB for tablets.
Seems like weird wording on the part of the press release. The promo site makes it sound like you only need the 3GB or higher plan for smartphones and 1GB or higher plan for tablets, not needing to add onto that. I will contact T-Mobile for clarification, though.
Thank you Q!! Please do that!! :)
“Sign up for a postpaid Simple Choice Plan with 4G LTE data for your phone (minimum 3GB 4G LTE data) or tablet (minimum 1GB 4G LTE data).” Seems up-front to me.
Cool. Too bad I use all my data every month.
darn, JUST the new 4 for 100 promotion JUST misses the 3gb cutoff. I’m sure that was by design :)
I’m sure it was. I use more than the 2.5 given through the plan though so I upgraded to 5gb. I’ll be having some rollover data coming my way, which I’m happy about.
I’ve been asking for this for years!!! I have a 5GB full speed limit…and I only use 3.5 to 4gb per month ..this is awesome!!!
So if I have 3 lines on the 1Gb 4G family plan for $90 ($50+30+10) do I need upgrade to the 3Gb minimum on all 3 lines to get the stash on all 3 or because it’s a shared plan I just upgrade the main line to 3Gb to get the stash on all 3? I guess it’s the $10 upgrade on the main line vs. $10 on all 3?
Call T-Mobile and ask. Since they started the various uncarrier moves and dropped multi-year contracts, they’ve been very accommodating to me calling up and switching to “um, whatever is cheapest for how I use this family plan”. No fuss, they just do it.
Happy T-Mobile customer since 2003.
3 gb really ?? i have 8 lines on simple family plan but subscribed to only 1gb (which is 2.5 gb now coz of a t-mobile promotion) & i do not qualify.. not happy..huh..
same. i was so excited too..
You are getting a free 1.5 GB per month and your are not happy? Can’t please everyone I guess.
btw i am getting 2.5 gb per month and i am satisfied.. but who said that if u are satisfied u cannot comment on service providers new decision ?
Wow, 8 lines sharing 1GB of data. What are you rationed like 1mb downloaded a day?
nopes it 1 + 1.5 GB= 2.5 GBper line dude..tmobile rocks in terms of data as long as i get good signal.. thats the catch..
Kind of expected something more from this big announcement. Tho it is welcomed, it is something that should have been given all along.
They can’t afford too many more “disruptive” moves. They’re barely in the black as it is.
Something like this would possibly get me to leave my unlimited VZW, as I usually use little with some months spiking due to business travel.
Too bad Tmo has no coverage in the areas I travel for business…
you can switch to att towers.
OMG!! Tmo needs to stop!! Every time a new thing comes from their UnCarrier thingy it’s always LEGIT. I can’t take it. I honestly cannot. LoL!! I’m just like, this is WAY too good to be true. But I see nothing wrong. Someone find me something wrong so I can complain. =.P
Way to go Tmo!! *thumbs up emoticon*
When I thought you were through and couldn’t get any better. OMG…
Phandroid’s T-Mo cheering section summed up:
T-Mo announces something = “ZOMG REVOLUTIONARY!!!!! I LOVE T-MOBILE!!!!”
Any other carrier announces something “These fools are just desperate for customers.”
That’s probably due to it usually being a copy cat move.
Not quite. Phandroid’s T-Mo cheering section will happily point out when another carrier of any name follows T-Mo’s footsteps as “copying.” Even if it’s doing the same thing and one-upping them on it, they still call it copying and for Sprint it’s always “ZOMG, desperate for customers.”
Hah! I just switched to unlimited. This is like roll over minutes. You wont use them really.
Plus, with music streaming being free essentially and not counted towards your data, this now means the average user cant really go over there few GB plan easily.
I just want to see pricing drop!
Another price drop? Oh my…
Its the next logical step.
-Minutes cost $, then you get roll over, then you get unlimited
-Texting cost $, then becomes unlimited
-Data cost $, then becomes unlimited, now rollover (they did it backwards)
All these still cost some $, but you’re not paying per minute, text of MB. Next logical step is packages or price drops.
At roughly $60/line/mo, all unlimited, Id love to save some $.
How about actually doing something with their “Service Partner” areas? It’s hard to use all the data with those 2G areas. It’s pathetic, really.
Agreed Most of Michigan is covered by that including my area so T-Mobile is a no go for me because of that exact reason.
Yeah, I’ve been rocking T-Mobile’s unlimited plan the past month. With free streaming of Spotify (choice of streaming music app), playing Ingress, and downloading updates when at work/wherever … I’m topping at about 29GB since the end of November. Only a power user or someone who barely uses WiFi (I’m on Google Fiber, so I jump on WiFi when at home) will end up using a crap ton of data on T-Mobile. :)
It’s funny because Verizon and Att essentially screwed themselves out of making rollover data economically justifiable with all their recent double their data promotions
These guys thrive on billing people data overages. Tmobile timed this move perfectly because Verizon and Att have been too busy responding to tmobiles moves this past year adding rollover data to everything else would be a wrench for them financially
Man too bad have crappy service! Id switch ina heartbeat.
Using Tmobile in Las Vegas with 4G LTE all over las vegas with ridiculous speeds better than cable home internet.
People should know that its JUST $70 a month to have UNLIMITED data and never worry about it at all as most people pay 50-60 anyways.
Having the best is very cheap with tmobile.
*Message was read aloud using Chrome Reader for Android*
T-mobile good job. Question is at the end of the 12th month, Is this rollover data resets to zero and start over 12 month window or in other words removes the first month roll over when starting the 13th month ?