T-Mobile Military Discount Program: Big Savings for Military Members, Veterans and Their Families

T-Mobile is the nation’s third-largest cellphone provider. They also happen to offer the best military discount on cellphone plans. The T-Mobile military discount is available to both current and former military members, as well as to their family members when the additional phones are included on the military member or veteran’s plan.

Perhaps the best part about the T-Mobile military discount is that it applies a 20% discount to their signature plan, the T-Mobile Magenta plan, which features unlimited talk, text and data; unlimited in Mexico and Canada; works in many overseas locations and includes a monthly Netflix subscription. To top it off, the savings are greater when you add more phones (half off the next five lines, compared to standard pricing).

Let’s take a look at the T-Mobile military discount, including features, cost and eligibility.

T-Mobile Military Discount on the Magenta Military and Magenta MAX Plans

The T-Mobile military plan is really a discount on the T-Mobile Magenta and Magenta MAX plans, which are their signature and premium monthly plans.

Here is what you will get with the T-Mobile Magenta military plan at $55 per month:

• Unlimited talk, text and data*
• 5G access
• Free stuff every week
• Dedicated customer care team
• SD streaming
• 5GB of 4G LTE mobile hotspot data
• Data and texting abroad
• 5GB of 4G data in Mexico and Canada
• Taxes and fees included
• One-hour in-flight Wi-Fi
• Free Netflix basic – Offer good while you maintain two or more qualifying military lines in good standing

Legal speak from the T-Mobile website: *On Magenta T-Mobile plans, during congestion, the small fraction of customers using more than 100GB per month may notice reduced speeds until the next bill cycle due to prioritization.

Here is what you will get with the T-Mobile Magenta MAX military plan at $70 per month:

• Unlimited talk, text and data with speeds that don’t slow based on usage
• 5G access
• Free stuff every week
• Dedicated customer care team
• Up to 4K UHD streaming
• 40 GB of 4G LTE mobile hotspot data
• 2x data speed and texting abroad
• 5GB of 4G data in Mexico and Canada
• Taxes and fees included
• Free Netflix standard – One screen with one qualifying military line in good standing, and two screens while you maintain two or more lines.
• Unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi
• Control your calls and voicemails

T-Mobile Military Discount Eligibility

The T-Mobile website states the military discount is available to all active-duty service members, veterans, retired military personnel, members of the Army Reserve or National Guard and Gold Star families. The discount also will be available to veteran-owned businesses.

There are a couple of notes regarding eligibility:

• The military member or veteran must be the primary account holder and the account must maintain a valid military line.
• T-Mobile for business customers are eligible for up to 12 lines; however, government accounts are not eligible.
• No-credit-check and prepaid customers are not eligible.

You will need to provide proof of military service within 45 days of opening your new T-Mobile account or otherwise applying for the military discount.

Your plan will revert to the T-Mobile Magenta plan at an additional cost of up to $20 per line per month if you are unable to or fail to provide your proof of military service.

How does T-Mobile verify military status or military service?

The T-Mobile website states they will accept any document proving the customer is serving or has served in the military. The form must include the veteran’s first and last name, valid dates of service and/or status (e.g., active duty or a veteran with an honorable discharge).

T-Mobile will accept numerous forms of verification, but the most common documents are DD214, leave and earnings statement and military orders.

What do I do if my military status changes?

This offer is open to current and former military members, so you will not need to contact T-Mobile. Your eligibility will remain intact and you will not need to change your plan. T-Mobile Magenta Military is available to all military, veterans, National Guard, Reserve and Gold Star family members.

T-Mobile Military Pricing

The most important thing to know about this military discount is that it is a permanent discount. This is not a promotional discount. Of course, things are subject to change. So it never hurts to take advantage of great offers when they pop up.

The T-Mobile Military Discount is on the T-Mobile Magenta Military plan and the Magenta Plus military plan. Here are the current rates (and remember, unlike most cellphone carriers, T-Mobile plans include all taxes and fees).

Here are current rates for the T-Mobile Magenta military plan with AutoPay enabled (lines cost $5 more per month if you do not enable AutoPay):

• Line 1 – $55 (20% off standard pricing)
• Line 2 – $40 per line (50% off standard pricing)
• Line 3 – $30 per line
• Line 4 – $25 per line
• Line 5 – $22 per line

Again, the price you see is the price you pay. All taxes and fees are included.

T-Mobile May Even Pay off Your Current Phone or Early Termination Fees

T-Mobile is doing their best to grow their customer base, and they don’t want something like a cellphone contract to get in the way of adding customers. So they are willing to pay your early termination fees if you need to break your contract to change carriers.

Keep your phone, and they’ll help pay off your current service contracts – up to $650 per line.

As you can imagine, this is a limited-time offer, and there are some terms and conditions, which you can find on their website.

Visit the T-Mobile website for more details on the T-Mobile Military Discount Plan.

How Much Can T-Mobile Save You?

T-Mobile claims their current military discount can save a family of four $764 compared to Verizon’s military discount program and $665 compared to AT&T’s military discount. Of course, your savings will vary based on your current cellphone plan and the number of lines you add.

As with all offers, it’s a good idea to run the numbers to see which carrier is the best for your needs.

For my current situation, my wife and I would pay a comparable amount per month for the cellphone line (actually $5 per month cheaper with T-Mobile), but we also subscribe to Netflix and pay that out of pocket. So we save an additional $13.99 per month on the Netflix subscription.

$19 per month works out to $228 per year, which is a decent savings.

We could possibly save more than that, because I pay $10 a month on a mobile hotspot through T-Mobile. Under the T-Mobile military discount, you can use your phones as hotspots. So I may be able to save around $348 per year.

Now we’re talking real savings!

Should You Switch to the T-Mobile Magenta Military Plan?

Overall, I have to say that T-Mobile offers the best bang for your buck out of all the major cellphone carriers. Their military discount is also the most generous of all the cellphone providers.

Is it right for you?

Only you can answer that.

I recommend looking at several factors:

• How the T-Mobile network is in your area
• The monthly cost of the T-Mobile Magenta Military plan compared to your current plan
• Other potential cost savings (Netflix subscription; being able to use your phone as a mobile hotspot; unlimited talk, text and data; etc.)
• Additional features – unlimited text and data overseas, unlimited media streaming
• Whether or not T-Mobile will assist you with buying out your current contract

Overall, I’d say T-Mobile will work for a lot of folks. But in other cases, you may currently have a better or more cost-effective plan. If so, stay with what works.

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