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T-Mobile extends 10GB free LTE data to prepaid customers, includes data rollover for up to a year

T-Mobile announced Data Stash back in December, giving postpaid customers 10GB of LTE data free of charge and the ability to roll over their unused data month-to-month for up to a year. As of Sunday March 22nd, prepaid customers will now get to enjoy the same deal.

This month, we’re taking Data Stash even further.  I’m happy to announce that, starting Sunday March 22nd, Data Stash will start rolling out to Simple Choice prepaid customers. Every single one of our prepaid voice customers with a qualifying Simple Choice plan will start out with a Starter Stash with up to 10 GB of 4G LTE data. And when that’s all used up, they’ll start rolling forward their unused data for use up to a full year.  Automatically… and at no extra charge.

T-Mobile says that the ability to roll over data from month to month has been one of the most requested changes, with 27% of postpaid customers having already dipped into their data stash.

The full text of the press release can be found below.

Data Stash Comes to Prepaid Just three months ago, we shook up the industry again with Un-carrier 8.0 – Data Stash™ − another first-of-its-kind Un-carrier move. With Data Stash, your unused 4G LTE data rolls forward so you can use it up to a full year later. Our customers are already loving Data Stash. In fact, 27% of T-Mobile customers with a Data Stash have already dipped into their stash, just a few months in!

This month, we’re taking Data Stash even further.  I’m happy to announce that, starting Sunday March 22nd, Data Stash will start rolling out to Simple Choice prepaid customers. Every single one of our prepaid voice customers with a qualifying Simple Choice plan will start out with a Starter Stash with up to 10 GB of 4G LTE data. And when that’s all used up, they’ll start rolling forward their unused data for use up to a full year.  Automatically… and at no extra charge.

It’s great that we can now deliver Data Stash to both our postpaid and prepaid customers. But, that’s not really why I wanted to write this blog.  What I really want to say is that – while we’re busy growing Data Stash – the old guard carriers are busy running away from it. And that’s just baffling to me.  Here’s why: 

  1. Customers want it.  That much is crystal clear.  Last year, wireless customers asked to keep their unused data more than 40,000 times − and that was just on Twitter alone.
  2. It’s the right thing to do. It is flat out wrong to repossess something your customers have already bought and paid for. That’s like the gas station emptying unused gas from your car each month. You buy something, you should have a chance to use it.  Period.
  3. It’s not rocket science. We already drafted the blueprints for the industry to fix the problem the right way. They just have to follow instructions.

So, why would the carriers ignore their customers AND fairness?  I mean … other than just bad habits?

“But, Andrew,” you say, “AT&T responded with Data Rollover.” I’m looking for a serious response. AT&T’s Data Rollover means they wait an extra 30 days to repossess your data. That is not a serious response − no matter how many billions they spend on TV ads about it. 

And Verizon? Verizon actually said they won’t do what customers want because − to quote their CFO − “We are a leader, not a follower.”  So they’re basically going to ignore their customers, fairness and common sense out of corporate pride? I think Verizon has, remarkably, reached a new level of arrogance. 

Data Stash is good for customers… and it’s good for the wireless industry, an industry that ranks right down there with cable and insurance companies in customer satisfaction ratings. And it’s precisely things like confiscating your customers’ data − data they’ve bought and paid for − that drives so much frustration with the carriers.

This almost makes me miss the days when we’d launch an industry-rattling Un-carrier move − like Contract Freedom or JUMP! − and the carriers at least pretended to follow us. Frankly, I’d love to see the carriers do something serious here, because we are on a mission to change the wireless industry for the better for every American. Maybe the carriers will wake up when we unleash our latest Un-carrier move on them later this week.  But to be honest, I won’t be holding my breath.

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Comments

  1. I don’t follow T-Mo too much but I was thinking this was a free 10GB allotment per month but maybe this is just 10GB up front and then they start into their pre-paid allowance?

    not sure, 10GB per year isn’t too much, sure, a great offer still but not like 10GB to start each month. either way, better than ATT or VZW

    • David Quiroz - 9 years ago

      The way I understand it, the 10GB is a 1 time promo for the kick off of Datastash. You start to dig into it after you use up your month’s data allotment. After you’ve used up the 10GB you will start to bank any unused data each month rolling it forward. Again the rollover data will expire if unused for 12 cycles.
      It should be noted not all plans have data stash / rollover, seems you have to upgrade to one of the higher end data plans for that feature to kick in. Still seems like a good deal doesn’t cost anything extra for those that already had one of the qualifying plans, and I’m sure it will come in handy.

    • No, it’s 10GB upfront. So if you buy a monthly plan with 4GB: First month 14GB, use 2, roll 12. Second month 16GB use 5, roll 11. Etc.

  2. How about making your service play nice with Google Voice. PrePaid plans NEED Conditional Call Forwarding (CCF). Why not go ahead and build an online interface so we can talk complete control of our calls and how they are routed. Why do no cell service providers have this?? You should have even a simple toggle for Google Voice Compatibility Mode. Your prices are great, your coverage is improving, now how about doing something innovative instead of just poking the tiger. Until you do, I’m sticking with ATT through StraightTalk at even cheaper prices than you have.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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