Is unlimited high-speed data really unlimited? TMobile

August 23, 2024 8:00 AM

I'm thinking of adding a friend (Zayden) to my phone plan as I can add an extra line relatively inexpensively and he's having some financial issues right now. My only concern is whether this will affect our data usage or speed.

My husband and I use our phones constantly for TikTok, Facebook, Messenger and texting. I use it to watch Netflix occasionally. My daughter is also on our plan and she probably does all those things as well.

Zayden likes to play Pokemon Go and I assume he uses social media as well.

Our T-Mobile plan says we have "Unlimited High-Speed Included w/ 6GB Mobile Hotspot". Is data really unlimited at high speed, or are they likely to throttle our speed after a certain amount of usage?

Also, is there any other reason I'm not thinking of that it might not be a good idea to add him? He won't be paying us for the line, we're happy to pay it so being stiffed on the monthly bill isn't an issue.

posted by Serene Empress Dork to Grab Bag (7 answers total)

You probably have a limit after which it's throttled, but typically that limit is per line, not per account.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 8:05 AM on August 23 [7 favorites]

There is usually some fine print that talks about throttling after some amount of data use or during network congestion. Generally you won't suddenly be cut off from access entirely, you just might notice a slowdown. You'd need to look at the details for your plan [and look at how much data you typically use per month] (I couldn't tell which plan you have exactly, none of the advertised plans I see seem to match yours) For an example of what I mean, when I go to

https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans

there is a footnote mentioning some limits:

1 During congestion, Magenta customers using >100GB/mo. may notice reduced speeds until next bill cycle due to data prioritization; video typically streams on smartphone/tablet in SD quality. Essentials customers may notice speeds lower than other customers and further reduction if using >50GB/mo., due to data prioritization. Video typically streams on smartphone/tablet in SD quality; Magenta Max, Go5G Plus, & Go5G Next: activate up to 4K UHD streaming on capable device, or video typically streams in SD. Go5G: During congestion, customers on this plan using >100GB/mo. may notice reduced speeds until next bill cycle due to data prioritization.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 8:14 AM on August 23 [3 favorites]

TMobile's site will also show you your current usage pattern - it's probably less than you think if you spend time at home and on a wifi hotspot.
posted by scolbath at 9:04 AM on August 23 [1 favorite]

There are unlimited plans at about 25/month, so if relatively inexpensive is more than that, maybe just get a pay-as-you-go and pay that. I use Visible, there are several others.
posted by theora55 at 9:26 AM on August 23 [1 favorite]

I have a TMUS account with multiple lines. I have a "Magenta" plan. It is unlimited 5g high speed to 50gb PER LINE. After that, it is throttled if there is traffic. One of my children put it to the test. Then streamed video all day on data. They got up to 50gb eventually but never experienced a slow down. Social media, Tik Tok and Instagram are mostly streaming video so they can eat up data. You can also put a warning sent to your phone if any lines are over some number you set.

Now, we average about 15gb per line per month. YMMV. I would add him. Just check your plan in the app or on the web and confirm how much unlimited data per line you pay for.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 12:22 PM on August 23 [1 favorite]

I'm unfortunately a Tmobile user who sees throttling even when I've not reached 50G because they don't have enough capacity to suppot everyone hereabouts.
posted by mightshould at 2:20 PM on August 23 [2 favorites]

While I suggest that mightshould should be an ex-TMUS customer if they are experiencing throttling below their paid for threshold, they bring up a good point. Part of the equation is your location and cell service. I am in the NYC metropolitan area. The only time I have ever been throttled was at a major event. I was at a Dead & Company show at Citi field a few years back and with that many people jumping on their cell and sending their friends video, pictures, etc. it seemed that although I had plenty of bars, my sends were taking a long time. At the time I chalked it up to altered perception of time, but in hindsight, I am sure I was being throttled.

If you get good service in your area from TMUS and Zayden is in your area, it should be fine, but if they are in an area where cell service can be limited, they too will be limited. The point is that anyone's service will only be as good as the service infrastructure and capacity that exists.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 5:48 PM on August 23 [1 favorite]