how to get 4g tmobile without contract

[OBLAMA2009]

so id really like a second phone with 4g internet speeds but i dont think id want tmobile for 2 years so i dont want to sign a 2 year contract. i talked to tmobile and they charge $600 for mytouch 4g without contract. so it would actually be cheaper to sign a contract (and get mytouch 4g for $99), keep it for the minimum 4 months, then pay a $200 termination fee and sign up for month to month which would be $59. the tmobile poeple told me this would work. should i do this. and is this unethical in your opinion?

is mytouch 4g a good phone? when i was trying them, they seemed a little buggy, and locked up a lot

 

[Pliablemoose]

It's not unethical, it's doing what the carrier has said you have to do, IMHO. In the first 2 weeks or whatever your state's remorse period is, you can return it if it doesn't meet your needs.

I haven't heard many complaints about the MyTouch 4G, people seem to like it.

Plan B is to find one on Craigslist and start a month to month plan with it on TMobile, if you start adding things like taxes etc to the straight TMobile deal, getting a Craigslist phone may be cheaper and you still have a manufacturer's warranty.

 

[her209]

IMO that's not very smart.

You're going to be paying for the service anyways, so why not just keep the contract until you want to terminate? It's the same thing as terminating and then signing a month-to-month contract. Heck, you may end up not terminating and saving yourself the early termination fee. Also, I don't know if this is true with T-Mobile, but on Sprint, the ETF goes down by a set amount every month until it hits something like $50.

 

[SunnyD]

lol@4g speeds.

 

[shortylickens]

lol@4g speeds.

The 4g hype is gonna make them billions of dollars.
Think about that the next time you make a payment on your used hatchback.

 

[sjwaste]

The 4G thing is valid, IMO. On Sprint 3G, I get about 1.5 MBit down, 0.5 up. Standing still with "two bars" of Wimax, I get about 4-5 down, 1 up. HSPA+ is in that range. So if Sprint is going to call it 4G, then so should TMobile. Whether or not it's an ENTIRE G past 3 (I hope you can sense the sarcasm) doesn't matter - it is 3-4x the speed so to me it's valid marketing.

 

[Fox5]

You can call Tmobile up and ask for an Even More Plus plan, it's about $20 a month cheaper than their normal plans, but you don't get the discounted phone price.

Then buy your android phone from newegg, amazon, or ebay, someone who's not tmobile and will sell it for a cheaper price.
BTW, Amazonwireless typically has cheaper prices than any of the phone companies.

 

[ponyo]

The 4G thing is valid, IMO. On Sprint 3G, I get about 1.5 MBit down, 0.5 up. Standing still with "two bars" of Wimax, I get about 4-5 down, 1 up. HSPA+ is in that range. So if Sprint is going to call it 4G, then so should TMobile. Whether or not it's an ENTIRE G past 3 (I hope you can sense the sarcasm) doesn't matter - it is 3-4x the speed so to me it's valid marketing.

Yup. I don't care what they call it. I don't even have HSPA+ phone and got this speed. Check out the ping and the upload speed.

 

[blackangst1]

I got great speeds in Vegas last fall on Sprint 4G

 

[sjwaste]

I don't get nearly that in the DC area. I don't think we're an officially supported market yet, but Clear has us on their official list so I'm inclined to believe this is where our speeds will settle.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

IMO that's not very smart.

You're going to be paying for the service anyways, so why not just keep the contract until you want to terminate? It's the same thing as terminating and then signing a month-to-month contract. Heck, you may end up not terminating and saving yourself the early termination fee. Also, I don't know if this is true with T-Mobile, but on Sprint, the ETF goes down by a set amount every month until it hits something like $50.

the contract price is 79/month and the month to month price is 59

 

[OBLAMA2009]

my impression was that tmobiles "4g" coverage was more widespread than sprints. is that correct?

 

[OBLAMA2009]

You can call Tmobile up and ask for an Even More Plus plan, it's about $20 a month cheaper than their normal plans, but you don't get the discounted phone price.

Then buy your android phone from newegg, amazon, or ebay, someone who's not tmobile and will sell it for a cheaper price.
BTW, Amazonwireless typically has cheaper prices than any of the phone companies.

you mean amazon has the lowest full price on phones without a contract? id be reluctant to get a phone off craigs or ebay since so many phones sold there are stolen/broken

 

[Raduque]

The 4G thing is valid, IMO. On Sprint 3G, I get about 1.5 MBit down, 0.5 up. Standing still with "two bars" of Wimax, I get about 4-5 down, 1 up. HSPA+ is in that range. So if Sprint is going to call it 4G, then so should TMobile. Whether or not it's an ENTIRE G past 3 (I hope you can sense the sarcasm) doesn't matter - it is 3-4x the speed so to me it's valid marketing.

I get 5.2 down and .6 up on regular 3G on my Vibrant.

Then buy your android phone from newegg, amazon, or ebay, someone who's not tmobile and will sell it for a cheaper price.
BTW, Amazonwireless typically has cheaper prices than any of the phone companies.

myTouch 4G from T-Mobile is $449.99 retail price.
myTouch 4G from Amazon is $495 cheapest price.
myTouch 4G from Newegg is $539.99 no contract.

 

[her209]

the contract price is 79/month and the month to month price is 59

OK, I configured it on the T-Mobile website... a $30 4G web package is required with the contract. Are you saying if you're on a month-to-month, they'll let you use just a voice-only package? I'd double check that.

 

[Fox5]

I get 5.2 down and .6 up on regular 3G on my Vibrant.



myTouch 4G from T-Mobile is $449.99 retail price.
myTouch 4G from Amazon is $495 cheapest price.
myTouch 4G from Newegg is $539.99 no contract.

I was referring to the on contract prices.

BTW, I'd go with the T-Mobile G2 over the myTouch 4g, personally. They're both 4g, and the G2 actually is cheaper on Amazon than T-Mobile, and it's the closest thing to a stock android phone that's not a Nexus.

 

[Raduque]

Her209, yes, you do not need a data package if you buy a phone full retail and use the Even More + plan. My mom bought a G2 full retail from AAFES and activated it on her non-contract plan and didn't get a data package for almost a month. T-Mobile never said a word to her about it.

BTW, the $59/mo OP is talking about is WITH the data package. Even More + is 500m for $29.99 then $30 for data package, so $59.99/mo.

Even More contracted plans are $20/mo more... $49.99 + $30

I was referring to the on contract prices.

Yeah, the 3rd party retailers do have cheaper contract prices. But, they have cheaper contract prices because they have an additional ETF. If the OP buys a phone from there, he has to keep his plan exactly as it is for 6 months (typically). If he changes or cancels the plan, Amazon/Newegg/Ebay-retailer will charge an ETF ranging from $175-250 on top of the T-Mobile ETF (if canceled).

 

[OBLAMA2009]

the contract price for the mytouch 4g from tmobile is 200-100(mail in)=100. so total final cost would be 100+200(termination fee)=300

 

[OBLAMA2009]

OK, I configured it on the T-Mobile website... a $30 4G web package is required with the contract. Are you saying if you're on a month-to-month, they'll let you use just a voice-only package? I'd double check that.

no i dont care about voice. i already have unlimited voice with verizon. my impression from talking to tmobile yesterday was that $59 noncontract gets you say, 450 minutes and unlimited 4g. did i misunderstand them, is there and additional 30 for 4g???

 

[OBLAMA2009]

I was referring to the on contract prices.

BTW, I'd go with the T-Mobile G2 over the myTouch 4g, personally. They're both 4g, and the G2 actually is cheaper on Amazon than T-Mobile, and it's the closest thing to a stock android phone that's not a Nexus.

does g2 give you a free mobile 4g hotsopt like mytouch does?

 

[lupi]

with an edge unit in one hand and a 3g in the other, i'm not finding the joke.

 

[Fox5]

does g2 give you a free mobile 4g hotsopt like mytouch does?

Some posts online say yes, free wifi tethering is included with the froyo update.

However, you can always root the phone (using something called Visionary) to regain free wifi tethering if they do end up charging for it.

 

[ElFenix]

Yup. I don't care what they call it. I don't even have HSPA+ phone and got this speed. Check out the ping and the upload speed.

your phone speeds make my dsl cry

 

[kaerflog]

I have no clue why you would pay $60+tax for a second line+cost of phone but if your intention is 4G, then its a fail plan.
Sure if you are sitting near a tower, your speed will b great but thats far and few in between.
I'm a T-mobile customer with 5 lines so I'm speaking from experience here.

If you must get a 2nd line with T-mobile your best bet is to get a G4 off craoglist.
You can probably easily find one for $300.
I got a brand new condition Vibrant for $225 last week.
You can go the other route but that involves rebates, termination fees, etc..then switching to the Plus plan is a big hassle.

Last thing, supposeably the 4G tops out at 14.4mbps while other smarthones(ie Vibrant) tops out at 7.2mbps.
You'll be lucky if you can actually get anywhere near4-5mbps+
My point is getting a HSPA+ phone right now is kinda pointless.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

I have no clue why you would pay $60+tax for a second line+cost of phone but if your intention is 4G, then its a fail plan.
Sure if you are sitting near a tower, your speed will b great but thats far and few in between.
I'm a T-mobile customer with 5 lines so I'm speaking from experience here.

If you must get a 2nd line with T-mobile your best bet is to get a G4 off craoglist.
You can probably easily find one for $300.
I got a brand new condition Vibrant for $225 last week.
You can go the other route but that involves rebates, termination fees, etc..then switching to the Plus plan is a big hassle.

Last thing, supposeably the 4G tops out at 14.4mbps while other smarthones(ie Vibrant) tops out at 7.2mbps.
You'll be lucky if you can actually get anywhere near4-5mbps+
My point is getting a HSPA+ phone right now is kinda pointless.

i was under the impression that tmobile 4g was available more places (like, most places their regular 3g was) than sprint and verizon, but youre saying that isnt true? and youre saying hspa+ with tmob isnt very fast anyway? one of the things i liked about tmob is the free hotspot with the phones. i already have verizon

im a little afraid to do the craigs list thing because when ive tried to get verizon phones most of them turned out to be stolen when i called in the esn