T-Mobile will automatically upgrade some legacy phone plans to higher-price plans
UPDATE: Jun. 29, 2026, 12:39 p.m. EDT This article has been updaded to add a statement from T-Mobile.
If you've been quietly riding out an old T-Mobile plan for the last decade or so, that ride is about to end.
T-Mobile is automatically migrating thousands of customers on legacy plans to its current lineup of plans, the company confirmed to CNET, with affected subscribers beginning to receive notification via text or the T-Life app today. The switch will take effect within the next few billing cycles and applies to both individual customers and some small businesses. (Disclosure: CNET and Mashable are both owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis.)
T-Mobile didn't specify which plans are being retired, but per CNET, a company representative said some stretch back 10 to 15 years, including Simple Choice, T-Mobile One, and grandfathered Sprint plans from the carrier's 2020 merger.
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Customers will be moved to comparable options within T-Mobile's current lineup, including Essentials, Experience More, and Experience Beyond. For some, that means a price increase, though T-Mobile chief marketing officer Allan Samson told CNET the new rate will still typically be lower than what a new customer would pay for the same plan today.
A T-Mobile spokesperson gave Mashable the following statement:
We’re retiring our oldest plans, some of which were built nearly 15 years ago – in the 3G and 4G eras, and well before our 5G network was fully deployed. Customers will transition to modern plans that provide access to America’s best wireless technology, enhanced features and a 5-year price guarantee for peace of mind. Some customers will see no change to their monthly bill, while some will see a modest adjustment. Every customer moved to a new plan will keep their current benefits while gaining improvements in network and service experiences.
What makes this move notable isn't the migration itself. As CNET notes, AT&T added fees to legacy plans in May, and T-Mobile hiked prices in March 2025. Rather, it's the fact that the company will perform the switch automatically, requiring no action from the customer and no option to stay put. If you end up on a plan you don't want, your only choices are to switch to a different T-Mobile plan or switch to a new carrier.
Internally, T-Mobile framed the move as a systems cleanup, with CNET reporting the change eliminates over 1,100 legacy billing codes.
Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones.
In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and greatly enjoys Detroit sports. If you have any tips or want to talk shop about the Lions, you can reach out to him on Bluesky @offbrandchance.bsky.social or by email at [email protected].
