Back in February, we told you that T-Mobile would implement a change this month that would end the practice of discounting an account $5 per line for using autopay if a credit card is being used for the payment. If you’re not familiar with autopay, it’s a payment method agreed to by the subscriber that allows T-Mobile to get paid automatically each month. Instead of the customer initiating the payment monthly, T-Mobile does with the approval, of course, of the customer.
Thanks to documents shared with The Mobile Report, we now have a date when this new practice will take effect. That date is Thursday, May 18th. On that date, T-Mobile customers who want to continue receiving a $5 monthly discount per line (up to $40 off per month) and use a charge card to pay will have to change their payment method to either a debit card or a bank account.
Leaked document reveals that T-Mobile will change its autopay policy on May 18th
Those using a credit card for their autopay payments will get a one-month grace period from T-Mobile. These subscribers will receive SMS messages reminding them that they have 30 days to replace their credit card with a debit card or bank account. Those who procrastinate and fail to make the required change will receive reminders (again, via SMS) with 15 days and 3 days remaining in the grace period. If no change is made, the subscriber loses his or her $5 per line discount (again, the maximum discount is $40).
New customers joining T-Mobile on or after May 18th will have to use a debit card or bank account to qualify for the $5 per line autopay discount.
Leaked internal document discusses the changes to T-Mobile’s autopay policies
Some T-Mobile customers, fresh off the report of another serious data breach, are not happy about the prospect of giving the carrier their banking information to score the monthly per-line discount. But there is some hope that T-Mobile will allow autopay users to choose to pay with a debit card or a bank account but pay early using a credit card and keep the $5 per-line discount (did we tell you that there is a $40 limit on the discount?). But this is just speculation at this point and we will have to wait for official word from the Un-carrier.
