T-Mobile's new Better Value Plan promises value its rivals can't beat, but will it deliver?

While T-Mobile is still arguably the best value in the postpaid wireless market, the gap between it and its rivals has narrowed over the last few years as the Un-Carrier has increasingly mirrored competitors on pricing and overall value. Likely in an effort to push back against that perception, T-Mobile has announced a new value-focused plan it claims AT&T and Verizon can’t compete with.

The new Better Value Plan works differently from most of T-Mobile’s offerings, as it requires a minimum of three lines to qualify. The plan starts at $140 per month, or roughly $46 per line. That price does not include taxes and fees, which typically add several dollars per line each month.

New customers must port in at least two of the three lines from another carrier to qualify. Existing T-Mobile subscribers can also switch to the Better Value Plan, provided they have three or more lines and have been with the Un-Carrier for at least five years.

It’s important to be clear that the Better Value Plan isn’t necessarily positioned as a cheaper option. For comparison, Essentials costs $90 per month for three lines, or about $30 per line, plus taxes and fees. However, price and value aren’t the same thing. While the Better Value Plan costs more, it includes a substantially broader set of perks and features that Essentials lacks.

Essentials is aimed squarely at no-frills users, offering unlimited talk and text along with 50GB of premium data. There are no streaming benefits, travel perks are limited, and even basic extras like Scam Shield aren’t included.

By contrast, the Better Value Plan includes unlimited premium data, along with unlimited hotspot access, with 250GB at high speeds before dropping to 600kbps. You also get 30GB of high-speed international data across more than 200 countries, after which speeds are reduced to 256kbps. The plan even includes free satellite connectivity via T-Sat, as well as optional Home Internet Backup for $10 per month.

Streaming benefits are another highlight. Subscribers get Netflix and Hulu included at no extra charge, with the option to add Apple TV for an additional $3 per month.

What’s particularly notable is how favorably the Better Value Plan stacks up against the Experience More plan. Both cost $140 per month for three lines and offer unlimited premium data, yet Experience More delivers less in several key areas. Hulu isn’t included, hotspot data is capped at 60GB per month, and international high-speed data is reduced to just 15GB. There may be smaller differences tied to in-flight perks or device promotions that could flip the scales here a little, though T-Mobile has yet to update its product page with full details.

Considering how similar these plans are, the Better Value Plan feels less like a permanent shift in T-Mobile’s plan strategy and more like an attempt to capture customers who might otherwise be considering prepaid options or a rival network. It wouldn’t be surprising if the plan is only available for a limited time, or if changes to Experience More are announced down the line. As it stands, the two plans overlap heavily.

Of course, even if the company doesn’t keep the plan for long, once you sign up, you’ll be able to stay with it for as long as you like. There’s even a five-year price guarantee, though that promise is more limited than it once was.

Honestly, I find this to be a pretty decent-looking offer for those who aren’t swayed by prepaid. This includes existing T-Mobile postpaid subscribers, as well as those who have a postpaid account with a rival and are open to a change. I’ll certainly be watching closely to see how the value plays out long-term, but we see no obvious disadvantage to this plan over Essential or even Experience More for some users.

That said, T-Mobile has a track record of quietly downplaying less favorable changes, such as when it removed included taxes and fees from its Experience plans and buried the update in its initial announcement. If you’re considering the Better Value Plan, it’s worth reading the terms and conditions carefully before making the switch.