T-Mobile offers new non-contract plans

T-Mobile is entering the non-contract world. And they’re keeping it simple with just three plans.

For $50/month the T-Mobile plan offers 500 MB of high-speed data, with Smartphone Mobile HotSpot service included. For $60/month, you get 2.5 GB of high-speed data and a HotSpot. In both these plans, data speeds slow to 2G speeds after you hit the data limit. For $70/month you get unlimited high-speed data.

Clark’s been testing T-Mobile as he travels across the nation, and so far has found no service or voice problems.

T-Mobile even has discount plans that undercuts their own plan, Go Smart Mobile. On that plan, $30/month gets you unlimited calls and text;  $45/month for unlimited calls, text and web.

The catch? In both cases you’ll have to pay full price for your phone. Clark paid $299 for his Google Nexus 4. But in relatively little time you more than make up for this initial outlay.

And what’s more: no-contract carriers have a much, much larger incentive to be service-oriented to their customers. Why? Because they have to re-earn their customers loyalty and trust month after month. Contract carriers rope you in with an initial deal, but then have little incentive to offer a good level of support for the duration of the contract.

With so many Americans gravitating to no-contract discount plans such as Straight Talk, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile, the cell industry is stabilizing. It’s settling into an industry-wide pricing structure averaging around $45-$60 month.