T-Mobile targets Verizon with wireless plans for love birds

If you and your sweetie share a smartphone plan, or want to, T-Mobile has a new offer you just might be interested in. Starting Friday, the self-styled “Uncarrier” will sell you a plan that includes two lines with 6GB of data each, unlimited talk and text for just $80 a month.

The offer includes access to T-Mobile’s Binge On service, which lets subscribers stream select video content without eating into their data allotments. Customers with T-Mo “couples plans” also get the company’s Music Freedom feature, which provides unlimited free streaming via certain popular music apps, and its Data Stash, which lets users roll over unused data for up to one year.

T-Mobile also announced that new or existing customers can get two low-end Android phones — the LG K7, and when it’s available, the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime — for no money down, “regardless of credit.” 

T-Mobile fires shots at Verizon Wireless

The new offer explicitly takes aim at Verizon. “Don’t let Verizon trick you with their misleading ads,” reads T-Mobile’s related press release. Verizon offers two wireless lines for $60 a month, with 6GB of shared data, but there’s a catch: Verizon tacks on a $20 per-line access fee, which brings the total (exclusive of taxes and so on) to $100 a month. T-Mobile does not add an access fee, which means its plan offers twice the data for $20 less per month.

The new offers are available for “a limited time,” but there’s no clear indication when they’ll actually expire. T-Mobile also recently tweaked its group plans. Earlier in the week, it said it would no longer offer an unlimited data plan for families, but it now offers a four-line plan with unlimited voice calling, text messaging and 10GB of data per line for $140.

Of course, there’s more to choosing a phone plan than monthly cost. Verizon coverage is generally broader, and in many cases better, than T-Mobile service, especially outside of major metro areas. AT&T offers unlimited data plans for customers who also buy TV service from its recently acquired DirecTV subsidiary. Under this arrangement, two lines would cost you $140 a month, not counting the charge for TV service. Sprint’s four-line unlimited data plan costs $150 a month.