If you have a legacy mobile phone plan through T-Mobile, you might keep an eye out for a notification telling you that you’ve been automatically “upgraded” to a newer (and likely more expensive) phone plan.
CNET reports that several T-Mobile customers on legacy plans, some stretching back as much as 15 years, are being automatically moved to newer phone plans, with no action on the customer’s part. The carrier has been sending out notifications to customers on older plans, notifying them of the move.
The customers being shoved over to new plans could also see an automatic bill increase and will pay as much $6 more for the new plan.
The carrier plans to move legacy customers to comparable modern plans. T-Mobile plan options include Essentials, Essentials Saver, Experience More, and Experience Beyond. Prices for a single line start at $50 per month.
T-Mobile marketing lead Allan Samson claims the majority of customers being automatically upgraded will pay below what the plan sells for, and won’t have the same pricing that a plan would cost a new customer.
T-Mobile warned employees about the transitioning customers, saying it wants to get rid of over 1,100 legacy billing codes. Employees were warned to expect increased customer contact volume in the coming weeks.
Thousands of customers are affected, and can expect to receive alerts about the move from T-Mobile. Plan changes will kick in during the next billing cycle. Customers unhappy with T-Mobile’s decision can choose a different T-Mobile plan or simply switch carriers.
It should be noted that actions like this are not unusual for cellular carriers, as it attempts to discontinue older plans. AT&T added a fee to some of its legacy plans in May, and T-Mobile hiked its prices in March 2025. However, this time around, T-Mobile is taking action automatically, not simply encouraging its customers to upgrade.
Allan Samson, chief marketing officer at T-Mobile, explained during a briefing late last week that “absolutely nothing is required of the customer, and it just is going to happen.”