Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Reports suggest that some T-Mobile customers threatening to cancel are getting better-than-usual retention offers.
- The reported discounts range from $10 to $20 off per month for six months.
- There’s no official policy change, but recent price hikes may be prompting T-Mobile to act.
One of the most longstanding pieces of kitchen-table wisdom is that you can usually get a better deal on a subscription service if you threaten to cancel. It’s not always true, of course, and a bit of a gamble if you don’t actually want to quit the service. That said, if you’re on the fence about switching from T-Mobile, now might be the time to see what your account is worth to them.
According to Phone Arena, some T-Mobile customers who say they want to cancel are being offered surprisingly generous retention deals — better than what the carrier has offered in the past. The outlet cites a trusted source who previously leaked T-Mobile’s price hike plans in advance, and they’ve shared a screenshot of a customer support chat showing one of these offers in action.
In the case shown, a user who threatened to cancel several lines was given $10 off per month for six months, with a further $10 one-time credit bringing the savings to $70 in total. It’s not a life-changing amount, but significantly more than T-Mobile’s usual attempts to keep customers on board. Previously, most retention credits were said to only last two or three months. There are other anecdotal reports that some are being offered $20 per month off for up to six months.
There’s no official confirmation that T-Mobile has changed its retention strategy, and offers may depend on your account and plan. It’s certainly plausible that the carrier is doing more to hold on to subscribers, likely in response to recent customer dissatisfaction with other aspects of the service, such as the recent price hikes.
These are just reports, and you should be careful of taking this approach if you’re keen to stick with T-Mobile anyway. There’s always the risk that your bluff is called and you’re left with no service plan. That said, if you’re planning to cancel but may reconsider based on a cheaper rate, it can’t hurt to ask.
