Newsletter
T-Mobile is ending AutoPay discounts for users paying their monthly phone bills through credit cards, Google Pay, or Apple Pay. The company is asking customers to update their payment method to a debit card or a bank account to continue receiving the discount. Users must do the needful before July 25 to be eligible for the discount in their next billing cycle.
T-Mobile won’t give you AutoPay discounts if you use credit cards
Like other big carriers, T-Mobile also offers an AutoPay discount to customers who have set up automatic payments for their phone bills. You can save $5 per line every month for up to eight lines. That’s a monthly saving of up to $40 on phone bills. Currently, you get this discount regardless of the payment method you use. All you have to do is set up AutoPay for your T-Mobile bills.
However, over the past few months, there have been several reports that T-Mobile will end AutoPay discounts for credit cards, Google Pay, and Apple Pay. The dreaded change is now official. The company is notifying users over SMS that they must update their payment method to be eligible for the discount in the future. As reported by 9to5Mac, the company is making this change to save a few bucks on processing fees. It pays higher fees on credit card transactions than on debit cards or bank payments.
But this change is understandably angering most T-Mobile customers, particularly those who use credit cards, Google Pay, or Apple Pay for AutoPay. Many credit card companies bundle phone insurance at no additional cost “so long as users pay their phone bill every month with that credit card.” Some also offer a statement credit for phone bills. Additionally, Apple Card users get up to three percent cashback on their purchases. With T-Mobile’s latest AutoPay change, all of these benefits are gone.
T-Mobile customers also have security concerns
On top of this, T-Mobile’s security measures are a concern. The company has suffered at least eight data breaches since 2018. Many customers are unwilling to give their debit card or bank details to it. Credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay offer better protection for your banking information. T-Mobile users have been voicing their concerns against this change for the past few months, but the company doesn’t seem to be keen to listen to them. So you have less than a month to make the necessary changes or forego your AutoPay discounts. Or maybe switch away from T-Mobile.
Meanwhile, some have suggested a workaround that will bring some solace, though it doesn’t address the security concerns. Update your payment method to a debit card or a bank account to remain eligible for AutoPay discounts but manually pay your bills before the scheduled transfer date using your desired payment method every month, such as a credit card or Google Pay. It’s a bit of a hassle, but you will not lose your credit card benefits this way. It remains to be seen if this workaround works or if T-Mobile will block it.
