T-Mobile has long been known as the best carrier for unique deals. After unveiling a deal for foreigners in the U.S to get good service for cheap without having to resort to a smaller carrier or an unnecessary and expensive postpaid plan, T-Mobile has decided to flip the script and unveil another UnCarrier-only deal, this time for its American customers heading to Europe. Billed as one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations, it’s no surprise that people flocking to parts of Europe from the U.S. would want to use their smartphones to share their travels with friends at home. Until today, this would require a local SIM and an unlocked phone, or involve very high roaming fees. Today, T-Mobile unveiled a deal that allows customers to use their network abroad almost as if they’re at home, with the bonus of completely unlimited high-speed data.
The deal will begin on July 1 and run all the way through August 31. Customers on any Simple Choice plan with the UnCarrier will find that they’re able to use their phones throughout most of Europe in much the same way as they do at home, so long as their device supports the right bands for coverage where they are. Even if their plan at home includes limited data at 4G LTE speeds, they’ll have full access to the highest mobile broadband speeds possible in their destination no matter how much data they use up. Texting is free with the deal, and calls are 20 cents per minute.
The fine print does specify a few caveats, of course. For starters, tethering is strictly forbidden so those who do want to carry their computers about will not be able to share the connection from their phone, even if their plan at home includes tethering. T-Mobile also reserves the right to cut a customer’s connection for the same kinds of unreasonable use that would get them cut off at home, along with “excessive roaming”. Since the entire deal centers around roaming, the implication is that there is a hidden cap or threshold of some sort that will earn a customer the UnCarrier’s ire, but no such thing is specifically mentioned. As an added bonus, T-Mobile’s own customers, as well as customers of AT&T and Verizon, will get 1 hour of free in-flight Wi-Fi on certain airlines en route to Europe, and Belize is being added to Simple Global, eliminating roaming charges for customers heading there.