T-Mobile just announced its first fee increase of the year: Here’s what is changing
It might not be a massive increase, but it's the second of its kind in less than a full year's time.
Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- T-Mobile is raising its Regulatory Programs & Telco Recovery Fee by $0.50 per line starting January 21.
- Combined with the $.50 hike in April of 2025, fees are up about $1 in less than a year.
- The vague fee structure continues to draw criticism, though grandfathered plans with taxes and fees included are unaffected.
Earlier today, T-Mobile unveiled its new Better Value Plan, promising a better experience for new and existing customers who switch to it. Like every plan offered by T-Mobile these days, this one doesn’t include taxes and fees. That’s become important for T-Mobile, as separate charges mean it is much easier to increase customer spending without officially raising prices by simply increasing said fees. We’ve already seen the company increase its telco fees as recently as last April, but it looks like the company is doing it again.
While T-Mobile certainly didn’t officially announce the increase in any big way, Droid Life spotted a change to T-Mobile’s support page this morning, which indicates that the Regulatory Programs & Telco Recovery Fee will increase by an additional $.50 for both voice and mobile internet customers, starting on January 21. For those who don’t know, this fee is collected to help recover certain costs around infrastructure and other investments. It’s also very vague and has caused customer confusion and even lawsuits in the past.
Taken into account the increase in April, that means fees have crept up by about a dollar in under a year. That might not sound like much, but it certainly adds up. It doesn’t help that there’s never any transparency over what exactly the increases cover.
While these nickel-and-dime increases might be annoying, T-Mobile is certainly not the only carrier guilty of this practice. Also, for what it’s worth, this latest increase shouldn’t impact those on older grandfathered plans that still include taxes and fees baked into the advertised price tag.
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