Joe Maring / Android Authority

TL;DR

• T-Mobile is introducing a new Better Value Plan, which requires at least three lines and starts at $140 a month.
• The new plan also requires at least two lines to be ported in for new customers, or for customers to have been with T-Mobile for five years.
• The Better Value Plan has impressive perks that actually compare favorably with Experience More, for around the same price.

While T-Mobile is still arguably the best value in the postpaid wireless market, the gap between it and its rivals has narrowed over the last few years as the Un-Carrier has increasingly mirrored competitors on pricing and overall value. Likely in an effort to push back against that perception, T-Mobile has announced a new value-focused plan it claims AT&T and Verizon can’t compete with.

The new Better Value Plan works differently from most of T-Mobile’s offerings, as it requires a minimum of three lines to qualify. The plan starts at $140 per month, or roughly $46 per line. That price does not include taxes and fees, which typically add several dollars per line each month.

New customers must port in at least two of the three lines from another carrier to qualify. Existing T-Mobile subscribers can also switch to the Better Value Plan, provided they have three or more lines and have been with the Un-Carrier for at least five years.

It’s important to be clear that the Better Value Plan isn’t necessarily positioned as a cheaper option. For comparison, Essentials costs $90 per month for three lines, or about $30 per line, plus taxes and fees. However, price and value aren’t the same thing. While the Better Value Plan costs more, it includes a substantially broader set of perks and features that Essentials lacks.

Essentials is aimed squarely at no-frills users, offering unlimited talk and text along with 50GB of premium data. There are no streaming benefits, travel perks are limited, and even basic extras like Scam Shield aren’t included.

By contrast, the Better Value Plan includes unlimited premium data, along with unlimited hotspot access, with 250GB at high speeds before dropping to 600kbps. You also get 30GB of high-speed international data across more than 200 countries, after which speeds are reduced to 256kbps. The plan even includes free satellite connectivity via T-Sat, as well as optional Home Internet Backup for $10 per month.

Streaming benefits are another highlight. Subscribers get Netflix and Hulu included at no extra charge, with the option to add Apple TV for an additional $3 per month.

On paper, the Better Value Plan looks better than Essentials and even compares nicely to Experience More.