Fortunately, there’s one Clark-approved way to continue getting your AutoPay discount at T-Mobile. In this article, I’ll share what we know about T-Mobile’s decision as well as how you can safely continue saving on your bill each month.
T-Mobile Is Eliminating AutoPay Discounts for Credit Card Users in May
If you're a T-Mobile customer with a postpaid wireless plan or home internet plan, you may be taking advantage of AutoPay discounts.
T-Mobile offers $5 off monthly phone and internet bills (up to 8 lines depending on the plan) for users who have linked a credit or debit card. Then, T-Mobile automatically charges them when the bill is due. However, around May 2023, these discounts will no longer be available to users paying with a credit card.
According to a report from CNET, T-Mobile did not give a firm date for when the switch would take place or when customers might be notified. However, this change could happen "as early as May."
While paying with your credit card will still be an option, you'll lose the $5 monthly discount from AutoPay. Instead, T-Mobile is prompting users to link a debit card or checking account number. However, allowing any company to pull money from your primary checking account isn't the safest option.
Fortunately, Clark knows a way that you can continue to get your AutoPay discount from T-Mobile without putting your money at risk.
How You Can Continue Getting AutoPay Discounts
To continue getting T-Mobile’s AutoPay discount, you’ll have to use a debit card or bank account for AutoPay.
Of course, this is not the safest thing to do. In fact, money expert Clark Howard says that you never want to give a company access to your primary account.
You never want to give a company the right to draft from your checking account. The reason why is: They can mess up! That money can disappear from your account and it can be very difficult to get it back.
Clark goes on to recommend setting up AutoPay accounts with a credit card instead. While you can still use a credit card with T-Mobile's AutoPay program, you won't get the $5 monthly discount per line.
Fortunately, Clark has a solution that can help you continue to save:
While opening a second checking account may take a little bit of time to set up initially, it will definitely pay off in the long run.
With this option, when you give companies access to draft money from your second account, you aren't giving them access to all of your hard-earned cash. This way, you're still in control, and you still get your AutoPay discounts!
Final Thoughts
If you’re a T-Mobile customer with a postpaid wireless plan or home internet plan, AutoPay discounts are a great way to save over time.
For one line, you may only be saving $5 monthly, but that adds up to $60 each year that's back in your pocket. For accounts with multiple lines, these savings quickly grow to $300 annually for five lines. For this reason, it's worth taking a few extra steps to ensure you'll continue getting your AutoPay discount from T-Mobile.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Open a checking account just for AutoPay
- Add enough funds to cover your T-Mobile bill. You may choose to add funds to this account every month, every three months, etc. Just make sure you keep it funded enough to cover your bills before they're automatically paid but don't add more than what you need!
- Before May, switch your T-Mobile AutoPay account from your credit card to your new checking account. If you aren't already getting AutoPay discounts from T-Mobile, sign up with your new account to start saving safely.
You can learn more about how automatic bill pay works and how to do it safely on our website.
Are you a T-Mobile customer that will be affected by this change? Let us know in the Clark.com Community.
The post T-Mobile: Credit Card Payments Will Soon Lose AutoPay Discounts appeared first on Clark Howard.