T-Mobile prepaid plans: prices, the U.S. Pass, and what happened to the Tourist Plan

What T-Mobile prepaid plans were listed on 10 November 2026?

T-Mobile Prepaid sells three monthly phone plans, all paid in advance with no annual contract. T-Mobile's prepaid site refused our direct requests on 10 November 2026, so the figures below come from search excerpts of prepaid.t-mobile.com and T-Mobile's newsroom that we read that day. Where those excerpts disagree, we say so.

Taxes and fees are extra. The AutoPay discount starts the month after you enrol and needs a debit card or bank account; without it, T-Mobile charges $5 more per account. All three plans carry a five-year price guarantee on talk, text and 5G data, which excludes taxes and fees. T-Mobile's excerpts also mention a one-time device connection fee for some activations, which we could not price. Unlimited Plus Monthly adds unlimited texting from the US to more than 215 countries and destinations.

This is desk research from T-Mobile's own pages, read through search excerpts. We have not bought or tested a T-Mobile prepaid plan.

Which T-Mobile prepaid plan is best for travel?

If you live in the US and visit Mexico or Canada, Unlimited Plus Monthly is the tier that names both countries for calls and texts. Starter Monthly at $40 with AutoPay suits a light user, since speeds drop to 2G once the 15GB is gone. Unlimited Monthly at $45 is the middle choice and the usual pick for heavy data at home.

Further afield, the picture is weaker. A T-Mobile roaming page in our search results said international data roaming is not included for prepaid. T-Mobile sells International Passes, such as 15GB over 10 days for $50, but the page we saw listed them for postpaid plans, and we could not confirm that a prepaid line can buy one. Assume your T-Mobile prepaid plan has no data outside North America unless the T-Mobile app shows you a pass.

Is the T-Mobile Tourist Plan still offered?

We could not confirm that it is. The Tourist Plan launched in 2016 at $30 for three weeks, sold in T-Mobile stores, according to press coverage at the time. In November 2026 a T-Mobile support page for the prepaid eSIM app still carried Tourist Plan terms in its fine print. Those terms said the plans are not for extended use, and they listed a 30-day Tourist Plan option. But the product T-Mobile now markets to visitors is the U.S. Pass eSIM, and we found no current price for a Tourist Plan on any T-Mobile page. If you want one, ask in a T-Mobile store before you rely on it.

What does the T-Mobile U.S. Pass eSIM cost?

T-Mobile Prepaid launched the U.S. Pass for international travellers, on sale from 18 May 2026. The launch figures, which matched the prepaid travel page excerpts, were:

Each pass includes unlimited talk and text in the US, Mexico and Canada, unlimited 5G data in the US with 50GB of premium data, and 5GB of high-speed data in Mexico and Canada. On the 7, 10 and 14-day passes, the Mexico and Canada data is a free add-on that you turn on by text when you arrive. Passes stop at the end of the period and do not renew. The launch release called it a limited-time offer, subject to change, without giving an end date.

You must buy and activate the pass while you are in the US, and the clock starts when your phone first connects to T-Mobile's network there. You need an unlocked eSIM phone and Wi-Fi to set it up, and data roaming switched on for Mexico and Canada. T-Mobile says there is no paperwork or store visit. Our T-Mobile USA SIM card guide has the device list.

How do you get a T-Mobile prepaid SIM or eSIM?

For an ordinary prepaid line, the T-Mobile Prepaid eSIM app lets you choose a plan, pay by card and download the eSIM, with no activation fee for eSIM phones. T-Mobile says you must be physically in the US during activation, and the phone must come from T-Mobile or be SIM-unlocked. On prepaid.t-mobile.com you can also check your phone and scan a QR code to activate. If your phone is not listed, you are pointed to a physical SIM card, which T-Mobile stores sell. The excerpts we read did not say what ID a non-resident needs for a monthly plan. Prepaid refills can be paid online, in the app or with AutoPay.

For stores and airport counters, see where to buy a SIM card in the USA.

When is a travel eSIM cheaper than T-Mobile prepaid?

For a visitor to the US, the U.S. Pass is competitive. Our verified US travel eSIM prices, read on each seller's own site in August 2026, were $21.50 for Airalo's 10GB over 7 days, $25 for Airalo's unlimited 7 days, $22.99 for Saily's 10GB over 30 days and $25 for Nomad's 10GB over 30 days. The 7-day U.S. Pass at $25 matches those and adds a US number with calls. What the travel eSIM gives you is the ability to install it at home and have data the moment you land, while the U.S. Pass can only be bought once you are in the US.

For a US resident going abroad, a travel eSIM is usually the only sensible data option on a prepaid plan. Our verified prices from August 2026 put 10GB over 7 days in Japan at $17 with Airalo and 10GB over 30 days at $16 with Nomad, and 10GB over 7 days in the UK at $18 with Airalo. Keep your T-Mobile line for calls and texts, and switch its data roaming off. Our international roaming plans page compares what T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon charge abroad, and the USA SIM card comparison sets the carriers side by side for visitors.

What we could not confirm

T-Mobile's prepaid pages blocked direct reads, so every T-Mobile figure here is from search excerpts we read on 10 November 2026. We could not confirm whether the Tourist Plan is still sold, or whether prepaid lines can buy International Passes. We could not price the device connection fee, or confirm Mexico and Canada use on Starter Monthly. We also found no end date for the U.S. Pass offer.