When T-Mobile first announced its “uncarrier” iPhone 5 plans in March, it touted a down payment of $99.99 and two years of $20 monthly payments, adding up to a surprisingly cheap $579.99, or $70 less than its AT&T counterpart. Unfortunately, that deal was apparently too good to last. TMoNews reports that the $99.99 pricing was apparently a one-month-only promotional offer, set to expire on May 13th. That’s been borne out by T-Mobile’s own store, which now sells the iPhone 5 for a down payment of $149.99 and a total price of $629.99 — eliminating most of the savings on the phone itself, though you’ll still pay less up-front than on other carriers.
T-Mobile quietly bumps up-front price of an iPhone 5 by $50 to $149.99
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
On its own, a price bump wouldn’t necessarily be surprising or reprehensible: phone sales come and go every day. But T-Mobile didn’t make it remotely clear that the $99.99 deal was temporary. Outside a screenshot of TMoNews, we haven’t found a single mention of a promotion or change. The initial press release flatly promised a sub-$100 iPhone 5 for “qualifying customers,” and as seen below, T-Mobile’s own site still advertises the phone at its original price with no mention of an upcoming change. While the “uncarrier” option was never a clear-cut winner when stacked up against Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint, the iPhone’s low price was one of its selling points. Now, it appears it’s one that only early adopters will enjoy.
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