Is T-Mobile T-Mix Worth It? It Depends on What You'd Pay For Anyway

The short answer

• Worth it: you bring your own phone and already pay for one or more of the services on the Picks list.
• Worth it: a single line that wants unlimited premium data. T-Mix More is $10 less than Experience More.
• Think twice: a family that wants new phones. Phones use the same Picks as perks.
• Skip it: you don't use any of the perks. A cheaper brand on T-Mobile's network costs far less.

What the perks are worth

Most 1-Pick perks are worth $9 to $15 a month. The 2-Pick perks are worth about the same as the better 1-Pick ones, so a Pick spent on Apple TV or Hulu goes furthest. Apple TV's 1-Pick price is a limited-time rate that lasts until your first Annual Remix.

One line, bring your own phone

T-Mix More is $75 with two Picks. Spend them on Apple TV and Hulu and you get about $27 a month of services. T-Mobile's current Experience More is $85 and includes Netflix with ads, worth about $9. If you'd pay for two of these services anyway, T-Mix More is the better deal by a wide margin.

T-Mix Standard is harder to recommend. At $55 with one Pick, it costs about $30 more than unlimited plans from Metro, Tello or Mint on the same network. One perk doesn't close that gap, and Standard caps premium data at 50GB and video at SD.

A family of four, keeping their phones

Four lines on T-Mix More cost $180 with seven Picks. One way to spend them: ESPN Unlimited (4), Hulu, Apple TV and DashPass (1 each). That's about $69 a month in services, shared by the family.

Four lines of Experience More cost $170 with T-Mobile's current third-line-free promotion, with Netflix with ads included. So T-Mix costs $10 more a month, but you'd get about $60 more in services. That only counts if you'd really pay for ESPN, Hulu and the rest.

A family that wants new phones

This is where T-Mix gets tight. T-Mobile says a new iPhone takes two Picks and an iPhone Pro takes three, held for the three-year payment plan. Four iPhones would need eight Picks. Four lines on More only get seven.

Even one new phone changes the picture. On a single More line, an iPhone uses both Picks, so you'd pay $75 a month with no perks for three years. If you want a new phone deal, add up what the phone costs in Picks before you count on any streaming.

Gamers

Xbox Game Pass Premium costs two Picks, so a single line on T-Mix More covers it. Game Pass Ultimate costs three, which means T-Mix Loaded ($95) on one line, or More with two lines. If you already pay for Game Pass Premium, T-Mix More is effectively $60 a month for T-Mobile's unlimited premium data.

Things the Picks math leaves out

• Price guarantee: T-Mobile hasn't said whether T-Mix has one. Experience plans come with a 5-Year Price Guarantee.
• Unused Picks don't carry over. You lose them if you don't choose a perk that quarter.
• You can only swap partner perks in set windows, four times a year. Changing outside a window may cost a fee.
• T-Mobile can change what each perk costs in Picks. Changes to perks you already have start the next quarter.
• Taxes and fees are extra on every T-Mix plan, plus T-Mobile's $5.49 per-line regulatory fee.

Bottom line

T-Mix is a good deal for people who keep their phone and would pay for two or more of the perks anyway. For a single line, T-Mix More beats Experience More on price and perks. For families chasing new-phone deals, or anyone who doesn't care about the perks, it's not the cheapest way onto T-Mobile's network.