Carrier deal true-cost calculator

Carrier device promotions attach a monthly bill credit to a 24- or 36-month installment agreement, and require a specific plan tier to keep posting. Enter a deal's numbers below to see its full cost against just buying the phone outright on a cheaper plan, including what you would forfeit by leaving early.

The two plan fields start on published prices rather than on guesses: T-Mobile Essentials 2.0 at $65 a month, the median tier among the postpaid plans listed below, against US Mobile Unlimited Starter at $22.50 a month, the cheapest benchmark in the same list. Change either to the plans you are actually choosing between.

What this deal really costs

Phone retail priceBefore any credit or trade-in.Monthly bill creditThe promo credit, per month.Required plan, per monthThe tier the promo forces.Plan you'd otherwise useWhat you would pay without the promo.Upfront feeActivation or upgrade fee, charged once.Selling your old phoneWhat it fetches privately. Not a trade-in — that credit is already counted above.Term

Enter the phone retail price and the monthly bill credit to see what this deal costs against buying the phone outright. Until both are filled in there is no deal to price, so no total is shown.

Plan uplift over the term: $1,530.

Carrier scenarios

Prefilled with each carrier's published plan requirement and term.

Where these prices come from

T-Mobile Essentials 2.0 — $65 a month · Source · Verified 2026-08-13
US Mobile Unlimited Starter — $22.50 a month · Source · Verified 2026-08-13

Not in these numbers

T-Mobile Essentials 2.0 at $65 a month does not require autopay, and is stated before taxes and fees. US Mobile Unlimited Starter at $22.50 a month does not require autopay, and is stated with taxes and fees included.

Taxes and fees, where a plan price is not taxes-inclusive: They vary by state and by line, so any single figure here would be wrong for most readers.
Promotional eligibility and credit-check tier: Carriers set both per customer, and a failed check changes the deal entirely.
Whether a trade-in passes inspection: A downgraded appraisal cuts the credit after you have already shipped the phone.
Line-count and bundle discounts: They depend on the rest of the account, not on the phone you are buying.
Autopay and paperless-billing requirements: Advertised plan prices usually assume both; losing them raises the monthly figure.
Device insurance and protection plans: Optional on both paths, so including them would change both totals equally.