Forum Discussion
what's up with T-mobile removing autopay discount for credit cards?
I just literally signed up for a new plan - debit cards have fees for providers too - accessing my bank account isn’t a good approach from a security perspective (noting that T-mobile has been hacked - i wouldn’t have shared this directly with T-mobile customer service but there is not email or chat and I don’t have time for phone calls
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That was announced months ago. It is because credit card companies charge a service charge that is based on the percentage of every transaction, which eats into T-Mobile's revenue. Removing the auto pay discount for credit cards negates that.
BlueSkies wrote:
I was happy since I changed to T-Mobile... Until Now. It's just common sense to NOT use your debit card for automated payments to prevent security issues AND a credit card gives me flexibility since my balance can vary a bit each month. I never thought about leaving till this change. Does anyone know if Mint requires a debit card or bank account?
In the meantime, here's a hint I use. I opened a secondary checking account when I was in my 20's. I only use it to pay bills through the bank's online payment service or automated bill payments where I didn't have much choice. I do not have a debit card linked to it (yeah, the banker looked at me funny until I explained what I was doing) so there's no risk of a stolen debit card emptying the account. Each pay period, I move the money I need over for bills to it. Other than a minimum I keep in there to prevent any fees, that's it.
Either approach poses risks but I've found the debit card to be less risky in my case. In the case of auto paying by giving out your bank account info and the bank routing number you might notice that's all the information required to pay via ACH anywhere online - if the info is released into the wild it becomes just as much a security issue. In fact those advocating paying by check are exposing their bank account and routing information in one of the most insecure ways - right at the bottom of the check in plain sight of any bad actor.
In my case, the debit card for the bank is issued by Visa and carries the same fraud protection as any credit card does. At the same time there are a host of card controls that I have control over not to mention real time alerts. With a simple phone call or online I can shut that card down immediately and stop any fraudulent debit before it hits at the close of business. At the same time you want to turn overdraft protection off and yes I keep only a minimum balance in that secondary account at any time. In my case the debit card is ust common sense due to the extended card controls I can utilize vs automatic payments from the bank account itself. Outside of alerts, the bank account itself has no extended controls.
The approach works but only if you actively monitor alerts that you might receive. Which is better for you depends on your bank account and debit card terms. Even with a credit card promptly disputing fraudulent charges is necessary these days. Everybody's circumstances will differ. The question is what are you going to do to minimize damages when the stuff inevitably hits the fan regardless of whether it's TMO or someone else.
Credit card rewards and benefits are a different issue, but my homeowners insurance provides electronic device protection far beyond just cellphones.
Not defending TMO , just offering some alternative approaches.
MobileMorph wrote:
fireguy_6364 wrote:
cant just toss TMO under the bus when it comes to the hacking without pointing out that ATT and V also got hacked..
Right, but give me the choice to pay using a method that doesn’t jeopardize all my personal money. 🫤
MobileMorph wrote:
fireguy_6364 wrote:
cant just toss TMO under the bus when it comes to the hacking without pointing out that ATT and V also got hacked..
Right, but give me the choice to pay using a method that doesn’t jeopardize all my personal money. 🫤
fireguy_6364 has 4528 comments out here schilling for T-Mobile every convoluted way possible.
I'm spinning T-Mobile off right now, down to one phone on plan and they say my bill will be $105 per month plus tax. Maybe not updated since last phone dropped but I'm glad to leave. This is a clear money grab (potential billions) and their lack of their security concerns of customer bank information with all their (recent hacks 37Million+ accounts). I'll let the Germans keep their Service. There a better American company plans to choose from.gramps28 wrote:
JD-STL wrote:
@gramps28 why the constant defense of TM? They don't "all" get hacked. No wireless carrier has been hacked the way TM has.
Just stating facts. They all do get hacked. And some of those hacks for all three were employees hacking other employees emails to get access to unlock codes to sell.
Ridiculous and illogical argument by another cheerleader and possible T-Mobile commenter with 6,651 replies out here. So your argument, It happens to all of them so there is nothing wrong with T-Mobile forcing users to give up their banking information or jacking your rates by 10% per phone, four times Credit Card fees. Sure, that's how you define integrity on their part, right? IMO everyone should bail on the T-Mobile German owned service. Find an American carrier. T-Mobile clearly don't give a crap about Americans banking security and think them dumb enough to submit to this ultimatum.
gramps28 wrote:
jlfliberty wrote:
gramps28 wrote:
JD-STL wrote:
@gramps28 why the constant defense of TM? They don't "all" get hacked. No wireless carrier has been hacked the way TM has.
Just stating facts. They all do get hacked. And some of those hacks for all three were employees hacking other employees emails to get access to unlock codes to sell.
Ridiculous and illogical argument by another cheerleader and possible T-Mobile commenter with 6,651 replies out here. So your argument, It happens to all of them so there is nothing wrong with T-Mobile forcing users to give up their banking information or jacking your rates by 10% per phone, four times Credit Card fees. Sure, that's how you define integrity on their part, right? IMO everyone should bail on the T-Mobile German owned service. Find an American carrier. T-Mobile clearly don't give a crap about Americans banking security and think them dumb enough to submit to this ultimatum.
Call me what you want but I started a thread about this 4 months ago.
https://community.t-mobile.com/accounts-services-4/auto-pay-with-credit-cards-ends-49144
And when I make a post that people don't like they automatically think I work for Tmobile.
Plus it not a ridiculous argument do some research.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/man-hacked-t-mobile-employees-to-unlock-cell-phones-rake-in-25-million
Clearly it's a waste trying to discuss logic with you. Logic of Gramps28, Since other carriers have also been hacked, T-Mobile should further jeopardize the customers banking security by eliminating Credit Card protections and require their banking information now be available during all future hacks. It's not only illogical and ridiculous, it's hilarious.
jlfliberty wrote:
gramps28 wrote:
jlfliberty wrote:
gramps28 wrote:
JD-STL wrote:
@gramps28 why the constant defense of TM? They don't "all" get hacked. No wireless carrier has been hacked the way TM has.
Just stating facts. They all do get hacked. And some of those hacks for all three were employees hacking other employees emails to get access to unlock codes to sell.
Ridiculous and illogical argument by another cheerleader and possible T-Mobile commenter with 6,651 replies out here. So your argument, It happens to all of them so there is nothing wrong with T-Mobile forcing users to give up their banking information or jacking your rates by 10% per phone, four times Credit Card fees. Sure, that's how you define integrity on their part, right? IMO everyone should bail on the T-Mobile German owned service. Find an American carrier. T-Mobile clearly don't give a crap about Americans banking security and think them dumb enough to submit to this ultimatum.
Call me what you want but I started a thread about this 4 months ago.
https://community.t-mobile.com/accounts-services-4/auto-pay-with-credit-cards-ends-49144
And when I make a post that people don't like they automatically think I work for Tmobile.
Plus it not a ridiculous argument do some research.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/man-hacked-t-mobile-employees-to-unlock-cell-phones-rake-in-25-million
Clearly it's a waste trying to discuss logic with you. Logic of Gramps28, Since other carriers have also been hacked, T-Mobile should further jeopardize the customers banking security by eliminating Credit Card protections and require their banking information now be available during all future hacks. It's not only illogical and ridiculous, it's hilarious.
If you read my original post about the change to autopay it's basically what I said four months ago..
I did some research into Verizon but saw that they require bank information for autopay discount unless you used a Verizon credit card. Plans were quite a bit more.
I'm not an advocate of ever using your debit card on the internet and I can't believe people do use it.
BlueSkies wrote:
I was happy since I changed to T-Mobile... Until Now. It's just common sense to NOT use your debit card for automated payments to prevent security issues AND a credit card gives me flexibility since my balance can vary a bit each month. I never thought about leaving till this change. Does anyone know if Mint requires a debit card or bank account?
In the meantime, here's a hint I use. I opened a secondary checking account when I was in my 20's. I only use it to pay bills through the bank's online payment service or automated bill payments where I didn't have much choice. I do not have a debit card linked to it (yeah, the banker looked at me funny until I explained what I was doing) so there's no risk of a stolen debit card emptying the account. Each pay period, I move the money I need over for bills to it. Other than a minimum I keep in there to prevent any fees, that's it.
Mint allows you to pay with a credit card. They are also being acquired by T-Mobile so who knows the future. They have the cheapest plans that are prepaid at the moment but Visible(by Verizon) has a good plan with better overall 4G coverage. Another player out there is US Mobile which uses both Verizon and T-Mobile towers. Good luck.
ericv wrote:
T-mobile has started "annoying" me since the coverage area quality got worse maybe a year ago, yet I was too busy to bother changing carriers. Now that they've wrecked their auto-pay business with removing credit cards… I'm not going to give them my real bank account info for them to take out as much as they want. Temporarily I'm using those cheap savings accounts and pushing $ into that… But that in itself is upsetting due to the fact that they are dictating how everyone pays for the service to get a discount. Ever heard the expression "the customer is always right? They don't think so. I'm shopping for a new carrier. I've been with T-mobile since 2013. It was a decent 10 years but they got too big (and greedy) and seemingly don't care about their customers anymore.
Be careful. Any time your bank account -- even a cheap savings account used just for autopay -- is overdrawn, you may be charged a fee by your bank and your credit rating may be affected.
I just called my credit union to ask a question about a what-if hack scenario and they advised that if there was a hack, it would take up to 45 days to get my money back. This change does not give me piece of mind at all.
AT&T is now joining the bandwagon of reducing the discount using a credit card on autopay.
https://www.att.com/autopayinfo
Qué debes saber
We're reducing the monthly discount for accounts enrolled in AutoPay and paperless billing for wireless accounts that use a credit card. The discount will decrease from $10 to $5 off per phone line.
You’ll see the change starting on your October 2023 bill if you continue using a credit card as your payment type.
They said only you can make changes to your plan. Verizon has better prices even before the $20 hit for paying with a credit card. First bill I see with the $20, I will drop T-Mobile.
