1. Activation
T-Mobile is one of the three major U.S. telecom carriers. It used to sell zero-monthly-fee SIM cards, but they have almost disappeared in recent years. However, you can still get one by persistently contacting customer service.
First, you need a T-Mobile Prepaid SIM card. If you do not have one and your phone supports eSIM, you can download the T-Mobile Prepaid app and activate a USD 10/month prepaid SIM yourself. If your phone does not support eSIM, you will need to solve it through Taobao.
After the card is activated, the next step is to call customer service.
2. Change the Plan
The zero-monthly-fee plan is called Legacy Pay as you go.
So after you reach a human agent, do not waste words. Get straight to the point:
“Hi, can you help me change my plan into Legacy Pay as you go?”
If the agent can do it, just wait.
If they say this plan is no longer available or something similar, do not hesitate. Hang up and call again.
At most, you can say:
“Can you transfer me to the supervisor?”
Supervisors usually have more authority, so the chance of success may be higher.
All paid plan-change services operate this way. There is no other method.
If you are lucky, it can be done in a few minutes. If not, keep calling for a couple of days. There is no other shortcut.
3. Queries
Open the phone dialer to use these codes:
| Service | Code |
|---|---|
| Check your phone number | #686# |
| Enable international data roaming | #766# |
| Disable international data roaming | #763# |
| Check data usage | #932# |
| Check remaining minutes | #646# |
| Check SMS usage | #674# |
| Check balance and last payment date | #225# |
These are basically the commonly used ones.
4. Keeping the Number Active
You need to top up at least USD 1 every three months to keep the number active.
Taxes vary by region, so you can choose a place with lower tax.
