It's been about six months since T-Mobile's Binge-On free video streaming during the NFL Playoffs lured me away from Straight Talk. Although I frequently encounter dead zones where I used to have good coverage, I haven't switched back. I've come close a few times, but then T-Mobile seems to add another perk to their offering that convinces me to stay.
I originally switched to T-Mobile for Binge-On, which allows subscribers to stream video from certain services without counting against the data cap. I've been streaming more video on my phone and tablet than ever before thanks to this feature. In fact, before writing this article I was watching Hulu in the airport during a flight delay.
After the NFL Playoffs ended, I considered switching back to an AT&T-based plan due to T-Mobile's weak coverage. Not only is T-Mobile's coverage spotty in suburban and rural areas, there are several dead zones in San Francisco. It can be very annoying to not be able to request an Uber when dinner is wrapping up or text to see if we need anything else from the grocery store. I even tried upgrading to a newer phone (from an iPhone 6 to a 6s), which T-Mobile claimed would improve my coverage, to no avail.
Right when I was considering switching to another plan, T-Mobile offered MLB.tv for free to its subscribers. Free streaming MLB games? Sure, don't mind if I do, I'll cope with the dead spots a little longer. Then more recently they began the T-Mobile Tuesdays promotions, which gives subscribers free movie rentals, food, Lyft credits, and more each and every Tuesday.
All of this makes it a difficult proposition to move to a different carrier. I really enjoy the free video streaming and use it often. T-Mobile's plans are also very full-featured. For no additional cost they offer the following features I use frequently: tethering, data rollover, free 2G data once data allotment is depleted, and free 2G data and texting while in foreign countries. To replicate all of these features and bonuses on a competitive carrier would be cost-prohibitive.
So I'll stick with T-Mobile for the time being and hope their coverage continues to improve.