T-Mobile is banking that handing over cash (well, virtual plastic) will tempt new customers to its unlimited phone plans. If you sign up using its T-Life app, you can get a $200 prepaid Mastercard.
Wireless carriers use lots of incentives to bring in new customers, from discounts on phones to introductory rates and price guarantees. Outright offering money is a less common option. Yes, there are details to navigate -- the company isn't just slipping a pair of Benjamins under the table -- but the offer is genuine. Here's how to get it.
Who's eligible to get the $200 offer
This deal is open to customers opening new T-Mobile accounts, who also have their own phone and are keeping their existing phone number. That number needs to be ported from AT&T, Verizon, Claro, US Cellular, Xfinity, Spectrum or Liberty Puerto Rico.
How to get it
The key to this offer starts by installing T-Mobile's T-Life app; I couldn't find the deal on the company's website or elsewhere. For new customers (that is, if you don't already have a T-Mobile account), install the T-Life app and scroll through the introductory offers to find the $200 deal.
T-Mobile is running a deal where you can get a $200 virtual Mastercard by switching to the carrier, as seen here in the T-Life app.
Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNETIt requires a new phone line costing at least $45 a month (with autopay, plus taxes and fees), which includes all of the carrier's unlimited postpaid plans, such as Essentials Saver. (Often, deals like this are restricted to higher-tier plans.)
How and when the $200 is delivered
The $200 Mastercard is fulfilled electronically and can be used to purchase items online or at retailers that accept it (such as in the wallet app on a phone via tapping a terminal).
The virtual card will be available six to eight weeks after you sign up, with a maximum of four cards per account. It cannot be redeemed for cash and expires after six months.
If that $200 figure sounds familiar, here's why
This deal isn't T-Mobile's only recent $200 offer -- but it's unlikely to spark legal wrangling.
In 2024, California customers were promised $200 gift cards for each new phone line by T-Mobile store employees, according to a class action lawsuit filed in November 2025. The suit claims the retail staff "were instructed or permitted to advertise non-existent promotions in order to increase sales knowing that corporate policy would later deny fulfillment of those promises."
For other (legitimate) deals, be sure to check out current deals on phones and wireless plans.