T-Mobile New York Price Guarantee Settlement, Who Qualifies for the $38 Million Deal?

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on October 20, 2026 that T-Mobile USA, Inc. must offer refunds, free or discounted 5G phones, and a price freeze to qualifying New York customers whose rates rose in 2024 despite an old “price guarantee.” Her office describes the relief as up to more than $38 million in value.

That $38 million is not a cash fund. The Attorney General’s office has said it is the maximum combined value of the benefits customers can choose, not a check T-Mobile is writing. The only cash payment to the state is $98,834.75.

There is no public claim form and no settlement website. T-Mobile has to identify qualifying accounts and notify them directly, no later than March 19, 2027. This is an Assurance of Discontinuance (No. 26-042) between the Attorney General and T-Mobile, not a court-approved class action, and it has no court case number.

T-Mobile Price Guarantee Eligibility Checklist for New York Customers

Your account is covered if all of these apply:

• [ ] The account is billed in New York.
• [ ] It signed up for a T-Mobile ONE plan between January 1, 2017 and April 30, 2019.
• [ ] It was still on that T-Mobile ONE plan when T-Mobile raised prices in 2024.

If all three are true, your account falls into one of two groups, based on T-Mobile’s records as of October 20, 2026:

• Upgrade Eligible Account: at least one line is known to be on less-than-5G service.
• Upgrade Ineligible Account: every line is on 5G, or T-Mobile’s device information is incomplete.

“Upgrade Ineligible” does not mean “no benefits.” It only means the account does not get the free or discounted phone offer.

T-Mobile New York Price Guarantee Agreement Quick Facts

Item	Details
Agreement	Assurance of Discontinuance No. 26-042, New York Attorney General and T-Mobile USA, Inc.
Effective Date	October 20, 2026
Consumer benefit value	Up to more than $38 million, per the Attorney General’s announcement (maximum value of benefits, not a cash fund)
Payment to New York	$98,834.75
Price Guarantee Plans in New York	About 252,957 (many had more than one line). This is the number of plans enrolled, not the number of eligible accounts
Price increase at issue	About $5 per line, an average of $12 per account, in May and/or June 2024
Notice deadline for T-Mobile	No later than 150 days after the Effective Date: March 19, 2027
Time to choose a benefit	45 days after the Notification Date (5 extra days if you get notice by U.S. mail)
Price freeze	No increase to your current plan’s monthly recurring charge until no earlier than May 30, 2029, if you stay
Claim form	None
Official sources	No administrator website exists. The official document is the signed Assurance of Discontinuance (PDF) on the Attorney General’s website, with the Attorney General’s announcement
Admission	T-Mobile neither admits nor denies the Attorney General’s findings

What Did the New York Attorney General Find About T-Mobile’s Price Guarantee Plans?

From about January 2017 through April 2019, T-Mobile offered a price guarantee on certain T-Mobile ONE plans on its 4G network. According to the Attorney General’s findings, T-Mobile said in press releases in January and August 2017 and in a January 2017 video interview with then-CEO John Legere that it would “never change the price you pay,” that prices “won’t go up,” and that the offer “abolishes price hikes.”

In May and/or June 2024, T-Mobile raised prices on certain New York customers by about $5 per line, and customers on Price Guarantee Plans were among them. The Attorney General concluded that any disclaimers or fine print on T-Mobile’s website were ineffective, either because they contradicted what a reasonable customer would understand the guarantee to mean or because they were not clear and conspicuous and placed near the promise.

The office found violations of New York Executive Law § 63(12) and General Business Law §§ 349 and 350. T-Mobile did not admit or deny those findings, and the agreement is not a court judgment.

Which New York Laws Did the Attorney General Rely On?

• Executive Law § 63(12): Gives the Attorney General power to act against repeated or persistent fraud or illegality in business.
• General Business Law § 349: Prohibits deceptive acts or practices in business and commerce.
• General Business Law § 350: Prohibits false advertising.

T-Mobile Price Guarantee Benefits: What Upgrade Eligible and Ineligible Accounts Can Choose

Each covered account chooses between canceling and staying. The 45-day window starts on the Notification Date.

Account type	If you cancel	If you stay
Upgrade Eligible (at least one line on less-than-5G)	T-Mobile pays your last month’s recurring charge plus a $25 cash card	For each less-than-5G line, a free 5G phone (certain devices valued up to $250) or a $150 credit toward another 5G phone, plus the price freeze until no earlier than May 30, 2029
Upgrade Ineligible (all lines on 5G, or incomplete device data)	T-Mobile pays your last month’s recurring charge (no cash card)	The price freeze until no earlier than May 30, 2029

Details that matter:

• The cash card has no fees, charges, or expiration date, and works at any retail store and for online purchases where credit cards are accepted.
• No upgrade fees. T-Mobile cannot charge switching, transfer, activation, or similar fees for the phone upgrade.
• What the freeze covers. It applies to your current plan’s monthly recurring charge, not to every tax, add-on, or other bill item. T-Mobile may rename or recategorize the plan before May 30, 2029, as long as the monthly recurring charge does not go up.
• Not every phone is free. Only certain devices are offered at no cost. Others get the $150 credit.

How T-Mobile Must Notify You and How to Respond

You do not file a claim. T-Mobile has to contact you.

1. Email first. T-Mobile must send notice to every email address on the account. If it has no email on file or the message bounces, it must mail an alternative notice to the account’s mailing address, and that account gets 5 extra days.
2. A reminder on your bill. T-Mobile must also put a reminder on the first bill after the Notification Date.
3. Reply as the notice instructs. The sample notices attached to the agreement tell customers to call T-Mobile’s care team by a stated date to pick a phone or to cancel and claim the cancellation option. Your actual notice will state the real phone number and dates.
4. Use the date in your notice. Your personal deadline is 45 days from your own Notification Date, which can fall any time before March 19, 2027. Do not work it out from October 20, 2026 or March 19, 2027.
5. No notice but you think you qualify? Gather your account number, plan name, and a 2024 bill showing the increase, then contact T-Mobile and ask it to confirm your status under Assurance No. 26-042. If it is not resolved, contact the New York Attorney General’s Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau.

The agreement does not spell out what happens if you simply do not respond. The sample notice ties the price freeze to staying on your current plan, while the phone offer and the cancellation payment depend on responding by the stated date.

What Else Must T-Mobile Change Under the Assurance of Discontinuance?

• Clear limits on price guarantees. Any advertisement containing a price guarantee must clearly and conspicuously disclose its material terms, and any time limit must appear in the same sentence as the guarantee. T-Mobile has four months from the Effective Date (until about February 20, 2027) to put this in place.
• Honor existing guarantees. T-Mobile must follow a price guarantee that applies to a customer unless the customer agrees in writing to change it based on clearly disclosed terms. That agreement does not count if it is based on a threat to remove, downgrade, or add conditions to the customer’s services. This takes effect immediately.
• Reports to the state. T-Mobile must report on its notice efforts and the share of accounts choosing each benefit, 30 days and 90 days after the Notification Date.
• The state payment. The Attorney General sends payment instructions within 10 days of the Effective Date, and T-Mobile pays within 30 days after receiving them.

Can You Still Take Private Legal Action Against T-Mobile?

The release in the agreement covers only the State’s own claims over the conduct described in the findings. Paragraph 31 says nothing in it deprives any person of a private right under the law, and T-Mobile keeps its own defenses (Paragraphs 45 and 46). That does not mean any private claim would succeed. If you are weighing one, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.

Only the Attorney General can enforce the agreement, and T-Mobile gets 30 days to cure an alleged violation first. For other T-Mobile litigation, see T-Mobile Class Action Lawsuits 2024-2025: Everything You Need To Know About Claims, Settlements & Updates.

T-Mobile Price Guarantee Settlement Key Dates

Date	Event
January 2017 to April 2019	Price Guarantee Offer period
December 2019	T-Mobile launches its 5G network
May and/or June 2024	Price increases of about $5 per line
October 20, 2026	Assurance of Discontinuance effective
About February 20, 2027	Advertising-disclosure changes due (four months)
No later than March 19, 2027	T-Mobile must send initial notice (150 days)
45 days after your notice (+5 days for mailed notice)	Your window to choose a benefit
30 and 90 days after the Notification Date	T-Mobile’s two reports to the state
No earlier than May 30, 2029	Earliest date T-Mobile may raise the monthly recurring charge for customers who stay

T-Mobile Price Guarantee Settlement FAQs

Is the T-Mobile $38 Million Deal a Cash Settlement Fund?

No. The Attorney General’s office describes it as up to more than $38 million in value, the maximum combined value of the refunds, cash cards, phone offers, and price freezes customers may choose. T-Mobile is not distributing a $38 million fund.

Does Every T-Mobile Customer Qualify?

No. Only New York-billed accounts that signed up for T-Mobile ONE between January 1, 2017 and April 30, 2019 and were still on that plan in 2024 are covered. Customers in other states are not covered by this agreement.

Will I Receive a $25 Cash Card?

Only if your account is Upgrade Eligible and you cancel within your 45-day window. Upgrade Ineligible accounts that cancel receive the last month’s recurring charge without the cash card.

I Already Have a 5G Phone. Can I Still Get Something?

You may be an Upgrade Ineligible Account. You can cancel for a payment of your last month’s recurring charge or stay with the price freeze through at least May 30, 2029.

Can T-Mobile Raise My Plan Price Before May 30, 2029?

Not the monthly recurring charge on your current plan, if you stay on it. The freeze does not stop changes to other items on your bill.

Is This a Class Action?

No. It is an Assurance of Discontinuance obtained by the Attorney General. It has no class, no court-approved notice, no administrator, and no opt-out or objection process.

Is This the Same as the T-Mobile $200 Gift Card Lawsuit?

No. That matter involves a promotional gift card and different eligibility. See T-Mobile $200 Gift Card Lawsuit 2026, Class Action Filed Over Unfulfilled Promotional Promise.

Is This Related to T-Mobile’s Data Breach Settlement?

No. That case concerned exposed personal information, not pricing. See T-Mobile Class Action Lawsuit, $350M Settlement Payments Now Complete—What 76M Affected Customers Need To Know.

Bottom Line for T-Mobile Customers in New York

If your New York-billed account joined a T-Mobile ONE plan between January 1, 2017 and April 30, 2019 and was still on it in 2024, you should hear from T-Mobile by March 19, 2027. Read the notice, work out which type of account you have, and respond by the date printed on it. Do not pay anyone to “file a claim.” No claim process exists.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. AllAboutLawyer.com is a consumer legal information site, not a law firm. Eligibility depends on the signed Assurance of Discontinuance and your account’s records. For questions about your account, contact T-Mobile after you receive the official notice.

Sources

1. T-Mobile USA, Inc. Assurance of Discontinuance No. 26-042, effective October 20, 2026 (New York Attorney General)
2. Attorney General James Secures Reimbursements for T-Mobile Customers Whose Rates Were Unjustly Raised, October 20, 2026 (New York Attorney General)
3. New York Attorney General: Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau
4. New York Executive Law § 63(12); New York General Business Law §§ 349 and 350

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against the signed Assurance of Discontinuance No. 26-042 and the New York Attorney General’s official announcement (no administrator website exists), as of October 29, 2026. Last Updated: October 29, 2026.