Technologies

T-Mobile’s Autopay Change Ruins My Favorite Credit Card Perk

Commentary: Getting free phone insurance was a fabulous perk, but now it’s time to explore new options.

T-Mobile is the latest carrier to change how it gives out auto pay discounts: Starting Tuesday, customers are required to pay their bills using either a linked bank account or a debit card in order to receive a $5 per line discount on their service.

However if you already set up auto pay with a credit card, not complying with this policy change is effectively a price hike. And as a result, if you were paying for your phone bill using a credit card, you’ll now have to evaluate if the $5 per line cost is worth the convenience and perks that come with paying for your phone bill using that method. That’s not even including the need to use a debit card or give T-Mobile, which has a poor track record of data security, a bank account number.

For myself, I rely on having cell phone insurance provided by a World Elite Mastercard that I pay my family’s cell phone bill with. While I haven’t yet had to file a claim with it, the perk allowed me to skip paying for AppleCare or my carrier’s phone insurance entirely. The benefit lets customers get reimbursed for cellphone repairs, up to $1,000 per year ($800 per claim, with a max of two claims per year).

I’ve been hoping to at least use the options when replacing my iPhone 12 Pro Max’s battery (an $89 cost), and it would be especially clutch if my phone ever required a major repair like a charging port failure (as expensive as $599).

I manage three lines on my T-Mobile account, and as a result, continuing to pay with my credit card will lead to a $15 monthly increase on my rate. So I began crunching the numbers in order to figure out whether it would be worthwhile to absorb the price increase to keep the credit card benefit, to forgo the benefit entirely or to consider a third-party phone insurance option.

Should I just join T-Mobile’s Protection 360?

When I began researching my options for maintaining a phone insurance option, I first wondered if I could join T-Mobile’s Protection 360. T-Mobile’s phone insurance plan allows for phone service through AppleCare — which otherwise isn’t joinable past 60 days of buying an iPhone. Covering my line would be about $18 per month — more than the $15 per month that covers my family plan — but I could receive these repairs without having to file for reimbursement.

Regardless, T-Mobile’s Protection 360 isn’t an option right now. Similar to health insurance, Protection 360 allows for enrollment either when you buy a new device or when a special enrollment period opens. I saw that there was an enrollment period open in June, but right now it’s closed, and T-Mobile doesn’t provide a cadence for how often it reopens.

What if I paid the price increase?

While I don’t want to pay the extra $15 per month, it is a cost effective option if I insist on maintaining a level of phone insurance. As I covered in the Protection 360 section, paying $15 for three lines is less than paying $18 for a single line under T-Mobile’s option when it’s available. This would allow me to continue to be eligible for reimbursement after paying for a phone repair and help me avoid paying a high price should there be a catastrophic damage incident.

However, I think there’s simply better ways to use that $15, especially when the main repair I inevitably see is an $89 battery repair. I could create a slush fund where I set aside that $15, and in six months that would build up to cover the $89 battery replacement that I foresee needing. I also just finished paying off my iPhone 12 Pro Max and could roll that amount into the fund. I currently plan on keeping my phone for two more years, and those savings could go toward my next phone purchase.

But this option has a big vulnerability: If my iPhone suffered a major malfunction, a repair could cost $599 or result in being forced to buy a new phone earlier than I’d prefer.

Could I go with a third-party insurance option?

There are other companies that offer insurance on phones or other electronics, without going through either the phone manufacturer or the phone carrier. One option that I looked into is SquareTrade, which is owned by insurance provider AllState. Through SquareTrade, I can get a plan for myself at $9 per month or a plan for the family (up to four lines) at $20 a month.

Like my credit card’s phone protection plan, SquareTrade offers reimbursement for repair costs at Apple’s Genius Bar along with options for in-person or mail-away phone repair. That’s appealing because it will essentially allow for AppleCare’s support for a repair, albeit by paying upfront for it.

However, SquareTrade’s deductible for all phone claims is rather high at $149. This is still a substantial discount from having to pay $599 for an equipment failure repair or $329 for a cracked screen replacement, but for a battery replacement I’d be better off paying Apple’s $89 repair cost.

On the other hand, SquareTrade’s phone insurance remains flexible since I don’t need to have recently purchased my device to have it. It’s an option I can leave on the back burner, and if it seems appealing (or if I can tell that my phone is on the precipice of breaking), I could perhaps purchase it at a more strategic time.

SquareTrade’s policy also doesn’t cover theft or loss, which are important possibilities to consider when choosing a phone insurance plan. My credit card benefit does cover that possibility, as does T-Mobile’s Protection 360.

Why I’m waiting it out… for now

While I’m not thrilled about T-Mobile’s choice to eliminate auto pay discounts for paying with a credit card, I’d also rather not be rushed into choosing a new phone insurance option. For now, begrudgingly, I am linking my bank account to pay for my bill in the interest of controlling costs while I evaluate these options.

I had hoped to pocket my monthly installment money from paying off my phone to help offset the many price increases we’re now seeing for services across the board. Instead, I’m going to take that money — which is roughly $26 per month – and start the phone repair slush fund. It will then be enough to pay for a battery replacement in just under four months.

Should this fund instead go toward buying a new phone, I could then perhaps take advantage of a different credit card benefit: Some cards offer an extended warranty benefit that would provide an additional year of coverage beyond what’s provided with a purchase.

At the same time, I’ll keep an eye out in case I later want to swap my auto pay back to a credit card and forego the discount, grab a SquareTrade plan or — when available — sign up for T-Mobile’s Protection 360.

Technologies

Why Are Switch 2 Games So Expensive? Trump’s Tariffs May Not Be Sole Factor

It still comes down to money.

Wednesday’s reveal of the Switch 2 had a lot of buzz from Nintendo surrounding its successor to the Switch. One shocking bit, though, was the high price of its games. There’s a lot of confusion, especially with news of President Donald Trump’s increased tariffs on many trading partners, including Japan.

After the Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo released the full details of the upcoming console and games on its website. The price of Mario Kart World shocked gamers and led to some disdain, as the $80 MSRP was $10 more than what most new games cost today. This led many to wonder if this would be a new normal for game prices due to Trump’s tariffs or if Nintendo was just being greedy. The answer, however, might be something completely different.

Are Nintendo Switch 2 game prices hiking?

To start, some details need to be cleared up. Some people have posted on social media that the price of Nintendo’s Switch 2 games, at least in the US, will be $90. That is incorrect, as of right now.

One X user posted Switch 2 EU prices for Mario Kart World, which start at 80 euros for a digital version and 90 euros for the physical copy. Typically, US and EU games match in price, which caused some to assume that this pricing would be the case for the US.

Nintendo Switch 2 games will be more expensive physically than digitally.
Mario Kart World will be 90 freaking euros phisically. pic.twitter.com/iXuRwzlFqH

— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) April 2, 2025

US retailers, however, already posted their Switch 2 game prices, and Nintendo-published games are listed at $80.

Will Trump’s tariffs cause the Switch 2 to cost more?

As for Trump’s tariffs, that is unlikely to be a driver of this price bump. Tariffs are not applied to digital goods, and when the prices were published, there were no tariffs on Japan. Plus, games are similarly expensive in other countries like Canada and the UK.

With that cleared up, why are Nintendo games on the Switch 2 so expensive? One likely reason is game storage.

Read More: All the Nintendo Games You Can Update to Switch 2 for Free

The Switch 2 uses what Nintendo calls game-key cards, which are Switch 2 cartridges that don’t have all the game data on the cartridge itself. This helps save on production costs as storage is expensive. The original Switch cartridges went up to 32GB of storage, which doesn’t seem like a lot these days, with some games taking up 100GB or more of storage, but this is for the original Switch. Only a few games, like The Witcher 3, went above 32GB because the graphics for the Switch weren’t on the high end like with a PC, PS5 or Xbox Series console, where a Witcher 3 install size starts at 50GB.

Switch 2 games are going to be bigger in size — there is little doubt about it. CD Projekt Red confirmed it would put its Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition on one 64GB cartridge, and there will likely be other games to surpass that 64GB. With the max size of the cartridge doubling in size, it adds to the price of the physical card, as not only does storage have to be bigger, but they will need to transfer data faster. That can get more expensive for physical copies, unlike optical discs, which are still the same price whether it has 20GB or 100GB on the disc.

What does all this mean for gamers?

This leads to a dilemma for publishers: Put the entire game on the physical card and sell it at a loss, increase the price of the physical copy with the full game on it or use the game-key card to have a card with minimal storage, requiring gamers to download the entire game.

Read More: The 17 Best Nintendo Switch Games Right Now

It appears that Nintendo went with door No. 2. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, knowing the company. Anyone who wants to save money on games knows that Nintendo will seldom bring the price down of its own games. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, for example, is 8 years old and is still full price on Nintendo’s website.

According to an industry analysis from Niko Partners, this new pricing could become the new normal in a couple of years when it comes to physical cartridges.

«While there has been some sticker shock regarding the price of games increasing from $60 to $70 or $80, these price points are set to become industry standard over the next two years, especially so for Nintendo first-party games,» Niko Partners said in a statement Wednesday. «One reason for the higher price is the increased cost of the new and faster Game Cards themselves, with higher capacities being more expensive to manufacture than a PS5 Blu-ray disc.»

Nintendo didn’t respond to a request for comment about the higher price of its games.

That said, this doesn’t explain the lower price of Donkey Kong Bananza, which comes out in July; that’s listed on Nintendo’s site for $70. This could mean the game isn’t using a larger storage card, but that can’t be said for sure until the game comes out. It’s unclear how things will change in the future.

Technologies

Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-orders in US Delayed Due to Trump’s Tariffs

The Switch 2 launch is still happening on June 5, and preorders outside the US seem unchanged.

Nintendo Switch 2 preorders in the US were to start April 9, but it appears those plans have changed due to the new tariffs imposed this week by President Donald Trump. It’s unclear if this means Nintendo will also have to increase the price of the Switch successor, which currently starts at $450.

Nintendo said Friday that it’s delaying Switch 2 preorders in the US, but its June release date is unaffected.

«Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions,» the company said in a statement. «Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.»

Nintendo didn’t indicate if preorder dates outside the US would change, but Eurogamer reports that preorders are live at various retailers in the UK.

A tariff of 24% has been applied by the US to goods from Japan. Were that rate to be applied directly to the Switch 2’s announced price, it would rise to $558, but it would be up to Nintendo how much of the tariff it will pass on to consumers.

This is a developing story.

Technologies

Twelve South’s Foldable Wireless Charger for iPhone and Apple Watch Is Up to 27% Off at Amazon

This handy accessory makes it easier to travel with your Apple gear and stay charged wherever you go.

Whether you’re traveling for business or off on a wonderful family vacation, charging your stuff shouldn’t be something you have to worry about. Taking extra chargers and cables can be a pain, and they all take up space in your bag. But the handy Twelve South Butterfly SE charger is a compact alternative that can wirelessly charge an iPhone and an Apple Watch at the same time. And it’s available with up to 27% off right now at Amazon.

That top line discount applies to the pink version, though the white model is only $7 more and other colors are seeing 15% off the usual $100 price tag if you have a strong preference. It’s not clear how long the discounts will last, though.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

The charger itself offers a way to wirelessly charge a iPhone and Apple Watch from a single AC outlet, and you can even charge your AirPods when your phone is done, too. And because this is a Qi2 charger you’ll get a full 15 watts of wireless charging for compatible devices — including the best iPhones.

When you’re not using the Butterfly SE, it folds up so it can be slid into a pocket, bag or luggage without taking up too much space. It really is the perfect partner for people who like to travel light.

Unfortunately, this charger doesn’t come with an AC adapter in the box, so you’ll need to provide your own. Make sure it’s rated for 20 watts or more. If you need to buy one, Apple’s 20-watt USB-C charger is just $15 right now.

Why this deal matters

We all carry multiple devices around with us these days. Anything that can make charging them more convenient is a win in our books, especially when you’re traveling. This charger takes up little space when it isn’t being used and charges quickly when it is.