Technologies

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

Commentary: Getting free phone insurance is a fabulous perk, but there are other options to keep it.

T-Mobile is the latest carrier to change how it gives out auto pay discounts: Starting in July, 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 cellphone 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 after its capacity falls under 80% (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 when using autopay. 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. I also discovered a workaround, which should keep the benefit intact with a little bit of planning.

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 with a workaround

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.

However, after I first published this story in July, I received several tweets from readers that offered a simple workaround that I verified with both my personal experience and confirmed with a T-Mobile representative. While I do now have my bank account linked to retain the autopay discount, I have not yet paid my bill using that account. Instead, I manually pay my bill using my credit card before the autopay date hits, and the discounts will remain on my bill. This is a small inconvenience since it will now require some conscious effort, but it’s more than worth it to keep the free cell phone insurance benefit.

I will also start taking the monthly installment money I now have after paying off my phone, and start a new phone slush fund with it. Ideally, I’ll be able to get two more years out of my current iPhone and then use the savings toward a new device.

By using that strategy for buying my next 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

Trump Maintains US‑Iran Negotiations Continue Amid Tehran’s Denials of Duplicity

President Trump insists that US‑Iran talks are ongoing despite Tehran’s denial of any negotiation plans, while warning that only a deal or total surrender will allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Conflicting statements from both sides have heightened uncertainty as the conflict enters its sixth month.

On Monday, President Donald Trump asserted that negotiations between the United States and Iran are still taking place, even after Tehran stated it has no intention of engaging in direct talks with Washington.

In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump labeled Iran’s leaders “unbelievably duplicitous,” claiming they are lying about ongoing peace talks “whether Iran wants to admit it or not.” He repeated his assertion that the United States completely controls the Strait of Hormuz, despite maritime traffic through the crucial route lingering at only a small fraction of pre‑conflict levels.

He wrote, “Nothing reaches Iran unless we allow it, and nothing will pass unless a deal—or total surrender—is achieved.”

Earlier that day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters there is no imminent plan for U.S.–Iran negotiations, contradicting Trump’s earlier comment that talks would resume Monday afternoon. Baghaei added that Iran’s only current discussions are with Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflicting statements have heightened uncertainty over the peace‑talk process and the broader conflict, now in its sixth month.

Trump’s assertion about new negotiations came a day after he said on Truth Social that he had agreed to cancel a massive strike against Iran “subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL.” He said in the same post that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked him to hold off on that attack because “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

Trump has claimed dozens of times throughout the more‑than‑five‑month‑long war that a deal is at hand. No permanent deal has been signed, and a temporary ceasefire reached in June has fallen apart.

Trump has also repeatedly threatened to launch devastating strikes against Iran before backing off. After the latest example, oil prices on Monday fell and stocks surged.

BMI, a research unit of Fitch Solutions, said in a note Monday that a broader diplomatic understanding on reopening the Strait of Hormuz is still achievable this quarter, while raising the probability of its escalation scenario to 35% from 25%, citing mounting military, diplomatic and economic signs of rising U.S.-Iran tensions.

“Diplomatic progress is likely to be punctuated by periodic military flare-ups, while miscalculation by either side could trigger a renewed escalation,” BMI analysts wrote in a note. The firm said the key issue to watch is the future governance of the strait, as the Iran-Oman talks — potentially backed by Gulf states, China and the U.S. — point to efforts to build a post-conflict shipping framework.

Shipping risks persist even as diplomacy appears to be advancing. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said it received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles (23 miles) northeast of Khasab, Oman — at the mouth of the strait — with a tanker’s master reporting an explosion in close proximity to the vessel at about 20:37 UTC Sunday (4:37 pm ET). The vessel and crew were safe and authorities are investigating, UKMTO said, advising ships to transit with caution.

The proposal Trump announced over the weekend calls for the U.S. and Iran to return to negotiations and continue ironing out some of the thorny issues that had derailed diplomatic efforts, according to The Associated Press, citing a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.

The official said the proposal also includes a reopening of the Hormuz Strait and halting attacks across the region, including by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on the Arab Gulf countries and Jordan.

The U.S., for its part, will end its naval blockade on Iran and allow Tehran to export its oil, the official said, adding that no deal has been reached, although the mediation efforts remained underway.

Trump’s weekend reversal has lowered the temperature after days of escalating attacks across the Gulf. Kuwait said Saturday that Iranian forces launched a wave of drones within its airspace, with its military destroying multiple aircraft after Iran targeted critical infrastructure in the country’s north.

A parallel track with Muscat is also advancing. Iranian diplomats said Tehran was close to reaching a new arrangement with Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a deal critical to preventing the war from escalating further, according to the Financial Times.

Iranian officials said negotiations over future management of the Hormuz Strait with Oman, which sits on the opposite shore of the waterway, are in their final stages. The agreed shipping route would be different from those used before, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Baghaei, adding that the new route was separate from the issue of the strait’s reopening or continued closure.

Technologies

Oil Prices Slide as Trump Halts Planned Iran Strike

Oil prices dropped after Trump cancelled a planned strike on Iran, with WTI down about 5% and Brent near 5% lower. He said the move followed requests from Tehran and regional allies for a pause while a deal shaping the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program is negotiated.

Oil prices fell on Monday after President Donald Trump announced he had cancelled a planned strike on Iran. WTI futures dropped roughly 5% to $80.34 a barrel, while Brent slipped about 4.7% to $83.77 a barrel.

Trump said early Sunday he called off the strike after Iran and several Middle Eastern nations asked him to hold off, noting that the outlines of a deal had been agreed upon. He added that the prospective accord would entail the immediate, full opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, according to his Truth Social post.

The president had been considering another round of strikes as diplomatic hopes waned since the conflict began on February 28. He said the U.S. and Iran would meet for talks on Monday, but Iran denied any scheduled negotiations with Washington, citing PressTV. Iran’s foreign‑ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei clarified that Tehran was only discussing shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman. In a follow‑up Truth Social message, Trump insisted that, regardless of Iran’s acknowledgment, the United States is indeed discussing a solution to a long‑standing problem created by Iran.

Technologies

Oil Prices Drop as Trump Cancels Planned Attack on Iran

Oil prices fell sharply after President Trump announced the cancellation of a planned strike on Iran, citing a new deal that would open the Hormuz Strait and end Iran’s nuclear threat.

Oil prices fell sharply on Monday after President Donald Trump announced that he had called off a planned strike on Iran.

West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. benchmark, slipped roughly 5% to close at $80.34 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international benchmark, declined 4.7% to settle at $83.77 a barrel.

Trump made the announcement early Sunday, saying he had canceled the strike following requests from Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries.

In a Truth Social post, he wrote: “We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

The president indicated that the proposed agreement would include the immediate, complete, and total opening of the Hormuz Strait, as well as an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.

Trump had been weighing additional strikes amid diminishing prospects for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict that began on Feb. 28. He stated that the U.S. and Iran would hold negotiations on Monday.

Tehran denied that talks were planned with Washington, according to state news outlet PressTV.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was only holding talks with Oman regarding the routes ships can use through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump added that whether “Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused for decades.”