Technologies

T-Mobile’s New Prepaid Plans Start at a Low $40 Per Month and Have 5-Year Price Guarantee

There’s no reason to overpay for superior cell phone service — especially in this economy.

If you’re budget-conscious and need to free up a few more dollars, switching to a prepaid phone plan could help. You have to pay in advance, but that’s also why these plans tend to be cheaper. Right now, T-Mobile is offering prepaid plans for as little as $40 per month. But that’s not all. They’re also throwing in a five-year price guarantee to sweeten the pot.

T-Mobile hasn’t provided a deadline for this deal, so acting fast is the best way to score this discount.

T-Mobile’s Starter monthly costs $45 for the first month, and goes down to $40 per month if you enroll in AutoPay. It includes unlimited talk and text, 15GB premium data you can use for a hotspot and unlimited 2GB after that. Need two lines? That’ll get you a discount of $15, bringing your bill down to as low as $65 per month.

The Unlimited monthly plan costs $50 for the first month and goes down to $45 per month if enrolled in AutoPay. This one includes unlimited 5G, 50GB of premium data and unlimited hotspot with 3G speeds. Two lines can score you a $20 savings, which means you’ll potentially pay only $70 per month.

T-Mobile’s final option is Unlimited monthly, which costs $65 on the first month and then costs you only $60 with AutoPay. In addition to many of the features in other plans, you get unlimited international texting from the US and free talk and text to Mexico and Canada. Opening two lines gets you a massive $35 off, which could bring your bill down to as little as $85.

All plans include scam block, T-Mobile Tuesdays MLB TV (where available) and a 5-year price guarantee. Taxes and fees are charged separately. Data users might notice slower speeds during congestion. Videos stream in SD resolution. Finally, California residents can discuss options with California Lifeline sell service with Assurance, which is owned by T-Mobile.

Want to compare your phone plan options? We’ve got a list of the best cheap phone plans and best prepaid plans.

MOBILE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Get an iPhone 17 Pro Free With Trade-in and Qualifying Plan at T-Mobile
Google Pixel 10 Pro 128GB Unlocked Phone (Obsidian):

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Samsung Galaxy A36 5G 128GB Unlocked Phone (Awesome Black):

$298 (save $102)
Motorola Edge 256GB Unlocked Phone (2024 Model, Midnight Blue):

$241 (save $310)
Google Pixel 9 128GB Unlocked Phone (Obsidian):

$499 (save $300)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

Cell phone plans can quickly get costly, what with fees taxes or data surcharges for heavy data users. However, prepaid phone plans from reputable carriers like T-Mobile offer lower prices and lots of the same features of traditional monthly plans. These particular deals also offer significant savings when opening two lines, which is a great deal for families who need to save. Keep in mind that you need to enroll in AutoPay to pay the lowest price advertised, and you’re good to go.

Technologies

Verum Messenger Goes Desktop: Launches macOS Version as Part of Expanding Digital Ecosystem

The team behind Verum Messenger has announced a new update, introducing a full-featured macOS version of the application.

The launch of the Mac version marks a significant step in the platform’s development, enabling users to access Verum Messenger not only on mobile devices but also on desktop environments.

The macOS version ensures seamless synchronization across devices while maintaining the platform’s core principles: security, stability, and independence.

Unified Digital Experience

With the release of the macOS version, users can now:

— communicate on a larger screen
— manage chats and files more efficiently
— use the messenger in a full desktop environment
— access core features without limitations

This is particularly valuable for users who rely on messaging platforms for both communication and professional use.

Expanding Capabilities

Verum Messenger continues to evolve into a multifunctional platform combining:

— secure communication
— financial tools (Verum Finance)
— digital asset operations, including Tether
— investment features such as Verum Gold

Toward a Full Ecosystem

The macOS release reflects Verum Messenger’s strategy to become a universal digital platform available across all major devices.

According to the team, the goal is to provide users with continuous access to communication and financial services regardless of device or environment.

Verum Messenger continues to build technologies focused on security, usability, and global accessibility.

Technologies

Google, Meta and Amazon Join Global Pact to Fight Rising Online Scams

The companies will share fraud intelligence and coordinate responses as AI makes scams faster, cheaper and harder to detect.

Modern online scams operate across multiple platforms, perhaps spanning social media, messaging apps, email and online marketplaces. Google, Meta and Amazon are among 11 tech, retail and payments companies that have signed a new agreement to combat online scams by sharing threat intelligence across platforms, Axios first reported Monday.

The initiative, called the Industry Accord Against Online Scams & Fraud, is designed to improve how companies detect and respond to fraud that spans multiple services. Participants say they will exchange signals, such as scam-linked accounts and fraudulent domains, and coordinate enforcement actions.

By sharing intelligence in near real time, companies hope to identify these scams earlier and stop them before they spread.

The effort reflects how modern scams operate. A victim might encounter a fake celebrity investment ad on social media, move to a messaging app where the scammer builds trust, then faces prompts to send money through a fraudulent website, payment app or crypto wallet — spanning multiple companies’ ecosystems.

Google said it now blocks hundreds of millions of scam-related results every day using AI, underscoring how both attackers and defenders are increasingly relying on the same technology. Meta removed more than 159 million scam ads in 2025 and is expanding AI tools to detect impersonation and warn users.

Online scams are growing rapidly, in part because generative AI has lowered the barrier to entry. AI can be used not only to produce realistic phishing emails but also to clone voices and deepfake videos that impersonate executives, public figures and even family members.

The agreement is voluntary and doesn’t create new legal obligations, but it comes after regulators’ increased pressure on tech platforms to address fraud more aggressively. The companies say they will begin building frameworks for reporting and intelligence-sharing, though it’s not yet clear how quickly those systems will be deployed or how effective they will be in practice.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, March 18

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 18.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought it was a fairly easy one, but read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.