Our Experience Using T-Mobile’s Free In-Flight Wi-Fi & Overseas Texting and Data

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full Advertising Policy.

Update:   One or more card offers in this post are no longer available.  Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

I recently let y’all know about T-Mobile giving customers an hour of free in-flight Wi-Fi on planes with Gogo internet.  Yesterday, a Million Mile Secrets team member flew to Canada and tried it out!

I’ll let you know about his experience.  And how he’s used T-Mobile’s free texting and data while overseas to stay connected with me and the team.

T-Mobile has been making fantastic travel-friendly offers.  I’ll explain the deals!

Free In-Flight Wi-Fi and More With T-Mobile

Link:   T-Mobile Customers Get Free In-Flight Wi-Fi

Link:   T-Mobile

Our team member, Scott, says he was able to connect to the free Wi-Fi in seconds by entering his phone number for verification.

While he didn’t attempt to stream video, he did test streaming audio and it worked well.  Also, he was able to send and receive messages and photos on Viber without a problem.

Using T-Mobile Overseas

When team member Scott is overseas, I’ve had no issues getting in touch with him!  While not connected to “home” Wi-Fi, he uses T-Mobile’s data plan for email, voice calls using Google Hangouts or Wi-Fi calling, and free text messages.

Scott also reports T-Mobile’s service has improved in Cancun.  During his visit in 2014, T-Mobile coverage was 3G and didn’t work well in nearby Isla Mujeres.  But in 2016, he had fast LTE service most of the time, which was good enough to tether to his laptop!

T-Mobile’s Simple Choice plans now also give you free calls and texting without Wi-Fi when you’re in Canada and Mexico.  He’s used the service in both countries and with good results.

Fast Internet in Europe

From July 1, 2016, through August 31, 2016, T-Mobile’s Simple Choice plan customers get  unlimited, high-speed data throughout Europe at no extra charge.

Other Discounts and Freebies

I’m not a big sports fan, but some of y’all took advantage of T-Mobile’s offer for free MLB TV (no longer available).  What’s great is that streaming TV and audio do NOT count against your data limit!  So while traveling, you can enjoy streaming baseball games, Netflix, etc.

And customers can get freebies every Tuesday with T-Mobile Tuesdays.  Like movie tickets, food, and T-Mobile stock!

Other Ways to Get Free In-Flight Wi-Fi

If you’re not a T-Mobile customer, you can still get free in-flight Wi-Fi with certain cards, like:

• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express – 10 Gogo in-flight internet passes each year
• US Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards Visa Signature® Card – 12 Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi passes per year

Or fly JetBlue where everyone gets free Wi-Fi!

Bottom Line

T-Mobile is making it easier for folks like us who love to travel!  Because with their Simple Choice plans, you get free international text messages and data.  We’ve tested it in the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, and Canada, and it works well.

And T-Mobile customers get 1 hour of free Wi-Fi on flights with Gogo internet.  Our team member was happy with that too!

That said, I use AT&T!  But maybe I’ll make the switch.  Have you had a recent experience using T-Mobile overseas?  Please share in the comments!