T-Mobile announced today that people can now purchase an iPhone and use it with one of the company’s prepaid phone plans. Those who pay upfront for data and voice services can now get one of Apple’s flagship phones, in addition to other handsets from T-Mobile’s catalog.
People who purchase $50 or $70 worth of T-Mobile prepaid service when they buy their iPhone from an Apple Store will get $50 off its purchase price, for a limited time. Customers who purchase an iPhone and a postpaid service plan will get a $50 iTunes gift card.
In addition to that news, consumers can now buy iPhones and iPads with T-Mobile SIMs from Costco. The warehouse retailer will sell 16 GB versions of the iPhone 5, iPad Mini with Retina Display and iPad Air. Through T-Mobile, iPad buyers can get 200 MB of free data every month, without purchasing a plan, something that other carriers don’t offer.
Today’s news is another sign of the growing integration between Apple and T-Mobile. The Bellevue-based wireless carrier was the last major American carrier to offer the iPhone, but has become one of the biggest promoters of Apple’s handset among American carriers.
Earlier this month, T-Mobile CEO John Legere announced the company’s new Test Drive program, which allows people to borrow an iPhone 5S that uses T-Mobile’s network for a week in order to give the company’s service a test without switching from their existing carrier. The program has proven popular so far. Last week, the company said 12,000 people had pre-registered for the Test Drive program, which started this week.
