Over the past year, T-Mobile’s fee moves have left a bad taste with many customers. And now, it’s raising a fee that most people dread even more than the average hidden charge: the late fee. It’s increasing by almost half, according to emails shared with The Mobile Report.

This follows the carrier raising its “Regulatory Programs & Telco Recovery Fee” in April, which prompted fresh gripes just months after a wave of price hikes hit legacy “Price Lock” plans and triggered hundreds of FCC complaints and a proposed class action lawsuit.

The new fee jump and how to avoid it

T-Mobile leaders smiling at Q1 earnings announcement
Credit: T-Mobile

According to user reports, T-Mobile is warning that its minimum late payment fee will jump from $7 to $10 starting Nov. 1. The upcoming policy applies the greater of 5% of your applicable monthly charges or a fixed minimum fee, and with the minimum rising by nearly 43%, the change will hit customers with smaller bills the hardest. For example, if your monthly charges are under $200, you’ll now see the flat $10 penalty if you miss the due date. T-Mobile also says late fees won’t exceed the maximum allowed by state’s laws.

This shift arrives as the carrier continues nudging subscribers toward AutoPay, both to reduce missed payments and to keep those recurring revenue gears humming. If you haven’t set it up yet, this is the moment to consider it.

How AutoPay factors in

(and how to get the discount)

Google Wallet open on a Google Pixel phone resting on top of a black Visa card.

T-Mobile’s AutoPay automatically deducts your bill from a linked bank account (Pay by Bank) or debit card — and you could receive monthly bill credits (on eligible plans) for up to eight lines when AutoPay is active for your entire billing cycle. You also have to meet several other conditions for that discount:

  • Eligible payment methods only: Credit cards and digital wallets (Apple Pay/Google Pay) don’t qualify for the AutoPay discount. Use a debit card or Pay by Bank to remain eligible.
  • Timing: Payments are typically pulled about two days before your due date. There’s no processing delay the first time you enable AutoPay, so a bill due the next day could process immediately.
  • If a payment fails: You’ll get a text; T-Mobile will retry in five banking days.
  • Payment arrangements pause AutoPay: While you’re on an arrangement, AutoPay (and any discount) is paused. If the arrangement fails, you’ll be unenrolled.
  • Eligibility basics: You must be on a qualifying plan, be active on AutoPay when the bill processes, and have paid last month’s bill on time.

If you’ve avoided enabling AutoPay in the past, the late-fee hike is a new reason to consider it.