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T-Mobile launched their branded credit card back in November. The card is now the only way to get the autopay discount ($5 off per line per month, up to 8 lines) when paying with a credit card, and offers 5% rewards on T-Mobile purchases (not bill pay) and 2% rewards on all other purchases.
According to a few sources internally, T-Mobile really wants to get their money out of this whole thing, and as such, have really started to push employees to get signups.
Reports indicate that T-Mobile has added the credit card to “ULB”, or “Un-Carrier Leaderboard Ranker”. Essentially, this means successful signups are part of an employee’s metrics, and thus, will lead employees to run as many applications as possible.
This effectively guarantees that any customer that walks into a T-Mobile store will at the very least be asked to apply for the credit card. In fact, apparently some customers are marked as “priority” for being sent an application.
Pre-Approved Customers Always Get Invited
A few employees have detailed to us here at The Mobile Report that a customer’s account can essentially be one of three statuses.
The first is “Priority”, in which case an employee will see a button on their end that says “Present T-Mobile Visa via SMS link”. This indicates to the employee that they must click the button to send the Visa application link to the customer, even if the customer hasn’t asked about it. We’re told this likely means a customer is “pre-approved” for the card (similar to how you might get spam mail about being pre-approved for a credit card).
The second is when the button says “Present T-Mobile Visa via SMS link only if requested”. This means an employee can still send the application link, but only if a customer inquires about it. That being said, we’ve been told that some employees are being separately instructed to send the link no matter what, even when they aren’t “priority”.
Finally, there’s a third status where the button doesn’t appear at all. In these cases, employees are told to direct a customer to a QR Code to scan if they show interest in applying.
No Credit Pulls Without Permission
Luckily, none of these steps allow T-Mobile to run your credit for a credit card without you applying. What this means is you’ll likely be invited to apply via the SMS link, and have the benefits of the card explained to you by a rep. Then you decide if you want to apply right there on your phone.
However, some shady employees might use a bit of deception to get signups. Imagine a customer who isn’t too familiar with how T-Mobile accounts work visits a store. An employee claims that in order for them to buy that new iPhone, they absolutely have to apply for the credit card first. It’d be a lie, but it’s a lie that could lead to unintentional signups.
Of course, we’re not saying T-Mobile condones or encourages such a thing. T-Mobile would undoubtedly say that such an action is not allowed, and any employee caught doing it would likely be terminated. That being said, when an employee’s metrics, and thus their pay, are tied to something like credit card signups, it can occasionally cause an employee to do things they shouldn’t.
At the end of the day, being an informed consumer is important. If you still have a need to visit your local T-Mobile store, be sure to keep your wits about you, because you’ll most likely be asked to sign up for the T-Mobile Visa. Oh, and maybe think about freezing your credit at the big three credit bureaus regardless.
