T-Mobile asked to rethink its flashy in-flight Wi-Fi savings ads

T-Mobile offers free in-flight WiFi on partner airlines. | Image by T-Mobile

We’ve all been there, balancing the cost of staying connected on a long flight against staring at the back of a seat for hours. T-Mobile has often been the hero that saves the day by providing free in-flight Wi-Fi to their users, but a recent look at their descriptions of their services suggests that they may have stretched the truth a little when comparing themselves to the competition.

What’s going on with T-Mobile’s Wi-Fi ads?

According to a recent report from the National Advertising Division (NAD), they have intervened to ask T-Mobile to change their ads regarding their free in-flight Wi-Fi services. The problem started when Verizon complained about a savings calculator on T-Mobile’s website that claimed Verizon users were paying $147 per month for the same benefit that T-Mobile users get for free.The NAD reviewed all of the evidence and decided that T-Mobile’s math just wasn’t quite right. The ads were not accurately reflecting what the average Verizon user spends on their services, nor were they accurately reflecting which airlines offer the free benefit to T-Mobile users. The result is a recommendation to T-Mobile to stop running these ads or to change them significantly to be more truthful to consumers.

Why this matters for your next trip

Video by T-Mobile

When it comes to deciding which plan to get, these little things can make all the difference. If you travel frequently, having “free Wi-Fi” does sound like a life-changer. The problem here is that T-Mobile made it sound like it would save you a fortune compared to Verizon. The truth is, most Verizon customers aren’t using $147 a month to get internet on a plane. They might get it sometimes, but they’re definitely not getting it from their provider.This is another example of a company trying to make themselves sound better by making the other guy sound worse. For all of you looking to get the best deal, it just goes to show that you shouldn’t judge a company by shiny savings calculators. To be fair, T-Mobile is still technically better than Verizon in this category, as Verizon does not offer a direct equivalent to free internet on a flight. But it isn’t as big of a difference as they would have you believe.