T-Mobile's T-Mix plans add Xbox Game Pass: what you get

Xbox Game Pass is coming to a phone bill. T-Mobile today announced T-Mix, a new set of US plans in which you choose the subscriptions bundled with your line, and Xbox Game Pass is on the menu. Microsoft says on Xbox Wire that it is the first time Game Pass has been offered through a US wireless plan, with eligible customers able to choose it from November.

The three T-Mix plans

All three include unlimited talk, text and data, T-Mobile's T-Satellite service and the T-Mobile Tuesdays rewards app, with up to four lines per plan, according to 9to5Google and The Verge. Prices are for one line with autopay.

The Standard plan includes up to 50GB of "premium" data. T-Mobile caps the Loaded plan at 11 perks in total across an account.

How Game Pass fits in

The menu of 16 services covers streaming and lifestyle services such as Netflix, Apple TV, Hulu, YouTube Premium, Apple Music, ESPN Unlimited and Google AI Pro. Game Pass is tied to the bigger plans: as Notebookcheck explains, Game Pass Premium requires two Picks (so the More plan) and Game Pass Ultimate requires three (the Loaded plan). Someone on a single Standard line can't get it.

Xbox Wire notes that Game Pass works on devices you already own, including Xbox consoles, smart TVs and PCs, so you don't need to buy a console to make use of the perk. To see what's currently in the library, check our roundup of the latest Game Pass additions.

The catch: switching Picks

Reports say you can change your Picks up to four times a year without changing your plan price. T-Mobile adds that the rules depend on the service: "Some benefits let you switch any time, others hold your Picks for a quarter or longer", and some services may charge if you switch outside the change window. There is also an annual period in which all Picks can be reset. You can trade Picks for discounts on a new phone instead, CNET reports.

Should you switch?

If you already pay for Game Pass and a streaming service separately, T-Mix may simply move that cost onto your phone bill. Compare what you pay today, and remember the bundle ties your subscriptions to your carrier. If the T-Satellite part interests you, our guide to satellite texting on phones explains what it can and can't do, and our story on Starlink and the carriers' cell tower fight covers where that service is heading.