The Secret Way To Get a Super Cheap Cellular Plan

It turns out there’s an under-the-radar way to shave serious money off your monthly cellular bill — if you’re willing to make a sacrifice.

T-Mobile offers an unadvertised cellular plan that costs about $20 a month, the Wall Street Journal reports. The catch? It only includes unlimited texting and 2GB of mobile data — no voice service. That’s right: It’s a phone plan that doesn’t let you make any calls. (911 is still available for emergencies.)

The plan is meant for the hard of hearing, who would otherwise have to pay for a service they don’t need. But T-Mobile doesn’t require a doctor’s note or anything like that to sign up. Anyone can waltz into one of the company’s stores and get the deal.

Buying a phone that can’t make calls might sound ridiculous. But there are two reasons it’s not that crazy. First, lots of people barely make calls anyway, choosing instead to communicate via text or messaging apps. Second, Internet-based phone services like Skype mean that people on T-Mobile’s plan can still make calls as long as they have Wi-Fi access. Given how easy it can be to find free Wi-Fi (especially in cities), this plan is actually pretty compelling.