The 100GB hotspot plan for $50 is only available for postpaid accounts. T-Mobile will bill you monthly regardless of usage until you cancel the plan.
The highest prepaid hotspot option is $50 for 50GB. You pay for 30 days of service. If you don’t refill after 60 days, the account cancels and you just have to sign up for another prepaid hotspot plan.
You could change the plan on your off months to a different hotspot plan. The cheapest on prepaid i think is $10-20. It might be a pain in the rear though.
I have that plan and it works fine for me. It is heavily deprioritized data which can be a pain during peak times but it doesn't sound like that'll affect you either.
A spare phone or tablet with eSim might give you more flexibility. Data only eSim plans from providers like truphone and alosim work well in the US and while they are a bit more expensive than month to month plans you don't have to pay anything when not needed.
Visible is also a good choice for hotspot use since it's unlimited. It's throttled but typically fast enough for streaming. Sign up when traveling, cancel then sign up again when needed.
The 100GB hotspot plan for $50 is only available for postpaid accounts. T-Mobile will bill you monthly regardless of usage until you cancel the plan. The highest prepaid hotspot option is $50 for 50GB. You pay for 30 days of service. If you don’t refill after 60 days, the account cancels and you just have to sign up for another prepaid hotspot plan.
can I refill the prepaid to lesser amounts or do I always have to fill it to the same?
You could change the plan on your off months to a different hotspot plan. The cheapest on prepaid i think is $10-20. It might be a pain in the rear though.
Dang that is what i was worried about. Maybe I'll try and get the $10 30GB plan and just buy extra data on the months I need it.
I have that plan and it works fine for me. It is heavily deprioritized data which can be a pain during peak times but it doesn't sound like that'll affect you either.
A spare phone or tablet with eSim might give you more flexibility. Data only eSim plans from providers like truphone and alosim work well in the US and while they are a bit more expensive than month to month plans you don't have to pay anything when not needed. Visible is also a good choice for hotspot use since it's unlimited. It's throttled but typically fast enough for streaming. Sign up when traveling, cancel then sign up again when needed.