T-Mobile Axe $18 Handset Upgrade Fee

T-Mobile USA have axed their handset upgrade fee, which previously added $18 to the cost of any change of cellphone.  The removal of the admin fee began on Wednesday, and applies to devices bought through any channel: retail stores, online or over the phone.

It also applies to any handset or device, including the Android-powered T-Mobile G1.  According to our contact at the carrier, while this is being billed as a holiday saving, there is no specific end-date for the promotion; instead it's "another way T-Mobile is thanking its loyal customers".

The carrier's upgrade fees came in for some negative publicity around the launch of the T-Mobile G1, when existing customers found that new buyers were actually getting a better deal on the handset than they were.  Advertized as being from $179.99, in actual fact those looking to transfer their contract to the new Android device were charged almost $200.