Buying your next phone directly from the device manufacturer once offered a practical way to avoid carrier upgrade or activation fees. That option has narrowed. T-Mobile recently updated its billing policy documents to include Samsung.com in the list of locations subject to the T-Mobile Device Connection Charge. In short, upgrading through Samsung’s website, using the Samsung Store app, or purchasing at a Samsung retail location while on T-Mobile can now result in the carrier’s one-time Device Connection Charge appearing on your bill.
This change applies regardless of purchase channel: in-store transactions, purchases on Samsung.com, or upgrades processed through the Samsung Store app are all covered. With this update, the number of ways to avoid the $35 Device Connection Charge has shrunk. At the moment, warehouse retailers such as Sam’s Club and Costco remain among the few channels that do not automatically trigger this charge when activating or upgrading a line on T-Mobile.
This isn’t the first exemption to disappear
T-Mobile eliminated a similar exemption for Apple purchases earlier this year. For a time, Samsung, Sam’s Club, and Costco were the primary exceptions to the Device Connection Charge rule. The fee itself dates back to 2022, when T-Mobile replaced an older “Assisted Support Charge” with this $35 one-time Device Connection Charge applied per line for device activations and upgrades. It is intended to cover the cost of connecting devices to the network but has also been viewed by many customers as an additional surcharge that can be avoided by choosing specific retailers or purchase paths.
The removal of the Samsung exemption follows a recent pattern of quietly narrowing customer options and promotional benefits. In addition to revising fee exemptions, T-Mobile has recently changed promotional rules, limiting offers like Keep and Switch and Family Freedom to new account activations only. Those changes curtailed incentives that individual switchers and existing customers had relied on to ease the cost of moving to the carrier. Removing the Samsung.com exemption aligns with the broader trend of reducing the number of ways customers can sidestep certain charges or benefit from legacy promotions.
The timing of the policy update is notable. Samsung is preparing to introduce its next generation of foldable devices, and many existing Samsung customers had likely planned to use Samsung.com for their upgrades. That purchase route historically allowed some customers to avoid the $35 Device Connection Charge. Meanwhile, other carriers have taken different approaches; for example, one major competitor eliminated its activation fee earlier in the year, making carrier fee structures a differentiating point for many buyers. T-Mobile’s change to include Samsung.com under the Device Connection Charge makes its current policy appear less generous in comparison.
Whether the Device Connection Charge meaningfully reduces T-Mobile’s operating costs or primarily serves as a small additional revenue source is a question that consumers and industry observers continue to debate. From a customer perspective, the elimination of easy workarounds increases the effective cost of upgrading a phone. For buyers who were deliberately using manufacturer channels to avoid carrier fees, this policy shift removes one of the more straightforward options.
Practical advice for customers: if avoiding a one-time device charge is important to you, check current terms with your retailer at the point of sale and confirm how the activation or upgrade will be processed. Warehouse club purchases, in particular, may still be treated differently in some cases, but those policies can change as carriers and retailers adjust their agreements. Always verify the final cost and any one-time fees before completing an upgrade or activation to avoid surprises on your bill.
In summary, T-Mobile’s recent policy update brings Samsung’s direct sales channels under the carrier’s Device Connection Charge, further limiting the channels customers could use to avoid the $35 fee. With fewer exemptions available, buyers should plan accordingly and confirm fee treatment before finalizing device activations or upgrades.