How to cancel your TMobile phone service if you’re moving to Japan without the (rediculous) fee.

Let me guess… You found out you’re going to teach English in Japan? Woot! Awesome… you get the packet and find out all the fees of getting paper-work and stuff is on your dime, however. (Suck) Then on top of all that you probably have personal stuff like your TMobile Phone contract you’ll have to cancel– which isn’t cheap either.

I’m in this boat and I’m thinking the cost to move is getting uncanny. So I called Tmobile today to get the scoop on moving while you’re still on contract. (To make it short):

• Option A is Simple… Cancel the contract and pay the $200 fine.
• Option B also is simple… Keep some money in your US bank account and pay the monthly bill till your contract runs out… (for me that’s in Oct. which would be $80)
• Option C– Cancel and pay nothing. Wha…what?!?!

Yup… I just found out to cancel your TMobile phone service ‘free and clear’ what you’ll need to do when you get to Japan is to get your Foreigner’s Registration Card as soon as possible and make a photo-copy. Next write a simple letter stating that you’re now working and living in a foreign country (for the government to be extra safe)  and you want to cancel your contract without paying the fee. Finally, send the letter and that copy of your card with your ‘new address’ highlighted on the card to:

T-Mobile Customer Relations

P.O. Box 37380

Albuquerque, NM 87176-7380.

Under T Mobile’s deal if you weren’t really in control of moving (sorta the JET’s case) you can cancel without paying a fee. The primary reason is mostly for Military folks who also aren’t in control of location changes, but the policy is generic enough to extend to us future JET’s.

Just make sure to do this and mail it out in Japan before the monthly billing cycle rolls around or you might be stuck with whatever  that monthly is for you.

~J

As an aside… The Foreigner’s card often takes between two and three weeks which is why it’s important to start that process as soon as you get there.

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