Brightspot was a Target-branded prepaid phone service that ran on T-Mobile’s network. It launched on October 6, 2013, and sold plans with Target gift card rewards. In June 2015, customers were told by text that service would continue only through the end of the year. It shut down on December 31, 2015.
Brightspot is gone
Brightspot stopped service on December 31, 2015. It launched on October 6, 2013, as a partnership between Target and T-Mobile, which ran it as an MVNO. Plans started at $35 a month, and customers got a $25 Target gift card for every six months of service. In June 2015, customers received a text saying service would continue through the end of the year, with more details promised on moving to T-Mobile plans.
If you had a Brightspot line
No single successor carrier took Brightspot customers. The June 2015 notice promised details on moving to T-Mobile plans, but the sources do not confirm a formal transfer. Any number ported out before December 31, 2015, lives with the carrier it moved to. The sources do not say what happened to numbers that were never moved.
How Brightspot ended
- October 3, 2013: Target and T-Mobile confirm Brightspot prepaid plans.
- October 6, 2013: Brightspot service starts, sold at Target and online.
- June 2, 2015: Customers are told by text that service will continue through the end of 2015.
- December 31, 2015: Brightspot service ends.
Why Brightspot ended
The sources do not give an official reason for the shutdown. What they do show: Brightspot was a store-brand prepaid service that depended on Target’s shelves and T-Mobile’s network. By mid-2015, BestMVNO reported that Target had begun carrying other prepaid brands, including GoSmart Mobile and Univision Mobile, and speculated Target might steer customers there. Customers were told to expect options to move to T-Mobile plans.
How to find who holds an old number now
- Check an old bill or payment record. It names the company that billed you last.
- Run the number through a carrier lookup tool. It shows the carrier that holds the number today.
- Call that carrier and ask for the account number and transfer PIN.
- Start the port from the new carrier. Never cancel the old line first.
Your right to keep a number
Number portability is federal law, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
How we verified Brightspot
BestCellular.com tracks active carriers and defunct ones. We keep both, because people still search for brands that no longer exist. Every fact on this page comes from the sources listed below, and we leave a detail out when no source states it. Where sources disagree, this page says so. If you can document a correction, tell us and we will check it against the sources.
Tracked and active are different counts on this site. Brightspot counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about Brightspot
Is Brightspot still available?
No. Brightspot service ended on December 31, 2015. Customers were notified by text in June 2015. The brand has not returned, so you cannot buy or activate a Brightspot plan today.
Which network did Brightspot use?
Brightspot ran on T-Mobile’s network. T-Mobile operated it as an MVNO for Target, the retailer. The launch plans in October 2013 offered HSPA+ and LTE data on T-Mobile.
What happened to Brightspot customers?
Customers were told in June 2015 that service would last through the end of the year and that details on moving to T-Mobile plans would follow. The sources do not confirm a formal transfer, so customers picked their own new carrier.
Did Brightspot customers get Target gift cards?
Yes. Brightspot gave a $25 Target gift card for every six months of continued service. That reward was part of the pitch at launch in October 2013 and was still offered in 2015.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- Fierce Network: Confirmed: T-Mobile, Target to launch Brightspot prepaid offering: Launch on October 6, 2013, T-Mobile MVNO, plans and gift card reward (October 3, 2013)
- BestMVNO: Brightspot Mobile goes dark, service shutting down December 31st: Customer text, December 31, 2015 end, T-Mobile plan options (June 2, 2015)
- Wikipedia: List of mobile virtual network operators in the United States: Lists Brightspot on T-Mobile, ended December 2015
Best Cellular. “Brightspot: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/brightspot/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.
Live carriers to look at instead
No carrier took over Brightspot’s customers. These carriers publish their network and run today.