T-Mobile offers True Name service for debit cards

With Mastercard as a payments partner, T-Mobile now lets people use their chosen name on the company’s debit cards. The service follows a similar service to let customers have their true names displayed on caller ID.

Why should we care?
Many trans people face discrimination and harrassment when presenting forms of payment or ID that don’t match their gender identity or name, and getting personal documents updated is a costly process—both emotionally and financially. 65% of trans people in the U.S. reported document changes costing more than $100, which is a particularly taxing process for a community that faces high rates of homelessness, unemployment, and poverty. This feature offers a relatively simple measure for trans people to be able to participate in everyday commercial life with relatively increased safety. But of course, true financial inclusion also requires the expansion of anti-discrimination laws to include trans people. Through True Name, T-Mobile both pushes the financial industry in a more inclusive direction and shows how much work remains.