posted July 1, 2021 • updated Oct 1, 2021
Some random thoughts on wireless providers I’ve used recently or plan on trying out. Here are some other links to learn more about different wireless providers.
External Reviews
Background
In the U.S. there are three main wireless carriers – Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. These companies build & maintain their network, towers, infrastructure and sell wireless plans to consumers. There are some other smaller regional carriers that also maintain their infrastructure and have roaming agreements with other operators to provide customers with nationwide access.
MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) are wireless companies that lease bandwidth from one of the main carriers at a discount and resell the services to consumers. Typically these are cheaper than the main wireless carriers. The main catch is that customers of an MVNO are de-prioritized in times of congestion over customers of the main carrier. Does this really matter? It varies depending on your area and how crowded the network is. I haven’t noticed any issues with day to day use.
Table of Contents
Coverage Maps
Root Metrics – actual speed results from customers, all networks.
T-Mobile Coverage
Verizon Coverage
Spectrum Mobile ( Verizon )
( customer from April 2020 to June 2021 )
https://www.spectrum.com/mobile
For existing Spectrum internet users this can be a good deal. Spectrum runs on the Verizon network and apparently has the same priority as Verizon customers.
Our Plan
- “By the Gig” — $14/GB
$28/month, 2GB, shared with 2 lines
If you use more than 2GB, you pay an additional $14. Some months we were billed $42, most months were just $28.
Other Plans
- $45/month ~ unlimited plan, speeds reduced after 20GB.
- $55/month ~ unlimited plus plan, speeds reduced after 30GB.
Notes
- Taxes are included!
- You pay per month and can switch between plans anytime.
- No contract, you can switch carriers anytime.
T-Mobile Test Drive
https://www.t-mobile.com/offers/free-trial
T-Mobile just recently introduced a free test drive of their network. Since a lot of the below MVNOs use the T-Mobile network, you could first sign up for the T-Mobile test drive to see how their network is. This would not be the same as actually using the MVNOs below, but would give you a good idea of coverage.
You get 30 days and 30GB of data to try it out. You need an iPhone with eSIM capabilities (iPhone XS or newer).
Mint Mobile ( T-Mobile )
( customer from June 2021 to Aug 2021 )
Referral: http://jffmrk.me/mint
I switched from Spectrum to Mint in June 2021. My parents have been using Mint since January 2021, and my parents-in-law also switched in April 2021. We decided to give it a try. For the most part everything was good, but there were areas of no service or very slow data speeds in our area. This was why we switched.
Read what other Mint Mobile customers are saying on Reddit: /r/mintmobile
Our Plan
- $15/month ~ 4GB data ~ plus taxes & fees
Other Plans
- $20/month ~ 10GB data
- $25/month ~ 15GB data
- $30/month ~ unlimited (i.e. 35GB)
Notes
- All plans are unlimited. When you exceed your data usage, speeds are slowed
- You must pre-pay for service to get the lowest rate. Initially 3 months, and then every 12 months as one payment.
- You can upgrade to a plan with more data at any time, you pay the difference
- You can only downgrade to a plan with less data at the end of your current plan.
- There is no contract, but you pre-paid for service. If you switch wireless providers you don’t get a refund.
- If you want to port your number out to a different carrier you need to contact Mint Customer Service to get your account number and pin. The account and pin are needed when you sign up and transfer your number to the new carrier. Chatting with customer service took about 20 minutes to get this information and they try to get you to stay with them (obviously they don’t want you to leave).
- Referral bonuses — I had to contact them on a couple occasions as the referral bonus was not properly credited. I contact them via Twitter and the interaction was good and the issue was resolved.
Tello ( T-Mobile )
( customer from June 2021 to now )
Referral: http://jffmrk.me/tello
We have this plan for our daughter. We bought her a dumb phone (Nokia 225) and initially activated her on Mint Mobile. I then switched her to Tello as she is using the phone for emergency use with limited minutes and no data.
Our Plan
- $5/month ~ 100 minutes, unlimited text, 0 data.
Notes
- Great plan for those that don’t use their phone a lot.
- Even though our plan has 0 data, you do get extremely slow (2G) data.
- There are a lot of other plans you can configure and buy.
US Mobile ( Verizon or T-Mobile )
( August 2021 to present )
Referral: http://jffmrk.me/usmobile
We now use the US Mobile “Super LTE” pooled plan. They have the most configurable plans and options. They also run on the Verizon network and since we’ve had Verizon in the past (both as a long time Verizon customer and with Spectrum) we have found this to have great coverage in our area.
Read what other US Mobile customers are saying on Reddit: /r/USMobile
Notes
- They aren’t allowed to say which networks they use, but here is the mapping:
• “Super LTE” = “Verizon”
• “GSM LTE” = “T-Mobile” - Unlimited All plans with 3 or more users is just $25 per user per month AND comes with perks such as free Netflix, free Disney+ Hulu ESPN, free HBO Max, etc. You pick one or two and get reimbursed.
- Shared Pool Plans – works great for low data users. My wife and I share 4GB, we pay $9.48/line + $2/GB (total, all taxes included: $26.96/month)
- Unlimited plans and individual plans have taxes added, only the shared pool plans show the price with taxes.
- Service will stop if you reach your talk, text, or data limit. You need to buy “Top Ups” to add more to continue service. They have “Auto Top Ups” to prevent service disruption.
Visible ( Verizon )
( honorable mention, I have no personal experience )
https://www.visible.com/
Visible is owned and operated by Verizon as an MVNO. They only offer one unlimited plan @ $40/month. You can join a “party” and get that payment down to $25. I’ve heard this only will run on the newer 4G LTE and 5G networks. So if you happen to be in a 3G only area you will not get coverage.
HotSpot data is also unlimited, but speeds are limited to 5Mbps. This is a great option for those that frequently use a hotspot.
Join the Best Phone Plans “Party” @ https://www.visible.com/p/bestphoneplans
Read what other Visible customers are saying on Reddit: /r/Visible