Both AT&T and Verizon offer particularly good deals in that category, specifically AT&T’s Mobile Share Plus 9 GB, at $60 after autopay discounts, and Verizon’s 5 GB plan recommended above. And you face the risk of seeing your bandwidth deprioritized behind that of T-Mobile subscribers, especially when the network is busy. This reseller of AT&T and T-Mobile consistently tops customer surveys such as PCMag’s annual survey and J.D. And as of early July, Mint includes T-Mobile’s growing 5G service. Buying your phone on AT&T’s installment plan brings an extra risk: Until you’ve paid the phone off, the device will be locked and stuck with international-roaming charges of $10 a day in most countries—and unavailable to use with a different service if you want to leave AT&T early. The $55 rate Verizon’s website quotes for this plan requires signing up for autopay using a checking account or debit card, which does preclude running up points on a travel rewards credit card. mobilerepeater.co.uk. This is the most reliable network in most parts of the US. As you can see at Will My Phone Work, however, this group excludes phones that don’t support the wireless bands that Verizon uses, such as the Nokia 6.2, our pick for the best budget Android phone. It offers the best coverage in the most places in the US according to two of the three third-party tests and surveys we considered, so with Verizon you’re more likely to have a signal wherever you are. w/in 75 days from reward notification mail or email date. If you’re considering switching to a smaller MVNO, check the carriers on this list to see what kind of coverage you can expect. Almost every phone company in the U.S. runs on one of the “big three” wireless networks: AT&T, T-Mobile (which now includes Sprint) or Verizon. Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. May not be stackable w/other offers, credits or discounts. We also cut prepaid services that required separate purchases of data, texts, or voice minutes to meet any of our monthly usage quotas. T-Mobile Coverage Map. So if the above compromises aren’t dealbreakers for you, Mint can save you a lot of money over time. Most high-end unlocked phones, including iPhones, Google’s Pixel handsets, and some Samsung phones, are compatible with Verizon. New approved residential customers only. Phone manufacturers have lagged in shipping phones that support all of those different flavors. As long as they do just that, you can expect to see more deals along those lines. The other option is an unlimited-data plan, but those aren’t truly unlimited: All three carriers have carved out restrictions on features such as hotspot use and streaming video while adding premium tiers or paid add-ons that lift some of those limits. Otherwise, go with T-Mobile’s Magenta, which costs $140 for four lines and comes with a tolerant deprioritization policy—if one of those lines tops 50 GB, it may see slower speeds, but the others won’t. ). No refunds or credits for any partial-month periods or unwatched content. Spectrum Mobile is even better, since its $45 unlimited plan includes 5 GB of full-speed hotspot. Here you get 5 GB a month allowed for hotspot use, after which your tethered devices lose access to that shared Mint bandwidth. We think Verizon Wireless’s 5 GB plan is the best cell phone plan for most people, but we also have other recommendations for heavy data use, multiple lines, and low-cost use. But those device limits are a likely dealbreaker for many people, and meanwhile other resellers now match or get near Republic’s costs. You don’t mind buying your own phone separately, since prepaid carriers’ phone selections are often poor (and some carriers don’t offer phones at all). Like Verizon, AT&T requires automatic payments for you to get its advertised prices, though you can use a credit card. Consistency. Feel the need for speed? Best Overall: T-Mobile. The wireless services some cable operators offer, based on resold network capacity from one of the big three carriers, represent their own special case. Best cell phone service in 2021. Sometimes we don’t feel like we need all the offers of the best No contract cell phone plans provided by the carriers. This is the most reliable network in most parts of the US. Opensignal’s network tests rely on crowdsourcing: Anyone can download the Opensignal app and run tests. Lisa Iscrupe — 6 min read, Do you know what a GSM network is? Price higher in 2nd year). They often require trading in a relatively new phone, opening a new unlimited data line and committing to a two-year contract. At AT&T, it’s a mix of millimeter-wave 5G (which it’s selling as “5G+”) with the same issues as Verizon, plus low-band 5G (sold as just “5G”) that isn’t much faster than AT&T’s 4G. Retail support may not be an option, and phone or online support may be limited. Can you use a cellphone for your home internet? For the past decade or so, Verizon has topped most independent tests for coverage, reliability and speed. Verizon’s 5 GB pricing doesn’t beat prepaid rates, but those other options offer less customer support, provide few or no phone-financing options, and often limit your streaming-video resolution to 480p while sometimes also banning hotspot use so that you can’t connect a laptop to the internet using your phone. We also didn’t compute the value of such media tie-in deals as T-Mobile adding a free Netflix subscription with two or more lines on an account, AT&T throwing in the $15 HBO Max service on its $85 Unlimited Elite plan, and Verizon including Apple Music or a bundle of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ on some of its unlimited plans. MetroPCS: 819; Boost Mobile: 817; Cricket: 812; Virgin Mobile: 767; J.D. Is your TV provider a hit or miss? He has utilized thousands of data points to build a library of metrics to help users n… Read more, Joe Supan — 3 min read, Ari Howard — 2 min read, Taylor Gadsden — 10 min read. Yes. Consumer Cellular blocks mobile-hotspot use by default but enables that feature if you ask. But Cricket imposes an 8 Mbps speed limit on all but its most expensive plan, which we don’t like, and permits mobile-hotspot use only on its priciest offerings. But if you had been accustomed to in-person help at stores before the pandemic, you now have to live with support that has only ever been available via phone and online, as well as the risk of slower connections than T-Mobile’s own customers get when the network is busy. Redemption req’d. But for these resellers to undersell the major carriers while using the same networks, the resellers make some trade-offs; similarly, the major carriers’ own prepaid plans tend to involve restrictions that their postpaid plans lack. See your Order Confirmation email and att.com/legal/att-tv.html for more details. Shopping for wireless service can look a lot like buying a plane ticket: You can’t jump on the cheapest price you see, lest you wind up in Basic Economy. But some prepaid and resold services allow you to save money if you’re willing to stay within certain limits. Its coverage map—which, unlike its network scores, also folds in crowd-based estimates from users of its mobile apps—encompasses basically every major US city street and highway, as well as all of the towns and thoroughfares that connect them. Mint Mobile gives you access to T-Mobile’s network for much less money, but you have to pay for three, six, or 12 months in advance. Mobile data is what your phone uses to connect to the internet when you’re away from a Wi-Fi connection. There’s been a 5G arms race over the past several years, with each wireless carrier jostling for position as the leader in the new technology. Some of us might only need the data plan considering that today we don’t really do SMS text and phone calls instead we regularly use an application like WhatsApp to do both texting and phone … “We have done our own testing,” Ting marketing vice president Michael Goldstein wrote in a 2019 email about T-Mobile’s treatment of his service. But you’ll usually have to check a lot of boxes to take advantage of them. (When you’re consulting these metrics and a carrier’s own coverage maps for your local area, don’t forget to check a network’s coverage in frequent business or vacation destinations, too.). When they do, it’s good to know you’ll be able to get a hold of an actual person without too much trouble. As analyst Jeffrey Moore advised us, data roaming, and sometimes even voice roaming, may not be included in some prepaid plans. If you use more than 5 GB of mobile data most months, if you travel outside the US regularly, if you need 5G’s greater speed, or if you want the greatest variety of phone choices, you should consider the T-Mobile Magenta plan. Excludes AT&T TV NOW. You’re okay with potentially being on your own if you have to work through service hiccups or tech-support travails. Offers may not be combined with certain other promotional offers on the same services and may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. Here’s how we make money. AT&T TV: AT&T TV requires high speed internet. T-Mobile has continued to improve its network consistently over the past few years with some of the biggest improvements coming in … You can also find reports tailored to specific metropolitan areas. It offers the advantage of reselling service from all three carriers, at the cost of your having to trust the company’s judgment about which network works best for you, as Prepaid Phone News editor Dennis Bournique explains in a helpful post. Pricing, channels, features, and terms subject to change & may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. They offer some serious bargains but also require you to use that cable firm’s broadband (but not its TV or phone service) to get the advertised pricing. AT&T’s $75 Unlimited Extra plan gives you 15 GB of hotspot use and SD video for $5 less than Verizon’s Play More and Do More unlimited rates, but that amount is also $5 more than the price for T-Mobile’s unlimited-with-hotspot plan—plus taxes and fees that T-Mobile folds into its rate. If you’re on a budget and don’t mind complications such as expensive international roaming and a lack of in-person support, Mint’s 8 GB and 12 GB plans offer even more substantial savings. We don’t recommend switching to prepaid unless you meet most of these criteria: Switching to prepaid, where you pay for service before you use it, can be an easy way to save $10 to $20 a month or more. Programming subject to blackout restrictions. While switching carriers to save money is always a smart idea, you need to figure out whether the amount of talk, text, and data you’re using will translate into savings with a new carrier. Verizon Wireless: Best cell phone provider overall. What is net neutrality, and what does it mean for you? Power Non-contract full-service carriers. But it isn’t the best choice for people who frequently travel outside of the US or who want unlimited data. But although T-Mobile Prepaid would cover that amount of data for $100, that arrangement requires opening four different accounts, each on a T-Mobile Connect 5 GB plan. to Internet Terms of Service at att.com/internet-terms. Selecting a network is the trickiest part of picking a plan. Mint Mobile’s reliability and customer service were unknown a year ago beyond generally positive word of mouth and the satisfactory experiences of some Wirecutter staffers, but this year the service earned the fifth-highest ranking in PCMag’s Readers’ Choice survey. Before we get to Team Clark’s top overall picks, here are the best cell phone plan deals right now: Deal Alert: Best Offers Right Now! You might be surprised. The service is marketed to seniors—with a 5% AARP discount—but the things that make it good for seniors make it good for most people, as well. I’ve tested smartphones and cell phone plans from all the major carriers—the historic foursome of AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, plus Nextel before then—for the Washington Post, CNN Money, Discovery News, PCMag, VentureBeat, and others, and I now cover tech and telecom issues for Fast Company, USA Today, and other sites. Check your inbox and stay tuned for deals, news and more. Verizon also offers a Just Kids plan you can add to your own: $40 or less, when added to an unlimited plan (depending on how many other lines you have), gets unlimited data at 5 Mbps plus parental-control and location-tracking tools for you. Keep in mind, your phone’s connection isn’t necessarily built to connect multiple devices at once like a broadband connection is. What to do if you drop your phone in water? If your passport has dozens of stamps and your current or desired phone is on its list, though, Google Fi is worth a look. HBO Max™ and related service marks are the property of Warner Media Direct, LLC. Google’s Pixel 4a costs half as much as most high-end Android phones, but it has a great camera and does all the things most people need a phone to do. Just make sure you don’t cancel your old service until it’s complete. But its pricing doesn’t beat other providers, and its cheaper plans ban hotspot use, a tight-fisted restriction that looks increasingly archaic even for prepaid. Magenta includes international roaming, and although that’s limited to 128 kbps speeds, I’ve found it to be more than adequate for email and basic browsing. Power, February 6, 2020, Consumer Cellular Tops in Customer Satisfaction Among Wireless Carriers; Xfinity Mobile Makes Strong Debut, ACSI Data Show, American Customer Satisfaction Index, May 19, 2020, Sascha Segan, Fastest Mobile Networks 2020, PCMag, September 8, 2020. No matter what your budget or phone needs, these providers will have you covered. Also, see if that service offers unmetered slow 2G service once you exhaust your high-speed data so your phone will still have basic (read: slower) internet access and you won’t get charged extra for going over your cap. Power — the wireless equivalent of a perfect SAT score. Yes. Verizon has historically taken a long time to push out software updates for the Android phones it sells, and its Android 9 and Android 10 updates still lag behind those of T-Mobile.1 That said, you don’t have to buy your phone from Verizon as long as the model you get supports its network, so you can choose a phone that receives quick updates. T-Mobile Magenta comes with unlimited international texting and data—but it has pay-as-you-go rates for international calls. The biggest unknown in the industry is what effect going from four big carriers to three will have on competition. All prices subject to change at any time. What are the best cell-phone companies? There are over 50 cell phone carriers in the United States. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon all offer some deals that let you get a new phone for free when you switch over. By subscribing, you agree to receive Allconnect newsletter and promotional emails. Though Mint doesn’t offer unlimited data, you can choose from packages of 3 GB, 8 GB, or 12 GB per month and change that from term to term. Once you’ve canceled, you can access AT&T TV through the remaining monthly period. What the ACSI scores for 2020 have to say. Virginia Brown — 3 min read, Terms and conditions and restrictions apply. These features may help you choose a less expensive plan. So as long as you don’t use more than 5 GB in a month and don’t get so tempted by higher-resolution video that you exceed that limit, Verizon’s continued network advantage makes this plan a good deal. for 12 mos when bundled after discounts. Metro uses a … and resulting in pandemic-constrained testing in just 26 cities this year. Auto-pay discounts included. Looking for a new phone, but on a tight budget? We assumed 1,000 voice minutes and 500 text or multimedia messages used per month, based on usage data from the wireless-industry group CTIA. $49.99/mo. And as with the 5 GB plan, the $70 price requires enabling automatic payments from a checking account or debit card; otherwise it’s $10 more. Upon cancellation of your video service you may lose access to HBO Max. Verizon’s network is still better than T-Mobile’s, but that advantage is less pronounced than it once was. Channels vary by package & billing region. You must call Consumer Cellular to get a four-line plan, though, because the website allows only up to three lines. T-Mobile: Best provider for 5G. To learn more, visit att.com/hbomax. But if you truly need unlimited data, frequently travel internationally, or want widely available 5G speeds, you should consider T-Mobile’s Magenta. We test and rate hundreds of mobile phones each year. Google Fi, the company’s wireless service, resells the networks of T-Mobile and the regional carrier U.S. Cellular. Average home internet speeds in the U.S. are currently around 143 Mbps, while mobile connections only get 45 Mbps. Plus, T-Mobile has the best 5G service and international plans. All these plans include mobile-hotspot usage up to that plan cap, with no constraints on streaming-video resolution. That left us with the following services to assess: For each, we computed the cost of a few typical bundles of smartphone service, setting minimal use at 1 GB of data, moderate use at 5 GB, and heavy use at 15 GB. This Verizon brand—you’ll have to inspect its site closely to see confirmation of that corporate tie—offers only one plan, the $40 unlimited-on-phone Visible Plan. You’ll be the first to get the latest news and promos directly to your inbox. Others prioritize their own customers over third-party prepaid traffic, as happens with the Metro by T-Mobile subsidiary. T-Mobile’s 5G should continue to improve rapidly as the company takes over Sprint’s network, too. One T-Mobile and Verizon reseller told us that these policies had yet to yield any effects. And its pricing is competitive with that of AT&T and T-Mobile for the amount of data that most people actually use. It even lets you filter by network—you can ask it for, say, only prepaid options that resell AT&T service—and location. This Verizon 5 GB plan includes full-speed mobile hotspot and allows HD streaming video, albeit capped at 720p resolution on phones and 1080p on tablets. For example, it would take about six minutes to download a two-hour movie on a 4G connection. PCMag has also historically conducted its tests with a single high-end phone model—last year, the Samsung Galaxy S10—that may support more high-speed frequencies than your own. This doesn't mean that you won't get cell service there, just that Opensignal can't tell you how strong your connection will be. FCC rules state that ports must be processed in one day. Frequent travelers will find other bonuses in T-Mobile’s unlimited plan—or at least they will whenever travel resumes. AT&T Internet: Subj. Warning: What You Need to Know Before Switching Cell Phone Carriers . At sign-up, you can choose 3 GB, 8 GB, 12 GB, or unlimited data per month. FOR EACH MONTH REMAINING ON AGMT., $19.95 ACTIVATION FEE, EQUIP NON-RETURN & ADD’L FEES APPLY. The Best Phones for 2021. We came to the conclusion that each of these plans were the best based on a few factors. GENERAL: Limit 3 concurrent streams per account. Moving? At Verizon, 5G means millimeter-wave broadband that offers fiber-optic speeds but reaches only a few hundred feet and can’t go through buildings or even foliage; it’s exceptionally brittle bandwidth. Additional fees and terms may apply. So although plans touted as unlimited suggest a pleasing simplicity, you should seriously consider those with a high usage cap that offer more flexibility with that data. Power Finds, J.D. It’s currently available in 35 U.S. cities, but if you don’t live in an urban area, you may not be able to use Verizon’s 5G network for a while. RootMetrics uses cars set up with “leading Android-based smartphones for each network” to gather figures on data, talk, and text performance throughout the country. If you and the person using your second line almost never make conventional calls, you could knock another $5 off that cost by choosing Consumer Cellular’s 250-minute calling option.
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