Phone Service

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Last Updated: Saturday, 06 July 2024 23:08
Published: Sunday, 08 May 2022 19:07
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Phone Service:

This article deals with "phone services", i.e getting phone service with phone carriers. If you are looking for "phones", look under "electronics" section.

The link below shows some stats for US cell phone usage: https://www.zippia.com/advice/us-smartphone-industry-statistics/

97% of people is USA own a cell phone, with 85% owning a smartphone. There are 295M smartphone users in USA as of 2021. Apple phones are used by > 50% of smartphone users, with Samsung at number 2 with 25% of users. These 2 companies have 80% of US cell phone market. Lenovo and LG come in next.

Below link shows total wireless subscribers in USA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_wireless_communications_service_providers

Phone carriers:

 These are 3 big Cell Phone service providers in USA as of end of 2021. They are:

  1. Verizon: It has 140M subscribers. It uses CDMA tech. It's the most expensive service provider, but it has the largest coverage in USA.
  2. T-mobile: T-mobile used to be number 3, and Sprint used to be number 4. But with Tmobile acquiring Sprint in 2021, it has moved to No. 2 with 110M subscribers.
  3. AT&T: AT&T has 100M subscribers.

FUN FACT: The total number of subscribers in USA is more than the population (350M subscribers for top 3 carriers vs 330M population)

MVNO:

Apart from these top 3 carriers having their own cell phone equipment, network and towers, there are many other smaller carriers known as MVNO (mobile virtual  network operator), which use these top 3 network provider's network to provide services. An MVNO enters into a business agreement with one of the top 3 above to obtain bulk access to network services at wholesale rates, then sets retail prices independently. An MVNO may use its own customer service, billing, etc. MVNOs have around 23M subscribers in USA. Some of the more popular ones are Mint Mobile, US Cellular, Ting, etc. Some large MVNOs are fully owned by Top 3 as shown below:

  • Visible Wireless: owned by Verizon
  • Metro by T-mobile: owned by T-mobile
  • Cricket Wireless: owned by AT&T

MVNOs usually provide cheaper rates than big 3 Phone carriers. However, they have a lower priority than big 3 phone carriers, so in times of high bandwidth demand, or congestion in highly populated areas, your calls or data may have difficulty going thru. In spite of that, they are worth considering as their rates are less than half of what big carriers charge.

Best Wireless Service providers:

Of the top 3, Verizon is the most expensive. It's coverage is good, but I tend to see someone with Verizon service as a person with too much money to burn. You can get services with T-mobile (and sometimes AT&T) for half their price. Verizon has had some good offers lately.

International Calling: 

Calling from USA to international mobile phones is included for free with many carriers. Many phone carriers say "North America" instead of USA. That means Mexico, Canada and USA are all considered one region for purpose of phone calls. That implies that you can roam in any of these 3 countries, and they will incur charges just like you would incur in USA. For calling from US to cell phones in India, Europe, etc, the call may be entirely free. However, if you are outside US (or North America), then calling to US or any other country incurs a charge. Texting is usually free too. Ofcourse you can always use Whatsapp and other apps for making free calls, when you have internet connection.

However, all carriers have different policies, so check with your carrier, before you go all in.

  • Tello, Hello mobile, Red pocket, US mobile all include international calling from US to select other countries for free.
  • Spectrum charges for calling from US to other countries. They also charge you while you are in Canada/Mexico and make any calls to anywhere. So, their region is USA and NOT North America. This is different than many other carriers, so be extra careful while you are in Mexico/Canada and need to make calls.
  • Tmobile also has free calling to many other countries. Their domestic region is North America, so Canada/Mexico are considered part of USA for calling purposes. No roaming charges in Canada/Mexcio.

 

T-mobile Plans:

Tmobile is hands down the cheapest wireless service provider with the best customer service and the best 5G coverage among the BIG 3 providers. Their 4G coverage is inferior to both AT&T and Verizon, but only if you are in rural areas. Personally, I've never encountered any coverage issue anywhere in USA with T-mobile. I've been with them for 20+ years, never had a single issue. There are very foregiving about charges, and will reverse a lot of one time charges, if you request them. They also give free phones + free phone lines from time to time. Best part is they offer free lines from time to time, so get those free lines whenever those sales come, as they will be free for life.

UPDATE 2023: Tmobile has gone downhill pretty fast. Now even a $10 refund for unauthorized charges takes hours on the phone with customer service reps in Phillipines. And you would be lucky to get that $10 back. During a free phone promotion, I sent my old phone, got a new phone as replacement, and 6 months later, I saw a charge on my account for the full phone price. I called them and they said that they never received the old phone (even though I had the email proof of phone being sent, and 6 months of credit received), so I've to pay the full price. Had I not checked my statement, I would have never known. Recently in 2024, I cancelled a service and had phone recording of that. They said I called in but never cancelled the service, so they kept charging me for the service. No refunds of any kind. Tmobile of 2023 is no more the tmobile of 2000's. So, I switched to MVNO for half the price of Tmobile (This is when I was on grandfathered plan, which cost me $25/month for lifelong)

Tmobile has both prepaid and postpaid plans. Post paid plans are the ones that you pay after the month ends, and the bill comes in mail, while prepaid plans are the ones where you pay beforehand. Prepaid plans are lot cheaper than post paid plans. We'll discuss prepaid plans later.

Post Paid plans: These are the T-mobile post paid plans being offered (as of 2022). As of 2024, these plans have been replaced by Go5G plans.

  • Go5G plans (introduced in 2024): This is an expensive version of Magenta plan that was discontinued in 2024. Netflix is included. Tmobile is offering "Buy 2 lines, get 1 line free" with this plan, so prices below are with the promo (as of 2024, promo is ongoing). I would say go with the basic  Go5G plan, as it's the cheapest amongst the Big 3 providers.
    • Go5G: 3 lines for $130/month with all taxes included.
    • Go5G Next: 3 lines for $180/month with all taxes included. No reason at all to get this.
  • Magenta plan (Discontinued as of 2024): It has 2 variants: "Magenta Max" and "Magenta". Netflix is included. Tmobile is offering "Buy 2 lines, get 1 line free" with this plan, so prices below are with the promo (as of 2022, promo is ongoing). I would say go with either of the 2 Magenta plans, as they are the cheapest amongst the Big 3 providers.
    • Magenta: 3 lines for $120/month with all taxes included. Essentially $40/month per line. 100GB permium data + 1 SD netflix on us included.
    • Magenta Max: 3 lines for $140/month with all taxes included. Essentially $47/month per line. Unlimited permium data + 2 HD netflix on us included.
  • Essentials plan (Still offered as of 2024): This is a cheaper version of Magenta plan. There's no netflix included, and there's lower limit for premium data. There's no reason to get Essentials plan, as they cost same as Magenta, but have much inferior perks. With Magenta plan gone as of 2024, Essentials is the cheapest plan from Tmobile. It has 2 variants: Essentials and "Base Essentials".
    • Essentials (Still offered as of 2024): It offers 3 lines for $90. Essentially $30/month per line, but taxes are excluded. With taxes (20% or so) + fees (about $4/line), it's cost will most likely come close to "Magenta" plan above. There's no reason to get Essentials at all as you lose all the benefits of Magenta plan, and still pay the same price. With Magenta gone as of 2024, you have no choice but to get this.
    • Base essentials (Discontinued as of 2024): It offers 1 line for $45/month with taxes not included. It's most expensive of all, but suited for people who just need 1 line. 4 lines go for $120/month, but after taxes+fees, it will still be more expensive than Magenta plans.
  • Simple Choice plan (Discontinued in 2010's): This is no longer offered. This was the only plan that was offered for a long time. It was the best plan with Family plans for 10 lines costing $22/month per line with all taxes+ fees included. It also included "stateside international talk" for $10/month (see below for details). If you have this plan, don't ever cancel it. It's grandfathered, so prices will never go up, and there's nothing comparable that any other provider can offer for this price.

These are the highlights of all T-mobile plans shown above:

  • UNLIMITED: All T-mobile plans have unlimited talk, text, data when using within USA to call/text a USA phone number. They have no roaming fees anywhere in USA (i.e either you get service which is always free, or you don't get service. You will never pay anything for it). you pay when you make or receive calls outside USA depending on your plan). Their data is unlimited, but they offer lower speeds after you reach a usage threshold for that month (threshold depends on the plan).
  • INTERNATIONAL: International calling/texting has 2 meanings => Making/receiving international calls/texts from within US, or making/receiving domestic/international calls/texts while outside USA. We'll discuss both below.
    • From within USA (incoming + outgoing calls): Texting is always free whether sending SMS domestically or to international numbers. Data is free too.
      • Domestic calls (USA phone number): These are always free on all plans.
      • International calls (Non USA phone number): If you add "stateside international talk" for a price ($15/month per line as of 2022), then the landline calls are free to about 70 countries, while mobile calls are free to about 30 countries (India is included in the list of 30 countries, so free calls Yay). Any countries not included here, incur charges per minute as shown in link below. Until 2018, price for "stateside international talk" was just $10/month for all the lines on the plan, but that option is gone now. People who have that on their plan should never cancel it, as you are never going to get that awesome deal anywhere. Noe, it's $15/month per line, so not worth the price at all, as you can use VoIP apps (as Whatsapp, zoom, etc) to call.
    • From outside USA (incoming + outgoing calls): Texting is always free whether sending SMS domestically or to international numbers, while in other country. Data usage is also free while in other country. 210+ countries are included in this list (https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/international-roaming-services). The only caveat is that you get lower 2G speeds in most other countries. In India, I got 4G speeds in a couple of cities (as of 2022), so it varies depending on the local carrier, and Tmobile's partnership with it. I was able to get decent quality on most of the whatsapp video calls, so free data may be a big lifesaver while travelling internationally. Overall free SMS+Data is an awesome perk while travelling. Don't buy those "international" SIM cards that promise you to give international coverage, cost a arm and a leg, and don't work half the time. Isntead stick with Tmobile.
      • Domestic calls (USA phone number): I'm listing these calls as domestic as your phone service is still with USA carrier and you are calling a USA phone number. These calls are going to cost you $0.25/min.
      • International calls (Non USA phone number): These calls are also going to cost you a flat $0.25/min, no matter which country you call to. This is
  • MEXICO and CANADA included: With all T-mobile plans, Mexcico and Canada are treated as part of USA, i.e when I say USA above, it means "North America" which includes USA, Canada and Mexico. So, when you are calling to Mexico/Canada, or when you are using your phone in Mexico/Canada, it's treated as if you are still in USA, and all calls, etc are treated as domestic. However, Tmobile has terms that state that you are not allowed to use the phone permanently in Canada or Mexico, only on a temporary basis. Reason might be to prevent misuse, since plans in Canada are lot more expensive than in USA. I've never put this specific term to test.
  • PHONES: Any phone that is made for T-mobile (i.e with T-mobile logo on it) will work anywhere in the world. I've gotten many free phones from Tmobile, and all of them work in India and elsewhere with no issues (of course not all international bands are present in all phones, so you may get worse reception in some international destinations)

 

PrePaid plans: These are prepaid plans offered directly by the carrier.

  • Connect by Tmobile: It's called connect prepaid plan. There are other prepaid plans (besides connect) on tmobile website, which are lot more expensive. "Connect" prepaid plans start with $10/month + taxes/fees. You can avoid taxes by buying "Tmobile prepaid" card from Target or somewhere for usual 10% discount. Tmobile prepaid plan costs same as Kroger wireless (as they are the same plan), so you can go with either of them. See details of "Kroger wireless" under MVNO section below. People prefer "Tmobile prepaid" over "Kroger wireless" as Tmobile will give priority to it's own customers than 3rd party MVNO. This is a plan that was launched just recently (since March, 2022), so it may increase in price anytime.

 

 

 

Verizon Plans:

Verizon has best coverage in USA. I had places at my home where Tmobile coverage was basically dead, but Verizon worked like a charm. If you shop around, you can find good plans at Verizon via MVNOs below (the ones who use Verizon for their towers). Don't buy plans from Verizon directly, as it's 2X the price of MVNO. Verizon MVNO as Spectrum, Tracfone, etc are lot cheaper option for same coverage.

Post Paid plans:

No decent post paid plans directly from Verizon, but "visible" offers very competitive Post paid plans. Verizon is operated directly by Verizon (as it says "Visible by Verizon" in it's name). Visible has very good customer service, and people on slickdeals generally seem to like it.

PrePaid plans:

Apart from their postpaid plan, they offer their prepaid plans starting at $35/month (as of 2024).

 

 

AT&T Plans:

AT&T also has decent coverage in USA. However, it's worse in coverage than Verizon, and worse in price than T-mobile. So, there's no reason to switch to AT&T. They do have some promotions from time to time, where they will literally pay you to switch from other provider. Talk to the AT&T rep at Target, Walmart, Costco, etc and see if they have any such offer. They will give you free phones, plus get tons of discounts to match or lower your existing bill. This is the only time when it's worth it to switch to AT&T.

Post Paid plans:

No decent post paid plans at all.

PrePaid plans:

Apart from their postpaid plan, ATT also has a prepaid plan (ATT PrePaid plan with no particular name) which is $300 for a whole year, implying $25/month + taxes/fees ($20-$30 in taxes in some states). There is a way to avoid taxes/fees by using "ATT prepaid card" to pay for it. Look in comments section of slickdeals link  below. This is lot more expensive than other prepaid plans, but offers a much higher data cap (16GB) + provides hotspots and bunch of other perks.

 

 

MVNO, prepaid and misc plans (and Deals):

A lot of MVNO are able to offer you plans from $10/month per line for a single line. Also, a lot of prepaid plans are cheaper than post plans offered by big 3 carriers. If you don't have multiple people who can take advantage of family plans from big carriers, than these plans are the most economical ones for you. They do offer hard cap on data usage for cheaper plans, so you have to be sure that data limit is sufficient for you. Most of these plans can be had for < $15/month with 5GB data cap, including all taxes + fees. There are also promotional offers from time to time, where you can get these plans even cheaper, with unlimited data. I'll list those offers in "deals" section below. One of the places where MVNOs hurt is that they limit hotspot usage or don'tallow it at all. Reason might be that people may use hotspot for their home computer, and bypass getting internet service (especially with unlimited data plans). However there are lots of apps which will allow you to use hotspot. They act as proxy server and hide your details, so the MVNO provider sees the traffic as regular traffic coming from the app. So, be sure to check out these if you need hotspot, and your MVNO is restricting it.

Comparison of Plans: This link compares all prepaid plans offered by MVNOs => https://prepaidcompare.net/

I've listed the best MVNOs below starting from the best value at the very top !!

  1. Spectrum Wireless (Verizon): You can get spectrum wireless if you have spectrum internet. If you cancel internet service, your prices for mobile plans go up by $20/month. They run on Verizon towers, so speed and service are great. They have multiple promotions thru out the year where you can get buy 1, get 1 free, free phones, etc. All their plans have unlimited free talk, text and data while in USA. Text is always free to any other country or from any other country. Calls to other countries while in USA cost money. Here's their link for international rates: https://www.spectrum.com/mobile/plans/international. Taxes, fees, etc are all included. They have 2 plans:
    1. Cheaper plan: They provide $30/month plan with 2 lines. It includes unlimited talk, text and data with High speed data upto 30GB per line. Mobile hotspot is high speed upto 5GB. Calls to Mexico and Canada from USA are free upto 2000 mins, but cost money while in Canada and Mexico. So, be careful while using your phone abroad.
    2. Expensive Plan: Their other more expensive plan is $50/month plan with 2 lines. The only extra you get here compared to above plan is
      1. . you get 50GB high speed data compared to 30GB in above plan.
      2. Free roaming in Canada and Mexico.
      3. Higher limit with Mobile hotspot. You get High speed upto 10GB of hotspot compared to 5GB of hotspot in cheaper plan.
    3.  UPDATE 2024: They have promotion going on where they are providing 1 line free with other paid line. Their regular price is $30/month and $50/month, but with BOGO offer, you are effectively getting the plan for half the price. Those are the plans mentioned above. This offer has been active for a couple of months now, and only applies to the first 2 lines. They are also offering "spectrum One internet plan" + 1 mobile line for $50/month. This is better option, if you want to add only 1 phone line. This Promotion of free phone lines is only valid for 1st year, after which you may need to port out to other provider. Also, they charge $30 activation fee for any phone line that you bring to Spectrum. So, consider that too. Comparison between the 2 plans is her: https://www.spectrum.com/mobile/plans/unlimited-data
  2. US Mobile (Verizon+T-mobile+AT&T): They are one of the best of the lot of MVNOs. Lots of comments on slickdeals  are very positive about US Mobile, especially their Customer service. They also have bunch of promotions which can bring your price even lower than $15/month. They have unlimited talk, text and 5-10GB data per month. They use both Verizon and Tmobile network (going to add AT&T in 2024). They allow you to choose which one you want (they send you 2 sims - One is white and one is black or navy blue. The white one will put you on the T-Mobile network and the dark one will put you on Verizon).  They stop the data after you have used it up (instead of throttling it to a lower speed). However, the hotspot usage is free (though not for cheapest plans) which is rare among these lowest priced MVNO.One other big positive for them is that they renew your plans at the same rate as what you are on currently, so no more switching around carriers, as other carriers will jack up your price after the promotional period. Highly recommended.
  3. Kroger Wireless (T-mobile): This is a plan offered by "Kroger" grocery store chain, and is on Tmobile network. The plan is for $15/month + taxes/fees. You can bypass taxes/fees, by buying a "prepaid Tmobile card" from Target or somewhere, and using that to pay for your Kroger wireless plan. It has unlimited talk/text + 3GB data cap. SIM card can be bought for $2-$3 from store. Even if you don't have Kroger store, you can still buy and use the plan anywhere in USA. Looks like this is a promotional 3 month plan, but you can prepay for the whole year.
  4. Mint mobile (T-mobile): They have bunch of promotional offers, where they give 3 month plan for $15/month with unlimited talk, text and data. You can also get 1 year plan for $180 or $15/month but those plans have limit on data. They use T-mobile. Few of my friends had used used Mint mobile have said positive things, and are generally happy with the service. However, they are the most expensive of the lot of MVNO, so there's no reason to go with them. According to SD comments, they do charge $20 "RECOVERY FEE" for renewal (Screenshot => https://imgur.com/a/n1VloX4 ). Most others don't, so just stay away:
  5. Tracfone (Verizon) AVOID TRACFONE: This is another low cost provider. They use Verizon network. Tracfone was bought by Verizon in 2021, so it's officially a Verizon company, though it still operates as an independent brand. If you go directly to their website, their plans are expensive. But if you buy via "QVC or HSN" when they have a sale, then you get a free phone + 1 year service for $50 or so. Basically you get the service for free (if you sell the phone for$50 and recover your investment). They don't allow hotspot though. The phone is locked to the carrier for a year. Their customer service is rated horrible based on slickdeals comments. However, this is THE cheapest you can get. Nothing gets cheaper than free !! One of their phones that I bought via HSN had no trouble getting activated. I was able to get them to activate my phone by talking to a rep. The other phone that I bought from QVC came with no talk/text and data (even though it was sold as unlimited talk, text and 24GB data). Neither QVC nor Tracfone would do anything about it. There's nothing mentioned on email or receipt about what the included plan is, so you have no proof. Their promo for the same device change from day to day, so you have no idea of what you got, until you activate. By the time you find out, you are out of "dispute window" provided by your credit card company. So, be careful, as you might end up paying for a useless phone and NO service :( Buy from HSN/QVC/Tracfone only if you plan on activating within a couple of weeks.
    1. Their phones are usually low end, and people generally don't want to use their phone. However, they want the plan that came with it to be active on their own phone. Steps to do that are detailed here:
      1. Link => https://slickdeals.net/f/17468010-tracfone-6-5-blu-view-5g-smartphone-1-year-unlimited-talk-text-24gb-data-free-shipping-79-99
      2. In short these are the steps:
        1. Purchase a BYOD Tracfone SIM card, available for $1 almost anywhere. One vendor is Best Buy.
        2. Activate the plan on the phone that came with it. The sim is already in the phone. Do NOT change sims.
        3. Now insert BYOD SIM bought in step 1 above into your own phone (i.e Apple phone or whatever). Contact Tracfone to move number and service to new phone. Do this online or via phone call.
        4. The Phone provided with the deal will automatically unlock after 60 days, and can be used as a general purpose phone with most carriers. OR use it as a trade in when you are getting $50-$100 for buying other smart phones.
    2. Look in deal section below. More deals:
      1. 05/07/2024: Galaxy A25 phone with unlimited talk, text and 24GB data for 1 year for $180 => https://slickdeals.net/f/17465511-tracfone-6-5-samsung-galaxy-a25-5g-smartphone-128gb-6gb-ram-1-year-unlimited-talk-text-24gb-data-free-shipping-179-98
  6. Boost Mobile (T-mobile + AT&T) AVOID BOOST:  They are almost totally on T-mobile, except at few places where they offer AT&T sims. They are similar to other MVNO, though lot of complaints on slickdeals on how hard it is to get anything done with their customer service (They charge folks 6 or 12 months down the line, and refuse to give back money). Their customer service will keep you waiting for 30-45 minutes. I haven't put them under "Scammy MVNOs" as some people had good experience with them. I would avoid them. They also have unlimited talk, text and 5GB data for $15/month. They recently (as of May, 2022)  introduced $25/month plan with unlimited talk, text and 30GB data (They upped the data limit to 35 GB for new customers).
  7. Xfinity Mobile (Verizon): You can get this deal if you have xfinity internet. 2 lines for $60 per month (or $30/per line) with everything unlimited. They use Verizon network. Better option is to go with Spectrum, if you have Spectrum internet. They both use Verizon, but Spectrum is much bigger company with lower prices than Xfinity. No reason to go with Xfinity.
  8. Red Pocket (all 3 carriers): This is one of other cheaper provider. They have plans starting from $2.50/month. Unlimited plans start from $20/month. Additional bonus is free international calling to over 80 countries. On the website, they claim that their plans work on all 3 carriers: Verizon, Tmobile and AT&T. Based on comments, it looks like They are based off Tmobile and Sprint, Not sure? Site: https://www.redpocket.com/plans
  9. Hellomobile (T-mobile): This is the second cheapest plan (after Tracfone via QVC) , starting at $5/month with unlimited talk+text and 500MB of data. Taxes and fees are included, and sim activation is free. It uses T-mobile network. Looks reliable based on reddit/slickdeals comment. Link to plans: https://hellomobile.com/shop/plans
  10. Infimobile (Verizon): This is another cheap plan. They use Verizon network. Their plans go for $10/month with 10GB data, which is the best of all the deals so far. You can go for 2 years, though the risk is they might go under. There's no reviews, etc for this company, so better to go for 6 months and check it out (As of June 2024, slickdeals has lots of comments, and the service seems to be working well for most of the folks). Once the data is used up, they throttle you to a lower speed. They do charge extra ($5/month) for using hotspot.
  11. Good2Go (Tmobile/AT&T): This is another cheap plan at $5/month. However taxes are not included, and seem to be very high at 30%. So, 1 yr plan with unlimited talk, text and 1GB data costs $78 (with taxes and fees of $18 included). Better deals are available with others.

 

Scam MVNO to avoid:

A lot of MVNO are basically scammers waiting to rip you off. They hold your number hostage, and won't allow you to port the number out. Or they will continue billing even after you cancel the service, and you will have to dispute it with your credit card company. These companies usually entice people with their very low cost 3 month introductory plans (i.e $5/month for 3 months), but then jump to ridiculous rates, which you won't be able to cancel (basically non existent customer service)

  1. Lyca Mobile: This company sits at top of the list of scam MVNO. Just avoid even if they give service for free.

 

 

Verdict:

After looking at all the plans, it appears that there are 2 choices:

  1. Best among Top 3 carriers: For best speeds and vale among Verizon, A&T and Tmobile, Tmobile Magenta plan with "3 lines for $120" is the best deal you can find with unlimited everything. You get netflix and 1 yr AAA membership for free (also $10 discount on internet service thru Tmobile, check it out on "internet services" section). You get mammoth 100 GB data + international coverage. 1% of the people might have a need for this plan. Their prepaid plans sometimes have good deals.  T-mobile's connect with $15/month seems to be the best choice among top 3 Prepaid plans. It has lower data cap at 3GB, but comes with reliable customer service.
    • UPDATE 2023: Now there are a lot of good plans for <$15/month with everything unlimited. So, Tmobile Magenta plan or any of the other postpaid plans by BIG 3 carriers don't make the cut anymore. You can get 99% of what you need via these $15/month plans.
  2. Best among MVNO/Misc: Best choice should be $15/month prepaid plan offered by any of the MVNO, which will meet requirements of 99% of the population. Tons of choices, where you can get best plans for $15/month. Go for a yearly plan, instead of those 3 or 6 month plans, as then you have to deal with switching carriers every few months to keep getting promotions. Cheapest plan with MVNO will cost you $150/year with discounts included. Many of these MVNO plans havehab unlimited everthing with HotSpot included too. Tracfone via QVC/HSN has sales from time to time where you can get plans for almost free !! Tmobile plans are 3X as expensive. Highest that you should pay should be $180/year no matter which carrier you go with. USMobile has 1 year unlimited plans for $180 which is the best choice, and one of the best customer service. You can try your luck with other MVNO, if you want to go lower than that.
    1. UPDATE 2024: As of 2024, Hellomobile has the cheapest plan for $5/month with unlimited talk+text and 500MB of data. No feedback yet on how well it works. Infimobile also has 1 year plan for $134/year (see above for deal)
    2. UPDATE 2024: As of Jan 2024, Spectrum wireless offers $15/moth plan for 1 year with 2 lines added.
    3. UPDATE 2022: As of Sept, 2022, Boost Mobile has introduced $25/month plan with everything unlimited (with high speed data cap at 30GB), and rates remaining fixed for long.

 

 

 

DEALS:

 

 

2024:

 

 

 

03/21/2024: Tracfone/Motorola offer via QVC/HSN - 1 year service plan + free phone for $40- $70

Multiple deals from QVC/HSN where you get 1500min + 1500 text + 1500MB of data for a year. Deal is for $60 plan for 1 year with free phone. Talk/Text/Data is limited and probably you will run out in few months with moderate use (30 min of talk + 30 texts + 30 MB of data per week). You are literally getting free service, as you can sell the phone after unlocking it. No Hotspot allowed with any of these cheap plans.

Link: https://slickdeals.net/f/17255839-new-qvc-customers-tracfone-blu-view-5g-smartphone-w-1-yr-service-60-free-shipping

UPDATE 02/01/2024: Use Code HELLO20 for $20 off purchase of $40 or more. Previous code "NEWJANUARY" expired on Jan 31st.

UPDATE 02/01/2024: Deal also available on hsn.com, but they have coupon HSN2024 for only $10 off (bringing total price down to $70): https://www.hsn.com/products/tracfone-65-blu-view-5g-smartphone-wunlimited-talk-text/22871096

 

 

 

03/01/2024: Free "One Plus Nord N30" phone  at BestBuy with AT&T service

Deal is for free phone only if you sign up for AT&T service and then cancel it within 3 days. You pay nothing upfront, nor will you get charged anything by AT&T as they waive all fees if cancelled within 3 days. The phone is unlocked and yours to keep. There is soft inquiry on your credit. Call +1 800-331-0500 to cancel AT&T service. Read instructions on wiki section of SD link below.

Link: https://slickdeals.net/f/17327499-oneplus-nord-n30-5g-128gb-unlocked-chromatic-gray-cph2513-best-buy-0

 

 

02/29/2024: Multiple phones as "One Plus Nord N30, Motorola g Stylus, etc" for $40 or more with Metro (by T-mobile) service

Deal is for getting the free phone, and paying for 1 month of service.  You have to port in a number though. Read instructions on wiki section of SD link below.

Link: https://slickdeals.net/f/17325810-metro-by-t-mobile-40-online-port-in-oneplus-n30-5g-motorola-g-stylus-5g-2023-iphone-11-samsung-a15-5g-140-motorola-razr-2023-165-iphone-12-with-port-in

UPDATE: This deal is inferior to "BestBuy/AT&T" deal above as that deal is for free phone.

 

 

01/25/2024: Tracfone offer via QVC - 1 year service plan + free phone for $60

Deal for $60 plan for 1 year with free phone. Talk/Text is unlimited and data is 24GB for the whole year. Comes out to 2GB/month, and depending on usage, you can use more when needed (as 24GB is not allocated on per month basis). This is the best plan. You are literally getting free service, as you can sell the phone after unlocking it. No Hotspot allowed with any of these cheap plans.

Link: https://slickdeals.net/f/17255839-new-qvc-customers-tracfone-blu-view-5g-smartphone-w-1-yr-service-60-free-shipping

UPDATE: 03/22/2024: Deal is again available. Use code: WELCOME20 for new accounts to get $20 off.

UPDATE 02/01/2024: Use Code HELLO20 for $20 off purchase of $40 or more. Previous code "NEWJANUARY" expired on Jan 31st.

UPDATE 02/01/2024: Deal also available on hsn.com, but they have coupon HSN2024 for only $10 off (bringing total price down to $70):

 

 

2022:

 

 

06/20/2022: Tmobile offer - Free AAA membership with any Magenta plan:

One more reason to get Magenta plan from T-mobile. Both Magenta plans qualify. Upto $60 of savings for 1st year.

02/13/2024 => https://slickdeals.net/f/17292325-get-a-aaa-membership-on-us-roadside-assistance-t-mobile-0

06/22/2022 => https://slickdeals.net/f/15851494-t-mobile-magenta-plans-customers-1-year-aaa-basic-classic-membership-free-more-perks-benefits

 

 

05/08/2022: Tmobile offer - Free phone with qualifying trade in:

There are bunch of promos going on at T mobile where you can get a free phone (tax+shipping needs to be paid. Shipping is ~$7, sales tax varies from state to state). Most other offers require you to pay some money, or BOGO, but below offer gives free phone for any plan on Tmobile (even grand fathered plans included). Limit of 4 per account. Each new phone needs to be  associated with a different phone number on your plan (i.e if buying 3 phones, they need to be associated with 3 different lines on your plan, as EIP is tied to a phone number).

https://slickdeals.net/f/15762076-t-mobile-oneplus-nord-n200-0-after-trade-in-any-undamaged-functioning-cell-phone-via-24-mo-bill-credits-shipping-tax?src=frontpage

OnePlus Nord N200 and LG REVVL V+ are the ones for free. N200 seems to be a better phone with better specs, so go with that.

NOTE: you have to provide IMEI number of exact phone that you are trading in. They will check the phone for that IMEI number. I didn't see an option for putting IMEI number. System automatically put IMEI number of my current phone. I had to call in, and place a new order. So, better to call if in doubt. From what I came to know from other CS rep is that they don't match IMEI at return center, so as long as the phone is of same make/model with stated color, it should work. Also, any phone is accepted, as long it charges, powers up and has no big cracks on screen (small cracks have worked fine for me).