Alternatives to big cell companies?

[CBB15]

What are your experiences with alternative cellular companies?

I have been with ATT forever and the service is fine. Just considering alternatives for a family of 4.

 

[Mosby]

I have Verizon. I've considered switching to a smaller carrier to save money but I never do. I've found Verizon works well in remote places. I took a neighbor to Colorado a few years ago on a hunt and he had an alternative company that he said used the same cell towers but quickly found out that wasn't completely true. He couldn't make or receive a phone call where we were staying or hunting and I had to drive him into town every couple days, so he could talk with his family. That's the only experience I've had with them but enough for me to keep paying the larger bills.

 

[beerbucksducks]

We had xfinity mobile after having verizon for years. They run off of Verizon’s towers and in our area I couldn’t tell much of a difference in coverage. You have to have their internet to get a deal on the mobile lines. We just switched to Visible by Verizon yesterday. Coverage at home and on the property seem pretty good, and service is typically spotty out here. Down side of visible is they don’t offer family plans so my wife and I had to sign up separately.


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[Weldor]

Been using Consumer cellular, It has worked everywhere I've been so far for 4 years. We don't have any high speed providers, so Starlink and Hughes are it. The only issue I have with Consumers is the 50 Gb cut off. So it is not unlimited data as stated, but most are not.

 

[mainbeam pursuit2]

We have had Verizon forever, got sick of lousy customer service and high price. Switched to Consumer Cellular, phone works the same with great CS and a lot cheaper.

 

[Speaks]

I look at my cell as something I just need to work and the combo of current monthly cost and my lack of price sensitivity keep with ATT. I would be much more interested in a value prop of more coverage or more reliable coverage than one about reduced cost.

But I also am running a business and its hard to be unavailable, I could imagine my perspective changing if it was purely persona use.

 

[Muddler]

Switched from Verizon to US Mobile. No regerts. I run on the Verizon network at a fraction of the cost. Can pick Verizon, TMobile or ATT network to use. I paid for 12 months up front...I think it was like $300ish back in late winter.

 

[BBob]

I haven’t tried it yet but it’s been recommended:

Visible Wireless - Unlimited No-Contract Prepaid Cell Phone Plans

Visible offers unlimited data, talk and text for $25/month powered by Verizon. Check out our plans, deals, and devices today.

www.visible.com

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

In terms of towers they are all the same big companies you'd be using. The smaller companies may offer cheaper rates, better/worse customer service, etc. but you need to pay attention to what level of prioritization they get on the towers they are using. Off brand company X might have low tier priority on "verizon" where as off brand company Y has nearly as good as access to "verizon" as a plan with verizon.

I am on xfinity now (verizon towers) after ATT for years. Around home ATT coverage had gotten piss poor with their towers being overloaded for the user base which was unacceptable for the premium prices they were charging (go to an event at the park and you literly couldn't send out a text message due to lack of capacity). So far so good with xfinity.

 

[WCB]

I have had Verizon for 20 yrs. Never had an issue. Literally everyone I know that switched form ATT or Verizon to a smaller carrier has had issues. Service sucks in places it didn't or stupid things like texts not going through to previous contacts. I've never talked to anyone that switched and was happier with the new company.

 

[thegrouse]

I had Cricket, I was in rural WY with a friend who had ATT. Cricket uses ATT towers, we had the same iPhone and I did not have enough service to text photos or use google maps, she did. That was when I realized there are levels of priority and Cricket was at the bottom. I now have ATT

 

[Ferrulewax]

i use visible. 30$ a month for unlimited everything and on Verizon's network. If there is a downside I haven’t found it.

 

[JMundy84]

I switched from Verizon to visible over a year ago haven't found a downside yet

 

[Pescetism]

Tried Patriot Mobile for awhile but the service was so spotty it wasn't worth having a phone outside of a medium sized city or off the interstate. However, they were easy enough to deal with and that was several years ago so maybe they've improved...or failed but I haven't checked.

 

[Blackbird]

US mobile works great at a much cheaper rate than Verizon. Tried mint mobile first and the service was garbage.

 

[Aaron-in-CO]

I’ve been a happy customer of Mint Mobile for 5ish years. Saves a ton of money. We pay by the year. $540 total for my wife and I.

I generally expect to have slightly worse reception than others. This hasn’t been a dealbreaker or cause of frustration for me. Though I did have better reception than my friend who has Verizon last week up in the mountains — random data point.

If you happen to end up going with Mint Mobile, DM me and I’ll send you a referral link so we can both get it even cheaper. I promise this is not my motivation for writing this response .

 

[ODB]

I changed from Verizon to Mint and it was way cheaper. Mint/T-Mobile does not have the same coverage as Verizon in Idaho. I will likely change back to Verizon via their Visible service when my Mint account is up. I buy my phone for cash and do not pay for it over time so can switch at will.

 

[fngTony]

We’ve been on Xfinity for a few years. Have to have their home internet to get the cell discounts. They run on 99% of Verizon’s network (a small amount that Verizon is roaming I don’t get) with no noticeable difference. Since Xfinity is the internet king around here we also get their hotspot access that they strategically put in Verizon trouble spots. Verizon itself wasn’t too expensive considering we had family plan discounts but we still save about $125 a month (4 lines) since switching. I couldn’t tolerate any other providers coverage or quality of service in Colorado but I know people who worked in Texas and Florida where Tmoblie was king.

 

[Ballbearing]

I've been on Visible for a year or more now. I'll echo the priority statements made above. Just last week I had zero service, despite using Verizon towers, while my cousin (who is on Verizon itself) had two bars. Not a dealbreaker for me as my phone is a convenience , while he uses his for business. The price difference is enough for me to stay with Visible for now.

 

[Bluefish]

I had Cricket, I was in rural WY with a friend who had ATT. Cricket uses ATT towers, we had the same iPhone and I did not have enough service to text photos or use google maps, she did. That was when I realized there are levels of priority and Cricket was at the bottom. I now have ATT

This sums up the issue. It’s about priority on the towers. I am on uscellular as they offer the best coverage at home (rural Iowa), but when traveling the priority is lower and I can have 5g with 3-4 bars and not be able to get any data. Hopefully that will change now that T-Mobile bought them.