The Best Alternatives to Verizon Wireless, If You've Had Enough
Yesterday, a massive outage hit Verizon customers across the U.S., leaving millions unable to make calls or stuck with their phones in SOS mode. The outage is the last straw for some Verizon customers. If you're one of them, and you're looking for a new provider of cell phone service, you have options. Below are the best deals on non-Verizon cell phone service.
Mint Mobile: best overall bargain
If you're going for the overall least expensive plan with your existing phone, Mint Mobile is for you. Mint is currently offering new customers a promotional rate of $15 a month, for the first three months, for any of its data plans. After that, the pricing is based on the tier of service you've chosen and how far you much of a commitment you want to make. Mint's "unlimited" plan is $35 a month if you sign up for six months, and $30 a month if you commit to a year. Check out the site for a full breakdown of plans and prices.
The downside: if you need a new phone, Mint might not be the choice for you. It offers discounts on phones, but they aren't the best you can get.
T-Mobile: best data plan
If your priority is data, and you download and upload a ton of it, consider switching to T-Mobile, specifically its Magenta plan. Magenta comes with perks like discounts to Hilton hotels, Hertz rental cars, and concert venues, but the real draw is an "unlimited" plan that offers the best overall mobile network (according to our sister site PCMag) and 100GB of data usage per month before they throttle you. AT&T's comparable plan offers 50GB—and AT&T is $5 a month more.
The downside: Magenta isn't cheap. The plan costs $70 a month.
AT&T: best new phone discounts
If you're planning on getting a new phone when you switch away from Verizon, consider AT&T. The company is offering a rebate of up to $1,000 toward the purchase of an iPhone 16 when you trade in your old handset. If you're about that Android life, AT&T is offering a Pixel 9 Pro XL for free if you have a decent trade-in. AT&T's network also offers the widest coverage and a lower percentage of dropped calls than either T-Mobile or Verizon.
The downside: According to PC Mag's 2023 survey of user satisfaction, AT&T is sitting at number 10, behind even TracFone and Verizon.
Google Fi: best family plans
Google Fi offers the best deal for multiple phone. Its "Simply Unlimited" plan costs $100 for four people. Of course the "unlimited" part doesn't mean that, but 35GB of data before they put the brakes on it is adequate for most people. Plus, Google Fi uses T-Mobile's excellent network. Google Fi is at the top of PC Mag's user satisfaction survey too.
The downside: Fi is better for Android users. You can use an iPhone on Google Fi, but it won't get 5G service, yet.
Tello: best minimalist phone service
If you want barebones, minimal phone service, pre-paid wireless company Tello offers a no-data plan for only $8 a month. That's cheaper than a hamburger! If you're anything like me, the first time you're stuck in line buying that hamburger, you'll want a data plan. Luckily you can upgrade to plans that include data whenever you want. Tello also offers sweet anti-cool phones like the NUU F4L flip phone for only $89.
The downside: Tello doesn't offer discounts for multiple lines, and you'll pay extra for international roaming.