Lower cost doesn't always mean lower quality.
Poetra.RH/Shutterstock Using a popular postpaid plan with one of the three major phone carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon) isn't cheap. Most of them cost at least $50 per month and can get close to $100/month for a single person. You have to join the priciest plans to take advantage of many "on us" phone deals, and they frequently inflate the cost with bundled extras you might not even use.
Thankfully, these carriers aren't your only option. There's a whole fleet of low-cost mobile providers, known as mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), that provide reliable service for a fraction of the price. I've been using these services for over a decade and would recommend them to pretty much everyone.
Khairil Azhar Junos/Shutterstock The big carriers like Verizon and AT&T are officially known as mobile network operators (MNOs). They're the businesses that control all the infrastructure involved in making cell connections happen, like towers and radio access networks. In contrast, MVNOs are "virtual" because they run a network without owning any of what powers it. These companies lease huge amounts of access from the network operators, then sell it to customers at lower rates.
This means when you subscribe to an MVNO like Mint Mobile, you're still on the network that company rents from (in Mint's case, T-Mobile). Direct customers get priority when the network is busy, so its MVNO subscribers might see slowdowns during congestion.
Most of these services are prepaid (service is charged upfront monthly or yearly) instead of postpaid (after each month's usage) like the big carriers. Traditionally, postpaid plans locked you into a contract, but this is no longer common. Instead, they promote "free" phones that are covered by bill credits over 24 to 36 months. If you leave before the device is paid off, you have to cover the balance. Credit checks are also required for postpaid plans.
Aside from not worrying about network ownership, MVNOs keep costs down in other ways. Many of them lack physical stores; support is on the phone or online. If you finance a phone purchase, it goes through services like Affirm instead of the carrier. And they rarely offer bundled subscriptions like streaming services with your plan. Keeping it simple makes business easier for the MVNO and means you pay less as a customer.
sdx15/Shutterstock While most MVNOs work in the same way overall, each has slightly different plans and options. Mint Mobile ( which is owned by T-Mobile ) is known for its paid-upfront plans; it costs less per month depending on whether you pay for three, six or 12 months at once. The best rate is $15/month on the 12-month 6GB plan. If you need more data, other tiers include 17GB, 23GB and "unlimited" (50GB).
Visible is Verizon's MVNO; it offers three tiers. The core Visible plan is $275/year (or $25/month), including taxes and fees. It provides unlimited data, even when using your phone as a mobile hotspot . Higher tiers include access to Verizon's Ultra Wideband 5G for faster streaming, along with a few other perks like several days of international usage.
US Mobile offers greater flexibility if you haven't found what you like elsewhere. It supports all three major networks; you'll pick one during setup and can switch to another for $2 (or whenever you want with the Unlimited Premium plan). Aside from the unlimited offerings, US Mobile features family plans where multiple lines share one pool…