- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Second Tier Cell phone carriers
Posted on 3/4/26 at 2:25 pm
Posted on 3/4/26 at 2:25 pm
I currently have AT&T for my cell phone service, but I’ve recently started looking into second-tier carriers that offer lower prices. The ones I’ve come across so far include Pure Talk, Patriot Mobile, Boost, and Cricket, but I know there are others I haven’t mentioned.
Has anyone switched from a major carrier to one of these alternatives? Was it worth it? I feel that the big carriers are overpriced — paying over $250 for three phone lines seems excessive.
I’m interested in real-world feedback on these carriers, including:
Pros and cons
Coverage and reliability
Customer service experience
Any hidden fees or limitations
Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
Has anyone switched from a major carrier to one of these alternatives? Was it worth it? I feel that the big carriers are overpriced — paying over $250 for three phone lines seems excessive.
I’m interested in real-world feedback on these carriers, including:
Pros and cons
Coverage and reliability
Customer service experience
Any hidden fees or limitations
Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
8
Posted on 3/4/26 at 2:34 pm to tigerrage08
They all just re-sell another carrier's service.
For example, I currently have Mint mobile (T-Mobile), $208 for a year of unlimited pre-paid. No issues whatsoever.
I've had Spectrum (Verizon) and StraightTalk (ATT) in the past with no issues either.
I'd look into which major carrier provides the best service and then pick the reseller that utilizes that network. For example, Sprint has amazing coverage by the house (highly unlikely) go with Boost...
For example, I currently have Mint mobile (T-Mobile), $208 for a year of unlimited pre-paid. No issues whatsoever.
I've had Spectrum (Verizon) and StraightTalk (ATT) in the past with no issues either.
I'd look into which major carrier provides the best service and then pick the reseller that utilizes that network. For example, Sprint has amazing coverage by the house (highly unlikely) go with Boost...
This post was edited on 3/4/26 at 2:35 pm
Posted on 3/4/26 at 2:35 pm to tigerrage08
Yes. Cricket and Metro have amazing deals and both will unlock your awesome free phone in a matter of months if you want to switch again. Phone service is really great and includes roaming Mexico and Canada as well as calling and texting a bunch of places.
The caveat is data priority. If I’m at the Fort Worth stockyards, any big event, or even Alliance town center where there a million apartments, data is not at all reliable. If I’m at a place with online ordering, I’ll sometimes have to use their WiFi. All busy places have complementary WiFi anyway so it’s not a big deal. Data is fine outside of congested areas.
I have cricket but can only compare it to business platinum plans which basically have nearly emergency level priority so I don’t know how they compare to like ATT retail which is only one notch above.
The caveat is data priority. If I’m at the Fort Worth stockyards, any big event, or even Alliance town center where there a million apartments, data is not at all reliable. If I’m at a place with online ordering, I’ll sometimes have to use their WiFi. All busy places have complementary WiFi anyway so it’s not a big deal. Data is fine outside of congested areas.
I have cricket but can only compare it to business platinum plans which basically have nearly emergency level priority so I don’t know how they compare to like ATT retail which is only one notch above.
This post was edited on 3/4/26 at 2:38 pm
Posted on 3/4/26 at 4:01 pm to Dallaswho
Had spectrum for years, it was fine, and their customer service is about the best i ever experienced (everyone I spoke with is US based).
Recently switched my wife to visible (Verizon) and me to US mobile (AT&T) for a substantial savings on each. 100% satisfied with both. Also briefly tried tello and it was good. The low mvno pricing is insane.
Recently switched my wife to visible (Verizon) and me to US mobile (AT&T) for a substantial savings on each. 100% satisfied with both. Also briefly tried tello and it was good. The low mvno pricing is insane.
Posted on 3/4/26 at 4:28 pm to tigerrage08
Wife has Visible
I have Mint
There is zero noticeable different between Visible and Verizon, and Mint and T-Mobile as far as a cell signal goes.
The difference is i just paid $360 for the entire year (unlimited everything and something like 20gb of hotspot) instead of paying $50/mth + all the hidden fees and taxes with T-Mobile.
My wife payed $275 for the entire year with Visible. Same thing, unlimited everything.
Both of them have no hidden fees or taxes. When they say $30/month. it's $30, not $47.23
Mint actually has a deal going on right now for $180 for the whole year, looks like it ends today.
I have Mint
There is zero noticeable different between Visible and Verizon, and Mint and T-Mobile as far as a cell signal goes.
The difference is i just paid $360 for the entire year (unlimited everything and something like 20gb of hotspot) instead of paying $50/mth + all the hidden fees and taxes with T-Mobile.
My wife payed $275 for the entire year with Visible. Same thing, unlimited everything.
Both of them have no hidden fees or taxes. When they say $30/month. it's $30, not $47.23
Mint actually has a deal going on right now for $180 for the whole year, looks like it ends today.
This post was edited on 3/4/26 at 5:13 pm
Posted on 3/4/26 at 5:43 pm to tigerrage08
Check if your employer offers discounts on a provider. Sometimes you can get a pretty decent deal.
I have 4 lines through AT&T and pay $125 a month.
I have 4 lines through AT&T and pay $125 a month.
Posted on 3/5/26 at 7:39 am to Ricardo
I switched from verizon to tello two years ago. 25 bucks a month.
Posted on 3/5/26 at 9:17 am to Ricardo
quote:
I have 4 lines through AT&T and pay $125 a month.
I don't believe you.
Posted on 3/5/26 at 11:32 am to tigerrage08
MVNOs are fine but I'm content with ATT prepaid because once you've added several lines to the plan it isn't much more expensive than a MVNO.
Posted on 3/5/26 at 11:33 am to TeddyPadillac
quote:
I don't believe you.
He didn't clarify but I pay about $135 a month for 5 lines prepaid.
Posted on 3/5/26 at 11:40 am to junkfunky
quote:
MVNOs are fine but I'm content with ATT prepaid because once you've added several lines to the plan it isn't much more expensive than a MVNO.
ATT prepaid basically is a MVNO as far as data priority goes. You just don’t get the free phones and fast unlocks making the whole service almost free.
Posted on 3/5/26 at 11:49 am to Ricardo
quote:
I have 4 lines through AT&T and pay $125 a month.
Typically with the legacy carriers once you go past 2 lines, the price per line drops substantially. 2 or less lines, mvno is a far better deal.
Posted on 3/5/26 at 12:07 pm to 632627
quote:
legacy carriers once you go past 2 lines, the price per line drops substantially
Ex wife is paying $300 a month for 5 lines. That's exactly why I did all the shopping in the house.
Posted on 3/5/26 at 12:27 pm to TeddyPadillac
I get $11.50 off each line because of a discount.
Posted on 3/5/26 at 8:41 pm to Ricardo
I joined US Mobile. It was a one time payment of $167/year for unlimited everything and 30gb of hotspot per month. It’s been fantastic. I’d plan on buying whoever offers best deals on Black Friday for best yearly rates.
This post was edited on 3/5/26 at 8:42 pm
Posted on 3/5/26 at 10:25 pm to gobuxgo5
I'm amazed at the American aversion to MVNOs that are cheap. Europeans and Asians use them all the time to buy eSIMs for travel, and no systemic issues are reported.
But muh, "free" phone. (Paying an extra $40 a month per line to get the "free" phone.")
But muh, "free" phone. (Paying an extra $40 a month per line to get the "free" phone.")
Posted on 3/6/26 at 5:33 am to tigerrage08
Look at US Mobile. They offer all 3 coverage options. You can choose to run on ATT, Verizon, or T mobile. If your phone has duel sim, you can run on 2 at a time.
Pros and cons - cost. I went with their cheaper $25/month plan and have had zero change from my previous ATT plan. Only con I can thing of is they bill each line separately. So I get charged $25 for mine, and $25 for my wife's, rather than just $50. I can still manage both lines under 1 account so its not really a big deal.
Coverage and reliability - excellent
Customer service experience - I haven't really had to use these. But I guess this could be a con as well. I do not believe they have a number to call and everything is handled via chat or email.
Any hidden fees or limitations - nope. $25 a month is exactly what I'm charged.
Pros and cons - cost. I went with their cheaper $25/month plan and have had zero change from my previous ATT plan. Only con I can thing of is they bill each line separately. So I get charged $25 for mine, and $25 for my wife's, rather than just $50. I can still manage both lines under 1 account so its not really a big deal.
Coverage and reliability - excellent
Customer service experience - I haven't really had to use these. But I guess this could be a con as well. I do not believe they have a number to call and everything is handled via chat or email.
Any hidden fees or limitations - nope. $25 a month is exactly what I'm charged.
Posted on 3/6/26 at 7:46 am to tigerrage08
Switched to Visible last year. $19.00 a month with no fees. Same service as Verizon at 1/2 the price. 
Posted on 3/6/26 at 8:35 am to LSU6262
quote:
Look at US Mobile. They offer all 3 coverage options. You can choose to run on ATT, Verizon, or T mobile. If your phone has duel sim, you can run on 2 at a time.
Pros and cons - cost. I went with their cheaper $25/month plan and have had zero change from my previous ATT plan. Only con I can thing of is they bill each line separately. So I get charged $25 for mine, and $25 for my wife's, rather than just $50. I can still manage both lines under 1 account so its not really a big deal.
Coverage and reliability - excellent
Customer service experience - I haven't really had to use these. But I guess this could be a con as well. I do not believe they have a number to call and everything is handled via chat or email.
Any hidden fees or limitations - nope. $25 a month is exactly what I'm charged.
They also let you teleport (basically switch from ATT-Verizon-TMO) if one carrier has better coverage in an area you are in. Pretty neat feature for people who travel a lot.
Posted on 3/6/26 at 10:28 am to LSU6262
quote:
Customer service experience - I haven't really had to use these. But I guess this could be a con as well. I do not believe they have a number to call and everything is handled via chat or email.
Yeah, the 3 “cons” (ie reasons mvno is so much cheaper) are:
1. Extremely limited customer support. I don’t think visible even has a phone number. Their support is exclusively web-chat, most of which is automated.
2. No “free” phones. Legacy carrier free phones are simply subsidized by the substantially higher cost for service.
3. Deprioritized data (although there are some exceptions to this)
Page 1 of 2
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News