Choosing a Plan

People who have been through this exercise, of choosing a cellphone plan, and presumably now everyone has, would understand that it is like solving a complicated mathematical problem of optimization, without the mathematical tools or computing power. There is no perfect answer and whatever you decide on, there is probably a better one someone is going to point out to you.

As a consumer, all you really want is the best at the lowest price. While price is transparent, each price point can get you a bewildering array of combinations. Eventually, you will need to rely on your requirements, usage pattern and preferences. Whether a better plan exists out there or not, this is the best for you. At least at this time.

That is a given. But evaluating the ‘best’ usually leads one through winding lanes of competing priorities that one needs to navigate with care. Then there is context; you. What does it mean to you, as each individual has many common and many unique requirements that he is in the best position to evaluate.

People’s preferences while choosing a cellphone plan generally fall into one of the following four categories:

Cheap

Perhaps the simplest to understand, and means the same thing to everyone. Of course, there is usually a direct correlation with the benefits you get; the cheaper the plan the fewer the benefits, but people who go in for the cheap plans understand that.

If a cellphone is a ‘just in case’ accessory for you, a cheap plan is adequate. Or if you are a user who will use it for light usage like the occasional email of message on the go, but who would limit the heavy usage when he gets back to the office or home to the laptop.

Many carriers offer cheap options. Data caps usually get smaller with the price. You could get a plan for under $15 per month.

Unlimited

People are using cellphones more for internet these days and less for talking. For most users, therefore, the availability of data is key. You are comfortable using your cellphone for the major part of your browsing, emailing, social media, even playing games and watching movies, on the go. And you are on the go for the most part. Then this is for you.

Plans with unlimited data are typically the upper end of the scale, on the other end from the ‘cheap’ plans we just discussed. $30 is perhaps the bottom end of the unlimited scale. It will increase with carrier and coverage. Plans that offer a 5G connection will cost even more. Of course, as plan prices increase, the bundled freebies will also likely increase.

Family

Family plans have become a useful mechanism for keeping overall costs in check while enabling individual connections for people ion the plan. Inclusion of more numbers in the plan will bring the per line cost down, as per the standard relationship of volume and value in cellphone plans. The larger the gross bill, the lower the rate per user within the package.

A suggestion for family plan users would be that it might be worthwhile to pay a bit more and be comfortable on the data caps and coverage so that no individual’s needs are compromised. Cheaper plans, of course, would be available. You can expect to pay upwards of $100 for a 4-line plan.

Prepaid

Prepaid plans have been playing catch-up with postpaid for many years. The relative aura of postpaid has dimmed. Prepaid often gets you the cheapest plans with the greatest flexibility.

Though many prepaid plans are geared towards the budget plan seeker, they now cover tastes and preferences across the spectrum, including unlimited data plans.

Other criteria

There are a few other criteria that plan buyers will use while buying a plan. These are:

Coverage offered should cover the locations where it will be used

Customer service should be reachable and responsive, when needed

Phones available and bundled with the plan

Carriers and MVNOs

In the industry, there are companies that have laid out networks and own them and use it for offering their services. The primary ones in the US are AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile (bought Sprint in 2020 which was another carrier). US Cellular is also a carrier, but operates in limited areas, hence generally not spoken of in the same breath as the other four, or other three.

An MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) on the other hand, does not own the network. They ride on one of more of the network owning carriers. While they do not have the overhead costs of the carriers, no doubt they have to pay fair amounts to them for using their network.

The advantage of MVNOs is their nimbleness and ability to spot gaps in the market and step in. Carriers tend to be slow to react, as large organizations tend to be.

There are concerns people have that MVNOs may not be as reliable as carriers. There should not be any reason for such concerns as they have back-up arrangements in place based on which their services are offered. Of course, if they fail to meet their commitments, recourse if available. 

Some of the MVNOs are:

• Beast Mobile: runs on AT&T and Verizon
• Mint Mobile: runs on T-Mobile
• Metro by T-Mobile: runs on T-Mobile
• Chit Chat Mobile: runs on Sprint
• Cricket Wireless: runs on AT&T
• Visible: runs on Verizon
• Boost Mobile: runs on T-Mobile and Sprint
• Great Call: runs on Verizon

The Verdict

Overall, T-Mobile has better offers than all the other mobile carriers. The company consistently provides high-speed internet at a fair price. Also, the numerous discounts and free trials set T-Mobile apart from the competition. Best of all, you can get T-Mobile’s 5G network almost anywhere in the country and reap the benefits of optimal internet performance.

On the other hand, you should also consider offers from Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) such as Visible or Metro by T-Mobile. They’ll give you access to high-speed networks owned by their parent companies at lower prices. Therefore, these mobile carriers are an affordable option and offer good performance overall.