![]() ![]() Virgin did recently introduce an enticing deal that offers a year's worth of data for $1, but you need to use an iPhone to be eligible for it.Īnd the prepaid "unlimited" plans from carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile block things like HD video streaming and the ability to use your phone as a mobile hotspot. Sprint, meanwhile, caps all video on Virgin Mobile's and Boost Mobile's unlimited plans at a less-than-HD resolution. Cricket Wireless has an unlimited plan for $65 a month, for example, but its parent, AT&T, caps Cricket download speeds at a lower-than-average 8 Mbps. If you opt for a prepaid carrier, you usually have to deal with slower speeds. Much of the time, though, which is best for you depends on where you live. In general, Verizon is consistently near the top, T-Mobile is said to be much improved from years past, AT&T is either in second or third, and Sprint often brings up the rear. A recent RootMetrics study, meanwhile, found a bigger gap T-Mobile to be fast but less reliable, and also put Verizon tops in terms of overall quality. It's hard to give exact metrics on how the carriers' current networks compare, but a recent PCMag report found Verizon to have to best mix of speed, coverage and reliability, with T-Mobile and AT&T close behind. Sadly, a big chunk of the country still suffers from mediocre mobile coverage. And being slowed in areas of congestion is not the same as being outright throttled even after passing a carrier's warning point, you can still get LTE speeds.Ī good "unlimited" plan isn't as worthwhile if it comes with shoddy internet. At least with the major carrier plans, you do truly get unlimited talk and text, and the amount of data you can use without risk is fairly generous. If you buy a phone from a carrier and pay for it in monthly installments, that fee will be added to the cost of your plans. The situation only gets worse when you look at the restrictions imposed on unlimited plans from mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) like Boost Mobile and Cricket Wireless, or on the prepaid "unlimited" plans from the major carriers themselves.Īlso, none of the carriers' advertised rates includes device subsidies. Instead, each carrier warns that it may slow your speeds if you use a certain amount of data in a month and live in an area of congestion.Įach plan also limits what you can do with that data when it comes to things like mobile hotspots, international usage, and the like. No "unlimited" plan here allows you to use an endless amount of LTE data across the board with no penalties. Wireless carriers use the word "unlimited" in a misleading way.
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