An eSIM is a digital SIM that allows you to activate a mobile data plan from your network provider without having to use a physical nano-SIM. Find out which wireless carriers in your country or region offer cellular plans on an eSIM, either activated by eSIM Carrier Activation, eSIM Quick Transfer, or other activation methods. Many carriers also support eSIM activation on prepaid plans, if you want to use a local line while traveling internationally. Worldwide service providers also offer eSIM plans in over 190 countries and regions to use while at home or when you travel. If your iPhone is unlocked, you can also use eSIM plans offered by other carriers.
*Unlimited CarryoverÂ: For Unlimited Talk & Text Smartphone plans, any unused data after your service end date will carryover to the next cycle if active service is maintained and in use with any Unlimited Talk & Text Smartphone plan. For other service plans, any unused minutes, texts and data will not expire as long as any Tracfone service plan is active and in use within any six-month period.
ÂThe $10 Global Calling Card must be combined with another Tracfone Service Plan to work. International long distance service is available to select destinations only, which are subject to change at any time. Calls must originate from the US or Puerto Rico only. No international roaming allowed. Only for personal use. Calls are billed in one-minute increments. Airtime minutes will be deducted plus the cost of the International call. Rates are subject to change without prior notice. Card benefits expire after 180 days of last use or 30 days after your service is suspended, whichever occurs first.
Finding the best phone carrier is a great way to fight back against rising costs. Take your wireless phone business to a different provider, and you could wind up paying less each month, helping you save money on your cell phone bill.
Whether you're thinking of switching to a new provider or you just want to double-check what your current carrier provides relative to the competition, our best phone carrier rankings can help identify the best wireless service for your budget and your needs.
1. Mint Mobile - Best carrier on a budget (opens in new tab)
Mint Mobile is a great carrier to choose if you're after an affordable phone plan. Mint plans include four options, spanning from 4GB to unlimited data at some of the cheapest prices in the US; the carrier also offers discounted rates for family plans. To get the best price, you need to commit to a year of service, but Mint also offers promotions like one that gives you three free months of service when you sign up for a three-month plan.
2. Visible - Best value carrier for unlimited data (opens in new tab)
Visible offers a choice of plans, neither of which will put a dent in your budget. In either case you get unlimited data, whether you pick the $30 Visible or the $45 Visible Plus options. You can save additional money by referring friends and family to the service, with uses Verizon's top-ranked network.
Verizon has fared well when we've tested customer service for phone carriers, and it continues to offer an extensive selection of phones, including Ultra Wideband versions of some phones designed specifically for Verizon's network. If you don't mind paying a little more on your monthly bill, Verizon provides the performance and service to rank as the best phone carrier overall.
As for 5G, T-Mobile's 5G service now reaches more than 325 million people across the country. Of that total, 265 million can access its faster Ultra Capacity 5G service; T-Mobile says it's targeting 300 million at some point this year.
Visible's Party Pay option, which brought additional discounts as you added lines to a plan, is no more, and that's a bummer. But at least you can save $20 on one month of service if you refer new customers to Visible. You can bank up to 12 discounts per year.
The good news is that Mint is aggressive with pricing promotions. As of this writing, the carrier still offers three months of service for free when you sign up for a three-month plan, though that's a limited-time promo.
Speaking of devices, Mint sells both iPhones and Android handsets, at a wide range of prices. You can also bring your current phone to Mint if you prefer. Our Mint Mobile vs. AT&T and Verizon vs. Mint Mobile comparisons offer a closer look at how this discount service compares to bigger phone carriers.
AT&T also has some pretty attractive prepaid options, including a deal that gives you a hefty 16GB of data each month when you prepay for a year of service in advance. That's $300 upfront, and if you can't swing that, there are month-to-month options with generous data allotments.
Metro has a good selection of phones, with around a third of the handsets on sale costing less than $200. You can find additional savings if you port over a phone number when signing up for service with Metro.
Consumer Cellular is a good option for your cell phone service if you don't need a lot of data each month or you don't need unlimited talk minutes. (Or both!) The carrier has small data tiers available at reasonable prices, and you can switch around your data allotment on a monthly basis if you anticipate needing more data.
Because Consumer Cellular offers an additional 5% discount on monthly rates to AARP members, it's become a hit with seniors. The carrier uses both AT&T and T-Mobile for its coverage, so it's likely you'll get good network performance no matter where you are. (And if you buy a recent iPhone or 5G-ready Android phone through the carrier, you can enjoy 5G coverage.) Consumer Cellular does take some criticism for customer service, but it's generally regarded as any easy service for managing your plan and keeping your cell phone costs low.
Boost's unlimited prices compare favorably to what you get from Metro by T-Mobile, though T-Mobile's prepaid service doesn't put caps on music and game streaming like Boost does. The best tiered plan at Boost gives you 5GB of data for $25 a month, with 2GB ($15) and 10GB ($35) options as well.
Boost-owner Dish plans to move into postpaid plans this year through the Dish Wireless service. It's already launched an early-access beta for Boost Infinite, its stripped-down unlimited data plan, which costs $25 per month.
The first thing to consider when determining the best phone carrier for your needs is to figure out who has the best coverage in your area. Concentrate on the places where you spend a lot of time and need cell phone service, such as your home, office and frequent hangouts. Our network performance testing looks at download speeds in select cities, and third-party testing can give you an idea of how networks perform on average. But to truly get a picture of local network coverage, you'll need to ask friends and family about their experience.
If you're comfortable looking beyond one of the major cell phone providers, you can always try a discount carrier. These MVNOs turn to the larger networks to provide cellular service, so be sure to find out which network a discount carrier uses to make sure it's one that provides good service to where you live and work.
One other thing to consider when picking carriers is perks that come included with a monthly streaming service subscription. You'll find more of these with larger carriers, while discount carriers and prepaid cellular service tends to skimp on the extras. Besides streaming services, Popular perks include high-speed hotspot data and the ability to use your plan while traveling overseas.
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