There are only three networks
However many brands you see advertised, in the United States there are three companies that own nationwide mobile networks. Every other provider rents capacity from one of them. That single fact explains most of what follows, including why a $25 plan and a $75 plan can deliver identical signal in your house.
A provider that rents network capacity rather than owning it is called an MVNO — a mobile virtual network operator. Some are owned by the big three themselves; others are independent. They use the same towers, and the coverage map is effectively the same. What differs is price, customer service, and whether your data gets deprioritised when the network is congested.
Coverage is the only thing worth choosing first
Price comparisons are meaningless if the network does not work where you spend your time. Before looking at any plan, work out which of the three networks performs best at your home, your workplace, and your commute between them.
- 1 Ask neighbours and colleagues which network they use and whether it works indoors.
- 2 Check each carrier's published coverage map for your address, then treat it as optimistic.
- 3 Buy a cheap prepaid SIM for a month and test it before committing.
- 4 Once you know which network works, choose the cheapest plan that rides on it.
Coverage maps are modelled rather than measured, and they consistently overstate indoor performance. Brick, foil-backed insulation and basements all matter more than the map suggests. The month-of-testing step sounds tedious and saves people from two-year regrets.
Prepaid, postpaid and the difference that matters
| Prepaid | Postpaid | |
|---|---|---|
| You pay | In advance, each month | In arrears, after use |
| Credit check | No | Usually yes |
| Contract | None — leave any time | Often tied to a phone instalment plan |
| Typical price | Lower for the same data | Higher, with more perks bundled |
| Phone deals | Rare; you usually bring your own | Common, spread over 24–36 months |
| Network priority | Often lower | Usually highest |
| Best for | Anyone comfortable buying their own phone | People who want a new flagship spread over time |
The "free phone" on a postpaid plan is a loan repaid through your monthly bill, usually tied to staying with the carrier for two or three years. That can be genuinely good value, but it is financing, not a gift — and it makes switching costly until it is paid off.
How much data do you actually need?
Most people with home and work Wi-Fi use far less mobile data than they assume. Check your last three bills for actual usage before buying an unlimited plan — the number is usually a surprise.
| Usage pattern | Typical monthly data |
|---|---|
| Messaging, email, maps, light browsing | 2 – 5 GB |
| Social media and music streaming | 5 – 15 GB |
| Regular video streaming on mobile data | 20 – 50 GB |
| Phone as a hotspot for a laptop | 50 GB+ |
| Little or no Wi-Fi at home | 100 GB+ or unlimited |
Where the savings actually are
- Match the plan to real usage, not to the worst month you can imagine.
- Family or multi-line plans cut the per-line price substantially — often by half at four lines.
- Bringing your own phone removes the instalment charge and frees you to switch.
- Autopay discounts are near-universal and typically $5 per line per month.
- Bundling mobile with home internet is genuinely discounted by several providers.
- Check for employer, student, military, first-responder and 55+ pricing — all common, none advertised.
- Perks like streaming subscriptions only count as value if you would have paid for them anyway.
Switching without losing your number
Your number belongs to you, not the carrier, and porting it is a legal right. The process is routine, but the order of operations matters: never cancel the old service first. Cancelling releases the number, and once released it can be difficult or impossible to recover.
-
1
Check your phone is unlocked
Carriers must unlock a device once it is paid off. Ask before you start.
-
2
Get your account number and transfer PIN
From the current carrier — usually in the app. This is what the new carrier needs to pull the number across.
-
3
Sign up with the new carrier and request the port
Give them the number, account number and PIN. Do not cancel anything yet.
-
4
Wait for the port to complete
Usually minutes to a few hours; occasionally a day. Keep the old SIM in place until it does.
-
5
Confirm, then let the old account close
Porting normally closes the old line automatically. Check the final bill for a prorated refund and any remaining device balance.