US Mobile Buyer’s Guide - Android

Most consumers are familiar with the big-name wireless carriers like Verizon and AT&T, but not nearly as many are as well-versed when it comes Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) like Consumer Cellular or FreedomPop.

These MNVO brand operators license the towers and coverage from the tier-one providers and offer their own phones, rate plans, and customer service.

Let’s take a look at one in particular: US Mobile

About

US Mobile is a small MVNO that utilizes T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network and Verizon’s 4G LTE network and is known for letting customers add talk, text and data on the fly, at any time.

The carrier is not shy about its usage of T-Mobile, but it does appear to hide its Verizon component a bit. We’re not sure why.

What are US Mobile rate plans like?

US Mobile touts is affordable packages for subscribers who need wireless coverage but want some flexibility in the talk, text and time used each month.

Customers can pick and choose plans, customizing as they see fit, or choose from a selection of “Unlimited” options. Don’t want or need data? That’s fine.

The Unlimited Plans are as follows:

• $10/mo – Unlimited talk & text
• $12/mo – Unlimited talk, text, and 1GB data
• $15/mo – Unlimited talk, text, and 5GB data
• $20/mo – Unlimited talk, text, and 12GB data
• $25/mo – Unlimited talk, text, and 18GB data
• $30/mo – Unlimited talk, text, and 30GB data

The custom plans come with hotspot capabilities and 250MB of 4G LTE international roaming.

A recent change to the plans sees US Mobile offering a $40 option which includes unlimited talk, text, and data. To be clear, it’s 50GB of high speed data with heavier users potentially seeing reduced speeds after hitting the threshold. Data speeds are considered “Fast” which means up to 5Mbps for video streaming.

For $5 more per month subscribers can get 10GB of mobile hotspot capabilities. For $10 more per month customers can increase data speeds to “Ludicrous” up to 250Mbps, plus the hotspot feature.

Family Plans

US Mobile customers can create multi-line accounts, each of which is basically the $40 plan. Things get cheaper per line as you add them to the mix.

US Mobile phone selection

US Mobile has a small selection of phones to choose from, many of which are a few years old. Moreover, they appear to be fairly expensive, too. We definitely recommend using your existing T-Mobile or Verizon phone if possible.

Bring your own device

US Mobile tends to work better for people who already have a phone that they’d like to use. Whether it’s a T-Mobile or Verizon handset, or something else, you’ll probably have luck using it with US Mobile. According to the carrier, 99% of devices will work with its service.

What else should I know about US Mobile?

US Mobile operates entirely online and does not have any physical retail locations in the US.

For every friend you refer to US Mobile, the carrier will give you both up to $10. They save up to $10 on their first plan and you get up to $10 off your next bill.

You can easily add talk, text, and/or data Top Ups to your current plan to always stay connected. They roll over to next month when you use AutoPay, automatic bill payment.

A US Mobile starter SIM kit can be purchased for $3.99, letting subscribers keep their existing phone number.