US Mobile Cell Phone Plans Review

Cheap and functional cell phone plans for every kind of user

US Mobile
US Mobile
4 out of 5 stars
4
  • pro
    Tons of affordable plans
  • pro
    Incredible family plans, deals, and perks
  • pro
    Great coverage
  • con
    Only mutli-line accounts qualify for perks
Easton Smith
May 03, 2024
Icon Time To Read7 min read

There’s been a lot of hype around new discount phone carriers, like Mint and Visible. But it may be US Mobile that’s finally nailed the perfect formula for offering cheap, flexible, and powerful phone plans.

We’re going to go over everything you need to know in this US Mobile review, the good (like cheap prices) and the bad (like limited single-line benefits).

US Mobile cell phone plans

US Mobile’s says the more the merrier when it comes to phone plans.
pro
Pros
pro Super cheap talk and text plans
pro Plenty of affordable data plans
pro Extra savings when you add lines
con
Cons
con Only unlimited plans qualify for multi-line discounts and perks

What we like about US Mobile

Super cheap prices with excellent Verizon coverage

US Mobile is like a talented soul singer: its biggest asset is its range. It has super-cheap (basically free) no-data plans for those who just need to make occasional calls. But it also has multiple unlimited data plans for those who want to stream, scroll, and game all day.

As an MVNO ("mobile virtual network operator"), US Mobile over the Verizon network, giving customers access to the best cellular coverage in the country and fast 4G LTE and 5G speeds. MVNO customers on other brands tend to get lower-quality service, since the brand's primary customers get priority network access. But according to the brand, that's not the case with US Cellular.

"We pay a premium on our rate plans to offer our customers the highest-priority data — that is the exact same prioritization on our partner's most premium plans," a source at US Mobile tells us. "Speeds are the same, priority is the same."

Not everyone needs (or wants) an unlimited plan. Some people still have a landline and just need a cell phone for emergencies. Some kids just need a phone to call their parents for a ride after school. For these people US Mobile has tons of very affordable options.

What is an MVNO carrier?
Light Bulb

US Mobile is what we call a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). These carriers don’t actually build and operate mobile networks. Instead, they rent bandwidth on existing networks (like T-Mobile and Verizon) to give service to their customers.

This arrangement allows MVNOs to offer cheaper prices. The big downside is that their data speeds are usually slower than traditional carriers.

Affordable data plans

US Mobile isn’t a one trick pony. It also offers some amazing deals on data plans. You can see some of its most popular offerings in this chart.

Popular US Mobile data plans

$40 for unlimited talk, text, and “ludicrous data” is a very solid deal. What exactly is “ludicrous data,” you ask? Unfortunately, it’s not some sort of super LTE data or anything. It’s just standard 4G LTE data that goes faster than US Mobile’s other, rather slow data.

Unlike some MVNO carriers, US Mobile gives its customers automatic access to Verizon’s 5G network. This means you could see data speeds faster than your home internet in certain areas. This is a nice little perk, but most people don’t live in a 5G area (yet).

If you don’t need all the data there are tons of other US Mobile plans with 1–18 GB of data.

The $10/mo. plan with unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of data is one of our favorites. It’s perfect for kids because it offers enough data for simple apps and emergencies, but not enough for scrolling through TikTok all day.

Save when you add lines (or refer friends)

We’ll talk about US Mobile’s multi-line family plans a lot more below. But we want to mention it here because it’s a major feature.

Even if you go with an individual phone plan right now, you can add additional lines later to get discounts and perks (like free entertainment subscriptions).

Another way you save a little bit of your hard-earned dough is by referring friends. When they use your referral code to sign up for US Mobile you get $10 in credit! Everyone wins.

What we don’t like about US Mobile

We’re impressed with US Mobile overall, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have our gripes. Here are the things we don’t love so much about the carrier.

Perks restricted to unlimited multi-line accounts

It's worth mentioning that most MVNOs don't offer perks, so US Mobile is ahead of the game by offering them at all. With US Mobile's perks, users get $15 a month to spend on bonuses like TV, music, and gaming subscriptions. The catch? Only multi-line accounts with unlimited plans are eligible for US Mobile perks.

How does US Mobile compare to competitors?

Looking at cell phone plans in a vacuum is not very helpful (how did you end up in a vacuum, anyways?). Here’s a chart showing how US Mobile’s unlimited plan pricing compares to similar plans from other carriers (including Verizon, which runs US Mobile’s network).

US Mobile unlimited data plan price comparison

As you can see, Mint Mobile has a cheaper unlimited data plan. But, there’s some important information in the fine print there, because Mint Mobile’s plan actually only comes with 40 GB of high-speed data (after that the speeds get majorly throttled).

US Mobile is probably a better option for those who want more data. Its Unlimited Premium package includes 100GB of priority data before throttling.

Meanwhile, US Mobile is the same price or cheaper than similar plans from Visible, Xfinity Mobile, and Verizon.

US Mobile family cell phone plans

US Mobile may take the gold medal for best affordable unlimited data family plan
Pros
  • Steep discounts for adding lines
  • Tons of plans to choose from
  • Awesome perks
Cons
  • Must have unlimited plans to qualify for perks

What we like about US Mobile’s family cell phone plans

US Mobile’s single-line plans are nothing to sneeze at, but the company sweetens the deal even more with its family plans. Here’s everything we love about US Mobile’s multi-line offerings.

Incredible deal on unlimited data family plan

When you add lines to any US Mobile plan your price-per-line will go down. But you’ll save the most when you add lines to an unlimited data plan. Once you get up to four lines you’ll pay just $21.25 per line (instead of $40)! Check it out.

US Mobile Unlimited data plan with four lines

This might just be the best family plan deal on the market right now. Especially when you see the extra perks you’ll get …

Get perks when you add extra lines

While we criticized US Mobile for restricting perks to unlimited family plans, the perks are pretty sweet. When you have at least three unlimited lines with US Mobile, you can choose to add a $15 subscription perk for free. 

Some of US Mobile’s subscription perks include the following: Pandora Plus, Audible, Spotify Family, Max, Apple TV+, Disney Plus, Xbox Live Gold, and more.

We’re honestly kind of amazed that US Mobile has opted to offer these perks, considering how cheap the company’s prices are already.

Want to find the best plan for your kids?
Bullhorn

We’ve reviewed the plans with the best parental controls and family plan cost savings in a single place.

How does US Mobile compare to other family plans?

We’re big fans of comparing prices. So here’s a chart showing how US Mobile’s unlimited data plan (with four lines) compares to similar plans from its competitors.

US Mobile unlimited data family plan comparison chart

We don’t have much to say here because those prices speak for themselves: US Mobile is the cheapest by a good $15.

US Mobile Coverage

US Mobile customers will enjoy the best coverage in the country with Verizon

US Mobile doesn’t have its own mobile network. It’s more like a hitchhiker, grabbing a ride in whatever vehicle it can find. Thankfully, it hitched a ride with a huge 18-wheeler called Verizon Wireless, which has the best coverage in the United States.

US Mobile customers will benefit from Verizon’s wide coverage area, especially those who live in Western states, like Arizona and Colorado. They’ll also get on Verizon’s emerging 5G network. You can take a look at the carrier’s coverage map below.

US Mobile coverage map

US Mobile cell phones and devices

US Mobile has the newest phones from Apple, Samsung, and Google

You’re getting a new cell phone plan, so why not get a new cell phone to match? That iPhone 14 is looking pretty good, tbh.

With US Mobile you can buy pretty much any device from a major company, including Apple, Samsung, and Google. This chart will show you the prices on some of US Mobile’s most popular devices.

Popular US Mobile phones

Want to make sure you’re getting the best price?
Money

Deals: you want them, and we’ve got them all in one place. Check out our regularly updated deals page to see which carriers are offering the best prices on new phones, like the Galaxy S21 and the iPhone 13.

US Mobile customer service

Subtitle: is it good, bad, or just ugly?

It’s no secret that cell phone companies tend to struggle when it comes to customer service (you’d think they’d be able to just pick up the darned phone, right?). US Mobile is trying to change that.

The company claims that when you contact their customer service department “the average wait time is under 30 seconds.”1 That’s a pretty bold claim, so we decided to put it to the test.

The first time we called US Mobile we got disconnected and taken straight to the company’s post-call survey, which was weird. But, the second time we called we were talking to a real, live customer support person within 34 seconds. Honestly, we were impressed.

If you want to test US Mobile’s customer support (or you have a legitimate question), you can reach the department at:

  • +1 (878) 205-0088
  • help@usmobile.com

Recap: Is US Mobile right for you?

Are US Mobile’s super-cheap and flexible plans perfect for your budget? Or should you shell out for a plan with more oomph? Hopefully, this little recap will help you decide.

  • Cell phone plans: US Mobile has tons (and tons) of plans that range in price from basically free to $50 a month. There’s something for everyone, and we were impressed by the unlimited data option. The biggest problem is only unlimited plans can get you multi-line discounts or perks.
  • Family cell phone plans: US Mobile’s pricing gets even better when you add extra lines. We think it probably has the best deal on a multi-line unlimited data plan on the market right now (four lines for just $85 a month!).
  • Coverage: US Mobile uses Verizon’s cellular towers, giving you access to a huge 4G LTE network and emerging 5G network. 
  • Customer service: US Mobile makes bold claims about its customer service and it … actually lives up to them! We’re kind of amazed.

That’s it for our US Mobile review. If you like what you’ve seen, you can sign up for US Mobile online and get your SIM card in the mail!

Methodology

For this review we began with a serious study session. We looked at all US Mobile’s plans, price comparison charts from Whistle Out, third-party sources like OpenSignal, and our own proprietary performance data from over 100,000 mobile customers.

All of this information, plus our own hands on experience, helped us analyze US Mobile’s prices, policies, and performance so that we could make helpful recommendations to our readers. We hope you found it helpful! You can always yell at us in the comments if you didn’t.

FAQ

We like to take a little space at the end of our articles to answer some random questions that our readers may have. Let the Q and A begin!

US Mobile uses Verizon Wireless’s network. This is good news (mostly). Verizon has the largest 4G LTE network in the country with the best rural coverage. Meanwhile, Verizon’s data speeds aren’t quite the fastest (T-Mobile’s are) and its 5G network isn’t the biggest, but it’s not far behind.

Sources

  1. Sajid Iqbal, US Mobile, “US Mobile Strives to Offer The Best Wireless Customer Service in the Industry,” March 2, 2016. Accessed November 17, 2021.
Easton Smith
Written by
Easton has worked as a freelance writer and researcher for several years, reviewing health, lifestyle, and technology products. He has probably read more Terms of Use contracts than any human alive. When he’s not sitting in front of a computer, Easton spends his time camping, climbing, and volunteering with humanitarian aid organizations.

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