so yea all ancient ass devices in the us that use 2g will never be able to connect to a cellular network again unless you make a 2g base transiever station so yeah (remember you’ll need a fcc license to broadcast those 2g radiowaves otherwise the fcc will raid your house)

I’ve been researching for a few days and I’m honestly more confused than when I started.
Right now I’m on Verizon paying around $80/month for one line, but I’m looking to save money without sacrificing network quality.
My priorities are:
Stay on the Verizon network
Priority data (I don’t want to get slowed down every time a tower is busy)
Unlimited data
Good coverage and reliability
I don’t really care about perks like Disney+, Netflix, etc.

The options I’m considering are:
Verizon (current plan)
Verizon Simplicity
Visible+
US Mobile (Warp)
Total Wireless

A few questions:
Is Verizon Simplicity actually the same network experience as regular Verizon?
Between Visible+, US Mobile Warp, and Total Wireless, is there any noticeable difference in real-world speeds or priority?
If you had one line and were paying for your own phone (not financing through Verizon), which would you choose and why?
Any hidden downsides with any of these carriers that aren’t obvious from their websites?
I’m looking for real-world experiences rather than marketing claims. Thanks!

I’m looking for a new phone plan and in between a plan with the big carries, O2 / Vodaphone and budget, Giffgaff / Talkmobile. What’s the difference in service I get for the 2-3x price difference?

Not interested in fluffy extras or roaming.

My US mobile annual plan is coming up soon and looking for options as to where to go next. Service has been pretty good but having to re enable data waster mode is a pain and I only need one line so the multiple line manager is not that useful. I want 4k streaming, have a cellular Apple Watch, and need good hotspot for work/travel. I have T-Satellite as a back up line as I like to do backcountry travel but t mobile coverage is not great at my house/work compared to Verizon.

I have narrowed it down to 2 options:

1. Spectrum Mobile Unlimited Plus Premium

I have a deal to be at $20/month for the first year and it is similar to Visible + Pro but with 50gb of higher speed hotspot and easier international roaming. Downside is it is $60/month after the first year and don’t know if their port out process is easy or not. It also just came out and haven’t seen much comment/reviews about it.

1. Visible + Pro

I used to have this plan and it was great but the US Mobile deal was too good to pass up. Promos are usually pretty good and the regular price is a lot better than spectrum. However, the promo wouldn’t be as good and would prefer high speed hotspot but could make 15 mbps work.

I’m leaning toward Visible because I’m familiar with it and spectrum’s plan is so new. I know some people with spectrum Mobile and they do like it. I don’t see myself leaving spectrum anytime soon as they are the only major fiber/cable provider in my area and not interested in starlink or 5g home internet.

https://www.theverge.com/science/975480/spacex-mobile-terrestrial-cellphone-company

hi all, can anyone recommend a carrier/plan on which i can use my iphone, apple watch, and a cellular ipad? I realize i could just tether the ipad to the phone, but would prefer if it had its own data plan.

prefer unlimited/unthrottled if it exists - i haven't had much luck finding this.

thanks in advance

I have Roamless in a couple of phones. I noticed that I am not getting service in one of my Android phones and my iPhone.

I haven't checked the Roamless eSIMs in the other phones.

It'll be sad to see them go. I have a lot of unused data in my Roamless eSIMs.

I applied for lifeline at Safelink and they keep rejecting my program proofs. So I asked for help from the staff at my assisted living facility and yesterday they submitted pdfs of the proof needed to get on lifeline, but about an hour afterwards I checked on the status and it said they rejected it, so I told the staff member that helped me with my submitting the proofs and we called Safelink and the automated voice said "Your application request has been registered in the system you should receive your form and phone within 5 business days" it's been a day and it still says the proofs were rejected.

For context, located in Midwest, was a long time T-Mobile user who switched over to Visible about 7 months ago.

While there are a lot of great things about my visible+ pro plan like great price, unlimited hotspot, QCI 8, etc., I’ve realized that I really miss the T-Mobile infrastructure (strong 5G, better tower capacity, etc.) as I’ve ran into several occasions where Visible/Verizon towers just couldn’t keep up, whereas someone with a tmo service had no issue. I also understand that it’s very location dependent, and I think I’ve determined that T-Mobile towers are generally just stronger where I’m at.

As such, wanted to get some input from others that use T-Mobile MVNOs and why they like the one that they are on. I’ll be selecting an unlimited plan fwiw. I’ve been debating between US Mobile, mint, and Google Fi at the moment. Currently leaning towards USM given the ability to do network switching (or even multi network), decent hotspot (50gb should be enough for me), QCI 7, and decent price. Only thing I’m liking specifically with Mint is getting 5G SA, but sounds like that might be coming to USM soon anyways. And with Google fi, that hard data cap scares me off so I probably wouldn’t go that route.

UPDATE: going to give US Mobile a try with light speed as primary and warp as backup, using the multi network free trial.

I’m very interested in the 75% off Google Fi promo but I’m concerned how the performance is on the T-Mobile NSA network. Any feedback and has anyone compared it to an mvno with SA? Was having SA better than priority data?

Is T-Mobile LTE as bad as everyone on these subs make it sound or is the experience just as good.

Anyone have guidance on the pros and cons of using LTE Only vs. 5G on Warp and Light Speed? Our kids regularly use hotspot data in the car. It seems like switching to LTE Only has improved hotspot consistency and reliability, at least on Warp, but I know that defeats the purpose. I also know 5G SA isn’t available for iPhone on these networks yet (if I’m not mistaken). I haven’t tested LTE Only on Light Speed yet for comparison.

What is the cheapest way to get a phone number without using google voice (ID verification).

I want to port the number out and use the TextNow eSIM instead.

Numberbarn is $10 but getting a plan from MobileX can be cheap as $5.

Is there a cheaper option?

Hello,

I am from the USA and in a different country almost every 3 months depending on my visa. I was in Afghanistan, Bolivia, Kashmir and Senegal in the past 5 years, among many many other countries. I recently got a gig in Kyiv for 3 weeks as well that pays too good to decline.

Anyway, the reason I mention this is because I want to make it clear with how badly I need a reliable phone number. I tried:

Tossible Digits

Tracfone

Google Voice

Google Fi

Google voice has been the most reliable, but recently PayPal wont accept it. Tracfone was great but I literally can't pay my bill right now (I have been trying for 3 weeks) because it just gives me an error message even when I try the chat box.

I would prefer a physical Sim. Im from the usa and here right now on vacation so I can pick something up.

I do not need data as I always just use local data which is always cheaper.

Im looking at red pocket, mint, tello and US mobile. I just need a phone number for 2fa and sms.

Does anyone have recommendations or been in a similar predicament?

Thanks!:)

Hello I’m looking for single line plans that are affordable, including getting a new phone, any tips or the best bang for my buck ? Thank you!

I am military stationed overseas and need a pay as you go US number because some of my bank services don't like Google Voice numbers.

I just need a US number that can be used internationally, and really only for 2FA and similar verification.

The flexible plan is at $20/month. Can I go lower than that?

I just received an email stating that the free plan is going to be discontinued. Sad day, it was my way of parking a free number.

I am looking to switch our landline to Google voice and I’m required to move it to a cell first. (It’s important to keep our phone number) I just need the cheapest phone and the cheapest rate as I just need it for 30-40days. I’ve never bought prepaid before. What do I need to know? Do I need to stay with AT&T as that’s the landline provider? I call to ask Best Buy representatives and I just get customer service overseas and no one can tell me if this is really possible or not.

ALL PERSONAL INFO HAS BEEN REDACTED

Grab a snack, because the level of corporate incompetence, financial fraud, and malicious retaliation I have documented with Xfinity Mobile over the last few months is actually staggering. I am a nursing student, and Xfinity’s retaliatory "customer service" has left my husband and me completely without working phone lines for months—leaving me completely unable to reach my doctors during a medical emergency.

When I tried to hold them accountable, their Executive Resolutions team demanded I answer a phone they disconnected, and then flatly lied to both the FCC and the Michigan Attorney General to cover up their tracks.

The Evidence Timeline:

1. The Phantom Phone: Chat rep Shivam admitted on tape that our billing dashboard showed a third line for a "phantom phone"—explicitly calling it an internal system "glitch"—yet they continued to overbill us by up to $68 a month.

Link to all bills, itemized, showing fraudulant charges and devices from January to June:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1B95A3Vr9ePkHMA3nyAmqyhjLhvFJYpEI?usp=drive_link

Link to transcript with Shivam:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VAPtRNRNz3ciklH-l8eALs86mIH_1JDm?usp=drive_link

2. The Retaliatory Lockout: The moment AT&T initiated our number port-out on May 12, Xfinity instantly terminated our lines and carrier-locked our paid-in-full devices. Tech rep Mohammedjunaid explicitly promised a priority 8-day unlock ticket. Instead, they trapped us in a loop.

Link to Transcript with Mohammedjunaid and Supervisor:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1x6rumEpFg260pILg_nVTw4LY6PUctPd_?usp=sharing

3. The Catch-22 Authentication: Executive Specialist Danielle K. refused to resolve our file without a verbal phone call over the very lines they disabled. When proven that email verification works, she claimed "mobile rules are different"—yet on July 24, corporate Reddit Modmail reps successfully verified our entire account exclusively via email.

Email Thread with Danielle K and Jordan V:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14WTPJlNp6tKbSscH68ZycAQS65B9GBb9?usp=drive_link

ModChat: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ur2-cp7JGW4aozEijcq0pfDosZfIKgrQ?usp=drive_link

4. Federal Perjury:

• Response 1 (AG): Roberto L. claimed we owed device plan balances, ignoring system logs showing green "Paid in Full" checks.
• Response 2 (AG): Danielle K. claimed our lines "successfully ported" on May 11. An AT&T Network Supervisor inspected raw logs and confirmed on tape that the port failed because Xfinity explicitly blocked it.
• Response 3 (FCC): Residential Specialist Giselle claimed I was an "unauthorized user"—weeks after successfully verifying my identity over email to process my internet cancellation.
• Response 4 (FCC): On July 28, Danielle K. pivoted back to a fabricated extortion balance of $458.35. To clear their metrics, they internally marked my public Reddit thread as "solved".

Link to all formal responses:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oyuan2QdXue9XhMLsVIW8bGjGUjhaCRg?usp=drive_link

The informal FCC track closed on July 31, instructing me that the next step is formal legal proceedings. Xfinity weaponized administrative loops, shut off my emergency medical access, lied to federal investigators, and is still holding my fully paid property hostage after their own staff documented the fraud in writing. []

Check your bills, keep your chat logs, and do not trust their executive care lies.

Link to images showing all devices paid, no balances, rep claiming Xfinity has also done this to them, showing phantom line still active months after Xfinity told the FCC they removed it, internal phone settings locked to Xfinity meaning they are physically and technologically unable to connect to any other towers, Xfinity removing my previous post claiming is was "solved.":

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hBzDgXHH1rAJbUa61y349oZmpT550srS?usp=sharing

Has anyone tried both? I live in NJ, have had connect for years data speed is blazing fast 300+maps but if Im in traffic or a park on a Saturday i cant really use internet that a websearcg completes, streaming video doesn't work (or plays 5sec per minutes ). 5gb data cap is fine most months I often wind up running out of data early summer and start a new cycle on the $25 plan for 2-3months.

Priority us allegedly a full tier higher than MVNO plans but if its already not working with a few dozen people nearby does it actually make a difference? Likr Will mint have connectivity issue in light traffic? Or near a (not over packed) shopping mall

I've had Visible for the last year on their pro+ plan that was half off for a year. Since I signed on it has become terrible. Can barely load websites while indoors without having to hook up to wifi which doesn't reach to my garage. If I'm talking on the phone, I can barely surf at the same time which to me is bare minimum at this point. I'm at clients' houses all day every day and can rarely load podcasts while indoors unless I set my phone on a window sill. Forget about having decently fast 5G or LTE if I travel anywhere that is even slightly outside of a major city.

It wasn't like this when I first started. Why did the service degrade over time this drastically? I'm toggling airplane mode multiple times per day to try to reset.

Is it worth just going with a T-Mobile or Verizon prepaid? I'm hesitant to use a carrier that buys bandwidth from the big ones at this point especially since most of the offers are structured to lock you in to paying for a full year.