T-Mobile vs AT&T: Plan Comparison January 2020

Low-cost carriers are perfect for anyone that is looking to save money on their cell phone plan, without compromising on coverage. Whether you're a family, senior, student, cord cutter, business owner or just a savvy consumer, there's a customized plan suitable for everyone.

The reason these plans are so cheap is because the carriers are online only, which eliminates the majority of the costs that the big 4 have to cover. So you're only paying for cell phone service and not for shops with staff on every street corner and expensive marketing campaigns!

However, you'll still receive the same level of coverage that you're used to from the big 4 because the low-cost carriers use their networks.

Switching to a low-cost carrier is smart, quick and simple. You don't have to buy a new phone, since you can bring your device to the new carrier. You can keep your old number. All you need to do is order a SIM card and once you have that, you can switch your phone service in as little as 2-3 minutes.

All low-cost carriers use at least one of the big 4 networks (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint). So you will receive the same the network coverage as you would expect from signing up with the big 4 directly, just without the big prices!

• Verizon Network: US Mobile, Twigby, Pix Wireless, Red Pocket
• T-Mobile Network: US Mobile, Mint Mobile, Red Pocket, Ting
• Sprint Network: Tello, Twigby, Ting, Red Pocket
• AT&T Network: Red Pocket

Yes! It's easy to port your existing phone number during the activation process.

Yes! Almost all unlocked phones that have a SIM card slot will work with a low-cost carrier. If your phone is locked to a carrier you will need to contact your existing carrier to get it unlocked.

AT&T and T-Mobile devices are generally GSM devices and Verizon and Sprint are generally CDMA devices. It is recommended that if you plan to bring your device to the new carrier, that you choose a carrier that operates on the same network. Although some devices, like newer iPhones are compatible with all networks, as they support both GSM and CDMA.

You can check your devices compatibility on the carrier website before you signup.

No. All low-cost carriers work on a prepaid month to month basis, meaning there is no commitment and you can switch carriers as often as you like. As the plans are prepaid, these low-cost carriers do not run a credit check.

Yes! Some MVNO's such as US Mobile and Ultra Mobile offer unlimited data, talk & text plans. However, it's worth noting that the average data usage an unlimited data plan user is only 3-5GB. So be sure to only pay for data that you need.

Yes, many low-cost carriers of cheap plans for tablet or hotspot devices, you can see our comparison here:

The networks available with each carrier various and is listed within our comparison tables.

The plans are already extremely so family plans as less common but some carriers do offer further discounts for multiple lines.

These a prepaid plans, not contract plans, which means that you pay for 30 days when your plan starts, not afterwards. If you run low on data, talk or text you can recharge your balance with Top Ups. You can also switch on AutoPay to ensure you automatically renew your plan every 30 days.

No. Each plan is for one line. And every device needs it's own line.

Yes, most low-carriers allow you to do this but it may depend on the plan you select, so you will need to check on the carriers website.

Yes, some carriers include calls to international countries. It depends on the carrier you choose but this information can be found on their website before you sign up.

Most low-cost carriers offer a full refund within 7-14 days if you are not satisfied with the service. It depends on the carrier, so be sure to check this on their website.