T-Mobile is preparing to increase prices for some of the legacy plans. This was first reported a few days ago and the hike is expected to be anywhere from $2 to $5 per line based on the plan. The affected plans are said to be Magenta, Magenta Max, Simple Choice, and T-Mobile ONE plans.

The report has undoubtedly put T-Mobile customers on alert as they look for cheaper cellular plan options. Mobile Virtual Network Operators aka MVNOs become a good option in such a situation. These are small carriers that rely on big networks like T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T to operate. They offer similar coverage while being relatively cheaper at the same time.

If you are looking for the best alternatives to T-Mobile to keep your bills as low as possible, you have come to the right place. Let’s get started.

Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile is one of the best picks for affordable cellular plans. It has different plans to suit your needs for high-speed data and unlimited talk & text. Since it is a T-Mobile-based MVNO, you should not worry about coverage. Its unlimited data plan is currently available at an introductory price of $15 per month for the first three months. You will have to pay $45 upfront and once the offer period expires, the plan will cost you $40 per month. Mint says this monthly plan does not require a contract.

The unlimited data plan offers high-speed 4G LTE and 5G connectivity up to 40GB per month. You will experience lower speeds and video streaming at 480p after the limit. Another thing to note is that the plan has a hotspot data limit of 10GB.

Mint Mobile’s family plans can be activated for 2 to 5 lines. You can pick a separate data plan for each line based on the member’s usage. The family plan does not have data sharing but as it is with the individual plans, you will need to pay for three months upfront.

Visible

Visible is an MVNO powered by Verizon and is a good pick for the Team Red fans. One of its best things is there are no multiple complicated plans to choose from. There are only two plans Visible and Visible Plus priced at $25 and $45 per month respectively. You get unlimited data, text & talk including Canada and Mexico, and mobile hotspot along with Verizon’s 4G LTE and 5G coverage on both plans.

The major difference is Visible Plus offers Verizon 5G Ultra wideband network, smartwatch service, unlimited mobile hotspot at twice the speed of Visible, and One Global Pass day per month. It also offers 50GB of premium data which means no data slowdowns due to prioritization. One important thing to note is that Visible by Verizon has no family plans.

Google Fi

Google Fi is an option for customers looking for versatility in data plans. It has three plans Simply Unlimited, Unlimited Plus, and Flexible. These are priced at $50, $65, and $20 per month respectively for individual users. You will get unlimited data in the US, Canada, and Mexico on Unlimited plans. The data usage is $10/GB with Bill Protection on the Flexible plan.

Data speeds will get slower after 35GB, 50GB, and 15GB respectively on these plans. Hotspot tethering is 5GB/month, unlimited, and $10/GB with Bill Protection respectively. Unlimited Plus offers additional perks like 6 months of YouTube Premium and 100GB of Google One cloud storage.

One major benefit is that Unlimited Plus and Flexible plans data charges remain the same when traveling to any of the supported 200 countries. They also offer free texts and $0.20 per minute calls when traveling abroad.

Google Fi family plans can have lines between 2 and 6. Unlimited plans can cost you as low as $25 and $45 each per month based on the number of lines you add. The Flexible plan goes as low as $16 each per month and $10/GB data.

Cricket Wireless

Cricket Wireless plans are all about caveats but if you prefer AT&T’s 4G LTE and 5G coverage, this one could be the right pick. You can pick from 1GB, 5GB, and 10GB Fixed plans or opt for any of the two Unlimited plans. The Unlimited plan costs $55 per month but if you want Unlimited plan with 15GB mobile hotspot, you will have to shell out $60 per month. This more expensive plan also adds HBO Max with ads and 150GB of cloud storage benefits.

You get Mexico and Canada usage along with unlimited texts from the U.S. to 37 supported countries in both Unlimited plans. The Unlimited plan will cost just $25 per month if you are ready to pay $300 upfront for 12 months. However, it does not include hotspot and HBO Max. The cloud storage access is also limited to 2GB.

Cricket Wireless offers family plan savings with lines between 2 and 5. It will cost you as affordable as $160 and $125 per month for the two Unlimited plans on a 5-line connection. Since each Cricket Wireless plan has some caveat attached, we suggest you check all benefits thoroughly before picking one.

US Mobile

US Mobile has Unlimited Starter and Unlimited Premium plans priced at $29/line and $50/line respectively. You get unlimited data, talk, text, international calling and texting, and 5G mmWave & C-band coverage on both plans. The Starter pack offers 35GB premium data, 10GB hotspot data, and 1GB international data. On the Premium pack, you will get 100GB premium data, 50GB hotspot data, up to 10GB international data, and multi-line subscription perks.

There is an Unlimited Flex plan which can only be subscribed annually. It costs $180 per year, just $15 per month. However, you get only 10GB of premium data, hotspot add-on at an extra $30/year, and no international data. US Mobile also provides shareable data that you can purchase and add to your existing plan. This added data can be used on tablets, modems, and even for hotspot.

Family plan savings are available only on monthly bills with either 2 lines or 3+ lines. Unlimited Start and Premium plans will cost $25/month and $40/month respectively if opted for three or more lines.

Plan comparison overview
Carrier
Price per Line (Monthly)
Data
Hotspot
Coverage
Mint Mobile
$15
Upto 40GB (throttled)
10GB
T-Mobile
Visible
$25
Unlimited
Unlimited
Verizon
Google Fi (Unlimited)
$45
Unlimited
Unlimited (higher speed)
Google Fi (Flexible)
$20
Upto 15GB (throttled)
Bill Protection ($10/GB)
Cricket Wireless (Unlimited)
$55
Unlimited
15GB
AT&T
Cricket Wireless (Basic Unlimited)
$25
Unlimited
No
AT&T
US Mobile (Starter)
$29
35GB
10GB
US Mobile
US Mobile (Premium)
$50
100GB
50GB
US Mobile
US Mobile (Flex)
$15
10GB
Add-on ($30/year)
US Mobile