When people talk about postpaid nationwide cell phone networks in the U.S. they usually mean the Big Four: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. But there is a fifth company who offers full-service nationwide contract plans that are as good or better than the bigger corporations: U.S. Cellular.
Even though U.S. Cellular is a smaller company, it partners with other providers to offer great coverage nationwide. If you were looking for an alternative to the other carriers or simply want to try something different, U.S. Cellular can be a great option.
Let's have a look at what you need to know.
- Great nationwide coverage
- Reciprocal roaming and rural coverage
- Does it have 5G?
- There are data plans to fit everyone
- Popular phones are supported
A focus on service
U.S. Cellular offers nationwide coverage with great phones and competitive prices. You can choose from unlimited plans with a range of features, so there's a fit for everyone.
Great nationwide coverage
U.S. Cellular offers good voice and LTE coverage in the continental U.S. Coverage maps aren't the best way to gauge service for any one particular area, but they can give a good indication of the overall network footprint. All things considered, this is a strong coverage map and the majority of Americans should be covered.
There is a very good chance that you'll have good U.S. Cellular coverage if you're in the States. As always, make sure you have coverage before signing up.
Reciprocal roaming and rural coverage
U.S. Cellular uses what it calls "4G LTE Data Partner Coverage" for a good chunk of its service area. This means it has an arrangement with another company to use its networks in areas where there's a need. Your U.S. Cellular phone will work seamlessly in these places and you won't even know there's a difference. It also doesn't cost you anything extra when it happens. In addition to agreements with AT&T and Verizon, U.S. Cellular partners with King Street Wireless for deployment of the 700Mhz LTE band in 27 states.
This means U.S. Cellular has the same type of great coverage in rural areas that AT&T and Verizon offer. You can look here for an interactive map that shows where partner coverage is located.
Does it have 5G?
U.S. Cellular continues to show that it means business. The carrier announced that it would begin deploying 5G service to many of its towers in early 2020.
U.S. Cellular is deploying 5G on its low-band 600Mhz spectrum. While 5G at this lower frequency won't be able to hit some of the fast speeds seen on high-band 5G deployments, it should be a significant improvement over 4G LTE. U.S. Cellular is pulling this off by upgrading its towers to support both 4G LTE and 5G on the same equipment. This allows the carrier time to get the fiber backhaul updated, which allows for better speed and consistency on LTE as well.
There are data plans to fit everyone
U.S. Cellular has moved its postpaid plans to an unlimited format, with features such as HD streaming and hotspot data to separate them. The top two unlimited plans also have a feature called Payback which credits your account if you use less than 3GB per month.
Unlimited Plans
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Basic | Everyday | Even Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited talk and text | yes | yes | yes |
| Video quality | 480p | 720p | 1080p |
| Mexico/Canada roaming | none | 500MB100 minutes100 texts | 1GB200 minutes200 texts |
| Payback (under 3GB) | none | $5 | $10 |
| Hotspot | none | 15GB | 30GB |
| Priority dara | none | 25GB | 50GB |
| Free redbox rental | none | 1 per month | 2 per month |
| 1 line | $55/line | $65/line | $75/line |
| 2 lines | $52.50/line | $62.50/line | $72.50/line |
| 3 lines | $38.33/line | $48.33/line | 58.33/line |
| 4 lines | #30/line | $40/line | $50/line |
All plans come with unlimited talk and text messaging, have no extra monthly connection fees, and there is no activation fee or ETF for service cancelation.
Prepaid plans
| Header Cell - Column 0 | 5GB | Unlimited | Pay-As-You-Go-Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data | 5GB | Unlimited | $0.03/MB |
| Talk and text | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited |
Unlimited talk and text to Mexico can be added for $5 per month. There is also a multi-line discount of $10 per additional line.
U.S. Cellular also offers corporate plans, data-only device plans, and complete business solutions that include automation and asset management in addition to communications.
Popular phones are supported
Like most carriers, you can purchase a wide variety of phones, including high-end devices like the Pixel 4 and Galaxy Note 10. You can see all available phones on U.S. Cellular's website.
You can also bring an unlocked phone. You can double check that it's compatible with U.S. Mobile by using the compatibility checker.
Best U.S. Cellular phones
When all is said and done, the most important factor when you're looking for phone service is the coverage. U.S. Cellular looks good there thanks to both the native network and the partner programs. The company also has a good reputation and has won numerous awards for customer service and community outreach. We think you should give it a look the next time you're shopping for a new phone company, especially if you're done with the Big Four.
A focus on service
U.S. Cellular offers nationwide coverage with great phones and competitive prices. Unlimited plans with a range of features ensures a fit for everyone.
