Cell Phone Plan – Do You Have the Right One?

The following is my honest opinion. You will not find any affiliate links, I have not been paid for this article, and I do not receive any commission from any of the companies mentioned.

If you’re a musician like me, you probably have a bit more time on your hands compared to a few months ago. Now, more than ever, would be a great time to evaluate your financial situation. And a great place to start would be with your cell phone plan.

What to Look For in a Cell Phone Plan

When I look at cell phone plans, I find the big differentiators are 1. price and 2. amount of data. On the other hand, things that do not influence my decision are 1. network coverage and 2. bundled extras.

I live in Los Angeles, and I find network coverage claims to be unreliable. All my past carriers have claimed my area had strong coverage. Has that always been the case? Of course not. Who cares if my area is covered if there’s no signal inside my house? Unfortunately, there’s no easy, reliable way to test signal strength beforehand. If it’s up to chance, I’m not going to worry about it too much.

Bundled extras are not free. Plans with lots of bundled extras cost more than bare bones plans. Do they save you money? For the most part no. With the additional cost of the plan, you might as well purchase Hulu or Tidal separately.

Which Cell Phone Carriers are Reliable?

The most reliable are going to be Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint. Then you have the sub-brands that use the same towers and systems. They are Total Wireless (Verizon), Metro (T-Mobile), Boost (T-Mobile), and Cricket (AT&T).

There are others like Republic Wireless or Ting. A quick look at their reviews will tell you any savings will probably not be worth it. The exception is Mint Mobile (T-Mobile). This is the carrier I use and recommend.

What Cell Phone Plans are Available?

Looking at the “value” plans from each carrier:

Verizon Prepaid – $35/mo for 6GB data

T-Mobile Prepaid – $15/mo for 2GB data

AT&T – $50/mo for 3GB data

Sprint Kickstart – $35/mo for unlimited data

Metro – $40/mo for 10GB data

Boost Mobile – $30/mo for 2GB data

Cricket Wireless – $30/mo for 2GB data

Conclusion

Based on the above information, I would probably go with T-Mobile. I would also consider Verizon and Sprint but T-Mobile’s $15 price tag is quite enticing. The only problem is it only includes 2GB of data.

Now, take a look at Mint Mobile. If you prepay for the entire year, you get 3GB of data for $15/month or 8GB for $20/month. Mint Mobile runs on the T-Mobile network. I’ve found it to be just as reliable as any of the other carriers.

My first choice – Mint Mobile.

Second choice – T-Mobile Prepaid.

Third choice – Verizon or Sprint.