What to Know When Deciding on Your Wireless Carrier

Each time your mobile phone service contract expires, you’re faced with an important choice: should I keep my current wireless carrier or try a different one? It’s not an easy decision. In this post, we’ll provide information about the four major carriers: Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. You’ll be able to see how these carriers stack up in various categories, as reported by Cell Phone Providers Review.

Pricing

Monthly pricing is likely to be among the most important factors when choosing a wireless carrier. With regard to single-line service with average data use (2GB-3GB), T-Mobile and Sprint were the cheapest at $60 per month, while AT&T was the most expensive at $80 per month. Verizon came in at a monthly cost of $75.

Plan Features

All four carriers offer key features such as Unlimited Talk & Text, Business Plans, International Calling Plans and Early Upgrade Plans. But while T-Mobile and Sprint both offer Phone Payment Plans and Early Termination Assistance, the other two do not. T-Mobile is the only carrier that doesn’t offer subsidized phones. Additionally, T-Mobile only allows a maximum of six phones, while the other carriers allow up to 10 phones.

Device Selection

Each carrier allows you to select from the following mobile devices:

• Android
• iOS
• Windows Phone
• Tablets
• Mobile Hotspots
• Refurbished Phones

However, T-Mobile is the only carrier that doesn’t provide BlackBerry service.

Fees

Verizon and AT&T both charge a $15 data overage fee, while T-Mobile and Sprint throttle data users who exceed predetermined limits. T-Mobile is the only carrier that doesn’t assess an early termination or activation fee.

Coverage & Speed

In terms of coverage area, Verizon earned the top urban and rural coverage score at 100 and 95 percent respectively. Sprint had the lowest urban coverage rating at only 65 percent, while T-Mobile had the lowest rural coverage score of 50 percent. In terms of average 4G speed, T-Mobile was the fastest at 8.3 megabytes per second, while Sprint was the slowest at 4.4 Mbps.

Customer Service

Verizon was rated tops in terms of overall customer service with a stellar 100 percent score. T-Mobile was second at 80 percent, followed by AT&T at 70 percent and Sprint at a paltry 45 percent.

No matter which of these wireless carriers you decide to go with, The Whiz Cells will happily buy your old phones from them all! Contact us today to get started.