U.S. Cellular customers think it’s the best. The carrier has won readers’ choice accolades as the top cell phone provider in several of the cities in which it operates.
Why, then, have you maybe never heard of U.S. Cellular?
Probably because the regional carrier operates in only 23 states. And in some of those states, such as Texas, Minnesota and Pennsylvania, U.S. Cellular is available in only a few counties. If you do live in U.S. Cellular’s licensed markets, you can get a cell phone plan with nationwide coverage, a la AT&T or Verizon (thanks to the carrier’s roaming agreements), but your roaming data is capped at 400MB. After that, your speeds will slow significantly. That sacrifice could be worth it if it means having reliable service where you live.
AT A Glance
- Plans start at $45 for 1GB
- Strengths: Strong network in home area, variety of plan options
- Weaknesses: Confusing plan pricing, must live in local coverage area, data slowed when roaming
U.S. Cellular cell phone plans
U.S. Cellular’s plan structure is confusing, at best. The carrier has two main offerings: Shared Connect plans, which are billed as “multidevice” plans and allow up to 10 lines, and Individual Line plans, which are for a single line.
But you can have just a single line on a Shared Connect plan. And the cost difference for one line on a Shared Connect plan versus an Individual Line plan can be significant, depending on whether you sign a contract or pay for your phone in installments, which adds another layer of complexity.
With Shared Connect plans, you pay for the data package plus a “device connection charge.” That charge is $40 per month if you opt for a two-year contract, but drops to $20 per month if you forgo a contract and pay for your phone in installments. And it’s just $15 per month if you choose a plan with 10GB or more of data. Individual Line plans do not have an additional device connection charge (and there is no installment option, only a contract).
U.S. Cellular Individual Line Plans
| Two-Year Contract | |
|---|---|
| 1GB | $60 |
| 2GB | $75 |
U.S. Cellular Shared Connect Plans
| Installment plan | Two-year contract | |
|---|---|---|
| 1GB | $45 | $65 |
| 3GB | $60 | $80 |
| 6GB | $75 | $95 |
| 10GB | $85 | $110 |
| 12GB | $95 | $120 |
| 15GB | $105 | $130 |
| 20GB | $125 | $150 |
| 25GB | $190 | $215 |
| 30GB | $240 | $265 |
| 40GB | $315 | $340 |
| 50GB | $390 | $415 |
| 60GB | $465 | $490 |
| 75GB | $575 | $600 |
The prices listed are for one line and do not include taxes, fees or add-ons like insurance. The installment pricing on Shared Connect plans also does not include your monthly device payments, which can add a lot to your monthly bill, but ultimately save you money.
An iPhone 6S Plus, for example, is $31 per month over 24 months on the installment plan or almost $300 upfront, plus an additional $20 to $25 per month in connection fees, with a contract. So, over two years, you could end up paying as much as $160 more with a contract.
The same is true for the new iPhone SE, which is currently priced at just a penny with a two-year contract, but is $16.50 per month on a 24-month installment plan. And while the penny promo may be enticing, you’d ultimately pay $84 to $204 more over two years on a contract, because of the higher monthly device connection charge.
» COMPARE: Best unlimited data plans
U.S. Cellular family plans
You can make any Shared Connect plan a family plan. Additional lines are $40, $20 or $15 per month, depending on the data package and whether you opt for a two-year contract or an installment plan. You can have up to 10 lines sharing one plan.
U.S. Cellular prepaid plans
U.S. Cellular has four options under its prepaid cell phone plan umbrella. Those options range from a basic option with no data and 500 minutes to a 5GB plan with unlimited talk and text. All of U.S. Cellular’s prepaid group, dubbed Simple Connect plans, are month-to-month plans that operate a lot like traditional cell phone plans: You pay a set fee each month on a specified amount of minutes or data. The main difference? There’s no credit check and no overage charges. Oh, and you need to purchase your phone outright.
- 500 minutes, unlimited text, no data: $30
- 500MB, unlimited talk and text: $35
- 2GB, unlimited talk and text: $45
- 5GB, unlimited talk and text: $60
Current U.S. Cellular deals
U.S. Cellular’s promotions typically require customers to activate a new phone or upgrade their current one. Existing customers may not be eligible for promotions and may also have to switch plans to take advantage of an offer. U.S. Cellular’s deals include:
- Get a $100 prepaid debit card per line when you activate a new smartphone on a Shared Connect plan. A new two-year contract or phone payment plan required.
- Buy a Samsung Galaxy S5 for a penny with a new two-year contract. This offer is available only online.
- U.S. Cellular will pay you to switch, up to $350 per line, depending on your early termination fees. You must turn in your old phone and sign up for a device installment plan or a new two-year contract.
» MORE: 3 steps to finding a cheap cell phone plan
How U.S. Cellular compares on price
| AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | U.S. Cellular | Verizon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB or less | $45 (300MB) | $40 (1GB) | N/A | $45 (1GB) | $50 (1GB) |
| 2-3GB | $55 (2GB) | $50 (3GB) | $50 (2GB) | $60 (3GB) | $65 (3GB) |
| 4-6GB | $75 (5GB) | $65 (6GB) | $65 (6GB) | $75 (6GB) | $80 (6GB) |
| 8-10GB | N/A | N/A | $80 (10GB) | $85 (10GB) | N/A |
| 12-15GB | $115 (15GB, during promotion) | $80 (12GB) | N/A | $95 (12GB) $105 (15GB) |
$100 (12GB) |
| 16-20GB | $155 (20GB) | N/A | N/A | $125 (20GB) | $120 (18GB) |
| 22-25GB | $190 (25GB) | $100 (24GB) | N/A | $190 (25GB) | $140 (20GB) |
| Unlimited | $100 (must have DirecTV or U-verse) | $75 | $95 | N/A | N/A |
How U.S. Cellular compares on features
U.S. Cellular’s plans aren’t exactly feature-rich, when compared with some of its nationwide competitors. Shared Connect plans include data tethering, which allows you to connect your smartphone to a laptop or tablet and use your data package. U.S. Cellular does not offer unlimited music or video streaming, nor does it include unlimited 2G data. So if you exceed your allotted data package, you’ll pay $15 per additional gigabyte.
By comparison, T-Mobile offers unlimited video and music streaming on most of its plans. And both Sprint and T-Mobile offer unlimited 2G data. So if you use up your high-speed package, you aren’t charged overage. Instead, you have to endure significantly slower speeds until your billing cycle resets.
Is U.S. Cellular right for you?
U.S. Cellular’s advantage over other providers is its network. Because the carrier operates only in certain regions, it’s able to cover more remote spots in those areas. That said, if you can get service with another carrier, you might be able to score a cheaper plan with more features.
Kelsey Sheehy is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: ksheehy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @KelseyLSheehy.
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