Best MVNOs that use T-Mobile's network 2024
Enjoy T-Mobile's network without paying a fortune.
The best MVNOs that use T-Mobile's network are able to provide you outstanding coverage on one of the largest and fastest 5G networks in the United States — but at a much lower cost. With most of its coverage area updated to support 5G, along with the quicker 'Ultra Capacity' 5G coming in to improve speeds and capacity even more, T-Mobile's network is one of the best for a prepaid carrier.
Besides that, T-Mobile's network is compatible with most unlocked phones, so you can bring any of the best Android phones you can buy. Following its acquisition by T-Mobile, Mint Mobile continues to be a standout value, thanks to a simple approach to savings that makes sense to most users, complete with family options that help in keeping multi-month plans accessible.
- MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Google Fi | Tello | US Mobile
At a glance
Best overall
Best overall
Now owned by T-Mobile, Mint Mobile lets you choose from four prepaid plans offering 5GB, 15GB, 20GB, and unlimited data. All plans also come with unlimited talk & text, hotspot usage, Wi-Fi calling, as well as free calls to Mexico and Canada. Although you have to buy service upfront in chunks of 3, 6, or twelve months, you can save quite a lot by doing so.
Best for multi-line discounts
From $30/mo. at Metro by T-Mobile
Best for multi-line-discounts
If you and your family members have all decided to go prepaid, we suggest taking a look at Metro by T-Mobile. It offers three unlimited plans, all of which have multi-line discounts (up to a maximum of five lines). Some other bundled goodies include T-Mobile's 'ScamShield' service for spam protection, and a 1-year subscription to Spanish-language streaming platform ViX.
International
Best international
One of the more unique T-Mobile MVNOs out there, Google Fi offers three plans. Two of these plans are unlimited and they're ideal for frequent international travelers, with features such as free high-speed data usage and calls to over 200 destinations. All plans include hotspot use, multi-line discounts, as well as full connectivity with selected smartwatches.
Best ultra-affordable
Best ultra-affordable
With Tello, you can mix and match things to set up a plan that's right for you. From 1GB to unlimited data, and from a hundred to unlimited minutes, there are a bunch of options available. All plans come with free upgrades/downgrades at any time, Wi-Fi calling, hotspot use, and free calls to more than sixty countries. You can also choose from a few pre-configured plans.
Best for customization
Best for customization
With a wide range of plans — offering 1GB to 100GB of data — US Mobile has something for everyone. All its plans come with unlimited talk and text, and even though there are no multi-line discounts (except on Unlimited Premium), you can share data across lines. Unlimited Premium customers can also pick from more than 10 streaming, gaming services at $15 per month.
Best overall
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
After years of using T-Mobile's network to provide great coverage, Mint Mobile was officially bought by the carrier in March 2023. Almost a year after that, Mint Mobile continues to be great. If you're willing to buy a year of phone service up front, you can get 15GB of data for $20 per month with only one line. You also get hotspot data on every plan. An unlimited plan with 40GB of high-speed data per month is also available if you need more data. This plan is the best choice for heavy data users.
However, Mint's best rates come from its smaller plans, with the 5GB plan coming in as low as $15 per month. The 15GB plan costs only a bit more, starting at $20 per month. You can save quite a bit with Mint Mobile if you're a lighter user.
Still, Mint's best savings mean you'll need to pay for a year of service upfront, which can be daunting, especially if you plan to bring multiple lines. For multi-line customers, Mint Family offers the 12-month rate, but payments are only made every three months. This makes bringing your family to Mint easier, even if you can't afford to pay for a year of service for multiple lines up front.
To learn more, check out our Mint Mobile review.
Best for multi-line-discounts
2. Metro by T-Mobile
Our expert review:
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Metro by T-Mobile has three main unlimited plans, with the cheapest plan including only the basics. You get unlimited data on T-Mobile's network, as well as a 12-month trial of ViX, a Spanish-language video streaming service. The next unlimited plan has 8GB of hotspot data and 100GB of Google One cloud storage as well, and costs $50 per month with autopay enabled. This plan is ideal for heavier users who don't want to worry about how much data they use.
Finally, there's the $60 per month unlimited plan that adds 25GB of hotspot data, as well as unlimited texting to over 210 countries worldwide.
All of the unlimited plans have multi-line discounts for up to a maximum of five lines. There are also a few 'Heritage Plans' available for a limited time, for which you have to contact customer care. These plans cost from $20-60 per month and also include multi-line discounts. Another plan, which costs $30 per month with autopay, comes with 5GB of data.
Best international
3. Google Fi Wireless
Our expert review:
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Google Fi isn't trying to have the lowest prices around, but it keeps things as simple as possible. If you have a flagship device like Google Pixel 8 Pro, Galaxy S24 series, or even one of a few other affordable other Android phones, you can not only get T-Mobile's network, but also intelligent switching to secure Wi-Fi connections whenever they're available and stronger. This unique approach keeps Fi customers connected in most of the country without issues. If you don't have one of these phones, you'll just use the T-Mobile network. 5G is available for both 'Designed for Fi' and 'Compatible with Fi' phones. You also get to travel to over 200 countries without worrying about data prices.
Google Fi's main plan is a flexible plan starting at $20 per month for one line with data but increases by $10 per 1GB until 6GB. After that, the cost freezes at $80 per month with the 'Bill Protection' feature. That said, if your group is blowing through a lot of data, this plan gets expensive quite fast. There are also two unlimited plans — Simply Unlimited and Unlimited Plus — to pick from, priced $50 and $65 per month respectively. Both of these come with unlimited talk, text, and data. Do keep in mind that high-speed data is limited to 35GB on the cheaper plan and 50GB on the pricier plan. The more-expensive plan gets 100GB of Google cloud storage, 1year of free YouTube Premium, as well mobile hotspot and a data-only SIM. This plan also comes with international data included.
To learn more, check out our Google Fi review.
Best ultra-affordable
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Tello is designed in a way that lets you buy as little or as much data as you need. If you are a very light user, it's almost impossible to beat Tello's 1GB plan, which also offers unlimited talk and text for just $9 per month. There are no contracts or fees to worry about either, so there won't be any billing surprises. An unlimited option is available for $25 per month with 35GB of high-speed data, after which speeds are reduced. You can add up to four lines to an account if you want to bring your family, but there are no additional discounts.
Tello is a great option if you have family or friends in Canada, Mexico, or India, since you get free calls to these and over fifty-five other countries. For other countries, you though you'll need to pay by the minute, starting at one cent per minute.
You can bring your own phone as long as it's unlocked and works with the T-Mobile network. You can check your IMEI to be sure. Tello sells a few phones via its website, including refurbished flip phones and cheap smartphones. If you want something a bit higher end, like one of the best Android phones, you'll need to bring it yourself.
To learn more, check out our Tello review.
Best for customization
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
US Mobile has a diverse range of plans with something that will work for just about anyone, starting with just unlimited talk and text and 1GB of data. From there, you can move up to the 10GB plan that's only available as an annual option, as well as two unlimited plans — Unlimited Starter and Unlimited Premium — that offer 35GB and 100GB of premium data at $29 and $50 per month, respectively. Both of these plans include international calling and texting, with the higher plan also offering multi-line subscription benefits. Essentially, you can choose from more than ten streaming and gaming services for $15 per month, if you have 3 lines on the higher unlimited plan.
Another interesting offering by US Mobile is its collection of 'Shareable Data' plans. You can select a specific amount of monthly data to share between any number of devices. The 'pool' of data to be shared also covers one line with unlimited talk and text, at no additional charges. Additional lines can also be added to this plan, at a cost of $8 per month. There's no restriction on the amount of data you can buy to add to the pool for sharing, with data packs being available in capacities of 2GB, 6GB, 12GB, and 30GB.
To learn more, check out our US Mobile review.
How to choose
Save more with the best T-Mobile MVNOs
Why you can trust Android Central
There are a lot of great MVNOs on T-Mobile's networks that offer a diverse range of plans, including everything from just a few minutes of talk time to unlimited data. As such, many of these prepaid carriers are some of the best MVNOs overall. While more and more people are using large amounts of data on their smartphones, the availability of Wi-Fi has continued to grow, allowing many people to get by on a much cheaper plan. If you find you can get by on a small amount of data, there is a plan on most prepaid carriers with a few GBs available for a great price.
Now officially a subsidiary of T-Mobile, Mint Mobile continues to offer plenty of data for most users with pricing that immediately makes sense. Mint Mobile's unlimited plan isn't the biggest but for most customers, its 40GB of high-speed data should be more than enough.
- MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Metro by T-Mobile | Google Fi | Tello | US Mobile
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When Samuel is not writing about networking or 5G at Android Central, he spends most of his time researching computer components and obsessing over what CPU goes into the ultimate Windows 98 computer. It's the Pentium 3.
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