Resurrecting this two-year old topic in lieu of starting a new topic:
What experiences have Dopers had switching from major carriers like AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile to sub-carriers/MVNOs like Mint or Cricket?
Is the general service of the budget carriers a good deal at the lower prices they offer? What do you compromise going with a budget carrier over a major carrier?
From the research I’ve done so far … it looks like budget carriers throttle their data speed at lower limits than the big carriers, even with otherwise comparable “unlimited data” plans. And there are apparently network prioritization issues as control-z’s post above describes. Otherwise, plans between the budget carriers and the major carriers seem comparable – especially on the no-frills basic stuff like calling and texting (where “unlimited” is the standard and has been for a while).
Our household is going from 3 to 4 phones as my son is getting a phone for Christmas. The three of us that have phones now … none of use up a ton of data, but my son might. My wife and daughter typically use the home WiFi when surfing on their phones at home – my son might, but he might not if I’m not checking on his use often. None of us view streaming movies or TV on our phones, though will be a lot of YouTube viewing, Instagram, and other sources of video.
If it makes a difference in the calculus – we are not in a rural area, but in a suburban area near New Orleans.
Trying to figure out if we can switch to a budget carrier and not notice a difference in phone usage and quality of experience. Thanks for any info or advice.