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Submission: On February 22 via manual from US — Scanned from JP
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Skip to contentSkip to site index Search & Section Navigation Section Navigation SEARCH Personal Tech SUBSCRIBE FOR $0.50/WEEKLog in Thursday, February 22, 2024 Today’s Paper SUBSCRIBE FOR $0.50/WEEK Personal Tech|We No Longer Need a Big Carrier’s Wireless Plan. Discount Ones Are the Way. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/15/technology/personaltech/we-no-longer-need-a-big-carriers-wireless-plan-discount-ones-are-the-way.html * Share full article * * Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Supported by SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Tech Fix WE NO LONGER NEED A BIG CARRIER’S WIRELESS PLAN. DISCOUNT ONES ARE THE WAY. We are overpaying for phone plans from Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. Budget wireless services, similarly fast and robust, can save thousands. * Share full article * * * Read in app Credit...Derek Abella By Brian X. Chen Before becoming the personal tech columnist for The Times, Brian X. Chen was a beat reporter covering phone carriers. Nov. 15, 2023 Americans have long been conditioned to believe that when they buy a cellphone, the next step is to pick a wireless plan from one of the big carriers: Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile. With their plans ranging from $60 to $200 a month for individuals and families, the price of a phone is soon eclipsed by the recurring service bills. What if I told you that it no longer had to be this way? Your phone bill could shrink to as little as $25 a month if you picked a wireless plan from a lesser-known service provider known as a discount carrier. The cheaper plans, based on my tests, offer sufficiently fast internet speeds and reliable phone service. It takes some courage and technological know-how to make the switch, but the potential savings outweigh the downsides. On the surface, these budget carriers, which include Cricket Wireless, Straight Talk, Boost Mobile, Mint Mobile and Visible, lack a cool factor. They do not operate their own cell networks; instead, they lease wireless services from the big carriers and market them toward retirees. The no-frill plans often have trade-offs, including slower download speeds, since Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile subscribers have priority access to faster network performance. Yet in the past few years, so much has changed that I can now confidently recommend discount phone plans for most people, including white-collar professionals and Instagram-obsessed youths. Here’s why: * Cellular networks have peaked. Newer 5G and 4G cell technology is so fast that even budget carriers can provide very fast download speeds — zippy enough to stream video, load maps and download apps — even if they are somewhat slower than what the Big Three provide. * The shift to hybrid work. Office workers who used to spend more time commuting and had to rely on their cellular network now have their commute time cut in half and are relying more on the Wi-Fi connection at their home or office cubicle for making video calls and sending messages. That means slower cellular performance on a budget carrier may be unnoticeable. * You can try a discount carrier without breaking up with your big carrier. The eSIM, the digital version of the SIM card that carries your phone number, is now common on many modern smartphones. It lets you immediately activate an extra phone line without needing to insert a physical SIM card, which makes experimenting with an off-brand wireless service easier and less intimidating. Once you have converted to a discount phone plan, the savings add up quickly. A family of four buying new iPhones with a Cricket phone plan would spend $3,762 over two years, $1,311 less than they would spend with Verizon, according to an analysis by WalletHub, a personal finance research firm. Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT “The negative perception around budget plans is fading,” Cassandra Happe, an analyst for WalletHub, said. “Now they’re seen as a smart choice for everyone. People are realizing you can get a great phone plan without spending a fortune.” To put discount phone carriers to the test, I activated three services — Visible, Cricket and Straight Talk — on an iPhone. In various locations in California, I ran speed tests, made phone calls and used apps like maps, YouTube and TikTok. For comparisons, I ran the same tests on my Verizon connection. Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like. Brian X. Chen is the lead consumer technology writer for The Times. He reviews products and writes Tech Fix, a column about the social implications of the tech we use. More about Brian X. Chen A version of this article appears in print on Nov. 22, 2023, Section B, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Discount Wireless Plans Catch Up As Worthy Rivals to Big Carriers. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe * Share full article * * * Read in app Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT SITE INDEX SITE INFORMATION NAVIGATION * © 2024 The New York Times Company * NYTCo * Contact Us * Accessibility * Work with us * Advertise * T Brand Studio * Your Ad Choices * Privacy Policy * Terms of Service * Terms of Sale * Site Map * Canada * International * Help * Subscriptions Enjoy unlimited access to all of The Times. See subscription options