Best MVNOs that use T-Mobile's network 2026

Two smartphones next to a Mint Mobile SIM card. One smartphone has its SIM tray open with another SIM card next to it.
(Image credit: Samuel Contreras / Android Central)

Signing up with one of the best MVNOs that use T-Mobile's network allows you to benefit from reliable and consistent wireless coverage throughout the United States, that too at (fairly) affordable prices. With its nationwide high-speed 5G and the even faster 'Ultra-Capacity' 5G network easily among the best in the country, it's no wonder T-Mobile is the preferred choice for some of the best MVNO carriers to base their services on. You also get incredible smart device compatibility, which means just about any of the best unlocked phones will work flawlessly.

There are quite a few alternative prepaid carriers out there, but Mint Mobile still remains our top overall choice as far as MVNOs based on T-Mobile's network are concerned. It's fully owned and operated by T-Mobile and lets you save money by offering service in chunks of multiple months for which you're required to pay in advance. You can also take a look at Metro by T-Mobile for better multi-line discounts, or Google Fi Wireless if you travel overseas quite a lot, and there are many other alternatives as well.

At a glance

Side-by-side look

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Category

Mint Mobile

Metro by T-Mobile

Google Fi Wireless

Tello

US Mobile

1 line (2GB or higher)

$15/m (5GB/m)

$40/m

$35/m (30GB)

$10/m (2GB)

$10/m (2GB)

4 lines (5GB or higher)

$60/m (5GB/m)

$100/m

$90/m (30GB)

$56/m (5GB)

$39/m (5GB)

Unlimited data

Yes, select plans

Yes

Yes, at slower speeds

Yes, at slower speeds

Yes, select plans

Smartwatch/tablet lines

No

Yes

Yes, select plans for tablets

No

Select plans for smartwatches

Perks

Free mobile hotspot, Free calling to Mexico, Canada & the UK, Save with longer service commitment

5-year price guarantee, T-Mobile Tuesdays, ScamShield, Hotspot data, Google One storage, unlimited international texting, Amazon Prime included

VPN by Google, advanced spam blocking, Google One storage, YouTube Premium on us, account security

Free international calling to over 60 countries, free roaming with Wi-Fi calling

Free Network Transfer, international calling/texting

International roaming

With International Pass

With add-on

With select plans

Pay as you go

With select plans or add-on

Best overall

mint mobile website on phone

(Image credit: Rajat Sharma / Android Central)
Best overall

Reasons to buy

+
Save with longer service commitment
+
Easily upgrades mid-cycle
+
Free calls to Mexico, Canada, and the UK
+
Mint Family improves family savings

Reasons to avoid

-
Video streaming limited to SD resolution
-
Only the highest plan has dedicated hotspot data

Having used T-Mobile's network for many years to provide reliable coverage, Mint Mobile is now completely owned and operated by the 'Un-carrier' and continues to be a top-tier pick. If you're willing to buy up to a year of phone service upfront, you can get 15GB of monthly data for as little as $20 per month with a single line. Apart from that, you get hotspot usage with every plan. The unlimited plan now comes with no data caps (although speeds are still reduced if you use more than 50GB in a month) and is ideal if you find yourself running out of data quite often. This plan is perfect for data-heavy users.

However, Mint Mobile's best rates come via its smaller plans, with the starter 5GB option coming in as low as $15 per month. The 15GB plan costs just a bit more, at a starting price of $20 per month. Then there's the 20GB plan, which starts at $25 per month. Thus, you can save a lot with Mint Mobile as a light user. Note that all these prices are before any limited-time discounts and regular promotions, that allow you to save even more.

Still, Mint's Mobile's best savings require you to pay for an entire year of service in advance, which can be daunting, especially if you plan on bringing multiple lines. For multi-line customers, Mint Family offers 12-month pricing, but payments are only required every three months. This makes bringing your family members or friends to the carrier easier, even if you can't afford to pay for a year of service for multiple lines in one go.

To learn more, check out our Mint Mobile review.

Best for multi-line discounts

Metro by T-Mobile web page on a phone

(Image credit: Samuel Contreras / Android Central)

2. Metro by T-Mobile

Best for multi-line discounts

Reasons to buy

+
Full T-Mobile network with roaming access
+
Price guarantee for five years
+
Good range of plans with autopay discounts
+
Multi-line savings and extra perks

Reasons to avoid

-
Relatively expensive for one line
-
No hotspot with base plans

Metro by T-Mobile has a trio of primary unlimited plans, with the base plan being available only online at a price of $40 per month. Then you have the next $50 per month unlimited plan having unlimited data on T-Mobile's network, along with 8GB hotspot data, as well as scam call protection. Furthermore, you get 100GB cloud storage via Google One, phone upgrades, and more. It's perfect for heavier users who don't want to worry about how much data they use.

Lastly, there's the $60 per month (after autopay discount) plan with 25GB hotspot data, all other benefits of the cheaper plan detailed above, along with unlimited texting to more than 210 countries and destinations across the world. With this plan, you also get Amazon Prime, HD quality streaming, and some other perks. You can also get the base plans at an effective price of just $20, provided you sign up for six months in advance. You can also get a few affordable plans if you bring your own phone. If All plans come are backed by a five-year price guarantee, and you can also avail multi-line discounts for up to four lines. All of the prices include relevant taxes and fees.

Best international perks

Google Fi Sim on map

(Image credit: Samuel Contreras / Android Central)

3. Google Fi Wireless

Best international perks

Reasons to buy

+
Network switching with selected phones
+
Free roaming data in more than 200 countries
+
Flexible or unlimited options
+
Hotspot usage available with almost every plan

Reasons to avoid

-
Quite expensive for high data usage
-
'Bill Protection' isn't available with all plans

Google Fi Wireless doesn't try to have the lowest prices around; instead, it keeps the focus on making things simple and easy. If you have a top-tier device such as the Google Pixel 10 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, or even one of the several affordable Android phones, you can not only get T-Mobile's network coverage but enjoy intelligent switching to secure Wi-Fi connections if they're available. This is a unique approach that lets Google Fi Wireless consumers stay connected across most of the United States with little to no effort. Even if you don't have one of the smartphones needed for this feature, you'll still be connected through T-Mobile's network anyway. 5G access is available for both 'Designed for Fi' and 'Compatible with Fi' phones, and you even get to travel to over 200 international destinations without having to worry about data prices.

Among Google Fi Wireless's refreshed plans is the 'Flexible' plan, which costs $20 per month for one line. For every 1GB used, you have to pay $10 until you hit 6GB. After that, the cost freezes at $80 per month with the 'Bill Protection' feature. Do note that the total cost and data consumption will vary based on the number of lines on the plan. Then there's the 'Unlimited Essentials' plan, which costs $35 per month and offers 30GB high-speed data, but not many international features. If you need those, you'll need to sign up for either the 'Unlimited Standard' or the 'Unlimited Premium' option. The 'Unlimited Standard' plan costs $50 per month and offers 50GB premium data, 25GB high-speed mobile hotspot data, as well as usage in Mexico and Canada. Lastly, the 'Unlimited Premium' plan costs $65 per month and includes 100GB premium data, 50GB high-speed mobile hotspot data, and free international calls to more than 50 destinations. You also get 50GB roaming data in more than 200 countries, as well as 100GB free cloud storage via Google One and six months of YouTube Premium.

To learn more, check out our detailed Google Fi overview.

Best ultra-affordable

tello homepage on smartphone browser lifestyle image

(Image credit: Rajat Sharma / Android Central)
Best ultra-affordable

Reasons to buy

+
Incredible prices on small pre-configured plans
+
Good customization as required
+
Shared or 10GB dedicated mobile hotspot data usage
+
Free calls to more than 60 countries

Reasons to avoid

-
No discounts on family plans
-
Unlimited plan comes with a speed limit after 50GB usage

Tello is designed in a way so that you can configure the plan to have just the right amount of data and/or talk time minutes as you need. If you're a very light user, it is almost impossible to beat Tello's 2GB 'Starter' plan, which bundles in unlimited talk and text for just $10 per month. There are no fees or contracts either, so you won't be getting any billing surprises. A fully unlimited 'Max' option costs a mere $25 per month and packs in 50GB high-speed data, along with 10GB dedicated mobile hotspot data. You can set up to four lines with an account if you want to bring over friends or family members, but there are no additional discounts. You also have a nice selection of pre-configured plans to choose from, including the two picks detailed above.

Tello is a great option if you have family or friends in Canada, Mexico, or India, as you get free calls to these three and more than 60 other countries. For the other destinations, you'll need to pay by the minute, with the prices being lower than one cent per minute.

You can bring in your own phone as well, as long as it's unlocked and compatible with the T-Mobile network. You can check your device's IMEI number to be sure. Tello sells a few phones through its website, including refurbished flip phones as well as affordable smartphones. If you want something a bit more high-end, such as one of the best Android phones, you'll need to buy one yourself.

To learn more, read our Tello review.

Best for customization

US Mobile SIM cards

(Image credit: Android Central)
Best for customization

Reasons to buy

+
Lots of high-speed premium data
+
International calling and texting benefits
+
Flexible shareable data plans
+
All prices are inclusive of taxes and fees

Reasons to avoid

-
Subscription perks need at least three lines
-
Starter plan only available as an annual pick

US Mobile has a trio of unlimited plans and some basic options, so you'll be able to find something that suits your requirements and budget. The starter plan has unlimited talk and text, and 2GB high-speed data at a mere $10 per month. From there, you can move up to the 10GB 'Unlimited Flex' plan that's only available as an annual option, as well as two unlimited plans. These are usually priced at $25 per month ('Unlimited Starter') and $44 per month ('Unlimited Premium'), even though there are almost always some promotional discounts available. The top-tier plan also packs in multi-line subscription benefits. It allows you to have over ten streaming and gaming services (e.g., Audible, Hulu, and Xbox Game Pass) as you get up to $15 per month for a service of your choice, provided you sign up for at least three lines on the highest plan.

Another interesting offering by US Mobile are its 'By the Gig' plans, which let you have a specific amount of monthly data that can be shared 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 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, 5GB, 10GB, and 20GB.

To learn more, take a look at our US Mobile review.

How to choose

Save on wireless service with the best T-Mobile MVNOs out there

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mint mobile mascot fullscreen on phone

(Image credit: Rajat Sharma / Android Central)

There are many great MVNOs using T-Mobile's network that offer a wide range of plans, with everything from just a few minutes of talk time to fully unlimited data thrown into the mix. As such, many of these prepaid carriers are also some of the best MVNOs overall. While more and more wireless consumers are using up large amounts of data via their smartphones these days, availability of Wi-Fi continues to get better too, allowing many users to get by with cheaper plans. If you don't require lots of data, there's a certainly a plan available with most prepaid carriers having just a few GBs of data, at a fantastic price.

Now a subsidiary of T-Mobile, Mint Mobile continues to offer lots of data for most users with a pricing structure that immediately makes quite a lot of sense. Mint Mobile's unlimited plan isn't the most feature-laden but for most customers, it's going to be more than enough. Then there's Metro by T-Mobile, which offers a variety of plans having multi-line discounts, bundled subscription services, and a lot more.

Samuel Contreras

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.

With contributions from