Best Verizon MVNO of 2024: our top picks
Enjoy Verizon's extensive network while also saving some cash.
With one of the best Verizon MVNO carriers, you can enjoy the extensive coverage afforded by Verizon's nationwide network without having to shell out a fortune for Big Red's main cell phone plans. These MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) essentially 'lease' network infrastructure from one (or more) mainstream service providers, which allows them to offer their services at extremely competitive prices. Even better, there are no contracts involved with these prepaid wireless carriers, so you're free to cancel the service and switch over to an alternative service provider whenever you feel like.
Of course, these affordable cell phone plans do come with some trade-offs. When you're with an MVNO carrier, your data speeds may get deprioritized if there's a lot of network congestion. Apart from that, the plans offered by prepaid service providers usually don't come with extras such as streaming services or multi-line discounts. However, if you don't care about all that and just want solid coverage and reliable data access—on Verizon's network—you've come to the right place.
Among all the available options, Visible stands tall as the best overall Verizon MVNO. It offers just two well-rounded plans for you to choose from, with each having unlimited talk, text, and data (with 5G support), mobile hotspot usage, and a whole lot more. Visible is fully owned and operated by Verizon, so you can be assured of great service. Then there's US Mobile, which uses the network infrastructure of not just Verizon, but also its two competitors. US Mobile offers three unlimited plans, of which one is available only as an annual option. There's also a lightweight plan ideal for basic use cases, as well as the option to buy chunks of data that can be shared across multiple devices.
- MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Visible | Boost | Tello | Cricket Wireless
At a glance
Best overall
Best overall
Visible keeps things simple by offering just two plans, with each including unlimited talk, text, and data, automatic blocking of spam and robocalls, and unlimited hotspot usage at 5/10Mbps. The higher plan gives you access to super-fast Ultra-Wideband 5G too.
Best perks
Best perks
From a basic plan having 2GB of data to a fully-loaded offering with 100GB of premium data, US Mobile has something for the needs of everyone. Its unlimited plans also include international calling & texting benefits, hotspot use, and multi-line savings.
Best international features
Best international features
With Straight Talk, you can buy service in chunks of one, three, six, or 12 months. All of its plans (except the starter one) include unlimited talk, text, and data, lots of monthly hotspot data, and international calling to Mexico and Canada.
Best for Xfinity customers
From $45/mo. at Xfinity Mobile
Best for Xfinity customers
Xfinity Mobile lets you pick from two unlimited plans, offering either 30GB or 50GB of premium data per line. All plans include hotspot data and video streaming, and you can choose to add 1GB, 3GB, or 10GB of shareable data to your plan as well.
Best on a budget
Best on a budget
The starter plan of Ting Mobile doesn't include any data, which makes it ideal for anyone with basic usage requirements. That said, you do get unlimited talk and text on all plans. The higher plans come with 5GB, 12GB, 22GB, or 35GB of premium data.
Best for families
From $40/mo. at Total Wireless
Best for families
Total Wireless offers unlimited talk and text, hotspot use, and spam call filtering on all its plans. With the highest plan, you get access to high-speed Ultra-Wideband 5G, Disney+ Premium, as well as a $10 international calling credit. You can get multi-line discounts for up to five lines.
Best overall
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Visible deserves a top spot on just about any list of alternative carriers, as it's one of the best options in the market. Owned and operated by Verizon, it's a unique carrier that handles everything through its mobile app or website, rather than requiring you to walk into a store to get started with your new phone service. This includes making and account and paying your bill(s) as well.
Along with the basic plan simply called Visible that costs $25 per month, you can also go for the higher Visible Plus plan, which costs $45 per month. Both plans come with unlimited talk, text, and 4G/LTE and 5G data, plus unlimited mobile hotspot usage at 5/10Mbps, spam protection, and unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada. With Visible Plus, you also get additional perks like access to Verizon's 5G Ultra-Wideband network, international calling to over 30 countries and texting to over 200 countries worldwide, and bundled smartwatch service.
Always make sure you're using a compatible Visible phone before switching over. Visible regularly runs promotions, and now lets you to save even more by paying for a full year of service in advance. You can also get a free virtual gift card when you transfer an existing number to the service, so do check for those as well.
Note: As part of a limited-time promotion, you can get any Visible plan at a reduced price, provided you sign up for two years of service.
Best perks
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
US Mobile is an MVNO that has been consistently growing in popularity, thanks to a balanced set of plans and good phone compatibility. It utilizes the networks of all the 'Big Three' carriers to power its service, and even supports C-band 5G. It's nice that US Mobile will work with the best Verizon phones, as well as with phones that are unlocked and compatible with T-Mobile.
Service plans with US Mobile are quite customizable, and you can simply go with one of the two fully unlimited plans. There is also a 10GB plan (Unlimited Flex) that's only available if you sign up for an entire year of service. US Mobile's top-of-the-line plans—Unlimited Starter and Unlimited Premium—are priced at $25 and $44 per month, respectively, but those prices get reduced if you sign up for multiple lines.
Unlimited Premium comes with 100GB of premium data, access to both C-band and mmWave 5G, 50GB of hotspot data, and a free Apple Watch plan. And with 10GB of international data via an eSIM, this is a great plan for heavy users on the move. If you're making it your family plan, you get a subscription service (with three lines) at $15 per month extra. It includes a wide range of services like Audible, ESPN Plus, and Xbox Game Pass. US Mobile also has a basic 2GB plan that'll cost you as little as $8 per month if you sign up for a full year of service.
Best international features
3. Straight Talk
Our expert review:
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Straight Talk has been around for quite a while now and has a solid reputation as a cheap alternative carrier, offering plenty of data and great coverage. This is helped by the fact that it's now a part of TracFone, which itself is owned by Verizon. With a wide variety of plans and three strong unlimited options, Straight Talk stands out as a competitive option for heavy users.
The unlimited plans are graded like an Olympic podium with Bronze, Silver, Gold, and even a Platinum option. Bronze is fairly basic at $35 per month with 10GB of high-speed data and calling to Canada and Mexico. Silver costs $45 per month and upgrades your data to unlimited high-speed, with the same calling to Canada and Mexico. It also comes with 10GB of hotspot data. Gold, which costs $55 per month, takes the hotspot up to 15GB and adds 100GB of cloud storage and even a Walmart+ membership. If you want to call even more countries, you can check out the top-tier Platinum plan. It's priced at $65 per month and comes with 20GB hotspot data and international calling to more than 60 countries, with other Gold membership perks also included.
Straight Talk has two main ways to save with a couple of two-line plans as well as a few with multi-line discounts. There are also three, six, and 12-month plans that are a bit cheaper.
Best for Xfinity customers
4. Xfinity Mobile
Our expert review:
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Xfinity Mobile offers mobile plans designed for those who already use Xfinity for their home internet. Xfinity Mobile comes with unlimited nationwide calling/texting and access to millions of Wi-Fi hotspots. For mobile data, there are a few options. First, you can go with Xfinity's 'By the Gig' plan, with data costing $15 per month for 1GB, $30 per month for 3GB, or $60 per month for 10GB. The actual cost is prorated based on your usage.
There are also two unlimited plans, and they both give you access to nationwide 5G network, video streaming, as well as multi-line discounts. The lower Unlimited plan has 30GB of high-speed data and 480p video streaming, while the higher Unlimited Plus plan offers 50GB of high-speed data and 720p video streaming. For unlimited plans, your speeds are reduced once you use up your chosen plan's data allotment. Xfinity also offers international calling with per-country rates and a $10 per month optional add-on for unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada.
Although unlimited plans come with multi-line savings, your per-line discounted cost remains the same for two to four lines. Also, you can add up to five more lines (for a total of 10 lines) at reduced prices too.
Best on a budget
5. Ting Mobile
Our expert review:
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Ting Mobile uses both Verizon and T-Mobile networks for its coverage, depending on what works best in your area. It started using Sprint's network before shifting to its current base carriers, offering significantly improved coverage in the process. What's more, 5G is now included with all plans for free, so you can get reliable coverage if you have the right phone for it.
Ting's plans are reasonably straightforward, starting with a 'Flex' plan with unlimited talk and text plan at just $10 per month. You can also add shared data at $5 per GB, which remains a solid value if you use less than 3GB in a month. Ting also has plans for more modern devices, starting with 'Set 5' and 'Set 12', which come with 5GB and 12GB of high-speed data, respectively. The two highest plans — 'Unlimited' and 'Ollo Unlimited Pro' — come with 22GB and 35GB of high-speed data, respectively. All the plans support nationwide LTE and 5G coverage.
Ting will work with most (if not all) of the best unlocked phones, which means that if you have a fairly recent smartphone that's unlocked, you can continue using it. You can buy a new phone via Ting's website too, but device selection is extremely limited.
Best for families
6. Total Wireless
Our expert review:
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Another great option to consider when looking for a Verizon MVNO carrier is Total Wireless. Plans start quite cheap, with the $40 per month starter option giving you 5G access, unlimited talk and text with high-speed data, 5GB hotspot usage, as well as international calling and texting to Mexico and Canada. The higher plans increase your allotment of high-speed data to unlimited (with no reductions in speeds) and mobile hotspot to either 15GB or unlimited. Both highest unlimited options include ad-free Disney+ Premium as well. All plans also come with spam filtering.
Total Wireless offers multi-line discounts (up to five lines) on all plans, but the base plan needs at least three lines for discounted rates. The top-tier offering, which costs $60 per month for one line, costs just $27 per month if you get five lines. It also gives you access to Verizon's 'Ultra-Wideband' 5G network, and $10 of international calling credit to more than 120 countries.
How to choose
These are the best Verizon MVNO carriers
Why you can trust Android Central
Verizon's network is an excellent pick for a prepaid carrier, all thanks to its reliable coverage and constantly improving 5G network. Coverage deficiencies are often more pronounced on prepaid carriers because they don't have access to roaming agreements, so it's always a good idea to make sure you're on the strongest possible network for your area. With these best Verizon MVNO carriers, you can use most of the best Android phones, such as the brand-new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, with little to no issues.
Our top vote goes to Visible, as the Verizon-owned prepaid carrier makes things easy as pie with two feature-packed for you to choose from. Both offer unlimited talk and text, mobile hotspot usage at 5/10Mbps, and a lot more, with the higher Visible+ also giving you access to Verizon's 'Ultra-Wideband' 5G network, smartwatch service, and a bunch of international benefits. Even better, the prices for both plans include fees and taxes, so you pay what you see. On the other hand, US Mobile offers a bunch of perks that make its plans stand out. The two unlimited plans offer loads of premium data, dedicated hotspot data, as well as international calling &texting benefits. The highest plan even makes you eligible for a $15 per month bundle having a variety of subscription services such as Spotify Family, Max, and PlayStation Plus, provided you sign up for three lines.
- MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Visible | Boost | Tello | Cricket Wireless
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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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