Carrier comparison

[irishlass33]

Hello everyone! I'm new here and am looking for advice. I am looking at upgrading to a Samsung S21+ . I'm currently with sprint/tmobile but am looking to go somewhere cheaper. I've been researching Mint and Straight Talk. Does anyone have any input for me? Stay with who I have or is anyone better than another? I've done a lot of looking but would just love some opinions.
Thanks

 

[mustang7757]

Welcome to AC!
I would stick with TMobile/Sprint from what ive seen over time here in the Forums Straight Talk or Mint do cause issues on Samsung devices.

 

[aztec12]

Hello everyone! I'm new here and am looking for advice. I am looking at upgrading to a Samsung S21+ . I'm currently with sprint/tmobile but am looking to go somewhere cheaper. I've been researching Mint and Straight Talk. Does anyone have any input for me? Stay with who I have or is anyone better than another? I've done a lot of looking but would just love some opinions.
Thanks

I've been using mint mobile for the last two years and it has worked just as the big companies, reliable connection, no dropped calls.

 

[Just FYI]

Everybody has an opinion, and you know how that goes...anyway, I travel a lot and I started out with 3 phones, each with a different carrier: AT&T, Visible (Verizon's MVNO), and Mint Mobile (using T-Mobile network).
AT&T is good in most places. Verizon is good in most places. Usually, when AT&T doesn't have good coverage, Verizon does and vice-versa; however, there are places out west where there is just no coverage. As for Mint/T-Mobile - it was hands down the worst coverage of the three carriers. There were more dead spots than there was good coverage. I dumped them and went with a second phone on Visible.
As for price, Visible is $25/mo. with unlimited hot spot, and it really is unlimited (as opposed to 20GB then throttled). Mint was pretty cheap too - I think around $40/mo.? If you are stationary and have good 5G coverage from T-Mobile where you are, you may like it, but I don't recommend it.

 

[anon(40376)]

Hard to offer any info unless we know where you live. Big difference between cell phone coverage east of Colorado/Kansas border vs. west of Colorado/Kansas border. Mountains and lack of people (aka customers) make for limited coverage by all providers. Tourists areas do attract more providers; one example is Yellowstone NP, a few years ago; nothing. Then all of a sudden a few years ago, I started receiving cell calls from people while traveling through it in certain locations within the park.

As someone who lives in ID (far from a large city...as classified as over 55K) and has traveled extensively in MT, WY, UT, CO and of course ID, the best out here for 4G LTE is undoubtedly; Verizon (or in my case, Tracfone a MVNO that runs of Verizon towers). Second would most likely be T-mobile. However, this advise is basically for those off the beaten path (major highways/interstates). All three providers generally have decent coverage off interstates and major highways. Get off those roads and it is hit and miss, and if a hit; usually it is Verizon; but not always.

This site allows you to overlay coverage maps over other coverage map. It is not as up to date as actual coverage maps directly from the provider.
https://fcc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6c1b2e73d9d749cdb7bc88a0d1bdd25b


I just checked Verizon's coverage map on Verizon's site and can say it appears they have updated their map, at least for my area. A few months ago, where I lived, there was basically nothing; then last year they did extensive work on existing towers, added a few towers in my area and I have decent coverage in my house, that still drops out to the west due to some large obstacles called the Teton Mountains and lack of civilization in ID. It even show 5G creeping my way...slowly.)

Coverage maps are notoriously famous for inaccuracy. I remember a few years ago, camping with a friend and she had aa ATT phone and no coverage, I had my Tracfone phone and great coverage; including data. I was even able to check some coverage maps, and Verizon showed NO coverage where we were, ATT showed coverage. Go figure.