Prepaid Phone Plans: Everything You Need to Know About MVNOs

MVNOs aren’t forthcoming astir these limitations, but you tin find them spelled retired successful argumentation documentation. Let’s look astatine Mint Mobile’s web guidance policy arsenic an example.

The first hurdle is deprioritization. “Other brands whitethorn beryllium prioritized higher connected nan T-Mobile network,” sounds Mint’s web guidance policy. “For each Service plans, T-Mobile whitethorn besides trim speeds during times of web congestion.” These policies aren’t clear astir really terrible nan slowdown is, but generally, if a web has a batch of congestion, MVNOs will spot slower speeds earlier those connected awesome carriers.

In astir parts of nan country, this isn’t a problem. However, you’ll apt acquisition slower speeds successful awesome cities and astatine ample events. If you're astatine a performance and everyone is trying to station Instagram stories and TikToks, you'll astir apt announcement a important slowdown.

Another downside pinch astir MVNOs is throttling. You’ll beryllium capable to acquisition an “unlimited” information plan, but location are usually soft caps to nan magnitude of information you tin usage earlier speeds slow. Again utilizing Mint arsenic an example, it classifies “heavy information users” arsenic those who usage much than 35 GB of information successful a month, and it says these users will “have their information usage prioritized beneath nan information usage (including tethering) of different customers astatine times and astatine locations wherever location are competing customer demands for web resources, which whitethorn consequence successful slower information speeds.”

Those are nan 2 large drawbacks, but immoderate smaller limitations popular up depending connected nan supplier you look at. Mint, for instance, uses “video optimization,” which fundamentally intends video streams are capped astatine modular meaning erstwhile utilizing mobile information (480p). This happens automatically connected nan network, moreover if you’re trying to watercourse a higher resolution.

I’m utilizing Mint arsenic a touchstone here, but these practices are communal among astir MVNOs. Cricket has akin information restrictions and video limitations arsenic does Optimum Mobile. Major carriers that person nonstop prepaid plans, for illustration T-Mobile, mostly person higher information limits earlier reducing speeds.

Outside of those limitations, immoderate MVNOs don’t connection further cellular features for illustration roaming aliases a mobile basking spot. Those limitations aren’t universal, but they’re immoderate bully things to look retired for erstwhile you’re looking astatine providers and plans.

Can You Use nan Same Number With a Prepaid Mobile Plan?

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wished decades agone that telephone providers don’t ain telephone numbers. Broadly, you’re allowed to support your number erstwhile transferring to a caller carrier, sloppy of whether that’s a prepaid aliases postpaid carrier. In fact, since 2009, nan FCC requires carriers to transfer—or, much properly, “port”—your number wrong 1 business day.

Under nan FCC’s rules, a bearer can’t contradict porting your number, moreover if you garbage to salary a porting fee. However, porting fees are allowed. Some carriers, specified arsenic T-Mobile, don’t person immoderate fees for porting your number. Others complaint anyplace from a fewer dollars to $20.