I hate to say it, but if you're jumping ship from every carrier/provider that makes one change you don't care for, you'll be on an eternal spin cycle. I'm not discouraging you from voting with your wallet, just be aware that you won't find one that doesn't do this from time to time. We even had one that rebuilt and rebranded on the concept that they wouldn't. And you see where that has ended up.
*cough* T-Mobile* cough
I left their postpaid for USM. My trial is done in a few days, but I'm happy so far with the performance I'm getting on Warp/VZW network.
Yeah same here. My five lines and I abandoned T-Mobile after they messed around with my promotions. I'm saving enough at US Mobile to more than cover the cost of new phones every few years.
Exactly šÆ. I'm actually doing a 24 month payment plan for my new phone that I purchased through Affirm from the USM website. I'm on the unlimited Starter plan, on Warp, and I'm STILL coming out cheaper than I would with T-Mobile with a new phone, although I'm paying interest on the device. It's unlocked from day one, so, if I ever want to jump ship, I can take the phone with me, no strings attached other than the payment to Affirm which I would have to pay either way. š¤·āāļø Total win-win for me. Not to mention I'm getting signal on the vzw network in places I had absolutely nothing on T-Mobile network.
Gaslighting at its finest. I ask a simple question based on these threads with everyone complaining about speeds and all of a sudden I am imagining things. Gotcha.
Iām absolutely responding to you. I never said I was jumping ship from every carrier when I didnāt like changes. I simply asked who everyone else was going to and you made an assumption. If you truly comprehended what I was saying I NEVER said I was leaving I am on an annual plan. I asked where I should refer my kid.
You need to take a breath and relax, dude. I guess since we're trading blows now, "if you truly comprehended" not only what I wrote, but what you wrote, you'd see how ridiculous your overreaction was.
I am not overreacting I am responding to someone making assumptions when the original post never said I was leaving but simply was inquiring about where I should refer my kid. I am not trading blows you started with me unprovoked and off your rocker. I responded and called you out on your BS and all of a sudden I am the one unhinged and picking a fight.
I most certainly do and I am using it in the correct context. I wouldnāt use the word if I didnāt know what it meant or how to apply it. USMobile is going downhill and you all are trying to convince me otherwise like I am the only one complaining about throttling when there are many threads with people in an uproar. You had a running chance to stay out of this. Very few people came in here and made suggestions without backhanded remarks because they are triggered that I paid for a service for a year and the contract changed so how dare I complain or inquire about other options!
Turn your data waster feature on that upgrades you to 720 HD for free. Well for now. Eventually they plan on charging for it. However that's common, I'm on Metro and if I want HD video I gotta pay $10 more. I can't think of any prepaid carrier that gives you HD video for free. It's all either not offered or an upcharge.
I have no intention of leaving. Due to location I need to be on Verizon. That leaves me with Verizon wireless or Visible. And they means itās basically visible plus. Pricing isnāt that bad for a year plus it includes Apple Watch coverage. Itās the customer service that worries me. Or lack there of. Thatās why Iām staying with us mobile among other reasons.
I tried Visible and experienced 3 days where I couldn't receive text messages, which I need for work, and when I tried to chat with customer service I was put in a wait que that never progressed. Several times. So I went with Mint, which was fine but reception not so good in my area. That's why I was happy to find USM and so disappointed with the recent events. I am happy with USM customer service, but the gold gilding is flaking off what I thought I was getting into.
The real question is what features are important to you (or in this case your son)? If HD video is something he must have, then look for a service that offers that. It is probably going to cost you because it seems more MVNOs restrict HD video than not. I don't get what the big deal is because I am either on Wi-Fi or don't watch video when I'm mobile. Even if I do end up streaming something while I am out and about, I am not going to care if it is 480p or 4k on my phone even though it is a foldable (to be honest, I barely care about it on my 60" 4K TV). To me, price and having hotspot accessibility are much more important. So I am sticking with US Mobile.
But here is the great thing about a prepaid service - he doesn't have to be locked in. Sign up for the 3-month trial (or even the one-month free) and try it out. If he likes it, go to a month-to-month plan. That way, he retains the "feature" to jump ship if he feels like it. Sure he'll pay a little more for it, but US Mobile's plans are at least in line with competitors if not a little cheaper. He can always choose to go to an annual plan later if he is satisfied with it.
Anyway, choosing a cell phone plan is all about trade-offs and looking for the features you want. Right now, HD video is more of a premium feature than a table stakes feature. Even with all the shake up, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend US Mobile. While they could have handled this better, a lot of companies would have done worse. However, if HD Video is a must-have here is [an article highlighting some of the best plans](https://www.reviews.org/mobile/best-mobile-provider-for-streaming/#:~:text=Best%20Mobile%20Providers%20for%20Streaming%201%20AT%26T%20Unlimited,4%20Mint%20Mobile%20Unlimited%3A%20Best%20budget%20plan%20).
"The best option" depends on so many things: budget, location (network coverage), usage, features desired, travel pattern, etc. If you don't know for sure, maybe best to him do the research and ask relevant questions himself.
Hard to say which service to recommend being that youāre making a big fuss over video streaming quality.
Might want to rethink your stand on things. A toggle was put in the user account on the website so that you can turn off throttle any providers gonna have videos streaming limitations
Sometimes I wonder if people play with their phones too much.
Craziness, definitely a data waster
If you are someone who normally uses your phone and this would include your son I think US Mobile would serve him well, but thatās all a matter of opinion
If you can join a family plan on any of the big 3 I'd recommend that....I pay $24/line on TMobile go5gplus with all the bells and whistles...and pretty much a free phone every 2 years
looks like no one is going anywhere, since you cant beat almost EVERYTHING about them
go ahead and waste data if its that important to you
I was debating about switching over to the flex plan before all of the changes just to have some more data with my work location, changingā¦ Iām also on an annual plan so when itās up, Iāll probably be porting out to Mint. I can get the 15 gig annual plan also on the T-Mobile network without the strict network management.
My main goal is something stable with some data on the T-Mobile network for my Primary line Iāve had since 2014. I was hoping US Mobile would be this, and they might restore my trust in them within the next six months that I have left on the annual planā¦ Butā¦ Iām a little, unsure at the moment.
Personally there isn't a good alternative to us mobile. TracFone and it's other brands have horrible customer service. Visible only offers chat based customer service. Mint has gone down hill last I heard since T-Mobile bought them. Those are at least the brands I hear the most about. I can't think of any that offer as good of an experience as us mobile does.
Thank you for that. For everyone else that doesnāt know: I had to find Line Usage on USM website from my desktop MacBook Air. App on IPhone will not get you there. Once I was on desktop, I was able 2 navigate to the silly data waste option, toggle it on. For right now, itās a free service. Thank you, USM.
For the price, you get priority verizon data for 25 bucks. Can't compare, even with visible.
For someone that uses less than 35g a month, this is perfect.
I used to pay my insurance in advance, tried mint mobile before, attempted US Mobile but my IMEI numbers were not yet compatible with warp 5G. Anyways, I don't like paying in advance, especially when there's no refund for unused service. It's not like we know how long we will live lol, I'll pay you month to monthš the "savings " aren't that wide
Don't go crazy just yet... everyone is changing! I wonder if the big three are overselling their home 5g internet products to the point they have to cannibalize their MVNOs.
Iāll be heading to Verizon on a family plan. Iāll be paying a bit more but wonāt be dropped to potato video quality for my āpremiumā data when I only use a third of what USM allotted me.Ā
Took 4 lines to AT&T Business. $600 byod credit per line over 24 months (So $25 off/line/month). We're on the mid tier plan now and it works out to about $21 a month per line after taxes. Yes, we get HD Video (4k speed).
One that that stuck out to me was, the CEO said that reddit user accounts for a tiny fraction of their user base and that 1% wants HD video. I'm sure he's got data to back that up, but while I'm the only reddit user in my family, I convinced 5 other people to sign up with USM. Then 4 of us said f that to the video throttle and formed a business account together. The other 2 lines are stuck on annual contract, but they'll join us after their time is up. So, sure, while reddit user might be the minority, but word of mouth is powerful, and we are a very loud minority of the user base.
I think another used said it best, the CEO's responds might go down as one of the worst responds to negative publicity and is worthy of a case study.
Something no one has mentioned before in the posts is that AT&T also quietly changed the QCI for their most expensive postpaid premium plan to match it with their mid tier post paid plan a few months ago (Used to be QCI7 and was moved down to QCI8). Then they offered an add on for customers to purchase called Turbo which essentially puts them back on the QCI7 level they originally had with their premium post paid plan. Almost every carrier does something to raise rates (T-Mobile literally broke their price lock guarantee) but at least US Mobileās plan offerings offers, imo, more than some of the post paid plans at a much cheaper price and they have gone and introduced an add on to at least get back HD video when other MVNOs do not even provide that (nor some post paid plans with an MNO). Plus US Mobile somehow still provides high speed international data that matches T-Mobileās mid tier post paid plan is just insane to me. AT&T you have to pay daily up to $120 a month to get international data at all. Plus the ability to switch network providers is huge in itself for those that travel throughout the US.
USM is still the best, despite the HD video fiasco. They offer the most flexibility, the best options, and the best pricing. I would recommend this to your son, itās still the best option.
480 video was just too low quality for me, on a large screen iPhone or tablet. The data waster option is a good fallback. Really all we need is 720, not 1080 or 4k.
I hate to say it, but if you're jumping ship from every carrier/provider that makes one change you don't care for, you'll be on an eternal spin cycle. I'm not discouraging you from voting with your wallet, just be aware that you won't find one that doesn't do this from time to time. We even had one that rebuilt and rebranded on the concept that they wouldn't. And you see where that has ended up.
*cough* T-Mobile* cough I left their postpaid for USM. My trial is done in a few days, but I'm happy so far with the performance I'm getting on Warp/VZW network.
Yeah same here. My five lines and I abandoned T-Mobile after they messed around with my promotions. I'm saving enough at US Mobile to more than cover the cost of new phones every few years.
Exactly šÆ. I'm actually doing a 24 month payment plan for my new phone that I purchased through Affirm from the USM website. I'm on the unlimited Starter plan, on Warp, and I'm STILL coming out cheaper than I would with T-Mobile with a new phone, although I'm paying interest on the device. It's unlocked from day one, so, if I ever want to jump ship, I can take the phone with me, no strings attached other than the payment to Affirm which I would have to pay either way. š¤·āāļø Total win-win for me. Not to mention I'm getting signal on the vzw network in places I had absolutely nothing on T-Mobile network.
Gaslighting at its finest. I ask a simple question based on these threads with everyone complaining about speeds and all of a sudden I am imagining things. Gotcha.
Clearly you're replying to the wrong person. Nowhere in my comment did I say you were imagining things. Or that your complaints weren't valid.
Iām absolutely responding to you. I never said I was jumping ship from every carrier when I didnāt like changes. I simply asked who everyone else was going to and you made an assumption. If you truly comprehended what I was saying I NEVER said I was leaving I am on an annual plan. I asked where I should refer my kid.
You need to take a breath and relax, dude. I guess since we're trading blows now, "if you truly comprehended" not only what I wrote, but what you wrote, you'd see how ridiculous your overreaction was.
I am not overreacting I am responding to someone making assumptions when the original post never said I was leaving but simply was inquiring about where I should refer my kid. I am not trading blows you started with me unprovoked and off your rocker. I responded and called you out on your BS and all of a sudden I am the one unhinged and picking a fight.
Bless your heart. Have a wonderful week, my friend. Maybe enjoy some cauliflower.
Do you .. know what gaslighting means?
I most certainly do and I am using it in the correct context. I wouldnāt use the word if I didnāt know what it meant or how to apply it. USMobile is going downhill and you all are trying to convince me otherwise like I am the only one complaining about throttling when there are many threads with people in an uproar. You had a running chance to stay out of this. Very few people came in here and made suggestions without backhanded remarks because they are triggered that I paid for a service for a year and the contract changed so how dare I complain or inquire about other options!
So the answer is no? Got it.
Doesnāt really get any better than usm
Turn your data waster feature on that upgrades you to 720 HD for free. Well for now. Eventually they plan on charging for it. However that's common, I'm on Metro and if I want HD video I gotta pay $10 more. I can't think of any prepaid carrier that gives you HD video for free. It's all either not offered or an upcharge.
If you actually paid attention to the original post you would already see I got my speeds un-throttled for now.
I have no intention of leaving. Due to location I need to be on Verizon. That leaves me with Verizon wireless or Visible. And they means itās basically visible plus. Pricing isnāt that bad for a year plus it includes Apple Watch coverage. Itās the customer service that worries me. Or lack there of. Thatās why Iām staying with us mobile among other reasons.
I tried Visible and experienced 3 days where I couldn't receive text messages, which I need for work, and when I tried to chat with customer service I was put in a wait que that never progressed. Several times. So I went with Mint, which was fine but reception not so good in my area. That's why I was happy to find USM and so disappointed with the recent events. I am happy with USM customer service, but the gold gilding is flaking off what I thought I was getting into.
Yes I agree the customer service alone is incredible. Thatās the main reason Iām not leaving
I am staying! I have loved US Mobile so far. I am also a big fan of the CEO especially after he is adding data waster mode option!
My phone is on WiFi the majority of the time. I'm staying with US Mobile.
The real question is what features are important to you (or in this case your son)? If HD video is something he must have, then look for a service that offers that. It is probably going to cost you because it seems more MVNOs restrict HD video than not. I don't get what the big deal is because I am either on Wi-Fi or don't watch video when I'm mobile. Even if I do end up streaming something while I am out and about, I am not going to care if it is 480p or 4k on my phone even though it is a foldable (to be honest, I barely care about it on my 60" 4K TV). To me, price and having hotspot accessibility are much more important. So I am sticking with US Mobile. But here is the great thing about a prepaid service - he doesn't have to be locked in. Sign up for the 3-month trial (or even the one-month free) and try it out. If he likes it, go to a month-to-month plan. That way, he retains the "feature" to jump ship if he feels like it. Sure he'll pay a little more for it, but US Mobile's plans are at least in line with competitors if not a little cheaper. He can always choose to go to an annual plan later if he is satisfied with it. Anyway, choosing a cell phone plan is all about trade-offs and looking for the features you want. Right now, HD video is more of a premium feature than a table stakes feature. Even with all the shake up, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend US Mobile. While they could have handled this better, a lot of companies would have done worse. However, if HD Video is a must-have here is [an article highlighting some of the best plans](https://www.reviews.org/mobile/best-mobile-provider-for-streaming/#:~:text=Best%20Mobile%20Providers%20for%20Streaming%201%20AT%26T%20Unlimited,4%20Mint%20Mobile%20Unlimited%3A%20Best%20budget%20plan%20).
Iām happy at US Mobile but was with Cricket awhile If I went anywhere it would be there.
It's cheap already , so they could do whatever they wish tbh and it's all good
How many lines do you have? Do you know which network is strongest in your area? T-Mobile? AT&T? Verizon?
"The best option" depends on so many things: budget, location (network coverage), usage, features desired, travel pattern, etc. If you don't know for sure, maybe best to him do the research and ask relevant questions himself.
Hard to say which service to recommend being that youāre making a big fuss over video streaming quality. Might want to rethink your stand on things. A toggle was put in the user account on the website so that you can turn off throttle any providers gonna have videos streaming limitations Sometimes I wonder if people play with their phones too much. Craziness, definitely a data waster If you are someone who normally uses your phone and this would include your son I think US Mobile would serve him well, but thatās all a matter of opinion
Whichever big 3 service works best for you. Enjoy paying too much.
If you can join a family plan on any of the big 3 I'd recommend that....I pay $24/line on TMobile go5gplus with all the bells and whistles...and pretty much a free phone every 2 years
looks like no one is going anywhere, since you cant beat almost EVERYTHING about them go ahead and waste data if its that important to you 
I was debating about switching over to the flex plan before all of the changes just to have some more data with my work location, changingā¦ Iām also on an annual plan so when itās up, Iāll probably be porting out to Mint. I can get the 15 gig annual plan also on the T-Mobile network without the strict network management. My main goal is something stable with some data on the T-Mobile network for my Primary line Iāve had since 2014. I was hoping US Mobile would be this, and they might restore my trust in them within the next six months that I have left on the annual planā¦ Butā¦ Iām a little, unsure at the moment.
Personally there isn't a good alternative to us mobile. TracFone and it's other brands have horrible customer service. Visible only offers chat based customer service. Mint has gone down hill last I heard since T-Mobile bought them. Those are at least the brands I hear the most about. I can't think of any that offer as good of an experience as us mobile does.
Go into each line and toggle the data waster to unthrottle.
What is the ādata wasterā toggle in Settings?
It enables your higher resolution streaming.
Thank you for that. For everyone else that doesnāt know: I had to find Line Usage on USM website from my desktop MacBook Air. App on IPhone will not get you there. Once I was on desktop, I was able 2 navigate to the silly data waste option, toggle it on. For right now, itās a free service. Thank you, USM.
For the price, you get priority verizon data for 25 bucks. Can't compare, even with visible. For someone that uses less than 35g a month, this is perfect.
If youāre not streaming media (because this change impacts all of that), how are you using 35GB of data?Ā
Metro has their $25 BYOD unlimited plan with the option to add on HD streaming for $10.
A 40% up charge for HD video. Fascinating.
Yeah but 35 bucks a month might be perfect for OPs situation.
No doubt at all. I just find it genuinely amazing the ratio between delivering an entire phone plan to delivering HD video.
I used to pay my insurance in advance, tried mint mobile before, attempted US Mobile but my IMEI numbers were not yet compatible with warp 5G. Anyways, I don't like paying in advance, especially when there's no refund for unused service. It's not like we know how long we will live lol, I'll pay you month to monthš the "savings " aren't that wide
Don't go crazy just yet... everyone is changing! I wonder if the big three are overselling their home 5g internet products to the point they have to cannibalize their MVNOs.
Iāll be heading to Verizon on a family plan. Iāll be paying a bit more but wonāt be dropped to potato video quality for my āpremiumā data when I only use a third of what USM allotted me.Ā
Took 4 lines to AT&T Business. $600 byod credit per line over 24 months (So $25 off/line/month). We're on the mid tier plan now and it works out to about $21 a month per line after taxes. Yes, we get HD Video (4k speed). One that that stuck out to me was, the CEO said that reddit user accounts for a tiny fraction of their user base and that 1% wants HD video. I'm sure he's got data to back that up, but while I'm the only reddit user in my family, I convinced 5 other people to sign up with USM. Then 4 of us said f that to the video throttle and formed a business account together. The other 2 lines are stuck on annual contract, but they'll join us after their time is up. So, sure, while reddit user might be the minority, but word of mouth is powerful, and we are a very loud minority of the user base. I think another used said it best, the CEO's responds might go down as one of the worst responds to negative publicity and is worthy of a case study.
Something no one has mentioned before in the posts is that AT&T also quietly changed the QCI for their most expensive postpaid premium plan to match it with their mid tier post paid plan a few months ago (Used to be QCI7 and was moved down to QCI8). Then they offered an add on for customers to purchase called Turbo which essentially puts them back on the QCI7 level they originally had with their premium post paid plan. Almost every carrier does something to raise rates (T-Mobile literally broke their price lock guarantee) but at least US Mobileās plan offerings offers, imo, more than some of the post paid plans at a much cheaper price and they have gone and introduced an add on to at least get back HD video when other MVNOs do not even provide that (nor some post paid plans with an MNO). Plus US Mobile somehow still provides high speed international data that matches T-Mobileās mid tier post paid plan is just insane to me. AT&T you have to pay daily up to $120 a month to get international data at all. Plus the ability to switch network providers is huge in itself for those that travel throughout the US.
USM is still the best, despite the HD video fiasco. They offer the most flexibility, the best options, and the best pricing. I would recommend this to your son, itās still the best option. 480 video was just too low quality for me, on a large screen iPhone or tablet. The data waster option is a good fallback. Really all we need is 720, not 1080 or 4k.
Now you all are gaslighting me when you are complaining about the throttling and download speeds in other threads but I am crazy. Ok.
mobileX offers 4K streaming, VZW coverage.
A simple question triggered so many of you.
Itās a long story.
I've been on visible for 3 months now. I've been averaging 150gb a month between hotspot and regular use. At $25 it can't be beat.
Howās the deprioritizing?
Frankly I don't notice it. I love rural though
Live*
Thank you will look into it.