The United States Cellular Corporation, also known as US Cellular, is a mobile network operator and the country’s fourth-largest cellular carrier (after Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile). The carrier provides a variety of plans, phones, and accessories, as well as nationwide coverage. Customers are unlikely to be deprioritized because US Cellular operates its own network towers. Nonetheless, in this article, we’ll look at what US Cellular prepaid plans.
While many US carriers have begun to boost costs on older plans to encourage users to upgrade to newer, more expensive plans, US Cellular has officially announced that its customers are safe from such methods. Earlier this year, US Cellular stated that all of its postpaid and prepaid plans would be price-protected until 2023.
US Cellular customers have enough on their plates, and you shouldn’t have to worry about increasing cellphone costs. Your rate plan will not increase, whether you are a new customer or have been with them for years. Customers can count on US Cellular to be open and honest with them. If you haven’t yet signed up for US Cellular, the recent announcement may make the carrier’s offer more enticing. Let’s learn more about US Cellular’s prepaid options now.
What is the US Cellular prepaid plans in 2022?
US Cellular offers four prepaid plan options, with prices ranging from $30 per month for unlimited talk and text to $65 per month for the top-tier unlimited plan.
With the addition of a data-free plan, US Cellular’s prepaid plans outnumber its postpaid options. Each plan is appropriately named and defines what you’ll get; however, prepaid plans have fewer benefits than postpaid plans. You’ll save more money on the more lines you add, with a $10 reduction on lines two through five.
i) Unlimited talk and text prepaid plan
While it may be hard to believe, not everyone will want unlimited data. This plan is for folks who do not require any data. For $30 per month, you can have unlimited calls and texts, and you’ll only be charged for the data you use. It’s worth your time to keep the data to a minimum of $0.03 every 1MB since it comes out to $30 per GB.
The Unlimited Talk and Text plan offers no additional benefits; it’s simply a straightforward alternative for individuals who need to talk or text, and that’s it.
ii) 15GB Prepaid plan
US Cellular’s next prepaid plan offers 15GB of 4G LTE data for $40 per month. This is a better option than the call and text plan if you anticipate using even a fraction of that data. It may be more expensive monthly, but the flat charge will benefit your budget. This plan still doesn’t include a hotspot and only allows for 480p streaming, but that’s one of the costs of low-cost service.
iii) Unlimited Plan
The prepaid Unlimited Plan from US Cellular is equivalent to the postpaid Basic Plan. It costs $55 a month and includes unlimited talk, text, and data, as well as standard definition streaming. It’s a plan for data users who aren’t too concerned with streaming quality and don’t want to be limited. The plan doesn’t include a hotspot or a RedBox promotion, but it is contract-free, so that you can cancel anytime.
iv) Unlimited Plus prepaid plan
Except for the RedBox promotion, US Cellular’s Unlimited Plus prepaid package is as near to postpaid access as possible. You’ll get 25GB of priority data every month and an unlimited 4G LTE connection. Standard Quality (480p) streaming is still available, but you can get up to 20GB of mobile hotspot data.
Unlimited Plus is the only prepaid package worth your money if you have family or friends in Canada or Mexico. You can dial each number as many times as you wish for no additional charge. RedBox Movie Night allows you one free monthly rental per line if you’d rather stay home and watch a movie.
Summary of US Cellular prepaid plans
| Prepaid plan | Inclusions | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited talk and text plan |
|
$30 |
| 8GB prepaid plan |
|
$40 |
| Unlimited |
|
$55 |
| Unlimited Plus |
|
$65 |
Does US cellular offer add-ons on its prepaid plans?
Add-on features are available on all US Cellular prepaid plans. Prepaid add-ons from US Cellular include:
- $10 add-on for unlimited talk/text to Canada and Mexico
- $5 add-on for unlimited calling to Mexico and Canada
- $3.99 add-on for unlimited calls to Mexico and discounted rates to select international countries
Does US cellular offer prepaid family plans?
Family plans from US Cellular come in the form of multi-line plans, which offer a $10 savings for each extra line added, up to a maximum of five lines. These prepaid multi-line plans still require you to choose a different plan for each line on the account, so consider all the features each line will have.
Basic Plan with Autopay is the most popular US Cellular prepaid family plan. This plan will cost you $135.95 per month for four lines, with a $5 Auto-Pay discount. Unlimited Talk, Unlimited Text, and high-speed data are included in this Unlimited Basic Plan. Speeds may be temporarily slowed during congestion, and data may be slower than other traffic. Includes 480p video streaming (DVD quality), and speeds may be temporarily slowed in times of congestion.
Bottom line
US Cellular has a good assortment of prepaid plans, all competitively priced. Still, they lack features and incentives, except for the Unlimited plus Prepaid Plan. Furthermore, with little over 10% nationwide coverage, US Cellular lags well behind the other major carriers. Even if it works with the other major carriers, you still risk canceling your service if you consume more than 400MB while roaming on the partner networks, which might be worrisome.
