What The Heck Is An MVNO?
A mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO for short, is any wireless provider that does not own the network that it uses to provide service to its customers. Instead, an MVNO relies on a mobile network operator, or MNO for short, to maintain and supply the network for its customers. There are just three major MNOs in the United States. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. But there are some smaller regionalized MNOs like US Cellular. The DISH Network is starting to build out its own network with the intent to become a major MNO. Most wireless providers in the USA are actually MVNOs.
MVNOs Pros And Cons
MVNOs certainly have their fair share of pros and cons. When you sort through the list of MVNOs and carrier MNOs further down below, you'll be able to see the differences between each provider. But there are some pros and cons common to virtually all MVNOs. In general, MVNOs have the following:
Pros
- MVNOs can be very cheap. Especially for single line customers
- They can provide plans for a wide range of budgets and needs
- MVNOs can offer specialty services to cater to niche markets
- They can offer plans not available from major carriers
- They use the same networks as the major carriers
Cons
- No stores to walk into for support
- Customer support can be limited
- Many do not sell phones or only offer a limited selection
- MVNO customers are typically deprioritized* below customers that are signed up directly with a carrier
- Multi-line discounts are often unavailable or not as robust as from a major carrier
*Deprioritized means that when a major carrier's network becomes congested with a lot of traffic, MVNO customers may notice their data speeds slowing down, sometimes dramatically. This is to give priority access with faster speeds to higher paying customers that subscribe directly to AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon.
MVNOs: What Are The Best Options?
There is no single best option available for everybody. Go back to the list of pros and cons above and take a second look at two of the major pros: "1) they can provide plans for a wide range of budgets and needs, and 2) MVNOs can offer specialty services to cater to niche markets." So which one is best for you will depend on your specific needs and if you need something that falls under a niche market or not. They aren't right for everybody. If you have several lines and need a truly unlimited data plan and are in a heavily congested area, a phone plan from a major wireless carrier may be better for you. Below is a list of carriers and MVNOs with some of the pros and cons of each highlighted.
- 30 day money back guarantee
- AAA members enjoy extra savings
- For AAA members all phones come with lifetime warranty
- Limited selection of phones
- Plans are expensive compared to other providers
- Includes international text messaging
- Pay as you go plans are available
- Does not sell phones
- Most plans do not include unlimited 2G slow data, and are hard capped
- Website misleading, data shown for most plans is divided in half, only half is at high-speed other half at slow
- Larger than normal autopay discounts available
- All plans include international calling
- Custom build plans available with pay by the minute
- Phone selection limited to mostly mid-range to high-end devices
- Prices generally 20% higher without autopay enabled
- Lots of phone options available for all kinds of budgets
- Good family plan options
- Robust customer support options available
- Multi-month discount plans available
- No real budget monthly phone plans available for low usage customers
- Best value for single line customers requires purchase of annual plan
- Reasonably priced phone options
- Competitively priced truly unlimited data plan
- Robust customer support options available
- Multi-month discount plans available
- No real budget monthly phone plans available for low usage customers
- Best value for single line customers w/o unlimited data requires purchase of annual plan
- Free T&T 1GB data plan available paid for by Marshawn Lynch
- Extremely limited number of phones offered, and very old models
- On the more expensive side for an MVNO
- Pay as you go plans available
- Multi-month pay for service in advance discounts available
- Caters to low-usage budget oriented consumers
- All plans include international calling and texting
- Does not sell phones
- No plans for high-data users
- Supports multiple networks
- Annual plans available for extra savings
- Wide range of plans available
- Extremely limited number of phones available to purchase
- Average pricing
- Offers free phones
- Wide variety of devices sold
- Wide variety of ways to get customer support
- Phone plans for wide variety of budgets
- High-data plans are expensive compared to others
- Cheapest plans are limited to new customers only
- Free phone offers only available in stores and to new customers
- All in pricing with taxes and fees included
- Good for those with international calling and texting needs
- Unremarkable pricing
- Supports bring your own phone only
- Phones available for a variety of budgets
- Regularly ranks tops in JD Power reports for customer support and satisfaction
- Shareable data plans
- AARP members save additional 5%
- A bit more expensive than other MVNOs
- Supports progressive causes
- Sell phones
- Prices are higher than most
- Little to no selection of budget phone options
- Supports progressive causes
- Wide variety of phones available
- Free phones offered
- Good discounts available for those with multiple lines
- What you see is what you pay. All taxes & fees included
- Free phones only for new customers that port-in
- No plans geared towards low-usage customers
- No true budget phone plans available for single line customers
- Free unlimited WiFi calling available with all plans even those with limited cellular minutes
- Free plan option, includes unlimited WiFi calling and WiFi RCS messaging
- Only iPhones available for purchase
- Free plan only includes 10 text messages and 25MB of data.
- Exceptional pricing with multi-month discount plans
- Free international calling
- Free SIM cards with free shipping
- Limit selection of phones and they are not discounted
- Best pricing requires you to pay in advance for 6 or 12 months
- Includes no questions asked 7-day money back guarantee
- Includes 15 days of free unlimited domestic and international texting after plan expires due to late or non-payment
- Focused on budget oriented consumers, multi-month discounts available
- All plans include international texting, most include international calling
- Only offers pre-owned phones
- Best pricing requires purchase of 3-month plan
- Plans for variety of budgets and needs
- Good choice for limited use subscribers that like AT&T's network
- Call center available for those that would like help over the phone
- Phones not sold at a discount
- No truly unlimited data plans
- Uses multiple networks, automatic switching to whichever network works best in an area including WiFi
- International roaming data billed at same rate as domestic data, no extra charges
- Free text messaging while traveling internationally
- High end phones typically sold with large discounts and no long term contracts
- Good family plan available
- Single lines more expensive than other providers
- Customer support is questionable
- Limited selection of phones available to purchase
- Plans with limited amount of data are expensive
- International roaming in Mexico, Dominican Republic and other Latin American countries
- No Phones offered
- Only provides data at 3G data speeds, LTE speeds only when on Facebook
- Expensive for what's offered
- Includes international calling and texting
- Pricing is decent
- Phone financing options available
- Phone selection mainly limited to iPhones
- Phones only sold online
- Great pricing
- Taxes included in pricing, what you see is what you pay
- Free SIM cards and shipping
- Reputation for poor customer support
- Extremely limited selection of phones. Has all old and entry level models
- Hotspot usage costs $15/month extra
- Offers unlimited high-speed data plan
- Only one phone plan offered
- No budget oriented plans available
- Variety of phones offered at a variety of price points
- Pretty good pricing
- Sold in Kroger and related grocery stores
- Only 3 phone plans available
- Plans cost 20% more if autopay billing is not enabled
- Good for seniors
- Offers and supports medical alert devices
- Phone selection limited
- Plans designed for a limited audience
- Can be expensive
- Decent selection of plans
- Good for those with international calling and texting needs
- Global brand sold throughout the world
- Extremely limited number of phones available
- Lots of free phones for switchers
- Good family plan options
- Includes weekly perks/freebies like free cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts
- Free Amazon Prime Subscription and Google One on select plans
- Expensive for single line customers that don't need unlimited data
- Phones only available in stores
- Could be charged $20 to switch phones
- Does not cater to low-usage customers
- Exceptional pricing
- Introductory pricing and trial offers available
- Variety of phones available
- To get best pricing must prepay for 1-year in advance
- Phones not sold with real discounts
- Supports multiple networks
- Offers exclusive multi-month discount plans and deals through eBay
- Cheap phones
- Primarily budget devices are carried
- Plan prices are just average
- Great pricing but only one plan option available
- T-Mobile business line reseller, plan comes with all the same perks as T-Mobile postpaid plans do
- Only available to businesses
- Business model may be questionable
- Seamlessly connects from LTE/5G to WiFi hotspots to help you save data
- Provides usage alerts to help know when you reach data limits
- International travel add-ons available
- Only available in select markets serviced by Optimum and Suddenlink
- Price costs $10 more each month without Optimum/Suddenlink subscription
- No budget under $100 phones available
- Phones available with financing for every budget
- Pay as you go plans available
- Top-up cards and add-ons available
- Limited number of monthly plan options
- Not known for having great customer support
- Supports conservative causes
- Extremely limited selection of phones available
- Supports conservative causes
- No discounts available on phones
- Plans tend to be more expensive than others
- Best in class pricing for a single line unlimited plan
- New network provider in beta testing
- Does not support BYOD
- Limited number of phones available
- Plans to meet a variety of needs
- Additional plans and deals available to AMAC members
- Phone selection mostly consists of iPhones
- Supports charitable cause, your subscription is used to help provide data to others around the world
- Use less data in a month than comes with your plan and you may be billed for cheaper plan
- Decent selection of phones but no discounts available
- Plans cost a bit more than average
- Wide variety of plans available at variety of price points
- Multi-month discount savings are available when you pay for more service in advance
- Customer referral program
- Only new phones sold are iPhones, Android phones are certified pre-owned
- Sometimes subscribers have issues onboarding
- Data available as pay per use
- 14-day money back guarantee
- Additional savings available with annual plan options
- More expensive than others
- Limited selection of phones available, all Androids
- Not good for high-data users
- USA based customer support
- Extremely limited number of phones available
- Pricing is just average
- Sells variety of phones and offers discounts
- Includes free full service roaming in 16 Latin American countries
- Caters to those with international calling needs
- Does not have great reputation for customer support
- Pricing only modest
- Mix and match plans
- Shareable data for up to 10 lines
- Must also subscribe to Spectrum Internet or plans cost $10/month higher
- Variety of plans available for different needs with focus on low-usage customers
- Pay as you go options available
- No real plan options for high-data users
- No phones available
- Large selection of phones available
- Sold at Walmart, with Walmart exclusive deals
- Variety of plans available for different types of devices
- No true budget phone plans
- Not known to have greatest customer support
- Free phones are offered
- Offers phone plans, tablet plans, watch plans, home internet and more
- Can be expensive for single line customers
- Free phone offers and deals typically require 24-month payment plans
- Wide variety of phones
- Offers phone plans, data only plans
- Offers plans for a wide variety of budgets and needs
- Phones are generally not sold at a discount
- Multi-line unlimited data plan customers might be better off with T-Mobile postpaid
- Excellent pricing, provides great value
- Wide variety of plans available including custom build
- Good customer support
- Limited selection of phones, most are used or refurbished
- Does not have a truly unlimited data plan
- Free cellular talk and text plan option
- Good for low usage customers
- Good for travel in Canada and Mexico
- Extremely limited selection of phones available
- No plans available for data lovers
- Plans available to cater to different budgets
- Shareable data plans available
- Known for good customer support
- Limited number of phones available
- No truly unlimited data plans
- Sold in national retail stores, and Total by Verizon stores
- Multi-line discounts available
- Wide selection of phones
- Robust customer support options
- No truly budget plans available, prices start at $30
- No plans geared towards low-usage customers
- Good selection of phones
- Wide variety of plans available with data carryover
- Offers pay as you go
- Does not sell plans with high-data allotments
- Data is hard-capped but top-ups available
- Not known for great customer support
- Great introductory pricing
- Custom build and monthly plans available
- Plans for a variety of budgets available
- Uses two networks, one is for roaming
- Limited selection of phones that are mostly older models
- Does not cater to high-end data users. 10GB max data allotment
- Good for international calling and texting
- Plans available to meet a variety of data needs
- Ability to save more by prepaying for several months in advance
- Lots of phone options
- Best rates require prepaying for 12 months in advance
- Phones typically sold without any discounts
- Good for international calling needs
- Good value if willing to prepay for service months in advance
- Only sells iPhones
- Must prepay for 12-months in advance to get great rates
- Plenty of phone options with free phones available
- Home internet options
- Select plans include free Redbox movie rentals
- Expensive for single lines
- Limited number of plan options
- Offers a phone plan for every budget
- Select plans include perks like a free Netflix subscription
- Offers truly unlimited data plans
- Extremely limited selection of phones available
- Largest overall network in the USA
- Customer loyalty plan discounts available
- Discounted phones available
- You must maintain service for at least 9 months to get best pricing
- Not all plans have access to Verizon's full 5G network
- No free phones
- Largest overall network in the USA
- Plans include lots of perks like free streaming subscriptions
- Free phones available
- Expensive
- Not all plans have access to Verizon's full 5G network
- Owned by Verizon
- Wide variety of phones available
- Cheapest unlimited data plan
- Only one phone plan is sold
- In some locations, data and ping times are particularly slow
- 5G network data speeds capped at 200Mbps
- Good value for moderate to high-data users
- Customer support and plans available in stores at Walmart and online
- Limited number of plan options
- Not known to have great customer support
- Cheaper options available elsewhere for really low usage customers
- Phones sold with financing options
- Supports smartwaches
- Limited selection of phones available
- Questionable business practices
- Pricing not great for low data usage customers
- Shareable data plans available
- Access to nationwide network of hotspots
- Variety of phones available
- Must have either Xfinity Internet, Cable, or Voice or plans cost $25 more per month
- Only limited selection of BYOD phones supported