Consumer Cellular: Which plan is the best one for you?
Consumer Cellular is a popular mobile virtual network operator (MVNOs). They provide their network services through AT&T and T-Mobile, which both offer some of the widest 5G coverage in the country. Consumer Cellular offers several different plans, but which plan is best for you?
In this article, we’ll cover:
- What each Consumer Cellular plan offers
- What deals Consumer Cellular offers for its users
- Which Consumer Cellular plan is the best deal
Unsure of what you need out of a phone plan? Read our guide on how to choose the best one to suit your needs.
What to expect from Consumer Cellular
Consumer Cellular offers 4 plans with varying data amounts.
Consumer Cellular plans range from 50GB to 1GB of full speed data. Their plans are deprioritzed, which means your data slows down in times of high traffic like a crowded store or a concert. If you don’t use data from the previous month, the leftover gigabytes roll over to the next month. Consumer Cellular plans offer 480p Standard Definition when streaming, and they only offer international connection through pay-per-use.
Coverage
Consumer Cellular uses AT&T and T-Mobile’s networks to give users the fastest speeds.
As Consumer Cellular is an MVNO, they buy coverage from one of the main network providers with their own infrastructure – specifically AT&T and T-Mobile, while others buy from Verizon.
T-Mobile is widely considered some of the best 5G coverage nationally, but the best coverage for you comes down to your location. It’s important to compare between providers on a coverage map of your specific city. Ookla’s coverage map allows you to see where cellular towers are located and which company owns them. Comparing tower locations can help you determine which of the big 3 network providers meet your needs.
The Plans
Consumer Cellular offers one unlimited plan and several limited data plans.
Consumer Cellular offers several varying limited data plans, as well as one unlimited plan. The average phone user uses about 20GB of data per month, so keep that in mind as you decide which plan to choose:
1GB
5GB
10GB
Unlimited (50GB)
Let’s talk about each Consumer Cellular plan individually, and what they offer for their customers.
Best Overall: Unlimited
This plan gives you 50GB of full speed data before slowing to 2G speeds. With 2G speeds, you can still browse the internet or send emails and texts, but you need WiFi to play games or stream video. You also get unlimited hotspot data, but it slows after you hit the 50GB cap.
This plan costs $55 before the $5 autopay discount. At full price, you get 50GB for $1.10 per GB. With the discount, this costs $1 per GB.
Pros: decent price
Cons: data cap
Conclusion: best for heavy data users
Runner Up: 10GB
This is their second biggest plan with 10GB per month. This plan cuts your access off at 10GB, but you also get mobile hotspot access using the allotted amount.
This plan costs $40 before the $5 autopay discount. At full price, you get 10GB per month for $4 per GB. With the discount, this costs $3.50 per GB.
Pros: hotspot access
Cons: hard data cap
Conclusion: best for lighter data users
5GB
This plan is best for light data users. This plan gives users 5GB of data per month, and access stops after 5GB. You also get to use the 5GB as hotspot access until the cap.
This plan costs $30 at full price, and $25 with the autopay discount. At full price, you get 5GB per month for $6 per GB. With the discount, you get 5GB for $5 per GB.
Pros: hotspot access
Cons: hard data cap
Conclusion: best for light data users
1GB
This plan is best for the lightest data users and those with a decent WiFi connection. Each month, this plan gives you 1GB. After you use the GB, data stops. You can use the GB as hotspot data.
This plan costs $25 at full price, and $20 after the autopay discount.
Pros: hotspot access
Cons: expensive
Conclusion: best for the lightest data users
Family Plan Offerings
Consumer Cellular offers their best deals on multi-line plans.
Consumer Cellular allows up to 7 lines on one account, and users can get a discount with several lines on their plan.
Features
Consumer Cellular’s offered features include device financing and WiFi Calling.
Consumer Cellular offers several features their users can take advantage of, which include:
feature
details
Customer Service
Consumer Cellular offers their customer service online.
Consumer Cellular has a couple physical stores, but most of their customer support occurs online. There are several ways to contact their customer support lines:
chat support
phone support
Conclusion
Consumer Cellular’s Unlimited plan is the best deal.
Out of all of their plans, Consumer Cellular’s Unlimited plan offers the best deal with the price per GB and overall access. Their limited data plans are more expensive, so the unlimited plan is a much better deal.
To have a comprehensive picture of how much data you use month to month and what plan you need, we’d recommend checking your data usage before committing to a plan.
Want to compare other carriers?
Really.com helps users compare between features, coverage, price, reviews, and more!
Are you still unsure if you want to go with a Consumer Cellular plan? Use really.com to compare your top choices and find the best deal to fit your needs. Really allows you to compare and sort between most phone plans on the market without the hassle!