Best Verizon MVNO of 2024: our top picks

Joining one of the best Verizon MVNO carriers is a great decision for users who want Verizon-quality coverage without needing to pay for Big Red’s plans. These MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) ‘lease’ network infrastructure from Verizon and deliver it to customers, in the form of much more affordable wireless plans. Since they’re prepaid carriers, you don’t have to worry about signing a contract either, and you can cancel or update your service at any time without any penalties.

The trade-off is that MVNO carriers often lack the perks of traditional carriers, and your service may get deprioritized when a network becomes busy. That said, MVNOs are becoming more and more popular for all types of mobile phone users, primarily due to their simplicity and affordability. If you’re interested in the best carriers that use Verizon’s network (but aren’t Verizon), this is the guide for you.

All things considered, Visible stands out as the best overall Verizon MVNO carrier. It’s actually owned by Verizon and offers two simple and straightforward plans that both offer unlimited talk and text, mobile hotspot usage at 5Mbps, and protection against spam and robocalls. We also quite like US Mobile, which offers two unlimited plans with lots of premium data, hotspot data, international calling & texting benefits, and more. There’s also a basic plan ideal for light users, and you have the option to buy chunks of data that can be shared across multiple lines on different devices.

• MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Visible | Boost | Tello | Cricket Wireless

At a glance

Best overall

Although it’s not technically an MVNO, Visible deserves a top spot on just about any list of alternative carriers. Owned and operated by Verizon, Visible is a unique carrier that calls itself a “new way to wireless”. Everything with Visible is handled through its mobile app/website rather than walking into a store to get started with your new phone service. This includes creating an account and paying your bill(s).

Along with the basic plan $25 per month called Visible, the carrier offers a $45 per month plan called Visible Plus. Both tiers offer unlimited talk, text, and 4G/LTE and 5G data, plus unlimited mobile hotspot, spam protection, and unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada. Visible Plus adds additional perks such as 5G Ultra-Wideband and international calling and texting to over 30 countries worldwide.

Always make sure you’re using a compatible Visible phone before switching over. Visible also regularly runs promotions that’ll get you a hefty discount or even a free virtual gift card when you transfer an existing number to the service, so do check for those as well. 

Best perks

US Mobile is an MVNO that has been growing in popularity, thanks to a sensible set of plans and great phone compatibility. It uses a combination of T-Mobile and Verizon networks to power its service, and even supports C-band 5G. It’s nice that US Mobile will work with a Verizon phone as well as T-Mobile-compatible unlocked phones.

Service plans with US Mobile are highly customizable. You can pick and choose how much talk, text, and data you need, or go with one of the two unlimited plans. There is also a 10GB plan that’s only available if you sign up for an entire year of service. US Mobile’s highest plans — Unlimited Starter and Unlimited Premium — are priced at $29 and $50 per month, respectively, but those prices come down if you sign up for multiple lines.

Unlimited Premium comes with 100GB of premium data, access to both C-band and mmWave 5G, and 50GB of hotspot data. With 10GB of international data via an eSIM, this is a great plan for heavy users on the move. If you’re making it your family plan, you get a subscription service (with three lines) at $15 per month. It includes a range of services like Audible, ESPN Plus, and Xbox Game Pass.

Best international features

Straight Talk has been around for quite a while now and has a solid reputation as a cheap alternative carrier, offering plenty of data and great coverage. This is helped by the fact that it’s now a part of TracFone, which itself is owned by Verizon. With a wide variety of plans and three strong unlimited options, Straight Talk stands out as a competitive option for heavy users.

The unlimited plans are graded like an Olympic podium with Bronze, Silver, Gold, and even a Platinum option. Bronze is fairly basic at $35 per month with 10GB of high-speed data and calling to Canada and Mexico. Silver adds $10 and upgrades the data to unlimited high-speed, with the same calling to Canada and Mexico. It also comes with 10GB of hotspot data. Gold takes the hotspot up to 15GB and adds 100GB of cloud storage and a Walmart+ membership. If you want to call even more countries, get the Platinum Unlimited plan. It’s priced at $65 per month and comes with 20GB hotspot data, and international calling to more than 60 countries, with other benefits of Gold membership also included.

Straight Talk has two main ways to save with a couple of two-line plans as well as some extended plans. There are also some three, six, and 12-month plans that are a bit cheaper.

Best for Xfinity customers

Xfinity Mobile offers mobile plans designed for those who already use Xfinity for their home internet. Xfinity Mobile comes with unlimited nationwide calling/texting and access to millions of Wi-Fi hotspots. For mobile data, you have a couple of options. First, you can go with Xfinity’s ‘By the Gig’ plan, with data costing $15 per month for 1GB, $30 per month for 3GB, or $60 per month for 10GB. The actual cost is prorated based on your usage.

There are also three unlimited plans, priced at $45, $55, and $65 per month for one line. All of these give you access to nationwide 5G network, video streaming, as well as multi-line discounts. For unlimited plans, your speeds are reduced once you use up your chosen plan’s data allotment. Xfinity also offers international calling with per-country rates and a $10 per month optional add-on for unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada.

Although unlimited plans come with multi-line savings, your per-line discounted cost will remain the same for two to four lines. Also, you can add up to five more lines (for a total of 10 lines) at reduced prices too.

Best on a budget

Ting Mobile uses both Verizon and T-Mobile for coverage, depending on what works best in your area. Ting started using the Sprint network before shifting to its current coverage partners, offering significantly improved coverage in the process. What’s more, 5G is now included with all plans for free, so you can get reliable coverage if you have the right phone for it.

Ting’s plans are reasonably straightforward, starting with a Flex plan with unlimited talk and text plan costing just $10 per month. You can add data at $5 per GB, which remains a solid value if you use less than 3GB in a month. Ting does have plans for more modern devices, starting with Set 5 and Set 12, which come with 5GB and 12GB of high-speed data, respectively. The two highest plans — Unlimited Plus and Unlimited Pro — come with 22GB and 35GB of high-speed data, respectively. All the plans support nationwide LTE and 5G coverage.

Ting will work with most (if not all) of the best unlocked phones, which means that if you have a fairly recent smartphone that’s unlocked, you can continue using it. You can buy a new phone via Ting’s website too, but device selection is quite limited.

Best for families

Another great option to consider when looking for a Verizon MVNO carrier is Total by Verizon. Plans start quite cheap, with the $30 per month starter option giving you 5G access, unlimited talk & text, hotspot usage, and international calling and texting to Mexico and Canada. The higher plans increase your allotment of high-speed data and mobile hotspot use, with the two highest options also having ad-free Disney+ Premium thrown in the mix. All plans also come with spam filtering.

Total by Verizon offers multi-line discounts (up to five lines) on all plans, except for the starting one. The top-tier Unlimited+ offering, which costs $60 per month for one line, also gives you access to Verizon’s super-fast ‘Ultra-Wideband’ 5G network.

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How to choose

These are the best Verizon MVNO carriers

Verizon’s network is an excellent pick for a prepaid carrier, all thanks to its reliable coverage area and improving 5G network. Coverage deficiencies are often more pronounced on prepaid carriers because they don’t have access to roaming agreements, so it’s always a good idea to make sure you’re on the strongest possible network for your area. With these best Verizon MVNO carriers, you can use most of the best Android phones, such as the brand-new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, with little to no issues.

Our top vote goes to Visible, as the Verizon-owned prepaid carrier makes things easy as pie with two feature-packed for you to choose from. Both offer unlimited talk and text, mobile hotspot usage at 5Mbps, and a lot more, with the higher Visible+ giving you access to Verizon’s ‘Ultra-Wideband’ 5G network and international benefits. Even better, the prices for both plans include fees and taxes, so you pay what you see. On the other hand, US Mobile offers a bunch of perks that make its plans stand out. The two unlimited plans offer loads of premium data, dedicated hotspot data, as well as international calling and texting benefits. The highest plan even makes you eligible for a $15 per month bundle having subscription services such as Spotify Family, Max, and PlayStation Plus, provided you sign up for three lines.

• MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Visible | Boost | Tello | Cricket Wireless