What Carriers Use AT&T’s Network?

AT&T is one of the Big Three wireless carriers. The other two are T-Mobile and Verizon. All three have great nationwide coverage, fast 4G and 5G networks, and good reliability. But, in certain areas, AT&T is the clear best.

Rather than operating their own networks, MVNOs lease network bandwidth from bigger companies, like AT&T. They can be significantly cheaper than going straight to the company that runs the network.

That’s the main benefit for most people. Though some MVNOs also offer nice perks for new customers, like cheap phones and prepaid cards. Often, when people talk about AT&T no-contract plans or AT&T pay-as-you-go plans, they’re talking about using an MVNO carrier or AT&T’s own prepaid service.

The biggest drawback is that MVNOs tend to have suboptimal performance. If you’re on a data plan with an MVNO, the Big Three networks generally prioritize data from their direct customers and deprioritize your data speeds. This can make it hard to do bandwidth-demanding activities, like streaming video in HD.

However, AT&T is known to have decent data speeds in many areas, so the network shouldn’t be too overtaxed most of the time. This is especially true for those who live close to AT&T towers. 

As one customer on an AT&T MVNO put it in a Reddit post: “AT&T as a network is on another level in terms of latency, and even if you are deprioritized, it isn't the same caliber of utterly unusable, frustratingly slow data speeds, versus Verizon. Simply put, I've had better data speeds on deprioritized AT&T than Verizon postpaid with priority in crowded areas.”

If you’re looking for a solid, all-around unlimited data plan on AT&T’s network, then Cricket should be your first stop. It’s one of the OG prepaid carriers on the market, and while it might not have the lowest prices, it does offer a ton of bang for your buck.

Cricket offers a wide selection of plans, including 5GB, 8GB, and 15GB data plans. But you can find the best deals with Cricket’s unlimited data plans. There are several different unlimited options to consider.

As you can see, the cheapest way to get on Cricket is to sign up for the standard Unlimited Plan. If you pay up front, the price is just $25 a month. That’s an incredible price, but it only lasts for the first three months. After that it goes up to the standard $55.

We don’t actually recommend this plan for most people. It comes with unlimited data, but that data is always subject to deprioritization and throttling. But if you pay just $5 a month more, you can update to the Unlimited+ plan and get better performance and perks.

With the Cricket Wireless Unlimited+ plan you get unlimited talk, text, and data on AT&T’s 4G LTE/5G networks, including 15GB of hotspot data, 150GB of free cloud storage, and unlimited talk/text/data in Mexico and Canada. Because Cricket is an MVNO, data speeds can be slower than the highest-paying AT&T customers but above other MVNO users.

One Cricket customer, Stondsebass, wrote on Reddit: “[I’ve] been a Cricket customer for years. My family and I have the family plan with Cricket Unlimited+ and never really notice any deprioritization, even some of us who use heavy data haven’t really noticed the service slowing down.”

In terms of data performance, the Cricket Unlimited+ plan is comparable to AT&T’s own Unlimited Starter^® SL plan, which costs $65.99 a month. Not only does AT&T’s Unlimited Starter^® SL plan cost more, but it also has fewer perks. You only get 5GB of hotspot data, and your video streams max out at 1.5Mbps speeds.

Cricket Wireless offers some great introductory phone deals for new customers, like a Motorola razr 2023 for $99.99. Its customer service is also rated relatively well by customers.

In short: If you’re looking for a company that does pretty much everything AT&T does but cheaper, then Cricket is the way to go.

Consumer Cellular is an AT&T MVNO that’s perfectly tailored for older folks who want to save a ton of money without giving up on unlimited data.

There are a lot of things that Consumer Cellular does well, but we’ll start with the company’s biggest selling point: you can get TWO lines with unlimited talk, text, and data for just $55 a month if you’re an AARP member.

Two unlimited data lines for $55 a month is a wildly low price. It’s not just an introductory gimmick, either. You get that price month after month, year after year.

Consumer runs on AT&T’s 4G/LTE/5G with great coverage. While your data speeds with Consumer aren’t the first priority on the network, you get up to 50GB of high-speed data that shouldn’t be majorly throttled. That’s more than many other MVNOs offer.

But it’s not just the price and performance that make Consumer great for seniors. The company ranks first among all MVNO carriers in JD Power’s 2024 U.S. Wireless Customer Care Study. In an industry that tends to score poorly when it comes to customer service, that’s a relief.

If you’re looking for a cheap AT&T alternative that still allows you to scroll, swipe, stream, game, and browse all day long, then check out Straight Talk.

Straight Talk offers a variety of affordable prepaid plans with unlimited talk, text, and data. Each plan comes with different set of features, but they all share one thing: 60GB of high-speed unthrottled data. That’s a lot more than nearly any other MVNO offers.

Straight Talk’s cheapest Silver Unlimited Data Plan is the way to go for most customers. It’s just $42.50 a month, and you get unlimited talk, text, and data—plus 10GB of mobile hotspot data. You can pay more for Gold or Platinum plans, but all that really changes is the amount of hotspot data.

In terms of perks and special deals, Straight Talk doesn’t have anything too flashy. You can snag a Samsung A14 5G phone for just $79.99, but offers like the free phones that AT&T offers new customers are nowhere to be seen.

When you sign up for a family plan with H20 Wireless, you can get on AT&T’s network with unlimited everything for just $25 a month!

Of course, the service is about as basic as it gets. H20’s unlimited data plan has no frills—just unlimited text, talk, and data with 40GB of high-speed data and 2GB to 5GB of hotspot data. Here’s a closer look.

H20 might not be ideal for those who travel internationally frequently or use their phone as a hotspot to work on the road. But if you just want to get the whole family on a cheap unlimited plan for under $100 a month, then look no further.

These days, phone companies are all about unlimited data plans. But there’s a case to be made for classic, talk and text plans. These plans are great for kids who need a phone to arrange rides and stay safe, but shouldn’t be scrolling on TikTok all day.

But it’s not just for kids. Many adults don’t need—or want—the constant distraction of high-data phone use. With Good2Go, you can get all of the necessary basics for less than $10 a month. And just in case you need to use Google Maps in a pinch you get 1GB of data thrown in as well.

As you can see, Good2Go’s $7 talk and text plan requires you to pay for six months up front. That’s just $42, which is still less than the cost of an average unlimited data plan for a single month! But if you don’t want to pay upfront, you can still get a Good2Go prepaid plan that operates on AT&T’s network for just $10 a month.

MVNO phone plans used to have issues with phone compatibility. You had to worry about whether you were coming from a CDMA or GSM network. But with most modern AT&T prepaid cell phone plans, you don’t have to worry about that.

Most new phones are AT&T compatible, unless they are specifically locked to another carrier. However, you should always double check with your carrier before you sign up.

That wraps up our review of the best AT&T MVNOs. Here are some bullet points to help you remember what makes each of these carriers a great pick.

Best value: Cricket Wireless offers the perfect all-around AT&T alternative. Its affordable Unlimited+ plan has no data caps, 15GB of hotspot data, free international perks, and even free cloud storage.

Best for seniors: If you’re an AARP member, you can get two unlimited talk, text, and data lines for just $55 a month with Consumer Cellular. That’s an unbeatable price.

Best for data hogs: Straight Talk's unlimited data plans have a 60GB cap on full-speed data. That’s a lot more than other MVNOs, meaning you can stream, post, scroll, and game till the cows come home.

Best family plans: Get plans for the whole family without breaking the bank. You can get up for four lines of unlimited data for just $25 a pop with H20 Wireless.

Best talk and text Plan: Good2Go Mobile has a super cheap, stripped down plan that’s perfect for kids and adults alike. Unlimited talk and text, plus 1GB of data for emergencies, all for $7 a month.

Every article we write begins with a lengthy and in-depth research process. For this review of the best AT&T MVNOs, we began by looking at every single carrier that uses the network. We looked at third-party data, customer reviews, and all available information about carrier plans and policies. We narrowed down our top picks based on the following criteria:

1. Price
2. Data allotment and performance
3. Policies, fees, and perks

We hope that we’ve helped you find your next cell phone plan. If we missed anything, please let us know by clicking on the Contact Us link below!