Cell Phone Plans: Ratings of Sources

Our AssessmentFor this article, ConsumerReports.org asks more than 58,000 magazine subscribers to rate their cell phone plans for service (voice, texting and data), customer support and value. Editors rate five major carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless) from best to worst, based on the results. They also do separate ratings for each of 23 urban areas, including New York City, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago and Miami, and there's a separate ratings chart for Canadian cell phone plans.

Our AssessmentAT&T's 3G network proves far faster than Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile in this 13-city test. AT&T had finished last in the previous year's test. Note that although AT&T is the overall winner, other networks work better in certain cities; a chart shows results for each city. PC World used both smartphones and laptops to check the download speeds, upload speeds and connection dependability, running more than 51,000 separate tests.

Our AssessmentComputerworld tests two 4G networks -- Verizon and Sprint -- head-to-head in the New York metro area. Brian Nadel recommends Verizon -- "if you can get it." It's not widely available and costs more than Sprint 4G, but "it's the fastest way I've found to connect on the road."

Our AssessmentGizmodo.com uses laptops to test the 3G speeds of AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless in 12 cities nationwide, including Maui. AT&T consistently delivers the fastest data speeds -- but testers note that they didn't measure dropped calls, customer service or coverage outside of major metro areas.

Our AssessmentDavid Pogue probes the prices -- and questionable practices -- of wireless carriers on his blog for The New York Times. After Pogue wrote about his own and readers' experiences (backed up by an alleged Verizon whistleblower) of being charged $2 data fees for accidentally hitting an awkwardly placed arrow key, the federal government investigated and Verizon refunded millions of dollars to its customers. He has also investigated another whistleblower's allegation that Verizon fires employees for offering to "data block" people's phones so they won't incur any data charges (Verizon says it doesn't), and whether AT&T's new capped data plans might actually save customers money. Pogue attracts hundreds of reader comments with valuable insight for anyone pondering which carrier to choose, although Pogue doesn't pick a favorite.

Our AssessmentEngadget.com's iPhone reviewer comes to basically the same conclusions as Wired's (above): Verizon's slower data speeds can be a pain, but it's so much more reliable for voice calls that overall, Verizon has "made the best smartphone in America just a little bit better."

Our AssessmentYou can save money by choosing a smaller wireless carrier instead of one of the big four, Laptop Magazine says. Brian Oliver Bennett doesn't pick a favorite, but he identifies the pros and cons of five smaller carriers with contract or prepaid plans -- CellularSouth, Cricket, MetroPCS, U.S. Cellular and Virgin Mobile -- and shows in a chart how they stack up against the big four in terms of plan value and available smartphones.

Our AssessmentThis website doesn't test phone services, nor does it conduct any owner surveys. Rather, ratings are based on coverage, available plans and other features. This isn't the best way to rate cell phone plans, because it doesn't take customer service or satisfaction into account at all. Verizon takes first place; although AT&T also earns a perfect overall rating, its subscore for "help and support" is lower than Verizon's. Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Cricket and Virgin Mobile are also among the 10 carriers rated here.

Our AssessmentThis site sells wireless phones and cell phone plans and posts customer reviews. Five wireless carriers are rated on a five-point scale, based on customer feedback. However, the methodology is unscientific, and some of the reviews are several years old. The site does offer useful tools to compare prices and services from available carriers, though.

Our AssessmentConsumers post complaints about all kinds of companies on this website, including cell phone service providers. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon all have hundreds of complaints, with links from the home page's Top Ripoff Links section. Note that people come here only to complain -- you won't find any positive stories here -- and none of the complaints have been verified as accurate.