Best Reviewed
Cell Phone Plans
- Best cell phone plans Verizon Wireless *Est. $40
- Top regional cell phone carrier U.S. Cellular *Est. $30
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Top regional cell phone carrier
- Free incoming calls and text/picture/video messages
- Good call quality
- No roaming fees with national plans
- Widespread 3G data coverage
- Not the best choice for international travel
- No 4G network
- Limited handset choices
U.S. Cellular is a regional (but still fairly large) carrier, with about 6 million customers in 26 states spreading mostly southeast and northwest from Chicago (where the company is headquartered). In these regions, the company scores high -- even better than Verizon Wireless (*Est. $40 per month and up) for call quality in the North Central region of the United States. Another big advantage of U.S. Cellular is that incoming calls, texts and picture and video messages are free for contract subscribers (U.S. Cellular also offers prepaid plans). U.S. Cellular contracts with the Verizon network for roaming, so voice and 3G data coverage blanket the nation. Roaming outside of your home area is free if you buy one of U.S. Cellular's "Belief" Plans (starting at $50 per month for 700 minutes). Like Verizon Wireless, U.S. Cellular operates on a CDMA network, so its phones won't work in other countries, which more commonly use the GSM network you'll find at AT&T (*Est. $40 per month and up) and T-Mobile (*Est. $40 per month and up), but both of these carriers lag behind U.S. Cellular in reviews.
The most effective way to judge cell phone service is via owner surveys, which poll users on such variables as best network coverage, fewest circuit overloads, least number of dropped calls and most effective customer service. ConsumerReports.org, J.D. Power and Associates and PCMag.com all include U.S. Cellular in their surveys. CNET and TopTenReviews.com give an overview of U.S. Cellular's features (and those of other carriers), and users at PhoneDog.com and Viewpoints.com relate their own experiences with U.S. Cellular.
Our Sources
J.D. Power and Associates polls cellular subscribers nationwide about their cell phone service. U.S. Cellular beats all other carriers to win the call-quality award in its home market -- the North Central U.S. -- but its call quality is not ranked in any of the other regions where it operates, and it is not included at all in the customer-service rankings.
Review: 2011 Wireless Call Quality Ratings (Volume 1), Editors of J.D. Power and Associates, March 2011
2. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
ConsumerReports.org polls more than 58,000 subscribers to find out which cell phone providers offer the best value, service and customer support. U.S. Cellular is ranked against the four major national providers -- AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless.
Review: Overall Cell Phone Service Ratings, Editors of ConsumerReports.org, Jan. 2011
U.S. Cellular earns a Readers' Choice award here, along with Verizon Wireless. Compared with the four national carriers, PCMag.com readers rank U.S. Cellular at or near the top for customer support, plan options, coverage and call quality. However, it ranks last for choice of handsets.
Review: Cellular Service Providers: Contract Providers, Ben Gottesman, Sept. 7, 2010
4. CNET
CNET doesn't actually review U.S. Cellular, but the site provides a good overview in this buyer's guide, which outlines the pros and cons of several major nationwide and regional carriers.
Review: Quick Guide to Top Cell Phone Carriers, Kent German, Nov. 23, 2010
This site's best feature is its detailed comparison chart, examining the features of 10 cellular service providers, including U.S. Cellular. Editors highlight the company's big selling feature -- free incoming calls -- but the short review is not very detailed or critical.
Review: Cell Phone Providers Review, Editors of TopTenReviews.com
6. Phonedog.com
Fewer than 100 users register their opinions of U.S. Cellular at PhoneDog.com, far fewer than for national services like Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile. As usual, the ratings are anecdotal in nature, but are worth a read if you are considering this service.
Review: U.S. Cellular User Reviews, Contributors to PhoneDog.com
About 80 people have rated U.S. Cellular here, giving it an average of 3.82 out of 5 stars -- the highest for any contract cell phone carrier. Most say the connections are clear, but some complain that the phone selection is limited.
Review: U.S. Cellular Reviews, Contributors to Viewpoints.com
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