You cannot buy US Cellular plans anymore, prepaid or monthly. T-Mobile announced on August 1, 2025 that it had closed its purchase of US Cellular’s wireless business, which had more than four million customers. The brand’s own website, uscellular.com, now sends you to t-mobile.com.
US Cellular was a regional carrier with its own towers. It was not an MVNO, a mobile virtual network operator that rents someone else’s network. That is why its closing moved customers to a different network and not only to a different bill.
What happened to US Cellular customers
T-Mobile took them over, but not every account moved by itself. T-Mobile runs a page for US Cellular customers who received a letter, and the page is blunt: “Your account will not move automatically. You must switch your wireless service to T-Mobile or another wireless provider.”
For those accounts, the page gives three dates. It does not print a year, so check the letter you received.
| Date on T-Mobile’s page | What happens |
|---|---|
| September 1 | The US Cellular account is cancelled. One final bill follows. |
| September 30 | The free 30 days of network connection end. After that the phone can only call 911. |
| 60 days after September 1 | The last day to contact T-Mobile and restart service. After it, the phone number is permanently lost. |
US Cellular prepaid ended too. T-Mobile’s welcome page for US Cellular prepaid customers says they “can no longer renew service” and asks them to join a T-Mobile brand and keep their number.
Many accounts did move by themselves. For those, T-Mobile says the US Cellular lines “were moved to a new T-Mobile account”. How to sign in, pay and check your phone is on our page about moving from US Cellular to T-Mobile.
What to do now
Pick a carrier that is still selling service, and move your number to it before the dates above run out. You are not tied to T-Mobile. Its own page says you may switch to “T-Mobile or another wireless provider”.
These three keep you on the network that absorbed US Cellular.
If T-Mobile’s coverage is weak where you live, pick a brand on Verizon’s or AT&T’s network instead. The carriers section is where we cover the three networks.
The prices shown are the lowest monthly price for one line on each brand’s own site.
More on US Cellular
- US Cellular prepaid: refills, balances and the last prepaid plans.
- US Cellular family plans: what 2, 3 and 4 lines cost in 2025.
- US Cellular fees: the activation, administrative and regulatory fees.
- US Cellular APN settings
US Cellular plans as of 2016
This is the record of what US Cellular charged when we last documented its plans, in September 2016. None of it is on sale. It is here because people still ask what the old plans cost, and because an old bill is easier to read next to the price list it came from.
Shared Connect plans
Shared Connect was the main plan, and the family plan. One plan could carry up to ten lines. The price depended on how you paid for the phone.
Archive: 2016
Monthly price for one line, including the device connection charge, before taxes. That charge was $20 a month on an installment plan and $40 a month on a two-year contract.
| High-speed data | Installment plan | Two-year contract |
|---|---|---|
| 2 GB | $50 | $70 |
| 4 GB | $65 | $85 |
| 8 GB | $80 | $100 |
| 16 GB | $100 | $120 |
| 24 GB | $120 | $140 |
Going over the data allowance cost $15 for each extra gigabyte.
US Cellular prepaid plans in 2016
Prepaid came in four 30-day plans. Only the cheapest one was for basic phones.
Archive: 2016
| Plan | Price | Minutes | Texts | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & Messaging Only | $40 | 400 | 400 | None |
| Voice, Messaging & Data Access 45 | $45 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 1 GB of 4G, then unlimited 2G |
| Voice, Messaging & Data Access 55 | $55 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2 GB of 4G, then unlimited 2G |
| Voice, Messaging & Data Access 65 | $65 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4 GB of 4G, then unlimited 2G |
Pay as you go cost 10 cents a minute and 25 cents a text or picture message, with a $50 activation fee.
Where it worked
In 2016 US Cellular sold service in 23 states and relied on roaming agreements with AT&T and Verizon everywhere else. Roaming data was capped at 400 MB, after which it slowed down. Its plans did not include a mobile hotspot.
Questions people still ask
Are US Cellular prepaid plans still available?
No. T-Mobile’s page for US Cellular prepaid customers says they can no longer renew service. The closest thing today is a prepaid plan from T-Mobile or from a brand on its network. The last prepaid plans, and what happens to a prepaid balance, are on our US Cellular prepaid page.
Does the US Cellular company still exist?
Not as a phone carrier. Before the sale closed, the company said the business left behind would be renamed Array Digital Infrastructure and would keep about 4,400 towers and some spectrum. It does not sell phone service.
Can I keep my US Cellular phone number?
Yes, if you act in time. Switch to T-Mobile or port the number to another carrier before the connection ends. T-Mobile’s page says a number is permanently lost 60 days after the account is cancelled.
Is uscellular.com still online?
The address still responds, but it redirects to t-mobile.com. We checked on October 8, 2026.