U.S. Cellular is a cell phone service provider for prepaid connections and is the sixth largest network provider in the United States. It has its own network and is available in 23 states. It does not have a service reseller. The users of U.S. Cellular consider it to be the best as they give it a good rating in overall performance. You will get good network coverage in the licensed markets of U.S. Cellular and along with that, you will also get a nationwide coverage because of its roaming agreement terms with AT&T and Verizon. However, the roaming web data is limited to 400 MB after which the data speed slows down.
U.S. Cellular is known for its robust network in the home location. The cell phone plans have a range of options but the pricing is a little puzzling.
U.S. Cellular Cell Phone Plans
There are two main types of U.S. Cellular plans which are as follows:
- Individual Line Plans
- Shared Connect Plans
U.S. Cellular Individual Line Plans
The Individual Line Plans of U.S. Cellular are the cell phone plans for a single connection. Shared Connect Plans are for multiple lines. However, you can have a shared connect plan for a single line but there is a catch. It will include the plan price including the device connection fees. Therefore, the cost of both individual line plans and shared connection plans will vary. Pricing also depends on upon whether the payment is made in installments or a two-year contract is signed.
The U.S. Cellular Individual Line Plans are as follows:
| High Speed Data | Two Year Contract |
| 1 GB | $60 |
| 2 GB | $75 |
U.S. Cellular Shared Connect Plans
You can also consider the Shared Connect Plans of U.S. Cellular as a family plan. You can add up to 10 lines to a particular cell phone plan. Therefore, it is also called as a “multi-device plan”.It’s Shared Connect Plans include the plan price including the device connection charge. If the mode of payment selected by you is installment then, the device connection charge is $20 per month. If you sign a two-year contract then, the device connection charge is $40 per month. So, if you are planning to save money then you should opt for the shared connect plan via the installment payment mode.
The U.S. Cellular Shared Connect Plans are as follows:
| 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 |
NOTE: The pricing mentioned above is for a single line. It includes device connection charge but does not include taxes, add-ons, insurance fees or monthly device payments.
U.S. Cellular Prepaid Cell Phone Plans
| Plan | Price | Length | Minutes | Texts | MMS | Data | Notes |
| Voice & Messaging Only | $40 | 30 Days | 400 | 400 | 400 | – | Basic Phones |
| Voice, Messaging & Data Access 45 | $45 | 30 Days | Unlimited | Unlimited | – | 1GB 4G. Unlimited 2G | Smart Phones |
| Voice, Messaging & Data Access 55 | $55 | 30 Days | Unlimited | Unlimited | – | 2GB 4G. Unlimited 2G | Smart Phones |
| Voice, Messaging & Data Access 65 | $65 | 30 Days | Unlimited | Unlimited | – | 4GB 4G. Unlimited 2G | Smart Phones |
U.S. Cellular Pay As You Go Plans
| Per Minute | Per SMS | Per MMS | Note |
| $0.10 | $0.25 | $0.25 | $50 as activation fee |
U.S. Cellular Comparison on Price
| CARRIERS | AT&T | SPRINT | T-MOBILE | U.S. CELLULAR | VERIZON |
| 1 GB or less | $45 (300MB) | $40 (1GB) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2-3 GB | $55 (2GB) | $50 (3GB) | $50 (2GB) | $50 (2GB) | $55 (2GB) |
| 4-6 GB | $75 (5GB) | $65 (6GB) | $65 (6GB) | $65 (4GB) | $70 (4GB) |
| 8-10 GB | N/A | N/A | $80 (10GB) | $80 (8GB) | $90 (8GB) |
| 12-15 GB | $115 (15GB, during promotion) | $80 (12GB) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 16-20 GB | $155 (20GB) | N/A | N/A | $100 (16GB) | $110 (16GB) |
| 22-25 GB | $190 (25GB) | $100 (24GB) | N/A | $120 (24GB) | $130 (24GB) |
| Unlimited | $100 (must have DirecTV or U-verse) | $60 | $95 | N/A | N/A |
U.S. Cellular Comparison on Features
U.S. Cellular offers unlimited minutes and messages on cell phone plans whose price is more than $45. It also offers robust network in the local area and data access at 4 G LTE high speed; however, the data during roaming is capped at 400 MB. Features like unlimited 2 G, unlimited music streaming and unlimited video streaming is not provided. If you exceed the monthly allotted data then, you will be charged $15 for every 1 GB. It allows the user to have family plans via the U.S. Cellular Shared Connect plans. Maximum of ten lines can be added to one single plan.
Major cell phone providers like T-Mobile and Sprint allow unlimited 2 G data after the completion of the monthly allotted high-speed data and no overages are charged. T-Mobile allows unlimited music streaming. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon allow the creation of mobile hotspot, while this feature is unavailable in U.S. Cellular.
Is U.S. Cellular right for you?
If you are looking for good and robust network service then,opt for U.S. Cellular as it is its main feature. It is specific to only certain locations. You can easily access 4 G LTE high-speed data since the network is strong. You can opt for family plans and there is an option for you to choose between payment via installments or having a two-year contract.
