If you’re attempting to choose between two cellular phone service providers, it can be a tough decision. You have to take into account their coverage areas, what they offer with each of their plans, how much those plans cost, and also what perks you might be able to get. In this guide, we’ll be talking about two popular choices, Consumer Cellular and T-Mobile. After you read this, you should be able to choose between them more easily.
We’ll begin by talking about a few of the more vital considerations for each of these providers.
Consumer Cellular
- Consumer Cellular is a company that uses the networks of T-Mobile and AT&T; because of that, they are regarded as having dependable coverage, despite being primarily a regional carrier
- They market themselves toward older adults over the age of 50 rather than toward younger customers who tend to use more streaming data
- They let you use many different devices, and you can either bring your own or buy one from them
- Their plans are quite affordable, starting at just $15 per month; however, that plan only offers you limited talking capabilities and no streaming data
T-Mobile
- Their coverage is considered to be second-best in America, behind only Verizon; they are also one of the companies that are working to roll out a dependable 5G network
- You can sign up for a family plan with four lines, and each one will cost you just $30; however, you’ll be paying a little extra for taxes and fees
- With most of their plans, you get texting while you’re abroad, and you’ll get data while in Canada and Mexico as well
- They have an incentive plan called T-Mobile Tuesdays where you can get restaurant savings, discounted movie tickets, and more
Consumer Cellular’s History
Consumer Cellular is a postpaid mobile virtual network operator based in the United States. It was founded in 1995 by Greg Pryor and John Marick. The company has many no-contract cell phone plans, as well as accessories and cellphones. Their headquarters is in Portland, and they employ more than 2,400 workers. The marketing is mainly focused on older adults over 50, as you can see from their ads.
They use the networks of T-Mobile and AT&T. They also resell other virtual operators wholesale wireless services. In 2019, the company stated that it had reached 3.5 million customers. They have been named one of America’s fastest-growing companies by the Inc 5000 list for ten years running.
Their business model is not that of most other US telecommunications companies. If you look at their focus and advertising, you’ll see that they’re trying to reach cellphone users who do not use very much data for things like watching movies and streaming TV shows. Their ideal customer is someone who uses their cellphone less frequently. Because their plans offer fewer data and fewer frills, they are popular with retired individuals.
T-Mobile’s History
T-Mobile is part of Deutsche Telekom AG, a German company. They are active in the Netherlands, Poland, and the Czech Republic, as well as in the United States. They are a multifaceted telecommunications conglomerate. The name was also used at one point by subsidiaries in other countries, such as Germany, the United Kingdom, and Slovakia. T-Mobile still has a presence in all of these, but it operates using different names.
The company was founded in Germany by Amir Suhail in 1990. In ‘99, they were bought out by Deutsche Telekom. They elected to keep the T-Mobile name, and in 2009, the company restructured. The focus was kept mainly on the US market, though parts of Europe fit into their long-term plan as well. In the US, the company uses an LTE-based cellular network. They have significant financial stakes in mobile operators in other places, mostly Eastern and Central Europe.
They have about 44,000 employees. In 2017, their reported revenue was upwards of $40 billion. They have about 230 million subscribers worldwide. That makes them the 13th largest telecommunications network in the world, behind others like UK’s Vodafone and India’s Airtel.
Does Consumer Cellular or T-Mobile Have the Better Network?
The cellular network coverage that you get with the company you choose makes a difference; some are better than others. Consumer Cellular offers 4G LTE coverage from both T-Mobile and AT&T. AT&T’s coverage is third-best in the nation, at 58%. T-Mobile is second-best, with 59% coverage. Verizon, at 70%, is number one.
Consumer Cellular, because they use T-Mobile and AT&T’s networks, is regarded as having dependable coverage. They are considered to be somewhat of a regional commodity, as they are best known in the Northwest. Still, their coverage with the support of the two larger brands is better than several other smaller providers.
T-Mobile’s network, as we mentioned, as second-best in the nation, and they are working continually to improve it. They are implementing 5G LTE as quickly as they can, to catch up with Verizon. The more extensive their 5G network, the more customers they should be able to attract in the new decade. 5G means faster browsing speeds, and also more dependable calls and texts.
Which One of These Options Has the Better Plans?
Next, you should examine what you get with the service plans offered by both of these companies. Consumer Cellular has a single line that comes with a talking plan of 250 minutes per month for $15. That’s a price that most people can easily afford. You could also get a plan with unlimited talking capabilities for $20 per month. If you need a plan that comes with streaming data, you can get one with 500MB per month for an extra $5. For 3GB, you’ll pay an additional $10 per month. 10, 15, and 25GB per month plans are available. They’ll cost you an extra $20, $30, and $40, respectively.
Consumer Cellular’s marketing efforts and plans show that they want to bring in individuals who do not use a great deal of streaming data or talk on the phone regularly. The way they keep their prices so low is by not offering very much as compared to some of the companies with greater market shares. It could be assumed that Consumer Cellular’s customers probably don’t use their phones to browse online very often, or stream TV shows and movies.
With T-Mobile, there are three plans called Essential, Magenta, and Magenta Plus. They will cost you $30 per line, $35 per line, and $43 per line, respectively. Those prices only apply if you get at least four lines and set up their autopay feature. If you elect not to do that, then it will cost you a bit more. Also, taxes and fees are not included, unless you get Magenta or Magenta Plus.
It seems clear that T-Mobile wants you to sign up for a family plan and lock it into autopay. If you want their discounts, your best bet is to get your family involved or to get some friends to go in on a plan with you.
With each one of T-Mobile’s plans, you’ll get unlimited talk, smartphone data within the network, and texting capabilities. Depending on which plan you purchase, you can also get data in Mexico and Canada. If you have relatives in one of those countries or you travel there often, this might turn out to be a key selling point for you.
What Perks do These Companies Offer?
Some people make the decision of which provider to go with based on the perks package that they can get. If that is your main area of focus, you will probably be more impressed with what T-Mobile brings to the table than Consumer Cellular.
Consumer Cellular is primarily a company that is for those who are budget-minded. That means the most notable perk you can get with them is a discounted monthly bill if you have an AARP membership. You can also get additional lines for your family for $15 each for their lowest tier plans.
T-Mobile has the data to be used in Canada and Mexico that we already mentioned. You get 5GB of 4G data in either country during your monthly billing period. If you purchase the Magenta Plus plan, you also get a promotion called T-Mobile Tuesdays. This is a program that offers you a little bit of everything. Every week, there are different exclusive offers. You can get discounts on apparel, restaurants, cheap tickets to sporting events, and movie tickets. That plan also comes with 20 GB of mobile hotspot data, and 2x the texting and data speed when you travel abroad.
If you get a Magenta family plan, you can also get a free Netflix subscription. You can stream movies and shows, including original content, on your phone, tablet, TV, or computer. If you have kids, then the value of that particular add-on can’t be overemphasized.
Are there Any Limitations About Which You Should Know?
With Consumer Cellular, there are limits with calling and texting, depending on which plan you choose. Sometimes there are particular makes and models of phones that won’t run on the company’s network. If you have a brand that is not as well-known as iPhone, Android, etc., then be sure to speak to someone at Consumer Cellular to see if it’s going to be a problem. This is something you should definitely talk about with T-Mobile as well if you’re going to sign up with them.
With T-Mobile, there’s also the issue of the plans being more expensive if you’re signing up by yourself. The company wants you to sign up for autopay with them and to get one of the family plans. If you are not willing to do that, then you’re going to end up paying more.
What Phones Can You Use with Each Company?
Either one of these companies has lots of different phone models that you can buy if you sign up with them, and you can also bring your own unlocked device in many cases. T-Mobile has more options, particularly the newest and most top-of-the-line phones. Consumer Cellular has a few new ones, but mostly older models that you can get for a reasonable price.
With T-Mobile, you can snag the brand-new Samsung Galaxy Note or the iPhone 11 Pro Max. The Note is going to cost you $36.12 per month for 36 months if you choose to pay zero down. The Pro Max costs $31.25 per month if you pay $349.99 down. You can also get four free phones with them if you trade in your old ones and get four lines as part of a family plan.
Which One Has the Better Customer Service?
Both of these companies offer customer service via Live Chat, or they have help numbers you can call on their websites. If you need to talk to someone in-person, with Consumer Cellular, there are 350 Best Buys in the Northwestern part of the country where you can find their products, services, and representatives.
T-Mobile’s customer service includes a dedicated team of experts who are there to help you. They claim on their website to have reduced their wait times dramatically because of the size of their team.
T-Mobile has an edge with the number of its retail stores. They had approximately 16,400 as of 2018. Wherever you live in the United States, there is probably going to be one near you. That’s one of the nice things about signing up with one of the more prominent companies.
So, Which Provider is More Deserving of Your Business?
Now that you know more about both of these companies, it should not be very difficult to choose between them. The fact is, these are two providers that are marketed toward different segments of the population. If you are an older adult, you don’t have as much money to spend each month, or you simply don’t use all that much data or talk on the phone frequently, then Consumer Cellular may work for you. The coverage is dependable since you’ll be using T-Mobile and AT&T’s networks.
As for T-Mobile, you get dependable network coverage with them. You get better perks as well. Where you might want to look elsewhere is if you’re signing up by yourself, and you feel like the cost of one of their plans is prohibitive, especially one of the unlimited ones. If you’re signing up with friends or family, then the price will likely seem more reasonable.
