Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Last year, US Mobile announced it was a “super carrier”, offering the ability to connect to all three major US cellular networks. In this short guide, we explain US Mobile carrier switching and how it works, as well as whether it’s as good as it sounds on paper and who it’s best suited for.
Can you switch between the networks, or do you have to pick just one?
If you’ve dealt with US Mobile in the pas,t you might be under the assumption that you have to pick just one network and stick with it, as that was somewhat true in the past, but thankfully not anymore. US Mobile does offer the ability to switch between carriers. In fact there are two different methods available.
First, there’s a multi-network plan that lets you use two of the big three networks seamlessly, sort of like how Google Fi Wireless worked during its early days. That means you can easily swap between AT&T and Verizon’s networks, for example, depending on your reception or other needs.
Don’t you need two networks at once? Every US Mobile plan also has the ability to transfer between networks through the app. This process is basically like fully transferring to another carrier. Though it’s possible to physically swap SIMs for the transfer, an e-SIM is essential if you want this experience to be as simple and painless as possible. Even then, it’s not exactly an instant procedure.
Typically, the switch takes around 15 minutes, and you must be connected to a Wi-Fi network during the process. I’ve also had it fail before and ended up having to initiate a request again, but that’s pretty rare. Please be advised that once you switch, you also can’t immediately undo the transfer.
Are there any limits on how often you can switch networks?
Fi Wireless might have gone with an unlimited and automatic approach, but US Mobile has hard limits here, we’re afraid. According to the alert box you’ve given, when you switch networks, you can only change networks every 3 hours and only up to 8 times a cycle. That doesn’t sound so bad, but keep in mind that only the first two requests are free.
That’s not per month either, that’s period. After that, you’ll pay $2 per transfer. That said, some of the higher-end US Mobile plans do include free transfers.
Is the Super Carrier feature useful or more of a marketing gimmick?
It’s a bit of both, frankly. While it’s true that US Mobile on paper might sound like it can seamlessly switch between carriers anytime you need better coverage, unless you’re on the multi-network plan, the reality is a bit more mundane, tedious, and restricted than users might assume initially. The answer to whether it is worth it really depends on your needs. If you travel outside of your home region at least once or twice a month on average and have run into carrier issues, then yes, this is a great deal. It’s also nice having the peace of mind to be able to switch anytime there’s extra congestion or a network outage.
