US Mobile: The Ultimate Guide To Plans, Coverage, And How It Works
US Mobile has been around since 2015, and it seems to be on a tear in the MVNO industry as of late. You likely saw it in the news for its new Dark Star Unlimited Plan, which offers truly unlimited high-speed data for just $44 per month. But there’s much more to US Mobile than just that plan. This MVNO has really been disrupting the carrier industry lately, and it’s not hard to see why.
In this guide, we’ll go over what US Mobile is, the company’s phone plans, perks, and much more. To help you decide whether you should switch to US Mobile or not.
What is US Mobile?
US Mobile is an MVNO or Mobile Virtual Network Operator. Think of it as something similar to Straight Talk or Google Fi. US Mobile offers you phone service, but it does not own the networks that it operates on. MVNOs will buy access to networks at a wholesale price and then sell it to the customer at a much lower price.
Most MVNOs operate on a single carrier, like Google Fi. Even though Google Fi started out on T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Sprint, T-Mobile has bought US Cellular and Sprint, so now, Google Fi is actually only on T-Mobile. US Mobile, however, works with all three networks – AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon – and has them each branded differently. So Dark Star is AT&T, Light Speed is T-Mobile, and Warp is Verizon.
In 2024, US Mobile reported that it had over a million customers. That number has likely risen quite a bit since then.
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What plans does US Mobile offer?
US Mobile currently offers two unlimited plans – Unlimited Starter and Unlimited Premium – which are slightly different across each network. The prices are the same, however, with Unlimited Starter costing $25/month or $270/year, and Unlimited Premium costing $44/month or $450/year normally. Obviously the annual plans are a bit cheaper on a per-month basis. But it does require you to put up a much larger lump sum at the start and stick with US Mobile for a full 12 months.
With its annual plan, US Mobile also offers a third unlimited plan, Unlimited Flex. This plan is $210 per year, coming out to about $17.50 per month. This plan is a light version of the Unlimited Starter plan. And likely a good option for those that work from home.
US Mobile also offers By the Gig plans for those who don’t quite need unlimited data but do need some data. A 2GB plan would cost you $10/month, 5GB for $15/month, 10GB for $20/month, and 25GB for $35/month. You can upgrade this all the way to 200GB per month for $305. Obviously, at that rate, it would make sense to go Unlimited, but the By the Gig plan can also be shared across lines. So a 25GB plan for $35/month for a couple would add an extra $8 for the second line, and still come out cheaper than getting two unlimited lines.
Unlimited Starter
Starting off with Unlimited Starter on the Dark Star network, you get 35GB of high-speed data and access to the 5G network. There’s 10GB of mobile hotspot at high-speed and you also get QCI9 priority, that’s just a tad below postpaid AT&T subscribers. Unlimited talk and text is included, as you’d expect. You can purchase international data, however, I’d recommend getting an eSIM when you travel, as it will likely be cheaper. You also get two free network transfers per month.
Moving over to the Warp network, the perks are virtually the same. With 35GB of high-speed data and access to Verizon’s 5G network. You also get 10GB of high-speed mobile hotspot and QCI8 priority which is the same as postpaid Verizon customers. There’s also unlimited talks and texts, with international data being available for purchase, and you also get two free network transfers per month.
Then there’s Light Speed, US Mobile actually markets this as their unpopular option for networks, surprisingly. And the perks are the same here for Light Speed Unlimited Starter. That’s 35GB of high-speed data with 5G access, 10GB of high-speed mobile hotspot, and QCI7 priority. That’s a step below what T-Mobile postpaid customers get. And there’s also the ability to transfer networks twice per month, for free.
Unlimited Premium
Recently, US Mobile made a rather big change with its Unlimited Premium plan on the Dark Star network. To where now you get unlimited high-speed data included in the plan. You also get 100GB of high-speed mobile hotspot data, then it drops down to 8Mbps for the next 100GB and then 600Kbps after that. It has QCI8 prioritization, so it’s higher priority than the Unlimited Starter plan. It also comes with unlimited talk and text in the US and internationally, as well as 20GB of international data. US Mobile also provides unlimited network transfers, and the multi-network add-on is available for an additional $15 per month.
Note: Currently, there is a promo for the Dark Star network that will get you Unlimited Premium for $35/month instead of $44/month. Or $390/year instead of $450/year. But this does require you to stick with Dark Star instead of switching networks.
Over on Warp, the Unlimited Premium plan gives you 100GB of high-speed data, 50GB of high-speed mobile hotspot, and QCI8 data prioritization. This is actually the same for all Warp plans. This also comes with unlimited talk and text in the US and internationally, as well as 10GB of international roaming data. Finally, it has unlimited network transfers, and it does support the Apple Watch and Pixel Watch plan. Warp is actually the only plan that supports smartwatches, otherwise you can add a smartwatch but it won’t work with your phone number. This plan does also have the multi-network add-on available for $15/month.
Then there’s Light Speed, which has virtually all the same perks as Warp on Unlimited Premium. This includes 100GB of high-speed data, 50GB of high-speed mobile hotspot with QCI7 data prioritization. There’s also unlimited talk and text in the US and internationally, with 10GB of international data available. There’s free network transfers, as well as the multi-network add-on being available for $15/month.
You can see all of the details on US Mobile’s plans on their website. Just tap on the “More Plan Details” below the big blue “Get Started button” This will pop up a table showing you all of their plans by network.
By the Gig Plans
As mentioned, US Mobile also has By the Gig plans which are great for those that don’t need a lot of data, as you can spend even less on monthly service. This plan allows you to share with multiple lines, which could be cheaper than getting unlimited data for each line. The first line is included in the price, with each additional line costing $8/month. You get unlimited talk and text on every line, and the ability to top up at $2/GB. That is insanely cheap on a per-gigabyte level, as Google Fi charges $10/GB.
Smartwatch Plans
Currently, US Mobile only supports Apple Watch and the Pixel Watch on their smartwatch plans, however, they do have plans to add more smartwatches in the future.
With a smartwatch, you can choose between their Companion or Standalone plan. The Companion plan allows the smartwatch to work with your smartphone’s phone number. Allowing you to leave your phone at home. It is free (or rather included) with your Unlimited Premium plan, but unfortunately, this is only available on Warp right now. It is coming to Dark Star and Light Speed soon, though. If you’re not on Unlimited Premium, it’ll cost $9.50/month.
There’s a standalone plan as well, which works great for teenagers who only have a smartwatch and don’t need a phone just yet. This is going to cost you $9.50/month.
Both plans include unlimited data, talk and text. As well as eSIM activation. There are also annual options for $78/year for both plans.
Light Plan
US Mobile truly has something for everyone, and also has its Light Plan. This is a $10/month plan, or $96/year (that’s about $8/month) which offers 2GB of premium data, unlimited talk and text, as well as international calling. And it’ll cost you $2 to switch networks.
How does US Mobile set itself apart from the competition?
Let’s face it, there’s tons of MVNO’s out there right now. There are hundreds of MVNO’s in the US already, with over 200 being powered by T-Mobile’s network. So how does US Mobile set itself apart from others like Google Fi, Simple Mobile, Straight Talk, Cricket, and the like? Well, that’s with features like Multi-Network and Network Transfer.
Teleport
It’s rather unique for an MVNO to work on all three major US networks, and even more unique for that MVNO to make it easy to switch between the networks. That’s exactly what the Teleport feature is. Experiencing slow speeds on Warp? US Mobile will let you teleport over to Dark Star or Light Speed. It’s quite easy to do.
In the dashboard, you’ll see an option to Switch Network; just select that, and then you’ll be asked which network you want to go to. After a few steps, you’ll begin the teleporting process. Once the change is complete, you’ll be given instructions to setup your new eSIM. And you’re all good.
This feature is free on the Unlimited Premium plan, however, there are some limitations. You can only teleport once every 3 hours and a maximum of 8 times per 30-day billing cycle.
Multi-Network Add-On
Another advantage to US Mobile having multiple networks that it runs on, is the ability to run on two networks at the same time. This add-on is an additional charge, but it can really turn US Mobile into a “Super Carrier”. It essentially adds a secondary line to your device, so you can run on two networks while only paying for one line of service. Now the add-on is going to cost you $15/month, but it could be worth it if you travel a lot.
Currently, this feature is still in testing, and therefore, US Mobile has made it available for free to Unlimited Premium users through the end of March 2025.
International Data Plans
US Mobile does also offer International Data plans, and even shows you what to expect with each plan. Unlimited Premium gets you up to 20GB of data, 200 minutes, and 250 texts. This is available in 180 countries, which means it works in most of the world.
You can also purchase International Data Plans separately. However, the rates aren’t as competitive as you might think. If you find Unlimited Premium isn’t enough data for your trip, I’d recommend using an eSIM roaming service like Saily. I’ve used it personally many times now, and it’s run by NordVPN, so you can trust it.
Free Perks
If you have at least three unlimited lines with US Mobile, you’re eligible for some perks. You can choose a perk, up to a $15 value, and your account will then be credited the cost of that perk each month. So it’s not so much “included” but rather, US Mobile reimburses you for it, sort of.
These perks include, Spotify Family, Apple Music Family, Apple TV Plus, Netflix Standard, Disney Hulu and ESPN+ bundle, Max and many others.
Should you sign up for US Mobile?
Honestly, with how flexible US Mobile is and how many different plans it has to offer, I really don’t see a reason why you shouldn’t make the switch. As someone who made the switch pretty recently, and now has two Unlimited Premium lines with US Mobile, I’m paying less for those two lines than I was with Verizon for a single line.
One of the downsides to an MVNO is typically its customer service, however ,that has not been the case with US Mobile. It has a very lively subreddit, which has customer service agents and even US Mobile’s CEO and Founder, Ahmed Khattak, that are very active in helping customers and communicating changes to its plans. That’s not something I’ve seen or experienced with other MVNOs I’ve used. Typically, with an MVN,O you “get what you pay for” and the lower price means cutting back on things like customer service.
If you’re looking to make the switch over to US Mobile, now’s a great time to do so. Here’s how you can get started with US Mobile.
