Does Patriot Mobile Have Good Coverage? All You Need to Know Before You Sign Up

Many cell phone carriers have emerged in the fairly recent past. There’s been a large surge of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) that provide cheaper wireless coverage by renting the towers owned and operated by major companies. If you are either looking to start your first phone plan and are looking for an affordable carrier or thinking of switching to save money, it is hard to keep track of all the options. 

It is absolutely worth your while to check out the market, see what the providers offer, and pick the best choice. When paying for a cell phone plan, it is imperative to check out the coverage and ensure it is strong in your area. This article will tell you everything you need to know about Patriot Mobile’s coverage and their cell phone plans. 

Patriot Mobile is one of the more opinionated phone carriers. They are a great fit for Christians and conservatives, as their proceeds are partially donated to various causes like pro-life organizations, organizations supporting First and Second Amendment rights, and organizations supporting veterans and first responders. If that’s a good fit for you, this article will cover topics including

• Patriot Mobile Coverage
• Patriot Mobile Plans
• MVNO vs Major Wireless Network

Patriot Mobile Coverage

Patriot Mobile uses all three networks to provide near-national coverage. As an MVNO, Patriot Mobile does not have a network of its own; instead, it rents bandwidth from Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T’s network to its customers. That means you get almost the same coverage and data speeds that Verizon’s customers do at a fraction of the price. As an MVNO, Patriot Mobile users have less stable data speeds, and no Patriot Mobile plan has unlimited high-speed data.

Verizon’s Nationwide Networks

Verizon has three active networks. 

• 4G LTE Network: Verizon's 4G LTE network is widely regarded as one of the largest and most reliable networks in the country. It offers strong coverage and fast speeds for data, voice, and text services.
• 5G Network: Verizon's 5G network has been expanding rapidly across the country. There are two types of 5G networks Verizon operates:some text
  • 5G Nationwide: This network uses dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) technology, which allows Verizon to use the same spectrum for both 4G LTE and 5G services, providing widespread 5G coverage.
  • 5G Ultra Wideband: This is Verizon's high-speed 5G network that uses mmWave and C-band spectrum. It offers ultra-fast speeds and low latency but has more limited coverage compared to the Nationwide network. It's primarily available in urban areas and specific venues.

T-Mobile’s Nationwide Networks

T-Mobile also has three active networks. 

• 4G LTE Network: T-Mobile's 4G LTE network provides widespread coverage across the country. It offers reliable data, voice, and text services.
• 5G Network: T-Mobile has been expanding its 5G network rapidly and is known for its extensive coverage and high speeds. There are several components to T-Mobile's 5G network:some text
  • 5G Extended Range: This network utilizes the 600 MHz band, providing broad coverage across the country. It offers fast data speeds and improved indoor coverage.
  • 5G Ultra Capacity: This is T-Mobile's high-speed 5G network that uses mid-band spectrum (such as 2.5 GHz) and mmWave spectrum in certain areas. It provides very fast speeds and low latency, mainly in urban and suburban areas.

AT&T’s Nationwide Networks

AT&T has two active networks. US Cellular prioritizes its own network for service, but they seamlessly transfer your device to AT&T’s networks: 

• 4G LTE: AT&T operates a nationwide 4G LTE network, which provides high-speed data services to its customers.
• 5G: AT&T also offers 5G service in many areas. The company uses both sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave spectrum bands to provide fast and efficient 5G service.

Patriot Mobile Plans

Patriot Mobile has four significant plans. Each plan comes with unlimited talk and text, as well as the same 5G and 4G LTE coverage that T-Mobile users get. The phone plans at Patriot Mobile are more expensive than the competition. They offer five plans with minimal multi-line savings:

• 40 GB data — $78 a month
• 22 GB data — $68 a month
• 10 GB data — $52 a month
• 3 GB data — $36 a month
• 1 GB data — $26 a month

40 GB data — $78 a month

This is Patriot Mobile’s biggest plan, offering 40 GB of data for a hefty price tag. This is even more expensive than some major wireless single-line plans, and those come with better data allocations and better data priority. Like the rest of their plans, $78 for 40 GB of high-speed data is not a good deal at face value. If you agree with the politics of Patriot Mobile, this is one of the only ways to follow your political leanings with your cell phone provider. 

22 GB data— $68 a month

Patriot Mobile’s second-largest plan, their 22 GB plan, comes with a fair chunk of data each month. While not an unlimited plan, the great majority of people operate using far less than 22 GB of data each month. This is a nice mid-size plan. Patriot Mobile operates with no contracts, meaning you can switch your plan size from month to month.  

That being said, this is a relatively expensive plan for what you get. A lot of other carriers offer similar data plans at a lower price point.  

10 GB data — $52 a month

Patriot Mobile’s 10 GB plan is still quite expensive, but it brings the price down relative to their other cell phone plans, which is perfect for people who don’t use much high-speed data each month. All of Patriot Mobile’s cell phone plans offer throttled data if you go over the high-speed data allocation. Throttled data usually outputs 2G or 3G speeds, which is painfully slow.  

3 GB data — $36 a month

As we travel down their plans, we get to their second-tier plan, the first on the list that works best for those who really don’t use a lot of data each month. A ton of phone apps are incredibly data-heavy and will fill out your 3 GB allocation in no time if you aren’t careful, so with this plan, you definitely want to make sure you aren’t using all your data at the beginning of the month. Take advantage of times when you are in Wi-Fi zones, and make sure you don’t stream any video when you are out and about. 

This is a bit less than a 30% savings from Patriot’s most expensive plans, but it is good to know that you don’t get charged for overages if you exceed your data. Patriot does not make any contracts, so you can change your plan month-to-month as you figure out which plan is right for you. 

1 GB data — $26 a month

Patriot Mobile’s cheapest phone plan is 1 GB of monthly data for $26. Unlike the other plans, this one hard caps you at 1 GB, cutting off your ability to use mobile data completely when you hit your monthly quota. At a GB, that’s not very much, especially when paying $25 on an MVNO carrier. 

Each of Patriot Mobile’s four plans offers something, and it really depends on how much data you use each month. Patriot Mobile’s multi-line discounts do not offer too much change in the overall line price, with about $12 savings in their 40 GB plan and $4 savings in their 1 GB plan.

High-speed data consumers will love access to 5G networks nationwide, but using 5G data will rapidly consume even 40 GB of data you get with Patriot Mobile’s biggest plan. Granted, this is only if you stream UHD video or spend a lot of time on social media, but the faster the data speeds, the faster the data consumption. 

Right now, Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network is available in hundreds of select areas, including parts of Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, and more. T-Mobile and AT&T have also laid down exceptional 5G coverage throughout the nation, making the combination of these networks absolutely unstoppable. 

Patriot Mobile has great coverage. Customers have the same access to high-speed data as major wireless customers as long as there is no congestion in their area. Unfortunately, the same places where major networks have deployed 5G networks are the places where Patriot Mobile’s data is slowed down the most. Let’s break down how data deprioritization affects Patriot Mobile’s coverage.

Data Deprioritization

As an MVNO, Patriot Mobile customers receive data slowdowns whenever there is congestion on the network to ensure that the major wireless customers in that area have high-speed data as long as possible. There are, in general, three tiers of data priority. The three-tier data priority breakdown is as follows: 

• Tier 1 Data has the maximum data speeds at all times. If tier-one data is ever slowed down, it means there are no customers on the network that have access to high-speed data. This may occur at sporting events, concerts, or other large congregations of people
• Tier 2 Data retains maximum speeds after MVNO customers have their data slowed down. This is excellent in all but the busiest occasions where MVNO customers are slowed down but get slowed down before tier-one data is slowed down. This tier of data keeps high speeds in almost all situations, but you may notice slowdowns in bigger cities where there are a lot of residents and commuters. 
• Tier 3 Data, or MVNO data, is always the first tier of data to receive slowdowns. Patriot Mobile utilizes MVNO data and is an excellent way to use Verizon’s network with affordable plan pricing. 

Patriot users have high-speed data whenever there isn’t congestion in Verizon’s network. Unfortunately, this is hard to predict. Festivals, concerts, and sporting events are common times when a lot of congestion hits the area. If you’ve ever been to a football game and tried to access your phone for just about anything, we are certain that you’ve seen what it feels like to try to use data with congestion. 

At maximum congestion, no one can load anything on their device, but major wireless customers have high-speed data in most instances. If you don’t sign a device or plan contract, users can test Patriot Mobile for a couple of months to gauge how well the service works for them. 

Switching to Patriot Mobile

Patriot Mobile phone plans come with a list of pros and cons just like phone plans from major networks. They are, however, a different set of pros and cons. Fortunately, the process of switching to a Patriot phone plan is very easy and straightforward. Switching away from your current provider can be more of a hassle. 

Pros and Cons of Switching Your Phone Plan

The major pro of switching phone plans is that you can shop around and find the one that is perfect for you. If you are looking around, it is probably because you are either paying too much for your phone plan, which often means it is giving you something you don’t need or want, or is just not a good plan for you. Once you decide that you don’t want to continue with your current plan it opens up a lot of doors as to where to go, what to pay, and what you want to prioritize.

Patriot Mobile offers a unique platform that works for a lot of customers in the United States. If Patriot Mobile is right for you then switching when you can is a good way to save money compared to many plans offered by major carriers. 

Keeping Your Number

Good news — switching to a Patriot Mobile phone plan is possible while keeping your current number and contacts! You can bring your own phone or purchase a new one when you switch, and you can activate it with your current number to save out on having to switch numbers and start from scratch. If you decide that one of Patriot’s phone plans is the right place for you, switching can be done all online and with minimal hassle!

How Does an MVNO Work?

An MVNO is a phone company that supplies phone plans but does not have a network of its own. MVNOs piggyback off of existing cell phone towers of one or multiple major network providers. Patriot uses multiple networks depending on where they have the best coverage. This will result in customers either getting assigned a network based on where they are located, or, with certain devices, switching from network to network based on which one is fastest where they are. 

MVNO customers have access to the same high-speed network as customers of the parent network, but since the parent network’s customers are prioritized, sometimes their cellular runs slow.

Key Takeaways

Patriot Mobile brings its own cards to the table, but it is not for everyone. There are plenty of reasons to stick with a major carrier like T-Mobile and not switch to one of its MVNOs or, if you are looking to switch, switch to one of the other many MVNOs that offer premium service at low rates. Patriot Mobile’s five plans offer a diversity of mobile and hotspot data, but there are not many features that differ between the plans.  

Unfortunately, Patriot Mobile’s lack of serious multi-line discounts makes it hard to rank as high as other MVNOs. The ability to save a flat rate on each line makes family plans a very enticing prospect in MVNOs that Patriot cannot match. 

As an MVNO, Patriot uses all three major wireless networks. MVNOs are able to provide cheaper prices because they do not control their own network, rather they use an already established network. This allows there to be a lot of MVNOs that offer a wide variety of plans at low rates. 

Donation to Organizations

Patriot Mobile donates to the organizations that they support. If you also support those organizations, subscribing to Patriot Mobile is a great way to add a continual donation to what you may already make, or it can turn your phone bill into a bit of a donation as well. Unfortunately, the plans at Patriot Mobile are not competitively priced with those offered by other MVNOs. Unlimited plans at MVNOs often range from $30-$50, with low GB plans (ranging from free to 5 GB) costing anywhere as low as free to $15 a month.