US Cellular Coverage: All You Need to Know Before You Sign Up

U.S. Cellular is a major wireless network and the fourth-largest cellular company in the United States. It brings something unique to the table that the other major wireless companies are not able to. It operates in a much smaller area but has roaming agreements with the other networks that allow its users to enjoy fast service even when they are not in range of the U.S. Cellular towers. 

Your location will play a big part in whether or not U.S. Cellular is right for you. This U.S. Cellular review will cover all you need to know about their network, then jump into a general discussion of this carrier. 

US Cellular Coverage

US Cellular is in a unique position compared to the other major wireless carriers and MVNOs in the United States. It’s a bit of both. As you can see from the map above, US Cellular’s coverage is nowhere near what you see from the other major wireless networks. Fortunately, US Cellular has a deal with AT&T, where its users can roam on AT&T towers, similar to how MVNOs operate. This means you will stay covered, even when you are outside of US Cellular’s own network range. 

So, what’s it like to use US Cellular/AT&T’s coverage? Let’s break it down. 

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 when 

• 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.

US Cellular customers have access to both of AT&T’s networks, but do not have the same data priority that AT&T customers do. That means, if there is congestion on the network, US Cellular customers will have decreased data speeds along with other AT&T MVNOs. 

High-speed data consumers will love 5G data from US Mobile. They offer plans with unlimited high-speed data at excellent price points, letting users consume data as their heart desires. 

US Cellular plans come with priority data, meaning for an amount of time, your data is resistant to slowdowns, similar to a major wireless network. After you use that data you return to basic data, which has a higher chance for data deprioritization whenever there is congestion in the network. 

US Cellular has great coverage. They leverage their own personal network as well as AT&T’s nationwide network to ensure their customers have the same access to high-speed data as major wireless customers. US Cellular is best for users who live in the range of US Cellular’s network to enjoy the best coverage they can offer. The roaming agreement with AT&T is nice, but if you just use AT&T’s network all the time anyway, there are plenty of AT&T MVNOs that are better designed to make that happen. 

U.S. Cellular At a Glance

U.S. Cellular is a wireless company that makes up for its small network coverage (only 10% of the United States) with an amazing roaming agreement with AT&T. This puts it somewhere between a major wireless network and an MVNO. It has solid coverage in the Midwest and spots in California, Maine, and the Carolinas. When traveling outside of the network, the rest of the United States is covered by roaming. U.S. Cellular comes with postpaid and prepaid plans, fantastic family plans and perks, mobile hotspots, and a large phone selection in the store. 

What Sets U.S. Cellular Apart? 

Fantastic perks set U.S. Cellular apart. Their plans come with high data thresholds, huge mobile hotspot allocations, and UHD Streaming. These are nice, but the best perk that they offer is their multi-line savings. If you have a three or four-line plan, you enjoy monumental savings on every one of their plans, making it a very affordable plan for what you receive. The only downside to this is that U.S. Cellular service is only available in select locations. While roaming agreements let users get service all over the country, their home base is limited to a certain area. 

Price of U.S. Cellular Plans

U.S. Cellular offers plans at a variety of price points. They have three unlimited plans whose prices range from $50 to $30 a month for single-line plans. These all come with a strong set of perks and add-ons as well as a lot of priority data. U.S. Cellular offers promotional unlimited and unlimited evolved plans. Unlimited Evolved opens the opportunity for multi-line savings and device savings. If you are in the market for a new phone, an Unlimited Evolved plan is a great way to grab something new at a big discount. 

They also have prepaid plans that range from $60 to $30 a month, giving them a wide variety of price points from which to choose. It is easy to switch from one plan to the next while on U.S. Cellular, so you can hone your plan to the best one that suits you when you are on their network. 

What Kinds of Plans does U.S. Cellular offer?

U.S. Cellular offers a variety of phone plans that offer different amounts of high-speed data and perks at different price points. The biggest difference is that they have a set of prepaid phone plans and a set of postpaid phone plans. The postpaid phone plans offer more data and more add-ons, while the prepaid plans are cheaper and do not come with a credit check. 

If you are on a tiered data plan and you go over your limit, they don’t charge you, but they reduce speeds by a considerable amount. If you are interested in a more affordable and limited-data plan, we recommend building in some extra data because slowed speeds make most phone activities impossible on mobile data. 

What Network Does U.S. Cellular Use?

U.S. Cellular runs on its own network while making roaming agreements with AT&T. The U.S. Cellular network is strongest in the midwest, and they only offer services to people in a select area of the United States. When you get on their website, find the prompt to input your zip code to find out if they provide service in your area.  

Can You Bring Your Own Cell Phone?

Yes! Users are able to bring currently owned cell phones to U.S. Cellular as long as the IMEI number is compatible. You can check the IMEI number on their website. You have to make sure that your device is unlocked, which means you have to own it, it can’t be marked as lost or stolen, and you, generally, have to have an account in good standing with the cell phone company that you are leaving. 

U.S. Cellular: Pros & Cons

Understanding the ins and outs of your prospective phone company is essential to knowing whether or not it is right for you. Between major wireless providers and MVNOs there are so many options from which to choose, and if there is something that is fantastic or a dealbreaker, this section will cover it! When looking at U.S. Cellular reviews, these are some of the pros and cons. 

👍 What We Liked

• An impressive list of perks. All of U.S. Cellular’s unlimited plans have high data allotments before plans are reduced to slower data as well as an impressive amount of mobile hotspot data. They are able to provide a lot to their customers. 
• Midwest coverage. The great majority of U.S. Cellular’s coverage is in the Midwest, where there are a lot of towers and a very strong network. Of the four major networks, U.S. Cellular is firmly entrenched as providing the best coverage in that area. 
• Great phone selection. While U.S. Cellular lets users bring their own devices, their store is full of the latest and greatest phones as well as cheap flip-phones and other affordable options. When shopping at U.S. Cellular you can be confident that you will get the right phone for you. 
• Calls and texts to Mexico and Canada. All of U.S. Cellular’s plans come with unlimited calling and texting to North America, which comes in handy if you have friends or family in Mexico or Canada. 

👎 What We Didn’t Like

• Low coverage area. U.S. Cellular has good roaming agreements with AT&T, but they only cover around 10% of the U.S. with their cell towers. This severely limits the potential for new customers, as there is no incentive to join U.S. Cellular in an area where they don’t have cell towers. 
• Data deprioritization. If you are in U.S. Cellular’s roaming area, you get deprioritized data just like MVNOs. It is great that their roaming agreements allow you to get service all over the states, but it is unfortunate to have slow data at any time when paying a premium for wireless coverage. 
• Low areas of offered service. Due to its low coverage area, U.S. Cellular only offers service to those within its bounds. That means that a lot of people in the United States cannot consider them as an option, unlike other major wireless networks. 

U.S. Cellular Services & Features

U.S. Cellular offers a great package of services and features along with their mobile plans. Their unlimited plans come with a great amount of mobile hotspot data as well as a huge data threshold before plans get deprioritized. Along with unlimited calling and texting, U.S. cellular offers free Redbox movies to sweeten the deal even further. 

U.S. Cellular Phone Selection 

U.S. Cellular has the latest and greatest phones on their store from both Android and Apple products. Their store is a little difficult to navigate if you aren’t sure what you are looking for due to the volume of phones available for purchase. Their phone store includes phones that are very affordable and flip phones, providing models for every customer. 

U.S. Cellular vs. Competitors

U.S. Cellular vs. Verizon

Verizon, and the other major networks, have a major advantage in that their networks offer high-speed coverage all over the nation. U.S. Cellular is much more condensed in its network, but if you live in an area with a strong U.S. Cellular network, their affordable plans and excellent network coverage make it a competitive option for a new phone service. Compare and contrast your prospective plans and savings to figure out if U.S. Cellular is right for you! 

U.S. Cellular vs. Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile is a new and shiny MVNO that runs on Verizon’s network, but the fact that it is an MVNO means that its users have deprioritized data just like U.S. Cellular’s users when they are using other networks. Mint Mobile’s plans are more affordable, but they require a year’s contract to get the best prices. If you are willing to stay with Mint for a year, their $30 unlimited plan is hard to beat, but with U.S. Cellular you will receive better add-ons with your plan. 

U.S. Cellular Customer Service

U.S. Cellular has a comprehensive customer service department which includes 24/7 live chat and contact with a store near you during normal business hours. Their service line is 888-944-9400 and their live chat is available here. 

What Customers Have to Say About U.S. Cellular

“We have been with U.S. Cellular for 2 1/2 months now and have experienced nothing but negatives!! Well, we thought the experience in-store setting up the plan was good until we found out that we were put on an upgraded plan that we didn't want and when we talked to customer service about it, they said they couldn't do anything...We had to talk to the store. The store manager said they couldn't do anything, we had to talk to customer service and the salesman told us we could pay for our phones outright to have the lesser plan. NOT what we were told in the store.” - Terri. (via Consumer Affairs)

“Terrific experience! Corina, who is the lady I have seen, made the experience seamless for me. She was very polite and patient. The phone and service are excellent, I'm very happy this lady convinced me to switch. The other cell company I used had zero customer assistance, I'm 72 so customer service is very important to me. Thank you again! Such a great atmosphere also.” - Ruth. (via Consumer Affairs)

“Have had this service my entire life and it has been better but it's relatively decent service, just seems with 5G the technology is not as good as it should be, my 5G runs at 4G speeds or less most of the time. Even with the S22 ultra that I pre-ordered, which also took a month after the release date to get.” - Keenan B. (via Trustpilot)

U.S. Cellular FAQ

What happens if I go over my data limit?

If you have a non-tiered data plan and exceed your data limit, your data access will be slowed down for the remainder of your bill cycle. Your usual network speeds will be restored on the first day of the next billing cycle. Please note that all plans will experience a reduction in speed when roaming usage exceeds 400MB. Customers will not be notified about speed reduction. However, you will receive text message alerts notifying you of your data usage. 

Why is my U.S. Cellular bill so high?

If you add or change services in the middle of a billing cycle, the prorated or partial change will appear on your bill. Monthly service charges are, likewise, billed one month in advance. If you are having any trouble understanding your bill, call the U.S. Cellular customer service line or visit a store near you to get a more detailed answer to your questions. 

Can I use my phone internationally?

Yes! You may be able to use your phone overseas. Outgoing calls are available on all plans, but international roaming is currently only available for customers on postpaid plans. You can find out more information by visiting U.S. Cellular’s website. 

Does U.S. Cellular have good coverage?

U.S. Cellular is bringing their own cards to the table, and they are providing great service with their limited coverage. Being able to roam all over the country on other networks makes it a viable option if you live within their network, but we do not recommend U.S. Cellular for customers who live in other parts of the country. With a mix of their own network and roaming on AT&T, U.S. Cellular has great coverage, as long as you make the most of it.