Thinking about switching cell phone carriers?
New surveys show T-Mobile has overtaken longtime leaders Verizon and AT&T, leading many customers to think of making the change.
Consumer Reports, CNET and Tom's Guide rank T-Mobile as the best major provider for 2025, citing lower prices, good customer service and an extensive 5G network.
Tom's Guide places T-Mobile in the number one spot this year, with Verizon in second place. Discount carrier Visible comes in third, offering unlimited data over Verizon's network at a lower cost. Mint, AT&T and Boost took the 4th, 5th and 6th spots.
CNET, meantime, rated T-Mobile the best value for people with a single line, or families with multiple lines.
And Consumer Reports named T-Mobile best of the big 3.
WATCH: Woman describes what can go wrong when you try to switch carriers:
But switching plans can be aggravating
But the process of moving your number to a new provider can be more complicated and frustrating than expected.
Patricia Miller decided to join the thousands of people who change carriers each year, hoping for a better signal and lower rate.
"My daughter's phone ported over easy enough," Miller said.
But when she brought her 4-month-old iPhone to a new carrier, the simple porting process became a nightmare.
"I got there and they couldn't make it work," Miller said. "I ended up being there for 8 hours that day, with them trying to figure it out, and they couldn't."
"I went back the next day and I was there for two hours," Miller continued.
The consumer advocacy group "The Elliott Report" says in many cases, the problem is not with the new company, as they want your business. Rather, it is usually with the company you are divorcing.
"Phone companies don't want to make it easy to move to a competitor. Giving customers the porting ability to reassign their number to another carrier is not good for business," the report states.
The Elliott Report suggests you:
- Make sure your phone is unlocked
- Check your current contract for terminating fees
- Do not terminate your old service until your new service works
- Consider buying a brand-new phone
After eight days, Miller's iPhone came to life, but she never expected such a hassle.
"Maybe I'll never do this again, I was thinking of maybe going offline now," Miller said.
So go ahead and switch plans if yours has gotten too expensive. Just do some planning beforehand so you don't waste your money.
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