If you’re looking for the right cell phone provider, consider which companies impress their customers the most.
American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and J.D. Power, two companies that study consumer insights, have recently released the latest data on overall purchase satisfaction and customer service among wireless providers. In this article, I’ll take a close look at the study results and share the key takeaways you should keep in mind while shopping for a new cell phone service provider.
This article was updated in May 2024 and I review it every 12 months. Detailed notes on all updates can be found here.
Determining The Best Cell Phone Service Providers in America
When it comes to finding the best cell phone service provider, the most expensive plan or provider isn’t always the best option. In fact, customers report better customer care and a better purchase experience from discount cell phone service providers.
“I’ve got great news for you,” says money expert Clark Howard. “If you’ve been afraid to go to a little-known brand for your cell phone service, there’s new data that says believe it or not, there are discounters that offer much higher customer satisfaction than AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.”
To get a better idea of customer satisfaction among cell phone service providers, ACSI recently conducted a wireless phone service study. The study was based on interviews with 12,414 customers contacted between April 2023 and March 2024. Customers were asked to evaluate their recent experiences with their wireless providers to determine customer satisfaction.
J.D. Power also conducted a recent study on wireless customer care experience. In the study, J.D. Power collected responses from 17,428 customers who contacted their carrier’s customer care department within the past three months. The studies were fielded from July through December 2023. J.D. Power evaluated customer care experiences across three factors: store service, phone service and digital service.
Additionally, J.D. Power has released new data on wireless retail experience. This survey was based on responses from 12,743 customers who had used any one of three purchase channels: phone calls, visits to a carrier store, or digital channels (including the carrier website and the carrier’s mobile app). J.D. Power measured overall retail experience satisfaction with two factors: cost and promotions and purchase process. The study was fielded from July through December 2023.
Each report separates wireless providers into three categories:
Mobile network operators (MNOs). These are fully independent service providers that own the complete infrastructure used for hosting and managing mobile communications. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are MNOs.
Full-service mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). These service providers have their own network infrastructure, but they rely on MNOs for their large networks of antennas to deliver service. Cricket Wireless, Metro by T-Mobile, Xfinity Mobile, Boost Mobile and Spectrum Mobile are examples of full-service MVNOs.
Value mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). These “light” MVNOs take a more passive role in the network’s operational management leaving it to the MNOs from which they’ve purchased service. This allows value MVNOs to provide service at a cheaper cost. Mint Mobile, Consumer Cellular, TracFone and Straight Talk fall under this category.
Below, I’ll take a close look at each of the top-performing cell phone service providers in each of these three categories based on the latest data.
The Best Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)
T-Mobile and AT&T rank highest among MNOs on average based on the three studies. In the J.D. Power studies, T-Mobile earned a score of 834 (on a 1,000-point scale) in customer service and a score of 836 in purchase experience. This is T-Mobile’s 13th consecutive win among MNOs in both studies.
ACSI found that AT&T earned a slightly better score than T-Mobile in 2024: 78 compared to 77 on a 100-point scale.
You can see how AT&T and T-Mobile compare with other MNOs in the two studies here:
MNOACSI 2024 Score (100-point scale)J.D. Power Wireless Customer Care Satisfaction Score (1000-point scale)J.D. Power Wireless Retail Experience Score (1000-point scale)Average Score
T-Mobile7783483681.33%
AT&T7882182480.83%
Verizon Wireless7482080978.97%
U.S. Cellular74N/AN/A74%*
*Score based on only one survey
Below, I’ll take a closer look at each survey’s results.
J.D. Power MNO Customer Care Results
Source: J.D. Power
J.D. Power MNO Purchase Experience Results
Source: J.D. Power
In the customer care category of J.D. Power’s study, T-Mobile scored 834 (nine points above the segment average). AT&T took second place with a score of 821 (four points below the segment average). Verizon Wireless came in last with a score of 820 (five points below the segment average).
When it came to purchase experience, T-Mobile earned 14 points higher than the segment average. AT&T came in second place with a score of 824 (two points above the segment average) while Verizon Wireless fell to last place again with a score of 809 (13 points below the segment average).
Source: ACSI
In the ACSI study, AT&T’s 4% increase between 2023 and 2024 kept it on top for ACSI’s second study in a row. T-Mobile scored only one point below AT&T and also had a 4% increase in customer satisfaction since 2023. Verizon Wireless earned 74 points with a 1% change from 2023 to 2024. ACSI also included U.S. Cellular in the Mobile Network Operators category, which was not reported on by J.D. Power. U.S. Cellular’s customer satisfaction score saw the biggest change in ACSI’s study: 6% from 70 to 74 points in 2024.
The Best Full-Service Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs)
Spectrum Mobile (Review) and Cricket Wireless (Review) earned the highest average scores in the full-service MVNO category based on data from the three surveys. It’s also worth noting that the top two providers earned equal or higher scores than T-Mobile and AT&T, the top performers in the MNO category.
In ACSI’s study, Spectrum Mobile earned the highest score with a 5% increase since 2023. It was closely followed by Xfinity Mobile (Comcast), Cricket Wireless and Metro by T-Mobile.
Spectrum Mobile also earned the highest score in J.D. Power’s wireless customer care study (19 points above the segment average) followed by Cricket Wireless and Metro by T-Mobile (Review). When it came to J.D. Power’s wireless retail experience study, Metro by T-Mobile earned the highest score at one point higher than Spectrum Mobile (858 compared to 857). Cricket Wireless also scored above the segment average by five points.
You can see each provider’s scores in all three surveys below:
Full-Service MVNOACSI 2024 Score (100-point scale)J.D. Power Wireless Customer Care Satisfaction Score (1000-point scale)J.D. Power Wireless Retail Experience Score (1000-point scale)Average Score
Spectrum Mobile7984785783.13%
Cricket Wireless7784285082.07%
Metro by T-Mobile7684085881.93%
Xfinity Mobile7880882280.33%
Boost Mobile7479582778.73%
Below, I’ll take a closer look at each survey’s results.
Full-Service MVNO Customer Care Results
Source: J.D. Power
Full-Service MVNO Purchase Experience Results
Source: J.D. Power
As you can see, Spectrum Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile earned the top two spots with scores within four points of one another in both J.D. Power studies.
In the customer care study, Cricket Wireless earned second place with a score of 842, which is 14 points above the segment average. Metro by T-Mobile came in third while Xfinity Mobile (Review) and Boost Mobile (Review) fell behind with scores lower than the segment average.
When it came to wireless retail experience, customers were most satisfied with Metro by T-Mobile followed by Spectrum Mobile. Cricket Wireless came in third just above the segment average with a score of 850. Boost Mobile followed with a score of 827 and Xfinity Mobile came in last with a score of 822.
Source: ACSI
In the ACSI study, Spectrum Mobile and Xfinity Mobile came out on top with 5% increases each from 2023 to 2024. Cricket Wireless increased its score by 1% from 76 to 77 while Metro by T-Mobile maintained the same score from 2023 to 2024. Boost Mobile maintained the lowest score among full-service MVNOs in 2023 and 2024, but still increased its score by 4% (71 to 74).
The Best Value Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs)
Consumer Cellular (Review) earned the highest score in the value MVNO category based on data from all three surveys. Mint Mobile (Review) followed closely behind. Again, it’s worth noting that the top two providers earned higher scores than T-Mobile and AT&T, the top performers in the MNO category.
“J.D. Power’s new survey of the best customer service for cell phones shows that two of let’s call them ‘the off-brands’ have much, much higher customer satisfaction than the big three brand names. In fact, it’s not even close.”
You can see how Consumer Cellular and Mint Mobile compare to other value MVNOs in both categories here:
Value MVNOACSI 2024 Score (100-point scale)J.D. Power Wireless Customer Care Satisfaction Score (1000-point scale)J.D. Power Wireless Retail Experience Score (1000-point scale)Average Score
Consumer Cellular8586388086.43%
Mint Mobile8384485684.33
VisibleN/A79484381.85%
Straight Talk Wireless7980184281.1%
Google Fi Wireless77839N/A80.45%
Tracfone Wireless8076582579.67%
Total by VerizonN/A776N/A77.6%*
*Score based on only one survey
In J.D. Power’s customer care study, Consumer Cellular earned the highest score in the value MVNO category for the 16th consecutive time with a score of 863 followed by Mint Mobile with a score of 844. These two maintained their lead in J.D. Power’s wireless retail experience study with Consumer Cellular earning a score of 880 followed by Mint Mobile with a score of 856.
Value MVNO Customer Care Results
Source: J.D. Power
Value MVNO Purchase Experience Results
Source: J.D. Power
The customer care study revealed that customers were most satisfied with Consumer Cellular followed by Mint Mobile with both companies earning scores over the segment average. Google Fi Wireless (Review) came in third place with a score of 839. Below the segment average, Straight Talk (Review) came in fourth place with a score of 801 followed by Visible (Review), Total by Verizon (Review) and TracFone (Review).
When it comes to purchase experience, customers were most satisfied with Consumer Cellular followed by Mint Mobile. Visible and Straight Talk Wireless also earned scores above the segment average. TracFone was the only provider to score below the segment average landing in last place.
Source: ACSI
In the ACSI study, Consumer Cellular earned the #1 spot again in 2024 with a score of 85. It showed a 4% growth from 2023 (up from a score of 82). Mint Mobile was the next-highest-scoring value MVNO with a score of 83 in 2023 (a 5% increase from 2023).
Tracfone earned a higher score with ACSI than J.D. Power and also showed a 5% increase from 2023. Straight Talk Wireless and Google Fi Wireless fell to the last two places on this survey.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to choosing a phone service provider, you’ll first need to make sure you have service in your area. It’s also important to only pay for what you need. Finally, you want to choose a phone service provider that isn’t a headache. One way to avoid this is by choosing a company that’s known for impressing its customers.
Fortunately, you can save money on your monthly cell phone bill by switching to a cheaper phone service provider that offers better customer service.
“The reason you may not be willing to switch is you’re worried about customer service; you’re worried about network and all that. Obviously, people are exceedingly happy with Mint Mobile and with Consumer Cellular, and they are both so much cheaper than what you have to pay any of the big three.”
Based on J.D. Power’s customer satisfaction and purchase experience surveys as well as ACSI’s latest data, T-Mobile and AT&T are the best mobile network operators on average. T-Mobile earned the highest scores in both J.D. Power surveys for the 13th consecutive volume while it was only one point below AT&T in ACSI’s 2024 survey results.
In the full-service MVNO category, Spectrum Mobile, Cricket Wireless and Metro by T-Mobile rank highest for customer satisfaction across the board. Based on data from all three reports, Cricket Wireless and Spectrum Mobile scored higher than T-Mobile.
Finally, in the value MVNO category, Consumer Cellular and Mint Mobile rank highest. Again, based on all three reports, Consumer Cellular and Mint Mobile scored higher than T-Mobile.
“That’s why we put so much effort at Clark.com into telling you about these alternatives,” says Clark. “We always talk about these discounters tentatively because people tend to grade a lower price more harshly than they do a higher price provider, but the truth is at least these lower price providers are putting a big smile on people’s faces and their wallets!”
You can compare plans from these service providers and more in our guide to the best cell phone plans in 2024.
Finally, check out which cell phone service providers other Clark.com readers are using in our Clark.com Community!
Article Updates
May 28, 2024: Updated all three studies to the latest findings from J.D. Power and ACSI
