Independent since 2019 · No paid placement, ever Every review on this site is written by one person
Author

Jean Gilles

Founder & Lead Analyst, ShopCellPlans. Writes reviews on this site. Pretty awesome human-being.

Jean Gilles has researched personal finance, consumer technology, and wireless pricing for over a decade. ShopCellPlans is his independent project to bring transparent, no-spin guidance to a category most people overpay in.

He has run the site since 2019. Every plan review, carrier guide, and ranking published here is written and scored by him — there is no freelance pool and no syndicated content.

140
plans scored against the same four pillars
29
carriers covered, from the Big 3 to regional MVNOs
2019
independent since — no paid placement, ever

How he works

  • Plans are tested on real devices in real cities, not read off a carrier's spec sheet.
  • Scores come from four pillars only — Value for Money, Network Reliability & Speed, Hotspot & Features, and Customer Experience. See the full methodology.
  • Promotional pricing is noted but never counts toward a score. Renewal rates and hidden fees do.
  • No carrier — including ones the site earns commissions from — sees a review before it publishes.

Articles by Jean Gilles

Leaving UScellular? The Best Carriers to Switch To Switching Guides · November 2, 2026 → The Best Business Phone Plans in 2026 Guides · October 20, 2026 → T-Mobile Plan Perks: What's Actually Included Carrier Guides · October 18, 2026 → Can You Buy an iPhone Duo on a Prepaid Plan? Guides · October 18, 2026 → iPhone Duo Sold Out at Apple: Carriers Are Shipping Sooner Carrier News · October 18, 2026 → What Is Starlink Mobile, and Should You Wait for It? Carrier News · October 18, 2026 → iPhone Duo Pre-Order Deals: What AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Actually Require Deals · October 18, 2026 → Verizon Will Charge $10 a Month for iPhone Handoff, Twice T-Mobile's Price Carrier News · October 18, 2026 → AT&T Won't Commit to iPhone Handoff. Here's Who Supports It Carrier News · October 18, 2026 → T-Mobile T-Mix Tiers Leaked: Prices, Picks and What We Don't Know Yet Carrier News · October 7, 2026 → Metro by T-Mobile Review: Plans, Coverage + Verdict Reviews · October 6, 2026 → Can You Still Use a Nokia 2780 Flip in 2026? Device Guides · October 6, 2026 →
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Can You Still Use a Nokia 6300 4G in 2026? Can You Still Use a Nokia 8110 4G in 2026? Can You Still Use an Alcatel Go Flip in 2026? Can You Still Use a Kyocera DuraXV in 2026? Can You Still Use an LG Exalt in 2026? Can You Still Use a Samsung Convoy or Gusto in 2026? Can You Still Use a Light Phone II in 2026? Can You Still Use a Punkt MP02 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Gabb Phone in 2026? Can You Still Use a T-Mobile G1 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Palm Pre in 2026? Can You Still Use a Palm Treo in 2026? Can You Still Use the 2018 Palm Phone in 2026? Can You Still Use a Nokia N95 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Nokia Lumia 1020 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Samsung BlackJack in 2026? Can You Still Use a Motorola Q in 2026? Can You Still Use an LG Chocolate in 2026? Can You Still Use an LG enV in 2026? Can You Still Use a Sony Ericsson W810i in 2026? Can You Still Use an Amazon Fire Phone in 2026? Can You Still Use an Essential Phone (PH-1) in 2026? Can You Still Use a OnePlus One in 2026? Can You Still Use a Sony Xperia Z3 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Huawei P30 or Mate 20 in 2026? Can You Still Use an Unlocked Import Phone in the US in 2026? Can You Still Use a Sprint Phone in 2026? Can You Still Use a Verizon CDMA Phone in 2026? Can You Still Use an Old iPad with Cellular in 2026? Can You Still Use an Older LTE Smartwatch in 2026? Can You Still Use an Old Verizon Jetpack or MiFi in 2026? Can You Still Use a CAT S62 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Sonim XP5s in 2026? Can You Still Use a OnePlus 6T in 2026? Average Phone Bill Per Month: What Americans Pay Free Government Phones: How Lifeline Works Walmart Family Mobile Review: Plans, Prices and Network What Happened to Hello Mobile and Q Link Wireless? Mediacom Mobile Review: Plans, Prices and Network T-Mobile International Roaming: What Your Plan Includes AT&T International Roaming: How the Day Pass Works Verizon Family Plans: What Four Lines Really Cost T-Mobile Family Plans: What Four Lines Really Cost AT&T Family Plans: What Four Lines Really Cost Metro vs T-Mobile: Is Metro the Same Network? Cricket vs T-Mobile: Which Is Better? Boost Mobile vs T-Mobile: Which Is Better? Straight Talk vs Verizon and AT&T Spectrum Mobile vs Verizon and T-Mobile Google Fi vs Verizon: Which Is Better? What Network Does Boost Mobile Use? What Network Does Consumer Cellular Use? What Network Does Spectrum Mobile Use? What Network Does Xfinity Mobile Use? What Network Does Metro by T-Mobile Use? What Network Does Tello Use? What Network Does Visible Use? What Network Does Optimum Mobile Use? What Network Does US Mobile Use? How Much Data Do YouTube, Netflix, Pandora and Hotspot Use? SIM Card Sizes: Nano, Micro and Standard How to Switch to eSIM: Carrier Support and Step-by-Step BOGO Phone Deals: What's Actually Available Right Now Google Fi vs T-Mobile: Which One Should You Pick? Cricket Coverage Map: AT&T's Towers, Cricket's Rules Xfinity Mobile Coverage Map: What You're Actually Getting UScellular Coverage Map: Where to Check Coverage Now AT&T vs Cricket: What You Pay For on AT&T T-Mobile vs Mint Mobile: Is Mint Good Enough? Boost Mobile Review: The "Smart Lease" of Wireless? What Phones Are Compatible With Boost Mobile? Metro by T-Mobile vs Boost Mobile: Which Is Better? Boost Mobile vs Cricket Wireless: Price Lock or No Data Cap? Verizon Coverage Map: How to Read It Before You Switch AT&T Coverage Map: What 5G+, 5G and LTE Actually Mean T-Mobile Coverage Map: 5G Ultra Capacity vs Extended Range T-Mobile vs AT&T (2026): Which Should You Pick? Lively Review: Are Jitterbug Plans Worth It? AT&T APN Settings for Android and iPhone Cricket Wireless APN Settings T-Mobile APN Settings for Android and iPhone Metro by T-Mobile APN Settings Straight Talk Review: Plans, Coverage + Verdict Google Fi Review: Plans, Pricing, Network & Verdict Consumer Cellular Review: Plans, Network + Verdict How to Get a Free 5G Phone at Metro T-Mobile's 55+ Plans Are Priced for Two Lines Page Plus Plans and Prices: What You Get for $12 to $55 H2O Wireless Plans: Prices, Data and Who It Suits Simple Mobile Plans: Prices, International Calling and the Move to Verizon Twigby Review: Cheap Verizon Plans, With One Fee to Watch Kroger Wireless Review: Phone Plans That Earn Fuel Points Xfinity Mobile Review: The Two New Plans and Who They Suit Which Carriers Does T-Mobile Own? How Much Is Consumer Cellular for Seniors? Red Pocket vs Mint Mobile: Network Choice or Lowest Price? Total Wireless vs Visible: Two Verizon Brands Compared Can You Still Use an iPhone 5s in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone 7 in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone 8 in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone X in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone SE (2016) in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy S5 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy S7 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy S8 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy S9 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy Note 8 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Google Pixel 2 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Google Pixel 3 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Motorola Razr V3 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Nokia 3310 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Windows Phone in 2026? Can You Still Use an LG G6 or V30 in 2026? Can You Still Use an Older Jitterbug Phone in 2026? Can You Still Use an Apple Watch Series 3 in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone 4 in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone 4S in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone 5 in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone 5c in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone 6s Plus in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone 7 Plus in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone 8 Plus in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone XR in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone XS in 2026? Can You Still Use an iPhone 11 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy S3 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy S4 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy S6 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy S10 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy Note 4 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy Note 5 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy Note 9 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy Fold in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy Z Flip in 2026? Can You Still Use a Galaxy J7 or J3 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Nexus 5 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Nexus 6 or 6P in 2026? Can You Still Use a Pixel in 2026? Can You Still Use a Pixel 4a in 2026? Can You Still Use a Pixel 5 in 2026? Can You Still Use a Motorola Droid in 2026? Can You Still Use a Moto X (2013) in 2026? Can You Still Use a Moto G (first gen) in 2026? Can You Still Use a Moto Z in 2026? Can You Still Use a Motorola Razr (2019) in 2026? Can You Still Use an LG G4 in 2026? Can You Still Use an LG G5 in 2026? Can You Still Use an LG V20 in 2026? Can You Still Use an LG V40 or V60 in 2026? Can You Still Use an LG Wing in 2026? Can You Still Use an HTC One M7 or M8 in 2026? Can You Still Use an HTC U11 in 2026? Can You Still Use an HTC Evo 4G in 2026? Can You Still Use a BlackBerry Key2 in 2026? Can You Still Use a BlackBerry KeyOne in 2026? Can You Still Use a BlackBerry Priv in 2026? Can You Still Use a BlackBerry Passport in 2026? Can You Still Use a BlackBerry Classic in 2026? Can You Still Use a BlackBerry Bold 9900 in 2026? Can You Still Use a BlackBerry Curve in 2026? Verizon Has the Pixel 11 Pro for $479.99, Paid in Full Mint Mobile's $15-for-Everything Deal Is Over. Here's What Plans Cost Now Mint Mobile vs Visible: Which Budget Carrier Fits You? The Best Motorola Razr Fold Deals at T-Mobile and Verizon AT&T Cut Single-Line Prices, Not Family Prices iPhone 18 Pro Max Losing Service on AT&T: What We Know AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Team Up to Cover Dead Zones AT&T's CEO Says SpaceX Can't Become a Real Phone Carrier AT&T Is Shutting Off Copper Landlines: The Dates That Matter Verizon's $80 iPhone 18 Pro Plan: What the Yearly Upgrade Costs Verizon My Biz Plan: What a Business Line Costs Mint Mobile Sued Over Its Home Internet Discounts Customers Rate Smaller Carriers Above the Big Three T-Mobile's Line Fee Goes Up Again on October 12 Cox Mobile Is Becoming Spectrum Mobile. Here's What Changes T-Mobile May Let You Pick Your Own Free Perk Verizon Commits $70 Million to AI Training Verizon Wants to End Landline Service in Nine States Verizon's Motorola Razr Deals: What the Monthly Prices Add Up To Verizon Simplicity Is $25 a Month at Walmart Which Carriers Include Apple TV+? iPhone Duo Dual eSIM: Running Two Carriers on One Phone Will Your MVNO Work With the iPhone 18 Pro? What T-Mobile's Entertainment Bundle Is Actually Worth What US Mobile Actually Costs in Year Two iPhone 18 Pro Carrier Deals: What “Free” Costs You iPhone eSIM Transfer: How to Switch Carriers Without Losing Service T-Mobile Experience 2.0: The Plans Didn't Change, the Financing Did UScellular Is Moving to T-Mobile: What Happens to Your Plan Apple Watch Cellular Plans: What Every Carrier Charges T-Mobile's Student Discount: What Student Perks Actually Saves Does UScellular Still Have a Free Trial? Visible Pays You Back Instead of Taking Your Phone T-Mobile's Student Discount and the Condition Attached What Paying a Year Upfront Actually Saves The Cheaper AT&T Prepaid Plan Has More Hotspot What Happened to US Cellular NOW Mobile Review Verizon Unlimited Welcome Review iPhone Deals: Verizon, T-Mobile & AT&T (2026) Don't Trade In Your Old iPhone. Put a $10 Plan on It. T-Mobile Will Put Your Number on Two iPhones at Once Your Cracked iPhone Is Worth $1,200: Just Not to Apple iPhone Duo Is eSIM-Only, With Two Lines Active at Once Everything Apple Announced on September 9 Your iPhone Just Got Another Free Year of Satellite What Verizon Simplicity Costs for a Family AT&T's 55+ Plan Now Requires a Home Internet Bundle How to Protect Your Number From SIM Swapping What Happens to Your Unused Data? Four Lines for $100 at Metro, With Free Phones Metro 5G Home Internet at $45 a Month Is Metro's $15 Intro Plan Worth It? Verizon Is Giving Away Free Tickets to Every NFL Home Game Does Cash App Mobile Work in Puerto Rico? Cash App Mobile Puts an AT&T Plan Inside Cash App Visible One Bundles Fiber and Mobile on One Bill Galaxy Phone Deals What Is an eSIM? What Is Cellular Internet? Satellite Texting on Your Phone What Is 5G? T-Mobile Hotspot Limits: 250GB, 60GB, or Nothing Boost and Cricket Hotspot: Which Plans Include It Does Consumer Cellular Have a Mobile Hotspot? Verizon Hotspot Limits: How Much Data Every Plan Gives Metro Unlimited Hotspot: What You Get on Each Plan Verizon Cruise Daily Pass: What $20 a Day Gets You Your Flip Phone Doesn’t Need a Smartphone Plan PureTalk vs Consumer Cellular: Your Age Decides It Patriot Mobile vs PureTalk: Same Pitch, Double the Price PureTalk Coverage: You're on AT&T AT&T Prepaid vs Cricket Wireless Verizon TravelPass Cost: $12/Day and What You Get Can You Still Use an iPhone 6 or 6s in 2026? T-Mobile Unlock Requirements Verizon Unlock Requirements AT&T Unlock Requirements Metro by T-Mobile Unlock Requirements Boost Mobile Unlock Requirements Mint Mobile Unlock Requirements Straight Talk, Total Wireless & Tracfone Unlock Requirements How to Remove Someone From Your Phone Plan Verizon Home Phone Plans: What's Left, and What It Costs BYOD Deals: What Bringing Your Own Phone Is Actually Worth T-Mobile Legacy Plans: Simple Choice, One & Migrated Sprint Should I Keep My Grandfathered Plan? Verizon Grandfathered Unlimited Data: Keep It or Not? AT&T Grandfathered Unlimited Data: Still Worth It? PureTalk Review: AT&T Coverage at Half the Price? Ting Mobile Review: Two Good Plans, Four to Avoid Patriot Mobile Review: What You're Actually Paying For Appalachian Wireless Review: Plans, Coverage + Verdict How to Set Up Voicemail on Android (2026) How to Set Up Voicemail on iPhone (2026) AT&T Phones: Online vs In-Store: Which Is Cheaper? MiFi 101: How Portable Wi-Fi Hotspots Actually Work How to Check Your Data Usage on Verizon How to Turn Your Phone Into a Hotspot Mint Mobile APN Settings for Android Xfinity Mobile Deals: What's Actually Worth Taking Total Wireless vs Straight Talk: Same Owner, Different Value Google Fi vs Mint Mobile: Travel Coverage or Half the Price? Mint Mobile vs Cricket Wireless: Price or Priority? Can I Use a Verizon Phone With Straight Talk? Does Straight Talk Use Verizon Towers? How to Improve Mobile Signal Strength How to Stop Robocalls The Best Flip Phones of 2026 T-Mobile Sidekick: A Collector's Guide AT&T Switch and Save: What the Offer Is Actually Worth Xfinity Mobile Switch Offers: What They're Really Worth Verizon's Military Discount: Who Qualifies and How to Claim It T-Mobile Travel eSIM Plans: When to Buy One iPhone 17 Cellular Problems: A Fix-It Order That Works Black Friday iPhone Deals: How to Tell a Good One From a Trap Can You Still Use a T-Mobile Sidekick in 2026? Ultra Mobile Review (2026): Plans, Coverage & Verdict How To Connect to T-Mobile's Free In-Flight Wi-Fi Hotspot Data by Plan: All 51 Compared Verizon Free Trial: 30 Days on the Best Rural Network AT&T Free Trial: 30 Days, 100GB, iPhone Only What Happens When a Carrier Free Trial Ends? Which Carrier Trial Should Rural Users Test First? T-Mobile Free Trial: 30 Days, 250GB Hotspot, No Card AT&T Moves an Exabyte a Day. Here's Why It Matters Can You Return a Verizon Phone to Any Store? AT&T's $177M Data Breach Settlement: What Happened How to Set Up Verizon Home Internet (Fios & 5G) Best T-Mobile Phone + 5G Home Internet Bundles Best Verizon Phone + Home Internet Bundles Best AT&T Phone + Home Internet Bundles Tello Mobile Review: The Build-Your-Own Budget Carrier How to Switch Carriers & Keep Your Number (2026) Mint Mobile vs Tello: Which Cheap T-Mobile MVNO Wins? The Hidden Cost of Switching Carriers (2026) Will My Phone Work With a New Carrier? Mobile Network Performance, Explained Seven Real Reasons People Change Providers Phone Troubleshooting: The Checks That Actually Fix Things Carrier Free Trials: Test the Network Before You Commit Carrier Trials and Travel: What Works Abroad Travel Privacy: When a Second Phone Is Worth It When You Mark a Message as Junk, What Happens? How to Find a Genuinely Small Phone How to Actually Lower Your Verizon Bill US Mobile + Starlink: The Only Bundle That Works Off the Grid US Mobile Home Phone Review: A $9.99 Landline Replacement Do You Actually Need a Data Plan? Cricket vs Metro by T-Mobile: Which Is Better? Best Phone Plans with Unlimited Data & Hotspot (2026) Best Home Internet Deals: 5G Home Internet & Bundle Offers Can BlackBerry Phones Still Be Used in 2026? 5G Home Internet in 2026: Is It Right for Your Home? 7 Hidden Small MVNOs Worth Your Attention in 2026 AT&T vs Verizon (2026): Which Should You Pick? Best AT&T Alternatives: Same Coverage, Lower Bill Android Phone Deals at the Major Carriers (2026) Best T-Mobile Alternatives: Better Coverage, Less Cost Best Alternatives to Verizon: Same Coverage, Lower Bill Best Visible Alternatives (2026): Stay on Verizon T-Mobile vs Verizon: Which Should You Pick? (2026) Phone Bill Savings Calculator (Free Tool) Straight Talk vs TracFone: Which Prepaid Wins? (2026) Spectrum vs Xfinity vs Optimum Mobile (2026) Visible vs Visible+ vs Visible+ Pro: Which Plan? (2026) What Network Does Each Carrier Use? (2026 Map) Is My Phone Unlocked? How to Check (2026) How to Unlock Your Phone (2026) How to Get a Transfer PIN (All Major Carriers, 2026) How to Cancel Verizon Service (2026 Guide) How to Cancel T-Mobile Service (2026 Guide) How to Cancel Xfinity Mobile (2026 Guide) How to Cancel AT&T Service (2026 Guide) How Fast Is Starlink? Max Speeds and Performance Explained Verizon Now Powers Every New BMW: What It Means for You AT&T Build-A-Plan Adds Home Internet: What It Really Costs Google Voice Adds Two Paid Plans, No Workspace Needed What Carriers Are Compatible With TracFone? What Phones Are Compatible With Visible? Mint Mobile Review: Plans, Verdict + Honest Take Is Cricket GSM? What Network Cricket Uses What Network Does Mint Mobile Use? What Phones Are Compatible With Cricket? What Phones Are Compatible With Total Wireless? Google Fi vs US Mobile: Which Is Better? Verizon 5G Home Internet Review: Fast but Limited? AT&T Internet Air Review: Pricing, Speeds + Verdict Best 5G Home Internet: Cheapest & Fastest Plans Visible vs Cricket (2026): Which Is Better? T-Mobile Home Internet Review: Is It Worth It? Mint Mobile 5G Home Internet Review (MINTernet) Verizon Drops Fees & Debuts “Simplicity” Plan US Mobile vs Visible: Which Is Better? US Mobile vs Mint Mobile: Which Is Better? Verizon Home Internet Lite: $35/mo Plan, Speeds & Data Cap AT&T Is Dropping Its Cheapest Fiber Internet Plan T-Mobile Launches Member Month With Free Perks Verizon’s $1 Billion Spectrum Deal Faces a Reality Check Visible by Verizon Review: Is It Actually Worth Switching? Visible vs. Prepaid Verizon: Which Option is Best for You? US Mobile Warp vs Light Speed vs Dark Star: Which? Consumer Cellular vs Cricket Wireless: Which AT&T MVNO Wins? Hidden Fees in Free Cell Phone Trials: Is There a Catch? Consumer Cellular Free Trial: The Limits Explained Verizon Prepaid Plans (2026): Pricing, Review + Verdict Carrier Trial Stress Test: How to Test Signal at Home T-Mobile vs Verizon Free Trial: Which Network Test Wins? Free Phone Trials With No Credit Card: 11 Carriers Visible vs US Mobile Free Trial: Which Should You Test? Spectrum Mobile Plans & Pricing: Complete Buyer’s Guide How to Reach a Live Person at Verizon Cricket Wireless Review: AT&T's Generic Brand Worth It? US Mobile Review: Verizon, AT&T, & T-Mobile in One Plan? AirVoice Wireless Review: Plans, Coverage + Verdict Visible Free Trial: How It Works + What to Expect Longest Free Phone Trials 2026: 30 Days, Ranked Mint Mobile 7-Day Trial Kit: What You Get Best Mobile Hotspots for Travel, Work + Camping Prepaid Phone Deals (2026) Best AT&T Prepaid Plans 2026: Pricing & Features TextNow Review 2026: Is Free Wireless Actually Good? When to Buy a Phone Plan: The 4 Cheapest Windows How to Use Dual SIM to Compare Two Carriers at Once Red Pocket Mobile: What You Need to Know Before Switching Throttling vs Deprioritization: Why Unlimited Slows Ultra Mobile vs. Mint Mobile: Which Carrier is Better? Metro Starter Plus Review: $40 Unlimited, One Catch Astound Mobile: What You Need to Know Before Switching Cricket Unlock Requirements: The 6-Month Rule Reach a Real Person at Mint Mobile: 1-800-683-7392