US Mobile is one of the better deals in wireless and it does not need the framing it uses. The number on the banner is a first-year rate, the renewal is higher, and both are printed on the same page if you read past the headline. The gap is worth knowing before you hand over a year upfront, because on one of the two main plans the annual discount mostly disappears when the introductory year ends.
The two prices for every annual plan
Annual Unlimited Starter is $199 for the first year and $270 after that. Annual Unlimited Premium is $299 for the first year and $390 after that. Those renewal figures come from US Mobile's own plan cards, printed directly beneath the introductory price.
Divided out, Starter goes from $16.58 a month to $22.50, and Premium from $24.92 to $32.50. Taxes and fees are included in all four figures, which is unusual and genuinely worth something when you are comparing against a carrier that adds them at checkout.
| Plan | First year | Year two onward | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited Starter, annual | $199 | $270 | $16.58 then $22.50 |
| Unlimited Premium, annual | $299 | $390 | $24.92 then $32.50 |
| Unlimited Flex, annual | $210 | $210 | $17.50, flat |
| Unlimited Starter, monthly | $25/mo | $25/mo | $25, flat |
| Unlimited Premium, monthly | $39/mo | $44/mo after 6 months | $39 then $44 |
Monthly Premium has its own cliff, and it is sooner
If you pay monthly rather than annually, Unlimited Premium is $39 and renews at $44 after six months. That is a smaller jump than the annual one in absolute terms, but it arrives in month seven rather than month thirteen. Monthly Starter, at $25, has no step-up at all.
What annual prepay is worth once the promo ends
This is the part the first-year framing hides, and the answer is different for the two plans.
Starter monthly costs $25, so twelve months is $300. Annual Starter at its renewal rate is $270. Paying a full year upfront saves you $30, or ten percent. Premium monthly settles at $44, so twelve months is $528, against $390 on annual renewal — a saving of $138, or twenty-six percent.
| Plan | Twelve months paid monthly | Annual at renewal | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited Starter | $300 ($25 x 12) | $270 | $30 a year, 10% |
| Unlimited Premium | $528 ($44 x 12) | $390 | $138 a year, 26% |
Flex is cheap, and the reason is data
Unlimited Flex is annual-only at $210 a year, and it is the one plan whose price never changes. At $17.50 a month it sits above Starter's first-year rate and below Starter's renewal, which makes it the cheapest standing rate in the lineup.
The catch is the slowdown point. Flex runs at full speed to 10GB a month and is reduced after that. Starter is genuinely unlimited on Dark Star and slows after 70GB on Warp and Light Speed. Premium is never slowed. So Flex is not a cheaper Starter, it is a capped plan sold as unlimited, and 10GB is a real ceiling for anyone who streams away from wifi.
Costs that sit outside the plan price
- The Multi-Network add-on, which lets a second and third network share your primary line's data, is $10 a month on monthly plans and $7.50 a month on annual ($90). The annual version can only be bought if your primary line is already annual.
- Network transfers between Warp, Light Speed and Dark Star are free for your first two ever, not per cycle. After that each transfer is $2.
- International roaming is included on Premium, up to 20GB of data plus 200 minutes and 250 texts. Annual Starter gets 1GB on the same terms. On other plans it is $15 a month.
- There are no multi-line discounts. US Mobile says it lowered single-line prices instead. Three or more monthly Premium lines earn one perk worth up to $15 a month.
So which one should you buy
If you want Premium, pay annually. The discount survives the introductory year and $390 against $528 is not a close call. If you want Starter, pay monthly unless the first-year price is the whole reason you are switching, because from year two the annual version saves $2.50 a month in return for a year of commitment. And if 10GB is genuinely enough, Flex at $210 flat is the cheapest honest number in the lineup.
Ranked on all-in monthly cost, with introductory rates and standing rates shown separately.
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Jean Gilles has researched personal finance, consumer technology, and wireless pricing for over a decade. He founded ShopCellPlans in 2019 and writes every review on the site.
Frequently asked questions
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