Following Cricket, U.S. Cellular's prepaid plans offer more data for the same prices

By Williams Pelegrin January 31, 2017

Smartphone-Future-0001 how to reduce your data usage — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Regional carrier U.S. Cellular might not be as well known as AT&T or Verizon, but its position as the fifth-largest U.S. carrier did not happen overnight. In order to keep pace with its competitors, however, the regional carrier has announced improvements for its prepaid plans.

Thanks to the improvements, Simple Connect Prepaid’s $45 monthly option now includes 3GB of 4G LTE data, up from 2GB. The $60 monthly option also received an increase to 6GB from 5GB previously. U.S. Cellular even added a third $75 monthly plan that includes 12GB of high-speed data.

The regional carrier also upgraded its Ready Connect Prepaid plans, which are only available through retailers like Walmart and Dollar General. For a limited time, the $45, $55, and $75 plans include 4GB, 8GB, and 12GB of high-speed data, respectively. If you want to save some cash with Ready Connect Prepaid, you can enroll for auto-pay and knock $5 off the $45 and $55 monthly plans, or $10 off the $75 plan.

Finally, all prepaid plans that start at $35 a month now include unlimited talk and text. Keep in mind that speeds are knocked down to 2G once your high-speed bucket for any given billing period dries up.

U.S. Cellular’s improved prepaid plans are now available.

“February and March are popular months for prepaid wireless purchases, so our updated plans provide an even better experience to our current customers as well as any consumers looking for a better prepaid deal,” said U.S. Cellular’s vice president of brand management, Grant Leech, in the announcement.

U.S. Cellular’s announcement comes after Cricket Wireless, AT&T’s prepaid subsidiary, announced prepaid plan upgrades of its own. Cricket’s prepaid plans might be more preferred, since Cricket is more widely available, in contrast to U.S. Cellular’s regional restrictions. However, Cricket’s 4G LTE data is capped at 8Mbps, possibly in an effort to nudge customers toward AT&T.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Williams Pelegrin

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…

Emerging Tech

Parrot to build small surveillance drones for U.S. soldiers on the battlefield

parrot anafi drone in air

French dronemaker Parrot has spent much of its existence in the shadow of DJI, the successful Chinese maker of a range of popular quadcopters that include the Mavic range, alongside more advanced offerings such as the Inspire 2.

The Paris-based company has been given a boost, however, after being selected by the United States Department of Defense as one of six companies to develop small, short-range reconnaissance aircraft for use by soldiers on the battlefield. The others are Skydio, Altavian, Teal Drones, Vantage Robotics, and Lumenier, all of which are based in the U.S.

Mobile

Best Fitbit deals: Save on Versa 4, Charge 6, and Sense 2

The Fitbit Sense 2 in moss.

One of the best fitness trackers is a great way to up your workout, though they can get expensive. Even with the current Apple deals, Apple Watch deals, and Samsung Galaxy Watch deals things can get a little expensive. Fitbit is a good fitness tracker brand to turn to if you’re looking for affordability. It has a great lineup of options, and Fitbit watches are almost always seeing a deal. In fact, right now Fitbit deals make for some of the best smartwatch deals you can shop. Below you’ll find what we feel are the best Fitbit deals to shop right now. There are several models to choose from for some savings, as well as a great deal on the Fitbit Charge 4.
Today's best Fitbit deal
Fitbit Charge 4 -- $125, was $150

While there are newer Fitbit Charge models on the market that include both the Fitbit Charge 5 and the Fitbit Charge 6, the Fitbit Charge 4 still has a lot to offer. It has all sorts of fitness and activity tracking capabilities. It can measure your resting heart rate and calorie burn throughout the day, as well as your SpO2 nightly average. The Charge 4 also uses built-in GPS to see your pace and distance during outdoor runs, rides, hikes, and other activities. You can head out for a long hike with this smartwatch, as the Charge 5 can last up to seven days on a single battery charge, and up to five hours when GPS is being used.

Mobile

Best Samsung deals: The Galaxy S24 Ultra is up to $750 off

Best Android Phone 2022 Galaxy S22 Ultra in hand with S Pen feat image.

Whether you’re looking to shop TV deals, phone deals, smartwatch deals, and even tablet deals, Samsung almost always has something we could direct your attention toward. It’s regularly regarded as one of the top electronics brands, and almost always places among the best TV brands. There are a lot of Samsung deals worth shopping right now, and they cross the full spectrum of tech. We’ve done some of the heavy lifting for you and have rounded up what we feel are the best Samsung deals to shop right now. You’ll find a little bit of everything with these deals, so read onward for more details.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 — $150, was $200

On the surface, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 may look like a watch with a cool digital screen. And, of course, that'd be quite nice. But it turns out to be more of a wearable health monitor, giving you access to info on your overall fitness, running capabilities, and sleep cycles. Our Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 review compliments it for its seamless pairing with Samsung devices and its compatibility with small wrists. As you're sure to be adventuring, running, and exploring with this watch, be sure to grab one of the best Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 screen protectors to preserve its longevity.