As a US carrier, Verizon is the only major carrier I recommend in 2026

A year or two ago, if you had told me that Verizon would be my most recommended carrier in 2026, I would have laughed in your face. Yet we’re halfway through the year and that’s exactly what I’m doing. While AT&T and T-Mobile have become more and more deaf lately, Verizon is running on almost non-carrier energy, trying to win back fans with lower prices and a new plan structure that focuses on upgrades to fill any gaps.

I want to be absolutely clear upfront: For most users, I recommend using a prepaid service billed. That said, if you have your heart set on the latter, Verizon is the carrier I value the most risk at this point.

I really don’t understand why anyone would want to use AT&T or T-Mobile in 2026 unless you have a plan that they don’t understand.

AT&T’s current strategy is largely focused on consolidating home internet and ramping up its broadband efforts, which may be important to some, but certainly not enough of a reason to switch to their mobile plans. Even released its new flagship mobile plans earlier this yearbut these were more of a side step or even a small step.

T-Mobile’s story was a little less so. It did a few positive things, like introducing the Better Value Plan, which is legitimately a better option for many families over the more expensive T-Mobile plans. It was also launched two plans designed for loyal customers.

On the other hand, T-Mobile spent most of the year even higher reduce retail stores and announced recently pulls many of their oldest (and most affordable) plans and refers customers newer options. It has also weakened price guarantees and moved away from inclusive taxes and duties over the past year.

As a result, I would not recommend either AT&T or T-Mobile for basic postpaid plans as a new customer. The only way to get a fairly good deal from either is to have a special plan like T-Mobile’s Better Value Plan or AT&T’s plan.

As big deals go? None of the big three offer great value, but I think Verizon comes closest to hitting the mark. Customers are increasingly looking for a simple, hassle-free experience that gets the job done without spending a fortune. And by that metric, Verizon’s Simplicity plan is a good fit.

Verizon Simplicity offers unlimited talk, text and prioritized high-speed data for up to $30 per line per month, whether you bring one or four lines. Even with taxes and fees charged separately, it’s cheaper than any other postpaid plan out there. This includes entry-level tiers with prioritized data. Of course, there are no real downsides to this either.

The $30 per month rate is only for those who switch; otherwise you’ll pay $45 per month. Verizon Simplicity also no longer covers subsidized phones, though there are expensive add-ons that cost more in the long run but work basically the same, and even allow you to upgrade phones once a year. If you are interested For other acquired data that Verizon may be hiding, be sure to check out my guide on why I personally skip Simplicity.

But despite all that, Verizon’s Simplicity remains the easiest plan to recommend among the non-legacy options currently offered by the big three.

Verizon might be a better option right now, but that’s only if you’re willing to overlook its past behavior. Not a company with a perfect record of treating their customers right. I understand that many will not want to risk everything with Big Red, and I can’t blame them entirely.

The real truth is that Verizon Simplicity looks impressive when compared directly to its bill-only competitors. It’s not a completely fair comparison either, as many of these plans have subsidized phones, free phone offers, and other premium features that Simplicity doesn’t have. Simplicity is more like a prepaid plus experience in terms of features and pricing.

Stacked up against Verizon’s own Visible, US Mobile and other big prepaid players? The fight is getting closer, and it will largely depend on how much you trust Verizon. As for me? I plan to switch to Visible if Verizon doesn’t impress me before I finish paying off my family’s last device.