Best Cell Phone Service in Boulder, CO

How to Choose the Best Cell Service in Boulder, CO

With all the different carriers and types of plans on the market, you have plenty of options when you're shopping for new wireless service in Boulder, CO. Deciding on a plan typically comes down to what you need and your budget, but even when you find one that fits your needs, it's still good to shop around and compare what's out there. After all, there's no sense paying any more than you have to for your cell phone plan, and you may end up with a better deal for the same talk, text, and data limits. MyRatePlan focuses on simplifying the process of choosing your next cell phone plan, so you spend less time shopping and save more money. That's why we have a comparison tool featuring the best prices on a range of cell phones and all kinds of plans.

What Cell Phone Plans Are Available in Boulder, CO?

There are many types of cell phone plans that you can choose from. With the amount of plans on the market, you'll be able to find one with service in Boulder, CO. There are several different kinds of plans to choose from. The three main types of wireless cell phone plans are: no contract plans, individual plans, and family plans. There are very distinct differences between each of these types of plans.

If you get a no contract plan, you are not committed to any long term contract. This means that you can cancel at any time. It is extremely easy to get a pay as you go cell phone plan set up. In fact, you can set up a pay as you go cell phone plan at any well known big box store, or order a SIM from a prepaid carrier on MyRatePlan and have it shipped to you in Boulder, CO. The minutes are loaded onto the phone using a card.

Since you are not bound to a contract, it is possible to purchase only the minutes that you need. Of course, a significant downside to pay as you go plans is the fact that many pay as you go plans come with fees. Still, they can be quite versatile, and it is even possible to use them to load minutes on many high quality smartphones.

The lack of a contract is a major advantage for many people. With a typical cell phone contract, you are locked in for a two-year period. For some people, this is a long period of time to be locked into a contract.

A family plan is good if you have multiple people on the same plan account. The cost of the entire package is more than if you were to buy a plan for just yourself, but it is the best option when multiple devices are involved. Family plans make it possible to pay smaller fees for service than you would pay with a single plan. Since a family plan will involve sharing data limits, text limits, and talk minutes between different devices, it is important to make sure that there is enough on the plan to cover everyone's needs.

What Wireless Plan Is Best For You in Boulder, CO?

To determine the type of plan you need, decide how many people you want to have on your plan and the services you need. Carriers break down their plans by the talk, text, and data limits.

If you're looking for the lowest price, look into a contract plan with a limited number of minutes and text messages (probably 400 or less). Keep in mind that you get the most bang for your buck with unlimited plans, and those are best if you talk and text often throughout the day. When you're on a prepaid plan, you deposit money onto your wireless card, and then use that money to buy minutes (by either paying per minute or buying a package of minutes).

It's crucial that you find a plan with enough mobile data. It's rare to find truly unlimited data plans, and carriers in Boulder, CO typically charge quite a bit for high data use. Data pricing is per megabyte or gigabyte, with gigabytes being more common as data needs have grown. If you go over your data limit, you may get an overage charge or the carrier could throttle (slow down) your data.

Compare Cell Phone Carriers in Boulder, CO

All the major national carriers (AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, and Sprint) cover Boulder, CO. The city also has alternate, smaller carriers, referred to as MVNOs, available. The MVNOs use the larger carriers' networks, so coverage is still strong when you go with a smaller carrier.

AT&T has been one of the nation's largest wireless providers for decades. The carrier has all the plan options listed above, including individual, family, contract, and no contract plans.

Verizon Wireless has the same types of plans, with a slightly different selection process. The first thing you do with Verizon Wireless is choose your prepaid plan (if you're going no-contract) or your shared data plan, with each plan offering a different data limit. An individual or a family can make use of a shared data plan through Verizon Wireless, and each of those plans include unlimited minutes and text messages.

Sprint has the usual individual, family, and prepaid plans, but it separates itself from the pack with its unlimited data option. Unlike other carriers that throttle your data, Sprint has a real unlimited 4G LTE plan called Unlimited Freedom. It also has a unique type of family plan for friends and family, called the Better Choice Plan.

T-Mobile has nothing but no-contract plans, and chose to call itself the 'uncarrier' because of that. Offering both individual and family plans under its T-Mobile ONE and Simple Choice plans, the carrier offers customers unlimited minutes and text messages, with data throttled at different limits depending on the plan you choose.

Use the MyRatePlan cell phone plan comparison tool above to compare different carriers and plans with service in Boulder, CO. We also include other smaller carriers (those aforementioned MVNOs) so you can see what every carrier offers.