Consumer Cellular: What Are the Pros and Cons?
- Phones available for a variety of budgets
- Regularly ranks tops in JD Power reports for customer support and satisfaction
- Shareable data plans
- AARP members save additional 5%
- Sold in Walmarts, Targets, and small number of branded dealer stores
- A bit more expensive than other MVNOs
Phone Plans
How Consumer Cellular Plans Work
Consumer Cellular is an MVNO that operates on the AT&T network. The company was founded in 1995 by John Marick and Greg Pryor and it is currently one of the largest and oldest MVNOs in the USA ((source: Consumer Cellular)). It was purchased in October of 2020, by the investment firm GTCR for $2.3 billion.
Consumer Cellular’s target demographic are those aged 50 years and up. It has been an AARP provider since 2008 and it offers exclusive discounts and benefits to those who are AARP members.
In terms of customer satisfaction, the company has consistently ranked tops by various organizations such as Consumer Reports, J.D. Power and Market Force.
Voice only plans are available as are shared family plans. Customers can add a line to an account at a price of $20/month for the first additional line and $15 for each line thereafter. Data is shared between lines. Except for times of heavy network traffic, network speeds are equivalent to AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s.
In the fall of 2021, Consumer Cellular lowered the price of its single-line plans by offering $5/month auto-pay billing discounts. A new 7GB plan was also introduced at that time but has since been discontinued.
In March of 2023, Consumer Cellular reduced the number of plans offered to a total of three. A 1GB $20 plan, a 10GB $35 plan, and a $50 50GB unlimited data plan. The 50GB plan includes data speeds at 1.5Mbps after the high-speed allotment has been reached. Customers going over their allotted data on the 1GB and 10GB plans will automatically have their plan upgraded to the next higher tier.
In June 2023, Consumer Cellular increased the number of plans offered to four by bringing back its $25/month 5GB plan.
How To Port Out Of Consumer Cellular
Porting out requires you to know your account number and PIN number. Your account number can be found on any bill or invoice that you may have, in your online account or by calling the company at 1-(888)-345-5509. Your PIN number is the last 4 digits of your social security number.
Phone Unlock Policy
Consumer Cellular will unlock your device for you free of charge if:
- Your phone has been fully paid off
- It has been used on the network for at least 6 months
- Your account is in good standing and no money is owed
- Your phone has not been reported lost or stolen
If you meet all requirements, you can call Consumer Cellular at 1 (800) 686-4460 to obtain your device unlock code.
Consumer Cellular
This wireless plan's guide is part of BestMVNO's comprehensive coverage of Consumer Cellular. See BestMVNO's coverage of the latest Consumer Cellular news or visit the links below to sign up for service, or configure your APN settings.