Best Cell Phone Plans in Hillsborough, NJ

Coverage is still king: a few things to keep in mind

Coverage has gotten dramatically better for all carriers in the last few years, especially for Sprint and T-Mobile. While the country's two smallest carriers often had their coverage compared to Swiss cheese in the early 2000s, their LTE networks today are fully modernized, dense, and ready to perform well even during times of peak demand. With that said, it's a good idea to take a look at independent test results that show the strengths of each network. These tests, performed by RootMetrics, will help clarify which carrier is best for clear calls, fast data, or consistent texting.

Best for Calls: For the third time in two years, RootMetrics testing found that all four major carriers are almost the same in Hillsborough, NJ when it comes to 'call performance.' This indicates that all four carriers have crystal clear calls, and that all four carriers rarely drop a call that has been initiated. That's great news if your main area of usage each month is wireless minutes.

Best for Texting: During the second half of 2016, RootMetrics testing found that AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile were tied for first place in overall texting performance. All three carriers had a near-100-percent success rate in sending and delivering texts. Sprint's texting performance was just a bit shy of making this metric a four-way tie.

Best for Data-Heavy Usage: This category is a bit more nuanced than the others. Overall, Verizon's LTE network delivered both the fastest speeds and the most reliable connections to customers in Hillsborough, NJ. T-Mobile's average data speed increased dramatically in 2016, however, and AT&T showed improvement in average speeds as well.

Breadth of Coverage: All four carriers have an extremely broad network in Hillsborough, NJ, with coverage almost everywhere. Sprint, which is still expanding its LTE network, has slightly less high-speed coverage. Even so, it has the high-density city and suburban areas covered very well.

Types of wireless service plans

Typically, many of the people in Hillsborough, NJ prefer a cell phone plan where they receive the right amount of minutes, receive text messages and use data on the go. Choosing a wireless service depends on the quality of coverage for each of these factors.

This is particularly true for people whose cell phone is their primary or only communication device. Having a wireless plan that suits their needs becomes much more important. Using the Wirefly service, users can look up plan details for multiple carriers to see how much they can actually save compared to their current wireless plan.

Basically, three categories exist for wireless plans: family plans, individual plans, and no contract plans.

Family plans give customers a phone line for each family member. With some carriers, devices and plan offerings are provided based on individual need although each line is part of one plan. Family plans come with a higher price tag, obviously, but it is still the best deal for a person who has more than one line. Comparing the total cost per phone is much cheaper than single plan pricing. With some family plans, calls, text messages and data are shared, which means the plan will need to cover everyone's individual needs.

An individual plan is a one line, one rate cell phone plan that does not include other devices or phones. People who are not married or do not have children should choose this type of cell phone plan.

No contract plans, also known as pay-as-you-go, prepaid or month-to-month provide flexible pricing and payment options. This type of cell phone plan has evolved from its original prepaid cell phone card days. Typically, prepaid phones can be picked up from any department store in Hillsborough, NJ. These phones do not require activation; they are ready for immediate use.

Although customers who get the no contract plan only pays for what they want to use, there are usually additional fees for this type of convenience. Additionally, prices for cell phones under this type of plan might be much higher than a family or individual plan unless a simple style is chosen.

Prepaid plans are attractive to people who do not want the obligation of a contract. A person must sign up for cell phone service with a specific carrier for at least one or two years. Monthly payments are made, but there is also an early termination fee if the customer cancels before the term of the agreement ends.

Cell phone plans in Hillsborough, NJ: better than ever before

Renewed competition in the American wireless industry means good things for consumers. In 2016, the price for a gigabyte of data declined drastically and unlimited data plans made a big comeback at major carriers and MVNOs alike. Now that coverage is relatively equal throughout the Hillsborough, NJ area, you can shop in entirely new ways, including by price, features, data buckets, or the availability of totally unlimited service.

When shopping for new plans, make sure to fully understand the terms and conditions associated with any offer, including promotional terms, billing credits, device financing restrictions, and other carrier-specific policies that may be in place. While these restrictions are uncommon, it's always better to understand their impact while shopping instead of when the 30-day buyer's remorse period has concluded.

Comparing cell phone carriers in Hillsborough, NJ

These carriers all cover Hillsborough, NJ. Odds are good that your area is covered. Should you choose to go with a smaller carrier called Even most of the smaller carriers, known as Mobile Virtual Network Operators or MVNOs, they are usually attached to one of these larger carriers and share the same coverage area.

AT&T

One of the most well-known wireless companies in the country, and they offer an array of plans. These plans include family, single line, contract and prepaid.

Verizon Wireless

This company also offers plans for families and individuals with or without a contract. You can pre-pay or share and unlimited text and talk plans are available.

Sprint

With Sprint, even your friends can get in on the deal. With their Better Choice Plan, you can have friends and family members on the plan with you. They may be the place for you if you have large data needs. They are one of the few companies who offer truly unlimited 4G LTE data.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile offers no-contract plans exclusively, hence their moniker, the 'uncarrier.' If you want unlimited talk, text and data, go with their T-Mobile ONE or Simple Choice plans. All three services are throttled at various levels and you pay once a month. Plans are available for tho individuals and families.

Other cell phone carriers and MVNOs

Use our comparison tool to compare major carrier plans against those of smaller companies and MVNOs that also have coverage in Hillsborough, NJ. They can be an effective way to save money while still getting great coverage.