r/NoContract Apr 03 '26

Starting today, AI-generated content is not allowed in r/NoContract.

165 Upvotes

Rule #4, No Spam, has just been updated to include this new addition: "Blatantly AI-generated content is considered spam and will be removed."

In r/NoContract, we want to read your thoughts. We don't care what chatgpt has to say. This rule change is intended to encourage our fellow redditors to put some effort into their posts and comments.

Needless to say, one cannot always tell what is and is not AI. If I see something that was obviously copied and pasted from an AI chatbot, I will remove it.

Posts and comments predating today will not be subject to this rule.

This is a change I've been wanting to make for a while now, and this poll showed me that most of our members agree with me.

All the best,

Petar


r/NoContract Aug 23 '25

Data prioritization policies of the carriers and the MVNOs that use their networks

142 Upvotes

3/11/26 - Updated to show that MobileX has a paid QCI 8 addon. This has been around for about 5 months now but I forgot to update the guide.

8/28/25 - MobileX has been discovered to be dropped to QCI 9 now. https://www.reddit.com/r/NoContract/comments/1n2me7i/mobilex_is_no_longer_qci_8_which_leaves_us_mobile/

This is a complex topic that pops up a lot so I thought that I would organize all of the available info in one place. One of the key differentiating factors between postpaid, prepaid, and MVNO services is data prioritization. Basically carriers manage the congestion on their networks by assigning a different QCI class to different types of traffic. For our purposes, we will only be looking at QCIs 6, 7, 8, and 9 but there are higher priorities that exist for things like phone calls that will be universal across all of a carrier's plans. Higher numbers are lower priority. An important thing to note is that deprioritization is not a throttle; it only matters when the network is congested. If nobody else is using the network in your area, you'll get the full speed that can be provided. Your QCI affects not just your speed but your latency on the network. It is not unusual to see priority data with around 20-50ms latency while someone who is deprioritized is getting 100-150ms at the same time despite both plans posting high speed test results because the prioritized traffic gets to go first, just something else to be aware of.

The old one was getting a bit long after many updates so I decided to just make a whole new one. I will break it down by network and, where appropriate, specific phone plans. I am going to add business plans and first responder plans here as there were many requests for that but if I mess up anything, please let me know, as I am not as well-versed in those plans.

Also, at this point, 5QI (the 5G replacement for QCI) values have so far matched the LTE QCI on each plan I’ve seen. If this changes, I’ll make notes about it.

Business plans are hard to keep up with and so are frequent MVNO plan changes so if I make a mistake, please let me know.

Verizon

Verizon only uses 3 QCI classes – 7, 8, and 9.

QCI 7 is reserved exclusively for Verizon Frontline customers so this priority level may as well not exist for those of us who aren’t first responders.

QCI 8 is given to the Verizon business Plus 5G, business Pro 5G, business My Biz with the Premium Network Experience add-on, consumer postpaid plans (other than Welcome Unlimited), Xfinity Mobile, and Spectrum Mobile.

US Mobile’s Warp 5G SIM offers QCI 8 data on 5G devices only if you have Unlimited Premium or if you were a US Mobile customer before 8/18/2025. MobileX has a QCI 8 addon available as well but is QCI 9 without it.

Visible+ and Visible+ Pro are both unlimited QCI 8 data. Total Wireless' Total 5G Unlimited and Total 5G+ Unlimited plans have unlimited priority data included.

QCI 9 goes to everything else. The Start 5G business plan, My Biz without the Premium Network Experience add-on, branded prepaid besides the Unlimited Plus plan, Visible’s base plan, US Mobile Warp 5G Unlimited Starter (a QCI 8 add-on will be coming), Unlimited Flex (without the QCI 8 add-on), and By the Gig (without the QCI 8 add-on). Mobi and all other prepaid companies that use Verizon’s network are known to assigned to this QCI. Anyone who uses their premium data bucket on Verizon’s brands will be moved to QCI 9.

Other TracFone brands are up in the air. I have gotten reports of priority data (and seen it myself on SafeLink, a TracFone brand) but I’ve also gotten reports of deprioritized data, complete with screenshots. It seems to be random what people get so if you absolutely require priority data, it might be best to look outside of the TracFone brands. I personally experienced being dropped from QCI 8 to QCI 9 on SafeLink but my Straight Talk line had QCI 8 from the start and remained QCI 8 until I canceled it three months later.

AT&T

AT&T uses QCI 6, 7, 8, and 9.

QCI 6 is reserved for FirstNet customers (with primary status), Business Unlimited Premium (grandfathered) and some corporate responsibility plans.

QCI 7 is assigned to Business Unlimited Premium 2.0 with Turbo, as well as Unlimited Premium PL, Unlimited Extra EL, and AT&T Prepaid Unlimited Max Plus customers who pay $7 for AT&T Turbo. FirstNet extended primary plans get QCI 7 as well. US Mobile is in the process of adding QCI 7 as a paid add-on for Unlimited Premium and I’ll update the guide when it’s available.

QCI 8 is assigned to Business Unlimited Advanced, Business Unlimited Premium 2.0 (without Turbo), Unlimited Extra EL, Unlimited Premium PL, Prepaid Unlimited Max, Prepaid Unlimited Max Plus, the $300 AT&T Prepaid annual plan with 16GB of high speed data, Cricket Supreme Unlimited, Cricket Sensible 10GB, as well as plans offered by H2o, Consumer Cellular, and PureTalk. US Mobile’s Dark Unlimited Premium is QCI 8 also.

QCI 9 is assigned to Business Unlimited Starter, the base Unlimited plans for both the postpaid and AT&T Prepaid brands, Cricket Select Unlimited, Cricket Smart Unlimited, other known MVNOs, and all AT&T brands once their premium data buckets have been exhausted. US Mobile Dark Star on plans besides Unlimited Premium are all QCI 9 by default now but Unlimited Flex and By the Gig have paid QCI 8 add-ons available.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile uses QCI 6, 7, and 9 for phone plans.

QCI 6 goes to all branded plans, both postpaid and prepaid, besides those with Essentials in the name. Google Fi has QCI 6 as well.

QCI 7 is applied to Essentials branded plans as well as all other known MVNOs.

QCI 8 is not used for phone plans, it's used for on device hotspot and for data only plans with 30GB of more data.

QCI 9 is for those who have exhausted the data in their buckets. T-Mobile's Mobile Internet 30GB plan is also QCI 9.

I don't really want to add home internet plans to this list as this subreddit is for phone plans.

I first learned about data priority reading on Coverage Critic and from posts here and elsewhere. If you wish to test your QCI class yourself, you can follow this guide if you have a rooted Android phone.


r/NoContract 14h ago

USA Mint mobile has a year of service and a pixel 10 for $329

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78 Upvotes

https://www.mintmobile.com/devices/google-pixel-10-2/13354142/

Just saw this deal, this was too cheap not to get even as a secondary line and I was wanting another phone anyway.

With all the fees it was $363

Mint Mobile also has a decent unlock policy, it's only 60 days if you want to add another SIM to it


r/NoContract 2h ago

Visible Pro+ for $45/month before promo($35/month with promo) best deal if I need Apple Watch connectivity?

2 Upvotes

I’m going to split off my parent’s T-Mobile Magenta Max family plan - and we’ve also seen prices creep up. Didn’t get a text from T-Mobile about the price increase but it’s going to happen eventually. I’m going to switch them over to Xfinity Mobile(also going back to Comcast for home internet, TMHI is great… when it works, we’ve seen some throttling and lag). I‘m going to split off, I was looking at Visible+ Pro, it‘s on the highest priority on VZW, includes smartwatch data and up to 15Mbps of personal hotspot, which I do use quite a bit with the iPad or when the home internet is down. It’s $45/month before the $10 promo. Yes, I do know about Verizon Simplicity, I would pay $40 (including the watch add-on) before taxes. USM is offering a hell of a deal but I’ve heard they’re hit or miss. Cricket and Metro I would also need to pay $10 on top of whichever plan I choose. Is Visible as good as it gets, or I can do better? The MVNOs/prepaid plans don’t usually offer Apple Watch plans, Google Fi covers Android Wear devices.


r/NoContract 9h ago

USA Mint Mobile $23 Back with Capital One Shopping

2 Upvotes

I have an offer for $23 back on $100+ purchase on Mint Mobile via Capital One Shopping. This would bring down their current $15/month unlimited offer to $13.08 if I paid the $180 upfront.


r/NoContract 20h ago

T-Mobile MVNOs

12 Upvotes

I am currently on T-Mobile Experience More and really like the network and seems to be the best in North Texas as far as speed reliability. I’d like to stay with T-Mobile for the network, but not pay T-Mobile prices. Currently looking at unlimited plans at Metro by T-Mobile, US Mobile, Optimum Mobile (have them for Internet) and Mint Mobile. I would like to have hotspot, but definitely don’t need a huge amount. Any recommendations?


r/NoContract 7h ago

USA Does US Mobile still punish on device users?

0 Upvotes

If you’re a USM user, and use “Data Waster Mode”, on device do they still punish you? I know they will on Hotspot.


r/NoContract 17h ago

USA How difficult is it to switch to an ESIM and keep your number?

5 Upvotes

I have usmobile

I need to upgrade my phone since 64gb is no longer working for me. I like the button of my se3 and I was considering paying $200 for a 128gb I found but idk if I should just go 16e and even then, I have To switch to eSIM and I am afraid of losing info or my number


r/NoContract 9h ago

Att prepaid

0 Upvotes

Is this a good deal at all for 25.00 per month.▪︎▪︎ 30gb /mo. at max 3Mbps, then speeds slowed to max 1.5Mbps. Online only. Req. new single line. Taxes and fees extra. Terms & restr’s. apply.▪︎▪︎

Is 3mbps fast at all.


r/NoContract 1d ago

Canada Public Mobile (CANADA) now offers 35GB for $30 and 70GB Canada-US-Mexico for $40

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8 Upvotes

r/NoContract 22h ago

USA PSA: There's no way to reliably tell when you will lose service on Tracfones.

3 Upvotes

For years, my service has been cut off (data and/or call/text) on my tracfone before the stated end date. That means before any date stated under my plan in account settings on the website, or when texting BALANCE or DUEDATE to 611611. So there's no way to reliably look up and know when your service is going to actually end. This means that regardless of how often this isn't an issue for others, the date they provide still isn't reliable.

There's also no warning before you lose service, or notification when you do lose service, let alone an explanation why. Terrible business practice even for a budget provider. (The differences in types of dates doesn't matter, as none of them have been the actual date the service ends.)

The details:

In my account on the website, under my plan, it says ends: 2/19/2027, 81 GB left, other plan benefits (talk and text): ends 8/20/2026. Yet my data ends today and the customer service rep says that my plan expiration date was today. This is all contradictory and incompetence on their end.

When I text BAL and duedate to 611611, it tells me 2/19/2027 are the dates for unlimited plan expiration date and payment due date. That's the only date they give me through text.

I encourage everyone to write a BBB complaint about this for Tracfone, which I've already done: https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/miami/profile/prepaid-phone-card/tracfone-wireless-inc-0633-21000362


r/NoContract 1d ago

Tello new promo: 10 GB for $10/month for the first 3 months

7 Upvotes

Says it runs until July 31st and valid for new customers and for new lines added.


r/NoContract 1d ago

Transferring Number from ST > Cricket

2 Upvotes

Skip to bottom for easy summary.

I currently use AT&T on my paid for iPhone I have used this number for work, texts come in 24/7 phone calls 24/7. I resigned my position and went back to the field.

I bought another phone for personal use a little while back Galaxy Flip and put it on ST. This phone gets just the important calls and friends and family.

I don’t think I need two phones anymore. I also want my personal phone to be in the Apple ecosystem (don’t judge, I tried android for a year)

I want to get off my AT&T account as Cricket looks to save me close to 100$ a month (wtf is that about anyways)
————————-

Is this the correct way to accomplish what I want.

Work number is on AT&T and I do not need it anymore. Cancel AT&T
Get my Flips IMEI text NTP make sure of the zip code
Go to Cricket online create account bring device port in number enter the above information
Wait X hours and my IPhone will be my personal number and my Flip will be on Facebook marketplace

Is that about how it goes?

Does straight talk auto cancel at that point even with autopay on?
Any guesstimates on the X hours for my iPhone to have service on cricket?


r/NoContract 1d ago

Lexvor Plan Updates

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2 Upvotes

After listening to feedback from new sign ups and our existing customers we have decided to make major updates to our current plan offering.

These plans are to reward those who have been loyal to us from the beginning and those who have wait-listed from my previous post. You now hold the keys to who will join Lexvor from now on and in the future.

We have decided to upgrade the $10/mo plan and the Pool Party $15/mo.

The $10 Plan will now include

100GB of High Speed Data with Hotspot Including before throttling the plan down to 5MBPS.

The $15 Plan will now include

200GB of Priority Network Data before throttling down to 100MBPS.

— The $60 is an AiR service for Ai and not a traditional Lexvor (MVNO) plan — ( I will not go into detail on that plan as it is designed with very different purpose in mind. )

Referrals are NOT needed for any of these plans. These offerings will be the default plan setting.

After a deep review we decided that we will reward those who have believed in us and supported us from the very beginning. Because of this, we want to provide all of our loyal supporters a plan that no other MVNO can compete with and we will continue to keep these plans very competitive.

IMPORTANT NOTE*

( Lexvor Will No Longer Sell or Activate New MVNO Customers Directly ) - You must gain access from an existing Lexvor customer ONLY.

If you have not signed up, registered your email or added yourself to the waitlist for Lexvor before this post - you will not be eligible for this plan*. This plan is to reward those who supported and believed in us from the beginning.

For those who do qualify, you will be provided premium customer service as we will now put our minds towards providing you the best experience we can. You now hold the access to bring new users to the network. The URL for sign ups will be provided to you all soon to activate/upgrade your existing plans to the new offers.

As we continue to focus and grow AiR - Lexvor will benefit and those benefits will trickle down to you and your experience.

Lastly, I do not want to forget about those who supported us on here. If you have not signed up for Lexvor but have posted positive things about us in the past and want this plan. Send me a screenshot or a link to the post of showing support so that I can provide access for you if you choose to switch down the road.

Thank you for being loyal and supporting us through all these years.


r/NoContract 21h ago

USA Cheap call & text only?

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0 Upvotes

I want to get this phone for my teen, yes I'm one of those strict parents, but still feel the need to simply call or text when needed, what companies are good? Compatible? With this specific phone??

Thanks!!


r/NoContract 1d ago

[GUIDE] Fix Missing Visual Voicemail After Porting from Verizon (The "Forced Security Lockout" Fix)

11 Upvotes

If you ported your number from Verizon postpaid to a Verizon MVNO (like US Mobile Warp, Visible, or Total Wireless) and completely lost your Visual Voicemail (VVM) or voicemail notifications, you are likely trapped in a known sync glitch.

The Root Cause: The Verizon "Death Grip"

When you request a line re-provision from your new MVNO, it sends a standard configuration sync to the backend. However, because Verizon often retains stale routing history on legacy port-out numbers, the automated sync gets ignored or swallowed by the core vendor database. Customer support agents will run the same re-provisioning loop endlessly, and it will never stick.

To fix this, you have to bypass standard administrative channels and force a high-priority state change in the carrier's security layer.

The Workaround: Forced Security Exception

Instead of begging support to fix it, you can engineer a controlled crash of your mailbox profile to force a complete database flush. Here is the exact sequence to get it working:

Trigger a Hard Lockout: Dial into your standard voicemail box manually from your phone keypad.

Fail the PIN Interrogation: Intentionally enter the wrong PIN repeatedly. Keep guessing incorrectly until the carrier's automated system completely flags the account and locks you out for security reasons.

Contact the MVNO Support: Reach out to your new carrier's support chat. Do not ask them to "fix visual voicemail." Instead, simply state: "I locked myself out of my voicemail box by entering the wrong PIN too many times. Please send a hard reset/clear to my voicemail password."

The Database Flush: When the agent executes the password reset command against a hard security exception, the carrier's core system drops the active session state entirely, flushes the stale authentication token, and completely rebuilds the voicemail profile metadata from scratch.

Re-provision Your Device: Once the password is reset, open your Android/Pixel Phone app settings, navigate to Voicemail, toggle Visual Voicemail off, wait 60 seconds, and turn it back on. Within 24 hours, the new routing tables will permanently stick, and your saved messages will download automatically


r/NoContract 1d ago

Best SIM noKYC option if I don't have a credit card for monthly sign up

0 Upvotes

I tried to use visible but they require a credit card to auto-enroll once the trial is over.
Phone: GrapheneOS

Uses: Mainly for SMS text messages


r/NoContract 1d ago

USA Lexvor plan

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0 Upvotes

What happen to the cheaper prices ?


r/NoContract 2d ago

USA Switched to Google Fi from Total Wireless - 75% off promo.

18 Upvotes

After having RCS not working for over 2 weeks; error code 4002, I finally switched primarily line to Google Fi using 75% off for first year. RCS stopped working after I changed to Galaxy S26 Ultra from S24 Ultra.

I wanted to try T-Mobile network, so Metro BYOD plan and Google Fi with 75% off were the only good option. I like month to month, so mint was not an option.

RCS worked immediately after switching over.

Switching was super smooth, took about 5 minutes in total.

Still have Total Wireless on other lines, they've been working great but lack of RCS on primary line affected my daily work. Missed messages on all work related RCS group chats.


r/NoContract 1d ago

I want the closet thing to Tello, but for Verizon towers

9 Upvotes

I like Tello, but I don't get tmobile towers where I am at and need to go through Verizon towers. Want to find something similar to Tello


r/NoContract 1d ago

FYI: Kite Mobile New Esims Installs Currently Working

4 Upvotes

Maybe they just received a new supply of esims or some reason similar. That might be why that app installed fine but the esim part would not. This had been going on for at least a month.


r/NoContract 2d ago

Total/Visible vs T-Mobile Postpaid, Roaming Countries

4 Upvotes

When leaving T-Mobile for Visible+ Pro or Total BYOP Max 5G+, be sure that the countries that you are interested in have international roaming. There is a difference.

I created a Google Sheets table that compares the international roaming countries of Total & Visible versus T-Mobile postpaid and Verizon postpaid: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Z7tpZIIHzIS-VIvbpL9UgEOpCqDLoH-z9mCvecLMMHQ

The image is too large to include.

I am sure there are some errors.


r/NoContract 2d ago

Cellular carrier options

6 Upvotes

We have been tmobile customers for more than 10 years now ( we have our own iphone). But due to the recent increase in their rates for their legacy plans thinking of switching to a different plan or provider. We were earlier in a family plan of 4. People moved and now its just 2 of us ( spouse and me). We were paying$100 plus taxes and now its increased to $122+ plus taxes i guess.

We have basic requirements with no add on needed.

Data ( used only while we are out and traveling)

Calling/texting ( 1-2 times in a week)

Hardly used hotspot but will be good to have in case of emergency ( not necessary)

We travel out of country ( Asia) and Europe once in 2-3 yrs so would like to have data/text and call access for otp/ emergency calls.

Are there any options/plans or carriers that could be suitable based on our needs and less than what we are currently paying?


r/NoContract 1d ago

Prepaid plans for students ?

2 Upvotes

Curious if there are any decent plans giving student discounts..
I am in Boost mobile and my SO on Mint and we are fine with these. Getting a 3rd connection for high schooler and wondering if we should just got the Mint $180 offer or is there anything similar / better lurking around.
Did not find much better with my search so asking the experts here


r/NoContract 1d ago

Help! T-Mobile wants me to pay bill despite me NOT using their service!

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0 Upvotes