Best Cell Phone Plans & Coverage In Milwaukee
All three major networks are expected to offer good cell coverage in Milwaukee. Scores below assess cell phone coverage in Milwaukee on a 0 to 10 scale. The scores don’t account for other aspects of the customer experience.[1]
Recommended Low-Cost Carriers In Milwaukee
(Uses Verizon)
(Uses Verizon)
Plans ➜
Excellent Prices On Shared Data Plans
Test It Out First With US Mobile's 50 Day Free Trial
Coverage Maps By Carrier
Coverage maps draw on data from the FCC's Broadband Data Collection program.
- Visible Runs Over Verizon's Network
- #1 Low-Cost Option In Milwaukee
- Unlimited Plan Only $25/Month
Visible's Coverage Score In Milwaukee:
- Unlimited calls, texts, and data
- Excellent coverage expected in Milwaukee
- Service over Verizon’s network (coverage map)
Visible In Detail
Plans
Visible runs over Verizon's network while offering plans that are often cheaper than those offered directly by Verizon.
Visible offers just two plans:
- Standard Plan - $25 Per Month
- Visible+ - $45 Per Month
Both plans include unlimited minutes, texts, and data. The Visible+ plan adds premium features, like high-priority data for better speeds when the network is congested.
Pricing at Visible is unusually straightforward. Taxes and fees are included.
Smartwatch Plans
Visible offers Apple Watch data plans as a $5 per month add on. Standalone Apple Watch plans are not offered.
On Visible's standard plan, subscribers have low-priority data. The Visible+ plan includes 50GB of high-priority data each month.
Data priority affects the quality of service subscribers experience when networks are congested. However, networks are not congested at most times and in most places. Learn more here.
Visible is one of the least gimmicky cell phone services. The structure of Visible's plans is simple. Pricing is straightforward. Taxes and fees are included.
A few limitations to be aware of:
- Visible may limits mobile hotspot speeds to 5Mbps
- Only 1 device at a time can connect to a mobile hotspot
Visible's customer support is pretty lousy. Customer support isn't great throughout the cell phone industry, but Visible's support is worse than average.
Support is only available online (i.e., usually over chat—no phone or in-person support is available). Recently, there have been problems with slow response times. On a positive note, Visible's chat-based support is available 24/7, and the company appears to be addressing the issue with wait times.
Both Visible's standard plan and the Visible+ plan include unlimited calling and texting from the US to Canada and Mexico. A few extra international features are available with the Visible+ plan:
- Roaming in Canada and Mexico
- Calling from the US to a few dozen countries
- Texting from the US to 200+ countries
Included countries are listed here. For those traveling internationally that don't need access to their US number and have a phone with an eSIM, I recommend data-only plans from Airalo.
US Mobile's Coverage Score In Milwaukee:
- Variety of well-priced plans
- Excellent coverage expected in Milwaukee
- Warp service uses Verizon’s network
US Mobile In Detail
Networks
US Mobile subscribers can choose between the "Warp" network and "GSM" network. Warp runs over Verizon. GSM runs over T-Mobile. Most subscribers end up on the Warp network.
Unlimited Plans
US Mobile offers 3 "unlimited" plans. All include unlimited minutes and texts. The biggest difference between the plans is the monthly allotment of full-speed data:
- Stater - 20GB
- Essentials -50GB
- Premium - 100GB
After full-speed data runs out, all three plan allow continued data use at 1Mbps. At 1Mbps, light web browsing and music streaming should work alright. Video streaming likely won't.
Pricing
Monthly prices vary by the number of lines.
| 1 | 2 | 3+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $25 | $25 | $25 |
| Essentials | $25 | $35 | $45 |
| Premium | $25 | $30 | $40 |
Other Unlimited Plan Differences
Monthly hotspot data varies between the 3 unlimited plans:
- Stater - 5GB
- Essentials -10GB
- Premium - 50GB
The premium plan also includes a few bonuses not offered on the other plans like eSIMs for international data & perks for subscription services.
Shared Data Plans
US Mobile offers excellently priced plans for people that don't use tons of data. Here's the cost of the first line with varying data allotments:
- 1GB - $10
- 6GB - $18
- 12GB - $25
- 30GB - $50
Additional lines are $8 each. All lines draw from the same pool of shared data.
On the Warp (Verizon-based) network, subscribers with 5G-capable devices receive high-priority data (even while on 4G connections). Subscribers on phones without 5G capabilities receive low-priority data.
I think, but have not confirmed, that subscribers on the GSM (T-Mobile-based) service have low-priority data.
Data priority affects the quality of service subscribers experience when networks are congested. However, networks are not congested at most times and in most places. Learn more here.
US Mobile was once pretty gimmicky, but it improved after dropping poorly disclosed taxes and fees.
Gimmicks
- US Mobile's marketing frequently exaggerates how fast and high-tech the underlying network is.
- Perks, like free Spotify or Netflix, are clunky. US Mobile doesn't actually have patnerships with these third parties. Customers must prove they subscribe to a service, then US Mobile provides a monthly bill credit. On the positive side, the apporach allows US Mobile to offer a wider range of perks than other cell phone services.
Catches & Limits
- Shared data plans are hard capped (i.e., no additional data is offered at reduced/throttled speeds). One-off, add-on data is available for purchase.
In my limited experience, US Mobile's support has been quite good. I can't recall dealing with long wait times.
Coverage Critic has a financial relationship with US Mobile.
More details, including a list of which companies Coverage Critic has financial relationships with, can be found on Coverage Critic's transparency page.
Verizon In Detail
Verizon centers its postpaid offerings around 3 unlimited plans: Unlimited Welcome, Unlimited Plus, and Unlimited Ultimate. All include unlimited minutes, texts, and data. The Plus and Ultimate plans add additional features.
The plans fall in price as more lines are added to an account. Customers on family plans can mix and match between the three plans.
Price Per Line
The prices per line listed below include a discount for paper-free billing and Auto Pay. Taxes and fees are not included.
| Lines | Unlimited Welcome | Unlimited Plus | Unlimited Ultimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $65 | $80 | $90 |
| 2 | $55 | $70 | $80 |
| 3 | $40 | $55 | $65 |
| 4 | $30 | $45 | $55 |
| 5+ | $27 | $42 | $52 |
Plan Features
On another page, I discuss Unlimited Plus Vs Unlimited Welcome in more depth. Below, I highlight key attributes of each plan.
Unlimited Ultimate- Great international roaming features (minutes, texts, and 10GB data per month in over 200 countries)
- High-priority data (useful when the network is congested)
- 60GB full-speed mobile hotspot data
- Full-access to 5G Ultra Wideband
- 50% off certain connected device data plans (can be used for up to 2 plans)
- Access to far better device promos and discounts than available with Unlimited Welcome
- Larger credit for bringing your own device than available with Unlimited Welcome
- High-priority data (useful when the network is congested)
- 30GB full-speed mobile hotspot data
- Full-access to 5G Ultra Wideband
- 50% off certain connected device data plans (can be used for 1 plan)
- Access to far better device promos and discounts than available with Unlimited Welcome
- Larger credit for bringing your own device than available with Unlimited Welcome
- No high-priority data
- No full-speed mobile hotspot access
- 5G Ultra Wideband service capped at 25Mbps
Add-On Perks
On all three plans, subscribers can add perks for an additional fee. Most perks are priced at $10 per month.
Perks as of May 2023:- Disney Bundle (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+)
- Apple Music Family
- Apple One Bundle (Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+)
- Walmart+ Membership
- $15 +play Credit
- 100GB Mobile Hotspot Data
- 3 TravelPass Days Per Month (for international roaming)
- 2TB Verizon Cloud Storage
- Smartwatch Data Plan
Other Plans
Verizon has additional plans. A full listing can be found on Verizon's website.
Many of Verizon's more expensive plans include allotments of high-priority data. Verizon's lower-cost plans usually do not include high-priority data.
Data priority can significantly affect the quality of service subscribers experience when networks are congested. Congestion is more of an issue with Verizon than T-Mobile or AT&T. Learn more here.
Taxes and fees are not included in the advertised prices of most Verizon plans. Additionally, advertised prices are often only available to customers that opt in for automatic payments and paper-free billing.
Among the major network operators, Verizon probably makes the fewest misleading claims in its advertisements. However, Verizon has been guilty of overstating the benefits of 5G.
In my experience, Verizon's customer support is ok but short of impressive.
Coverage Critic has a financial relationship with Verizon.
More details, including a list of which companies Coverage Critic has financial relationships with, can be found on Coverage Critic's transparency page.
T-Mobile In Detail
Go5G-Era Plans
In 2023, T-Mobile launched four unlimited plans: Essentials Saver, Go5G, Go5G Plus, and Go5G Next. All include unlimited data, minutes, and texts. The more expensive plans include additional features.
Prices vary by the number of lines on an account. Prices for the Go5G-branded plans include taxes and fees. The Essentials Saver plan does not include taxes or fees. On some plans, discounts are available for first responders, military members, and veterans. People 55 and older are eligible for a discount on some plans with either one or two lines.
Price Per Line
| Lines | Essentials Saver | Go5G | Go5G Plus | Go5G Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50 | $75 | $90 | $100 |
| 2 | $40 | $65 | $75 | $85 |
| 3 | $30 | $43 | $50 | $60 |
| 4 | $25 | $39 | $46 | $56 |
| 5 | $22 | $36 | $44 | $54 |
Go5G-Era Plan Features
Full details about the differences between the 4 unlimited plans can be found on T-Mobile's website. Below, I highlight key attributes of each plan.
Go5G Next- Eligible for upgrade promotions annually
- Taxes & fees included
- Unlimited high-priority data (helps during congestion)
- Free Netflix (2 screen plan with multiple lines, 1 screen otherwise)
- 50GB mobile hotspot data
- Eligible for upgrade promotions every two years
- Taxes & fees included
- Unlimited high-priority data (helps during congestion)
- Free Netflix (2 screen plan with multiple lines, 1 screen otherwise)
- 50GB mobile hotspot data
- Taxes & fees included
- 100GB high-priority data
- Free Netflix (1 screen) with multi-line account
- 15GB mobile hotspot data
- Taxes & fees extra
- No high-priority data
- Mobile hotspot data capped to sluggish speeds
Magenta-Era Plans
T-Mobile continues to offer three older postpaid, unlimited plans: Essentials, Magenta, and Magenta MAX. They are similar, but not identical, to the Go5G-era plans. All include unlimited data, minutes, and texts.
Prices vary by the number of lines on an account. Prices for the Magenta and Magenta MAX plans include taxes and fees. The Essentials plan does not include taxes or fees. Discounts are available for people 55 and over, first responders, military members, and veterans.
Price Per Line
| Lines | Essentials | Magenta | Magenta MAX |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60 | $70 | $85 |
| 2 | $45 | $60 | $70 |
| 3 | $30 | $47 | $57 |
| 4 | $26 | $40 | $50 |
| 5 | $24 | $36 | $46 |
Magenta-Era Plan Features
Full details about the differences between the 3 unlimited plans can be found on T-Mobile's website. Below, I highlight key attributes of each plan.
Magenta MAX- Taxes & fees included
- Unlimited high-priority data (helps during congestion)
- Free Netflix (2 screen plan with multiple lines, 1 screen otherwise)
- 40GB mobile hotspot data
- Taxes & fees included
- 100GB high-priority data
- Free Netflix (1 screen) with multi-line account
- 5GB mobile hotspot data
- Taxes & fees extra
- No high-priority data
- Mobile hotspot data capped to sluggish speeds
T-Mobile Connect
T-Mobile offers 4 Connect plans. All include unlimited minutes and texts.- 1GB - $10 per month
- 3.5GB - $15 per month
- 6.5GB - $25 per month
- 12GB - $35 per month
Other Plans
T-Mobile has a lot of plans. For a complete listing, take a look at T-Mobile's website.
Most postpaid and prepaid plans (including T-Mobile Connect plans) include high-priority data. The Essentials plan has low-priority data.
T-Mobile is the least gimmicky of the three major networks. Among the major networks, T-Mobile does the best job explaining its policies and disclosing limitations placed on its phone plans.
T-Mobile's advertisements are sometimes misleading. For example, T-Mobile has been stressing that it has more 5G coverage than any other network. While true, the claims deflect from a more important point. Among the three major networks, T-Mobile covers the fewest square miles. T-Mobile's lead is only in 5G. Older technologies are still relevant.
In my view, T-Mobile has the best customer support among the major networks. Unfortunately, that's not saying a lot. Customer support in the phone industry is notoriously bad.
Roaming
Magenta MAX:T-Mobile's Magenta Max plan has some of the best international roaming terms available. Texts and calls plus up to 5GB of regular-speed data are offered for free in most of the world. After 5GB, additional data can be used at sluggish speeds.
Magenta:The Magenta plan includes free texts, calls, and data at sluggish speeds in most of the world. In a handful of European countries, Magenta subscribers are eligible for up to 5GB of regular-speed data.
Most Other Postpaid Plans:Most of T-Mobile's other postpaid plans allow international roaming, but the rates are outrageous.
Prepaid Plans:Broadly, T-Mobile's prepaid plans don't have good roaming options. There are a few exceptions to that rule. Consider researching a specific prepaid plan on T-Mobile's website if you want to dive deeper.
International Calling & Texting
Most of T-Mobile's plans allow international calling and texting with added fees. On a few plans, international texting is included without extra fees. See T-Mobile's website for details.
Mint In Detail
Plans
Mint offers four plans. All include unlimited minutes and texts. Below, I list plans' data allotments and their lowest prices:
- 5GB - $15 per month
- 15GB - $20 per month
- 20GB - $25 per month
- Unlimited - (really 40GB) - $30 per month
Mint's plans are cheaper when more months of service are purchased upfront. However, new customers can get three months of service at the per-month rate usually reserved for customers that pay for 12 months of service upfront.
Promo: Mint is temporarily running a promotion that brings the price of all its plans to $15 for the first three months of service. Prices return to normal after three months.
Price Per Month
| 5GB | 15GB | 20GB | 40GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Months Or New Cust. | $15 | $20 | $25 | $30 |
| 6 Months | $20 | $25 | $35 | $35 |
| 3 Months | $25 | $35 | $45 | $40 |
Rates listed in the table are before taxes and fees.
Mint Mobile subscribers have lower priority than most people on T-Mobile-branded cell phone plans. Fortunately, T-Mobile isn't terribly prone to congestion. Low-priority data tends to have more adverse consequences on Verizon's network.
Data priority can significantly affect the quality of service subscribers experience when networks are congested. However, networks are not congested at most times and in most places. Learn more here.
Gimmicks
For a cell phone carrier, Mint is relatively straightforward. The pricing model that requires upfront payments for the best rates is a bit gimmicky, but Mint is relatively upfront about how that works.
One of Mint's larger gimmicks is its "unlimited" plan. The plan actually limits full-speed data use to 40GB per month. After 40GB, speeds slow to a crawl. While "unlimited" is a misnomer, 40GB per month is more than enough data for the vast majority of people.
Catches & Limits
- Unlimited plan is capped to 40GB
- Mobile hotspot use on unlimited plan is capped to 10GB
- Data is low-priority on T-Mobile's network
I've found Mint's support to be pretty impressive for a budget-friendly carrier. Chat-based support is available 24/7. Phone support is available every day during a 14-hour window.
As of 4/7/2023, Coverage Critic does not have a financial relationship with Mint.
More details, including a list of which companies Coverage Critic has financial relationships with, can be found on Coverage Critic's transparency page.
AT&T In Detail
Prominent Postpaid Plans
AT&T has three postpaid, unlimited plans: Unlimited Premium, Extra, and Starter. All include unlimited data, minutes, and texts. The pricier plans come with extra features.
Prices vary by the number of lines on an account. Prices in the table don't include taxes and fees.
Price Per Line
| Lines | Starter | Extra | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $65 | $75 | $85 |
| 2 | $60 | $65 | $75 |
| 3 | $45 | $50 | $60 |
| 4 | $35 | $40 | $50 |
| 5 | $30 | $35 | $45 |
Plan Features
Full details about the differences between the 3 unlimited plans can be found on AT&T's website. Below, I highlight key attributes of each plan.
Premium- Unlimited high-priority data (helps during congestion)
- 50GB mobile hotspot data
- 4k video streaming permitted
- 50GB high-priority data
- 15GB mobile hotspot data
- Video throttled to standard definition
- No high-priority data
- 3GB mobile hotspot data
- Video throttled to standard definition
Prepaid 12-Month Plan
For those willing to pay for a year of service upfront, AT&T offers a solid deal on a prepaid plan with unlimited minutes & texts plus 16GB data per month. The plan is available for a $300 upfront payment (equivalent to $25 per month).
Other Plans
AT&T has a fair share of plans. For a more complete listing, take a look at AT&T's website.
AT&T offers high-priority data on the Unlimited Premium and Unlimited Extra plans. The Unlimited Starter plan does not include high-priority data.
Data priority can significantly affect the quality of service subscribers experience when networks are congested. However, networks are not congested at most times and in most places. Learn more here.
Taxes and fees add to the cost of most plans.
AT&T often overstates the quality of its networks and often cites silly tests in the process.
In the cellular industry, customer support tends to be lousy. In my experience, AT&T's customer support is pretty standard for the industry.
Coverage Critic has a financial relationship with AT&T.
More details, including a list of which companies Coverage Critic has financial relationships with, can be found on Coverage Critic's transparency page.
Crowdsourced Coverage Map
The crowdsourced map shows actual, on-the-ground measurements of cell coverage in Milwaukee. Dark green indicates a strong signal. Redder shades indicate weaker cell signals.
Percent Of Milwaukee's Population Covered
| Any Coverage | 4G Coverage | |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon | 100% | 100% |
| AT&T | 100% | 100% |
| T-Mobile | 100% | 100% |
The data above is extrapolated from information network operators shared with the FCC about coverage in Milwaukee. Network operators sometimes report coverage inaccurately.[2]
Wisconsin Coverage Scores
Verizon is expected to have the best coverage in most of Wisconsin.
| Network | Coverage Score |
|---|---|
| Verizon | 8.0 |
| AT&T | 7.8 |
| T-Mobile | 7.2 |
Cell Phone Coverage In Other Parts Of Wisconsin
Niche Plan Recommendations
T-Mobile Connect plans include unlimited minutes and texts. Data allotments vary with the price of plans:
- 1GB - $10 per month
- 3.5GB - $15 per month
- 6.5GB - $25 per month
- 12GB - $35 per month
The 1GB and 3.5GB T-Mobile Connect plans may be among the best cheap phone plans in Milwaukee for those who don’t use a lot of data.
Milwaukee Best Cell Coverage Map
Shading indicates which major network is expected to offer the strongest signal in different parts of Milwaukee. Verizon's coverage is shown is in red, T-Mobile in pink, and AT&T in blue. Dark shades indicate a stronger edge.Data Priority In Milwaukee
Network operators assign different levels of data priority to different users. When cell towers are not congested, priority levels are unimportant. However, during periods of congestion, subscribers with high-priority data may experience better speeds than subscribers with low-priority data. Congestion varies by location, and Coverage Critic doesn't have good data on congestion in Milwaukee. Verizon, the top-ranked network in Milwaukee, may be more congestion-prone than either T-Mobile or AT&T.
Data Confidence
The coverage information for Milwaukee is rated as medium-high confidence. The model's predictions are probably accurate. However, portions of Milwaukee may have worse coverage than the model predicts.
Known Limitations
Coverage Maps:- Alaska is not included in the default coverage map (coming soon).
- Some networks report coverage more reliably than others. Coverage Critic makes rough corrections, but there's room for improvement.
- Networks vary in congestion levels. This is not adequately accounted for. Verizon would probably not score quite as well if the model adequately captured the consequences of congestion.
- The FCC data used for scoring networks is significantly out of date. Coverage Critic will soon move to a different approach that uses newer data.
- T-Mobile's network has improved substantially in the last few years. This is not adequately captured (but hopefully will be soon).
- Numerical 0 to 10 scores are hard to interpret in concrete terms.
1. Coverage maps of Milwaukee rely on the mid-2023 release of the FCC's BDC data and crowdsourced data from 2023. However, the bulk of the data used in 0-10 scoring comes from the December 2019 release of the FCC’s Form 477 data on cellular coverage. I plan to switch to newer data for scoring cell networks in Milwaukee.↑
2. When calculating Coverage Scores for Milwaukee, adjustments are made for potentially misreported data. Additionally, some weight is given to coverage quality in other parts of Wisconsin and the wider United States. I don't make similar adjustments to the coverage data in the table.
The underlying data for Milwaukee is at the census-block level. In census blocks where carriers report partial coverage, I multiply the reported coverage level by the portion of the block that is covered. The approach is imperfect. Covered portions of census blocks may be more densely populated than uncovered portions of census blocks.↑
Last updated: October 1, 2023