It’s official—Sprint is discontinuing its struggling MVNO, Virgin Mobile, and transferring current Virgin customers to its other small carrier, Boost Mobile. This change will be enacted in February, 2020. Virgin Mobile customers have a decision to make—stick with Sprint and transfer service to Boost Mobile, or search for a new carrier. If you’re an ex-Virgin refugee, this guide should help you to evaluate your options.

In this guide:

What We Know About the Migration

Virgin Mobile customers, don’t freak out; we promise it’s going to be okay. Sprint is trying to make the migration as smooth as possible. Here’s what we know:

  • You will keep your same phone number and monthly payment date.
  • You will receive service through Boost Mobile beginning in February.
  • You will be transferred to a comparable Boost Mobile phone plan at no extra cost to you. And since Boost Mobile’s plans include taxes and fees, you may wind up saving a bit of money.
  • If you are enrolled in AutoPay with Virgin, using a debit or credit card, Virgin will automatically transfer that card to your new Boost billing account.
  • Unlike Virgin Mobile, Boost doesn’t accept PayPal accounts for plan payments. If you currently pay using PayPal, you’ll need to remove it and replace it with a debit or credit card prior to February.
  • If your Virgin Mobile plan includes add-ons, your new Boost plan will likely include the same type of add-ons, but it’s not guaranteed.
  • Many Boost Mobile plans include dedicated hotspots, so if that’s important to you, you may want to stick around.

Don’t want to roll the dice with Boost? There are plenty of comparable prepaid plans out there for you to consider.

Prepaid Carrier Options for Virgin Mobile Customers

With over 100 prepaid carriers in the U.S. alone, it can be difficult to know where to begin. If you’re happy with Sprint’s coverage, you may want to consider another Sprint MVNO, such as:

Of course, your options aren’t limited to Sprint MVNOs. If you’re looking for a small carrier that runs on a network with more expansive coverage, you may want to consider an MVNO that operates on Verizon, T-Mobile, and/or AT&T’s networks. Affordable options include:

It’s easy to see how quickly carrier options can pile up. That’s why we’ve also compiled a list of alternative plans for each one of Virgin Mobile’s plans: $35 Unlimited Plan, $45 Unlimited Plan, and $60 Unlimited Plan.

Alternatives for Virgin Mobile’s $35 Unlimited Plan

Virgin Mobile’s $35 Unlimited Plan included unlimited talk and text plus 5GB of 4G LTE data. Here are some comparable plans from other prepaid carriers.

Mint Mobile Medium Plan

Mint Mobile, an MVNO on T-Mobile’s robust network, offers plans bundled in three-month packages. The Medium Plan costs just $20/month for three months for new customers, and it includes:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • 8GB/month of data
  • Free calls to Mexico and Canada
  • Mobile hotspot

The pricing is an intro offer for new customers. After three months, pricing increases to $35/month, which is what you were paying before anyway.

Cricket Wireless $35/Month

Cricket Wireless runs on AT&T’s powerful network and has over 4,000 storefronts nationwide. This $35/month plan includes:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • 5GB of 4G LTE data
  • All-in pricing (taxes and fees included)

Tello $24/Month

Tello, which runs on Sprint’s network, offers flexibility with build-your-own-plan options. The $24/month Tello plan includes:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • 6GB of 4G LTE data
  • Unlimited calls to Canada, Mexico, and China
  • Mobile hotspot

Ultra Mobile $29/Month

Ultra Mobile operates on T-Mobile’s network, and this feature-packed $29/month plan includes:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • 5GB of 4G LTE data
  • Unlimited international text
  • Unlimited calling to 80+ countries
  • Mobile hotspot
  • $5 International Call Credit
  • $5 International Roaming Credit

Twigby $25/Month

Twigby is a small carrier that primary runs on Sprint’s network but also relies on Verizon’s for talk and text. This MVNO offers customizable plans in which customers choose the amount of talk and data that they need. The $25/month plan includes:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • 5GB of 4G LTE data
  • Unlimited international texting
  • Unlimited calls to Canada, China, Mexico, UK, India, Australia and more

This price is currently a promotion for 25% off the monthly bill for six months; after the six months is up, the plan price will be $33/month. Unlike many other MVNOs, once you’ve used all of your high-speed data, your data isn’t slowed—you are bumped up to the next data package. If you don’t want to have to worry about that, you can opt for Overage Protection and data speeds will be reduced for the remainder of the cycle.

Simple Mobile $25/Month

Simple Mobile is another small carrier that operates on T-Mobile’s network. The $25/month plan includes:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • 3GB of 4G LTE data
  • Hotspot
  • Unlimited international texts
  • Unlimited international calling to landlines in over 60 countries and mobile phones in select countries
  • Roaming in Mexico and other Latin American countries

Alternatives for Virgin Mobile’s $45 Unlimited Plan

Virgin Mobile’s $45 Unlimited Plan came with unlimited calls and messages, as well as 10GB of high-speed data. We’ve searched long and hard and found several comparable plans. Many of these plans have more features and are less expensive than Virgin Mobile’s plan.

i3 Mobile $39/Month

This i3 Mobile plan, which is backed by AT&T’s robust network, costs $39/month and gives you:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • 10GB of high-speed data
  • Unlimited calls and texts to Mexico and Canada

Red Pocket $40/Month

Red Pocket, which operates on all four major carrier networks, offers a great $40/month plan including:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • 15GB of 4G LTE data
  • Unlimited calls to over 70 countries

Good2Go $40/Month

Good2Go, which runs on AT&T’s network, is offering double data for the first three months for customers who sign up for a plan by January 16, 2020. The $40/month plan includes:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • 20GB of 4G LTE data (reverts to 10GB after the three-month promotion)

Simple Mobile $40/Month

Simple Mobile’s $40/month plan includes:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • 15GB of high-speed data
  • Unlimited international messages
  • Unlimited international calls to landlines in 60+ destinations and select mobiles
  • Roaming in Mexico and other Latin American countries
  • Hotspot

Normally this plan includes 10GB of data, but Simple Mobile is offering an extra 5GB until March 31, 2020, so you’ll want to hop on this.

Consumer Cellular $40/Month

Consumer Cellular is an AT&T MVNO that lets you build your own plan. The $40/month plan includes:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • 10GB of high-speed data

Alternatives for Virgin Mobile’s $60 Unlimited Plan

Virgin Mobile’s $60 Unlimited plan included unlimited everything, and if you’re going to miss that plan, we don’t blame you. Have no fear, though—we’ve found you some awesome unlimited data plans that won’t break the bank.

Visible $40/Month

Visible, a no-frills carrier operating on Verizon’s robust network, offers just one plan—a $40 Unlimited plan, which includes:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • Unlimited data (slowed anytime)
  • Mobile hotspot
  • All-in pricing

For a limited time, new customers pay just $25 for their first month when switching to Visible. If you’re looking for a sign, this might be it.

Metro by T-Mobile $50

Metro by T-Mobile (formerly MetroPCS), a subsidiary owned by T-Mobile, offers a $50/month unlimited plan that includes:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • Unlimited data (35GB data deprioritization threshold)
  • All-in pricing
  • 100GB Google One Cloud storage
  • 5GB of 4G LTE hotspot

Ultra Mobile $49

Ultra Mobile’s unlimited plan costs just $49/month and includes all kinds of goodies, such as:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • Unlimited data (50GB data deprioritization threshold)
  • Unlimited calls to 80+ countries
  • Unlimited global text
  • $5 International Call Credit
  • $5 International Roaming Credit

Straight Talk $44

Straight Talk, which runs on all four major networks, offers an affordable unlimited plan at just $44/month. You get:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • Unlimited data (25GB data deprioritization threshold)

Page Plus $55

Page Plus is an MVNO that operates on Verizon’s network and offers an unlimited plan for $50/month with an absurdly high data deprioritization threshold. Check it out:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • Unlimited data (60GB data deprioritization)
  • Unlimited international texts
  • $10 International Credit

Reach Mobile All-In Unlimited Plan

If making a positive impact on the world is your thing, you may want to check out Reach Mobile, a postpaid MVNO on Verizon’s powerful network. Reach Mobile uses a portion of its profits to provide internet to low-income families and women in the U.S., India, and Nigeria. Reach Mobile’s All-In Unlimited Plan normally costs $75/month, but for a limited time, you can get this plan for $60/month for the first six months of service. This plan includes:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • Unlimited data (20GB data deprioritization threshold)
  • Mobile hotspot
  • The knowledge that you’re helping people in need

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Marisa Crane
Marisa Crane is a content writer and editor with more than 5 years of experience in digital publishing. She is a skilled researcher with an uncanny ability to translate confusing tech jargon into plain English. Outside the world of Let’s Talk and cell phone plans, Marisa is a published creative writer, with her short stories and poetry published in more than 40 literary journals.

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