How we rate carriers — our transparent, never-for-sale scoring methodology

MoneySavingPro independently researches the products & services to bring you our recommendations. We may earn money when you click our links - disclosure policy.

The Problem With Trusting Carriers

Every major US carrier publishes its own coverage maps, its own speed claims, its own customer satisfaction surveys, and its own definitions of "unlimited." None of these are regulated. None are independently verified. And all of them systematically present the carrier's own product in the most favorable light possible.

AT&T once ran ads claiming to have "the nation's fastest network" at the same time T-Mobile ran ads claiming to have "America's fastest 5G network." Both claims were simultaneously live. Neither was wrong by the letter of the FTC's advertising standards. Both were designed to confuse.

MoneySavingPro's founder Rob Webber has been navigating this problem for 15 years — first in the UK, where he ran Broadband-Expert.co.uk, and now in the US with MoneySavingPro. The methodology below exists because we learned, across two countries and two decades, that the only way to give consumers trustworthy recommendations is to build scoring entirely from independent data — data the carriers don't control and can't influence.

This isn't a marketing statement. Here's exactly what we use.

Our Five Rating Categories

1. Price Value — 30% of overall score

What we measure: The monthly cost per line for comparable data amounts, benchmarked against the Big Three's equivalent plan prices.

We don't score based on a carrier's own advertised price. We score based on what you'd actually pay — after taxes and fees — compared to what AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon charge for a plan with the same data allowance on the same network.

A carrier running on T-Mobile's towers at $25/month for unlimited data, when T-Mobile charges $65/month for the equivalent plan, scores significantly better on price value than the carrier charging $65/month — even if both plans are technically "unlimited."

Why 30%? Price is the primary driver of consumer switching behavior. It's also where the biggest and most consistent gaps exist between Big Three pricing and MVNO pricing.

2. Network Quality — 25% of overall score

What we measure: Download speeds, upload speeds, latency, 5G availability, and geographic coverage consistency.

Data sources — both required:

• Ookla Speedtest Intelligence — the industry standard for independent speed measurement. We use the most recent semi-annual US Connectivity Report (current: H1 2026). This covers all three major networks with median download/upload speeds, latency, 5G availability percentages, and city/state-level breakdowns.
• RootMetrics State of the Mobile Union — a complementary methodology that conducts live in-market testing across all 50 states and 125 metro areas (current: 1H 2026). RootMetrics drives routes, tests indoor locations, and measures reliability rather than peak speeds.

What we don't use: Carrier-published coverage maps, carrier press releases, or carrier-submitted data. The FCC Broadband Data Collection is used only for geographic coverage methodology disclosure — not as a primary quality signal, as it relies partly on carrier self-reporting.

Because MVNOs operate on the Big Three's networks, their network quality score inherits the underlying network's Ookla/RootMetrics performance. An MVNO on T-Mobile gets T-Mobile's network score for quality; its differentiation comes in price, contract terms, and customer service.

3. Data Performance — 20% of overall score

What we measure: Whether data is truly unlimited, how deprioritization works and when it kicks in, hotspot data inclusion, 5G access on affordable tiers, and data rollover policies.

The biggest scoring trap in this category: "unlimited" plan definitions. Carriers use the word differently. We score based on the actual constraints — not the marketing language.

A plan that throttles video to 480p after 25GB of full-speed data is not equivalent to a plan with genuinely unrestricted speeds. Both can legally be called "unlimited." We track the difference.

4. Contract Terms — 15% of overall score

What we measure: No annual contracts, no early termination fees, BYOD/BYOP compatibility, SIM-only availability, price lock transparency, and absence of force-migration policies.

This category exists specifically because T-Mobile's "Price Lock" promise — which it marketed heavily as a permanent commitment — was subsequently changed in ways that allowed price increases that T-Mobile's CEO publicly described as "very successful." MSP tracks the gap between what carriers promise and what their actual contract terms allow.

Carriers that offer genuinely no-contract, no-ETF, BYOD-compatible service score highest in this category. Carriers with complex financing arrangements, locked devices, or promotional prices that convert to higher rates after a trial period score lower.

5. Customer Satisfaction — 10% of overall score

What we measure: Consumer satisfaction scores from independent platforms with verified reviews.

Data sources — both required:

• Trustpilot — verified consumer reviews, updated in real time. Current Big Three scores: T-Mobile 1.4/5 (6,882 reviews, 86% one-star), Verizon Wireless 1.2/5 (6,866 reviews), AT&T 1.x/5 (2,073 reviews). Current top-rated MVNOs: Twigby 4.9/5, Tello 4.5/5, PureTalk 4.3/5.
• J.D. Power US Wireless Carrier Satisfaction Study — annual independent study. 2026 Volume 1 surveyed 59,097 customers across 8 satisfaction dimensions. Top-rated MVNO (Consumer Cellular): 721/1,000. Best-scoring Big Three carrier (T-Mobile): 631/1,000. Gap: 90 points.

We use both sources because they measure different things: Trustpilot captures active consumer sentiment at scale; J.D. Power provides a structured satisfaction framework across specific dimensions (value, service quality, trust, customer service, problem resolution, and more).

Why only 10%? Customer satisfaction is important but it's a lagging indicator — it reflects past experience, not current plan quality. A carrier can improve its plans significantly before customer reviews catch up. Price and network data move faster. We weight accordingly.

Our Conflict of Interest Policy

MoneySavingPro earns affiliate commission when readers switch to carriers through links on our site. We disclose this on every page.

What we do not do:

• Rank carriers by commission rate
• Adjust scores based on commercial relationships
• Accept payment from carriers in exchange for better ratings
• Include carriers in "best" lists as a condition of an affiliate agreement

The carrier that pays us the highest commission has never been our top recommendation, and we have declined affiliate relationships with carriers whose product quality doesn't meet our standards.

If you find a case where our rankings appear to favor a high-commission carrier over a demonstrably better-value option, contact us →. We review and correct discrepancies.

Update Frequency

• Price scores: Updated when carriers change plan pricing (we monitor all 40+ carriers continuously)
• Network quality scores: Updated semi-annually, aligned with Ookla and RootMetrics report cycles
• Customer satisfaction scores: Trustpilot scores updated quarterly; J.D. Power annually on study publication
• Contract terms: Updated immediately when carrier policy changes are announced
• Full methodology review: Annually, typically Q1

Each page shows its last-reviewed date. If a page is more than 6 months old and the market has moved, treat the specific plan pricing figures with caution — but the carrier quality and satisfaction rankings change more slowly.

Who Applies This Methodology

All carrier ratings at MoneySavingPro are researched and applied by Rob Webber, with editorial review from Amanda Webber. Rob has 15+ years of experience in phone plan comparison across the UK and US markets — see Rob Webber → for full background and published credentials.

No carrier has seen its score before publication. Carriers can submit factual corrections (e.g., a pricing error or a plan update we missed) through our contact form →, which we review and action if verified. Factual corrections do not change methodology scores.