My Money Blog

My older two kids do not have smartphones, but instead both have an Apple Watch SE w/ Cellular for basic calling and texting needs. (We like these Anxious Generation guidelines.) After a year on BetterRoaming service, which was the cheapest option at the time for those not on a major postpaid plan, I switched their Apple Watch plans over to the US Mobile Smartwatch Plan.

I’ve been on US Mobile for a few months now, and I wanted to provide an update that US Mobile is the clear winner for our Apple Watch service. US Mobile provides better cellular coverage (in my area) on the Verizon network, a cheaper ongoing price, and a better customer service experience. Here are the details, with direct comparisons to BetterRoaming where available.

Plan summary.

• $78 for 12 months if paid upfront ($6.50/month), or $9.50 monthly.
• Unlimited Talk & Text
• Unlimited Data
• WiFi Calling Enabled
• Instant eSIM Activation (Actually true! Under 10 minutes to set up)
• 24/7 Customer Support
• Works with 4G LTE and 5G watches

Overall experience using Apple Watch as a standalone phone for a kid. A major takeaway is that the Apple Watch is a tiny phone with a tiny cellular antenna inside. Most people use Apple Watches as companions to their iPhone, so it’s just meant as a backup when you’re out running or swimming or something. As a primary phone, it has a hard time getting a signal in areas of weak coverage and inside buildings. Basically, a throwback to the early 2000s for us more “mature” folks.

Honestly, the most common failure point was a kid forgetting to charge the watch overnight. In other words, you can’t always depend on the watch to work, so you’ll need to work out backup plans (i.e. meet at this tree, or send me an e-mail via school Wifi). The setup is still convenient and useful, and over time they do figure out where you have service and form the habit of charging the darn thing.

Cellular network coverage uses Verizon towers. US Mobile currently only offers their standalone Apple Watch plan on “Warp”, which is their contractually-obligated alternative name for the Verizon network. BetterRoaming is a worldwide eSIM provider, and my best efforts indicate that they are now on the T-Mobile network (but used to be on AT&T?). After switching to the Verizon network, I found that our coverage issues definitely improved, but there are still times where they don’t have a signal, even next to a smartphone that works perfectly fine.

US Mobile lets you pick the area code for your phone number (if not porting-in). BetterRoaming just assigns you one and you don’t get to choose. This may or may not matter to you.

US Mobile has competitive pricing. At my annual renewal, US Mobile’s annual plan was $78 (works out to $6.50 per month) while BetterRoaming was at $99. BetterRoaming has since dropped the price to match, so both are now $78 for the first year if prepaid upfront. However, I don’t know if you can renew at $78 with BetterRoaming, as it says the savings are only for “New customers”. US Mobile lets you renew at $78/year and it’s month-to-month pricing is also lower ($9.50 vs. $10.99 per month).

US Mobile overall has solid customer support and user interface. After setting up Apple Watches with both companies and dealing with multiple MVNOs over the years, I have found that US Mobile has some of the best customer service across all the MVNOs. You can tell they invested some money into this part of the experience. Their videos are useful and their online chat is responsive – most importantly, the reps seem to know what they are doing! In fact, it was such a good experience that (in addition to other reasons), a few months afterward I also switched my personal smartphone line from Mint Mobile to their US Mobile Unlimited Plan*. That’s a separate post, but the customer service part held true, as the port-over and setup process with US Mobile was so much smoother than my stint with Visible.

* That is my US Mobile referral link, which offers a $25 credit after spending 6 months and $100 total at US Mobile w/ port-in. Works on both regular smartphone plans and the Smartwatch plans, but note the port-in part, as I didn’t port-in a number for our Apple Watches. Full fine print:

To qualify for the $25 referral bonus, you must maintain active paid service in good standing for 6 months, port in a new line, and spend a total of $100 on Unlimited, By the Gig, or Smartwatch plans — Other plans, top-ups, devices, add-ons, roaming, and certain promotions (listed at usmobile.com/promo-archive) are excluded. Annual plans will be prorated monthly (e.g. $228 equals $114 after 6 months).