5 Phone Carriers Owned By Verizon

Verizon was the result of the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE in 2000, and it has grown to become one of the largest cellular carriers in the States. Verizon has coverage across most places in the country, and the company claims its 4G network covers more than 99% of the U.S. population. In fact, the company’s wireless cellular coverage is so vast, that several MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) lease and use Verizon’s network behind the scenes to serve their own customers. For its tens of millions of subscribers, Verizon provides both wireless voice and data services plus broadband. 

Most people know Verizon for its flagship wireless service. However, the company’s grip on the U.S. wireless carrier market doesn’t end there. It extends beyond its flagship prepaid and postpaid plans, because the company also owns several other phone carriers. These companies target different types of customers and price points while giving subscribers access to Verizon’s vast wireless network. 

Although several affordable carriers use Verizon’s network, it doesn’t own every provider that taps into its 4G and 5G network. Some are independent companies that merely use Verizon’s network. However, Verizon also directly owns several prepaid and budget-focused carriers, such as Visible, Straight Talk, Tracfone, Simple Mobile, SafeLink, Walmart Family Mobile, and Total Wireless.

Visible prides itself on offering excellent coverage through its parent company’s vast 4G and 5G network coupled with simpler and cheaper plans. To keep it simple, Visible offers just three phone plans: Visible, Visible+, and Visible+ Pro. Despite that, some of its offerings are among the best unlimited phone plans available. Prices start as low as $25 a month with no welcome discount, making it one of the more affordable carriers on the market.  

Additionally, you can save by paying an annual subscription, which does have welcome discounts for new users. Visible also offers a 5G Home Internet plan at $30 a month that you can bundle with your phone plan. The flagship Visible+ Pro plan includes smartwatch service for select models, including the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer and the Google Pixel Watch 2 and newer. Smartwatch service is available as an add-on to other plans for $10 a month. You can get started with Visible by getting a phone from the company, or using your existing one as long as it’s compatible. 

Visible also offers trade-ins, so you can trade in your existing device for an upgrade. The carrier offers a 15-day trial with unlimited data, minutes, and text without any hidden fees, and it doesn’t require you to give up your credit card number to join. The free trial is a great option if you want to test out the carrier’s network before fully committing.

Another phone carrier that’s part of Verizon’s portfolio of prepaid brands is Straight Talk Wireless. Straight Talk is a wireless, no-contract cell phone provider available exclusively at Walmart as well as on its website, Straighttalk.com. It offers a variety of plans, and some of them give you access to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, which, according to the company, is two times faster than regular 5G. However, as you’ll see in a few, it doesn’t come for cheap. 

The cheapest option, Bronze 10GB, costs $35 per month and includes unlimited calls and texts, international calls and texts to Canada and Mexico, and 10 GB of data at high speeds followed by sluggish 2G speeds. Unlimited plans are available as well, but they’re pricey compared to what you get on Visible, and it’s even more expensive than some of the plans its parent company Verizon offers. The next plan in Straight Talk’s price ladder is Silver Unlimited, which costs $45 per month and includes regular 5G access, unlimited data, talk, and text, 10 GB of hotspot data, and international calls and texts to Mexico and Canada. 

To actually enjoy Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network on Straight Talk, you’ll have to subscribe to its Gold Unlimited or Platinum Unlimited plans, which cost $55 per month and $65 per month, respectively. Both plans offer cloud storage as an extra perk, capped at 100 GB and 500 GB, respectively. Besides the phone plans, Straight Talk has a $45/month Home Internet plan with unlimited data and download speeds of between 20 and 200 Mbps.

Two entrepreneurs, FJ Pollak and David Topp, founded Tracfone in Miami in 1999. Tracfone Wireless was officially acquired by Verizon in 2021, along with its sub-brands such as Straight Talk. This is yet another phone carrier you can consider if you need a no-contract 5G plan. Tracfone gives you the freedom to pick between its unlimited data plan or select one of the suitable limited data plans if you only want to pay for what you use. 

The company’s unlimited data plan, dubbed Tracfone Freedom, costs $50 a month and includes 15 GB of hotspot use, international calls, texts, and roaming in Canada and Mexico, and an identity protection service. Other than that, you can select one of its Basic plans, which include a specific amount of service time for calling, texting, or surfing the web. Tracfone also has pre-paid plans that offer unlimited text and calls within the U.S., along with some support for international calling and texting to Canada and Mexico, and a specific amount of data, like 1 GB, 4 GB, 10 GB, or 20 GB. 

Like other Verizon-owned phone carriers that we’ve discussed, it also has an internet plan for your home. Tracfone’s Home Internet plan costs $70 per month and offers 20 to 200 Mbps download speeds, 3 to 15 Mbps upload speeds, and a three-year price-lock guarantee. Tracfone also uses Verizon’s nationwide network, which means you’ll get coverage in most places across the U.S.

As a Verizon-owned phone carrier, Total Wireless also takes advantage of the company’s nationwide network to offer its customers coverage for surfing the web, texting, and calling. Total Wireless has close to 2,000 stores across the U.S. and also provides its wireless services on a no-contract basis. The provider offers several unlimited plans, with the cheapest option, Total Starter, going for $35/month. That plan includes unlimited 5G data, and you can talk, text, and use your device as a hotspot for up to 10 GB. 

It also includes unlimited international talk to over 85 countries and texting to over 200 countries, and international roaming in Canada and Mexico. Other plans include Total MAX 5G ($50 per month) and Total ALL Access ($60 per month), which offer extra perks, such as access to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network and unlimited hotspot use with varying speed limits. The Total ALL Access and Total MAX 5G plans also support roaming in more than 140 countries, which is quite handy for anyone who travels for work throughout the year. 

Total Wireless includes a free 2026 Motorola Moto G Power and unlimited Wi-Fi calling to and from Mexico on all its phone plans. For new customers, the carrier offers a cheaper $20 per month Total MAX 5G BYO plan, which includes 5G Ultra Wideband access, international calling and texting to over 200 countries, and roaming in over 100 countries, among other benefits, but you’ll have to bring your own device.

Despite having the Walmart name in its brand, Walmart Family Mobile is actually owned by Verizon. Walmart Family Mobile joined the list of Verizon-owned MVNOs in 2021, when it acquired Tracfone as well as its subsidiaries. Walmart Family Mobile also taps into Verizon’s network to offer customers connectivity, but it offers separate plans you can choose from if you’d like to use its service. To get started with Walmart Family Mobile, you can bring a phone as long as it’s compatible or get one directly from the carrier. 

When it comes to cell phone plans, the carrier only has a single unlimited plan available that costs $49.88/month. However, if you choose to let the carrier automatically charge your payment method for your monthly bill, you get a slightly reduced cost of $47.38/month. Other service plans cap the data you can use per month before slow 2G speeds kick in. However, all of the provider’s plans offer unlimited calls and texts and allow you to use your device as a mobile hotspot in varying capacities. 

The cheapest plan on Walmart Family Mobile costs $19.88/month, but it only offers 4 GB of high-speed internet that’s subject to throttling during peak hours according to the fine print. Throttling details might not be apparent when you go through the company’s plans, but it’s important that you include it in your checklist as it’s one of the major factors to consider when choosing a cell phone carrier.