If you have to call customer service, T-Mobile is your best bet

Best answer: T-Mobile takes the lead in customer care satisfaction while Consumer Cellular and Xfinity Mobile lead for MVNOs.

• Tons of data and the biggest 5G network: T-Mobile Magenta (From $70/mo. at T-Mobile)
• Simple and affordable: Consumer Cellular (From $15/mo. at Consumer Cellular)

T-Mobile takes first place

There's never going to be a perfect wireless carrier for everyone but for most people, T-Mobile seems to be getting it right. J.D. Power ranks T-Mobile highest compared to Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint in its 2020 U.S. Wireless Customer Care Full-Service Performance Study. It's worth noting that this report came out before T-Mobile purchased Sprint and Sprint results were tracked separately.

While not directly about customer service, Consumer Reports and the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) also named T-Mobile highest in overall customer satisfaction.

It's certainly possible to get great customer service with another provider but this year, T-Mobile stands ahead. It remains to be seen how Sprint's consistently low scores will impact the T-Mobile brand overall but if it can keep investment up and continue to improve its services, T-Mobile may be able to hold onto its lead.

MVNOs can focus on the customer experience

With MVNOs, the competition is a bit more fierce, though, in almost every scenario, Consumer Cellular is right at the top. On its home page, Consumer Cellular boasts that it has received the top spot in customer service among value wireless providers from J.D. Power nine years in a row. Newsweek actually places Consumer Cellular higher than T-Mobile in first place.

Not too far behind are Metro by T-Mobile, Boost Mobile, and Cricket, which have all had strong showings for J.D. Power's non-contract full-service carriers.

ACSI mentions the newer Xfinity Mobile as a top-performing MVNO as well. Xfinity Mobile has become one of the best MVNOs that use Verizon's network in part thanks to its access to the millions of Wi-Fi hotspots from Xfinity home internet customers.

Our pick

T-Mobile Magenta

From $70/mo. at T-Mobile

High-speed data with a mobile hotspot

T-Mobile's Magenta plan is a great balance for most heavy smartphone users with 50GB of prioritized data and 5G access included.

MVNO Leader

Consumer Cellular

From $15/mo. at Consumer Cellular

Shared data for up to three lines

Consumer Cellular lets you buy exactly what you need with plans ranging from just talk and text up to an unlimited data plan.