These Phone Carriers Offer Free Trials Before You Decide To Switch

We can sign up and cancel subscriptions for streaming services or apps at will, but switching phone carriers feels like something much bigger than that. You're still paying regular fees like a normal subscription, but because phones dictate large amounts of everyday modern life, it's a much bigger commitment. Because of that, it'd be nice if you could have a trial run with a new phone carrier before actually making that commitment.

Luckily, you can do that. All three of the major mobile network operators in the United States — AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon — offer a free trial, just as you would get with many other subscription services. All three offer a 30-day trial to test out the service, and you have no obligation to actually sign up fully for the service once that trial is over. Rather than having to get a new phone or go to a physical retail location for this, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all use an eSIM for their trials.

You download the app for the service you want to try on your phone and activate your eSIM, allowing you to now use that provider's network instead of the one you're currently contracted to. You get to use your same phone number for the trial and won't be charged anything, as no credit card is required to sign up. All three provide 5G coverage and unlimited talk and text. AT&T and Verizon trials get you 100 GB of premium data, while T-Mobile offers unlimited data. Once the 30 days are up, you can make the decision whether to switch.

While it may sound easy to just download an app to get free cell service for a month from AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon, there's actually a little bit more that you need to make sure of before you can activate an eSIM for the trial. For one, you need to have cell phone that actually can use an eSIM. Most modern smartphones can handle this technology. iPhones produced before the XR and XS models aren't going to work for this, neither will the original Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy S series models prior to the S20.

Even if you have one of these phones, you still need to make sure it's unlocked from your current cell provider. That means that your phone has the ability to connect with any carrier, not just the one you signed up with to get the phone. You'll be able to see if there are any carrier restrictions on your service in your phone settings.

For instance, Verizon recently changed its policy for several of its brands that your phone can't be unlocked until after a year of service. If there's no restrictions, you're free to download the app and activate your eSIM. If it's not, you need to contact your current provider in order to get your phone unlocked, which may take time. You won't be able to unlock your phone through its settings. After your current service unlocks it, then you can go about signing up for a free trial.

The free trials from the three major phone carriers are probably the most intriguing for people looking to switch their service, but they aren't the only ones out there to offer them. Some of the smaller mobile virtual network operators out there also offer free trials with the use of an eSIM, but by and large, MVNO trials aren't nearly as extensive as what the others have to offer.

Visible is one of several MVNOs owned by Verizon, and its eSIM free trial offers many of the same things you'd get from Verizon itself. This includes unlimited talk, text, data, and hotspot. The major difference is that Visible only offers its trial for 15 days rather than 30.

Other MVNOs don't even offer as much as that. Cricket Wireless has a free trial available. You get access to unlimited talk and text on Cricket's 5G network, but you're allotted 3 GB of data with a trial that only lasts 14 days. This trial also doesn't let you keep the phone number you already use and gives you a temporary one, meaning you need to let everyone you communicate with know you have a different phone number for two weeks.

The trial for Google Fi Wireless is even more restrictive. It lasts only seven days and requires a credit card, which it will charge $50 to once the trial is over if you forget to cancel. Some providers like Boost Mobile don't offer free trials at all, opting for a 30-day money back guarantee instead. Always look at the details to see what exactly you get.