Currently with T Mobile and not too happy with their coverage. Anyone with AT&T able to share their thoughts on their coverage? Thanks.
AT&T's base is the south. I think technically they have a larger network in the South than Verizon. They also have a larger user base down there as well. If you're willing to pay the premium over TMobile then sure. Also AT&T uses sim cards which is helpful when traveling as opposed to the CDMA network that Verizon runs. But if coverage is all that matters and you're willing to pay extra, you can't go wrong with AT&T or Verizon. Check the pricing between them and see what works better. Also AT&T has the AIO wireless plans which have the same cost structure as TMobile does and it roams AT&T's network so you'll get good coverage. That might be the best option for you. http://www.aiowireless.com/home.html
Yes, in Texas AT&T has way better coverage from a map standpoint. AIO doesn't roam on AT&T, it works natively on AT&T as it is owned by them.
Verizon also uses sim cards now with the new LTE network. In fact some phones like the iphone for verizon can work on both Verizon and At&t 3g but not vice versa
I have traveled to a few cities in Texas, and never have had problems with coverage. I've gone outside the continental U.S.A. to Hawaii and didn't have problems either (Oahu). I've gone to Eastern cities, like Orlando, Washington, Atlanta, Charleston, New York, Boston, Salem, etc., on road trips... and never had problems with coverage. It's fine for me. I can't tell you how it compares to T-Mobile, though, because I haven't ever had it.
Personally can't speak on t-mobile, but I can say I basically don't ever have coverage issues with ATT (I've used the phone in a few places nationally). I had problems with dropped calls initially when the iphone boom happened but they seem to have gotten better about that (mostly anyway). Verizon was good as well (I never traveled with it, outside of going to Beaumont / South TX) Cricket I can say is hands down the worst cell service I've ever experienced. Naturally I have some things that I don't like about ATT (like them constantly feeding the NSA/CIA/whatever-other-government-agencies-that-want-it our information), but overall the service is good.
I've had T-Mobile in the past and went to AT&T for the same reasons as you. Overall, when traveling all over the country, I haven't had any problems... Even in Alaska. AT&T's LTE is crazy fast. I have Verizon for work and it's reliable, but if you go anywhere without LTE (which is very rare because their network is massive), you get dropped down to 3G or lower. This can be a drag. Don't go to Sprint. I'm with a lot of posters though. There are prepaid services that run on AT&T's network that are a fraction of the price of a contract. With phones like the Nexus 5 available, you can have a high end phone with good service without tying you down.
That and he's on TMobile so he can just bring his old phone with him to something like Aio and just avoid paying the subsidized 2 year contracts that AT&T charges.