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I've been on Visible (one of Verizon's in-house MVNOs) for a couple weeks and it's been good so far. Of course, the value of any phone plan is heavily dependent on which network is strongest in your location, so use https://coveragemap.com/cell-phone-coverage to check, and maybe ask around with your neighbors about their experiences. You can use https://www.bestphoneplans.net/plans to filter plans based on your criteria (price, network, data), though pretty much everything under the sun will offer unlimited talk and text. I would be wary of US Mobile as they've got a reputation for silly conditions on promotions and "unlimited" plans that aren't really unlimited. Certainly worth considering, but just make sure you know what you're getting into with any given plan of theirs.
As for phone, if you're an iOS Andy then of course get a slightly older iPhone, specifics depend on your price range and whether you're comfortable with refurbished or not. For Android I strongly recommend a Google Pixel, despite the obvious concerns with Google--they have super long support windows and robust custom ROM support if that interests you. The 9a can be had for $400 currently, even less if you're trading in your current phone.
I've been on US Mobile for a few years after having issues with Verizon no longer delivering texts for a week+ and haven't had any problems, but I don't do any of their promotions. I just signed up for one the cheaper plans and have kept it since. They're an MVNO, but if you're on their Verizon network, they somehow have the same network priority as prepaid Verizon phones (the pay-per-month, cancel anytime kind) instead of lower priority like on the T-Mobile one and what most other MVNOs have.
A Pixel is good if they want to install GrapheneOS specifically, since that's still currently the only phone line they support. Though they have a secret unannounced hardware partnership coming up. If not though, Pixels are objectively worse in hardware specs (except the cameras) than almost any other Android phone at similar prices. Every single model has heat dispersion and battery issues, no matter how many times /r/GooglePixel tries to convince people "it's fixed this time!" I had them from the 4a up through the 8, with the 4a being the only one I was actually happy with before I stopped buying them. They just have the US market by the balls. So something from like the OnePlus R series would be good too and most models have compatibility with LineageOS at the least, if not other projects.
Maybe I just got lucky but my 8a has given me no issues. I do prioritize GrapheneOS support over other custom ROMs because it's got the most consistent support, whereas on LineageOS you have to hope one of the volunteer maintainers will care (and continue to care) about your device in particular.
The 9s/10s are significantly better but you're right to be sceptical. I'd recommend Nothing (the brand)if you don't want a Samsung.
+1 for refurbished; usually they have a human personally checking that they work