With the best prepaid phone plans, you don't need to worry about the costs of your wireless service skyrocketing from one month to the next. By paying in advance, you know exactly what you're going to spend for phone coverage. And should a better deal turn up at another carrier, it's easy enough to switch your service.
1. Mint Mobile (opens in new tab) - Best value
2. Verizon (opens in new tab) - Best coverage
3. Visible (opens in new tab) - Best unlimited data prepaid
4. AT&T (opens in new tab) - Best prepaid deal
And if there's a better deal out there, we can help you find it. We keep tabs on the best cell phone plans overall, including prepaid options. And among those offerings, the very best prepaid plans can help you spend less on wireless service without sacrificing much in the way of data.
Mind you, there will be some trade-offs. You won't get the perks you might expect from more expensive plans. We're talking complementary subscriptions to streaming services or the ability to use your monthly data allotment when you travel overseas. At most, you’re likely to get some hotspot data. iI you've need multiple lines, you may want to look elsewhere for the best family cell phone plan — only a few of the options below offer discounts on extra lines.
But you won't have to worry about sacrificing on network coverage if you're looking for ways to save money on your cell phone bill. Even if you use a smaller carrier, they get their service from the major wireless providers. So you'll still be using the same network as people with more expensive cell phone plans. (Your speeds may be slowed down if there's too much traffic on a network.) And that service includes 5G coverage, too.
Another thing you won't have to sacrifice is data. While there are cheap prepaid plans with small data allotments, if you need a big pile of data each month, you'll find some of the best unlimited data plans can be surprisingly affordable when they come from prepaid services.
Here's our picks for the best prepaid phone plans, including an explanation of what we look for when choosing the best prepaid phone plans.
The best prepaid phone plans for your smartphone
The best value prepaid cell phone plan:
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(opens in new tab)Best prepaid plan for coverage:
(opens in new tab)Best unlimited data prepaid cell phone plan:
(opens in new tab)An assortment of cheap prepaid options:
(opens in new tab)Great value from a major carrier:
(opens in new tab)Low cost-plan from T-Mobile:
(opens in new tab)A plan worth a second look:
(opens in new tab)Most flexible prepaid for families:
(opens in new tab)Best prepaid plan for students:
(opens in new tab)Best free prepaid plan:
(opens in new tab)How to pick the best prepaid phone plans
When shopping for a prepaid phone plan, price is paramount. That’s because prepaid plans don’t often come with the kind of benefits postpaid cell phone plans offer. That said, some carriers — such as Metro By T-Mobile and Boost — do work in a few perks, so be aware of those when picking your plans.
You'll also want to pay attention to discounts and special offers. Often, larger carriers like AT&T and Verizon will adjust the size of their autopay discount, which can make a pricier plan more attractive. Metro by T-Mobile has been known to increase discounts for each line of data you add, too.
Besides price, one of the most important things to consider is what carrier offers the best coverage around your home and workplace. That’s true even if you look beyond the Big Three carriers for service. Other wireless services — known as mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs — use the cellular networks of AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon for their coverage. (Some MVNOs turn to multiple carriers.) So if Verizon’s network is particularly strong where you are, for example, MVNOs that use Verizon’s network for coverage will perform well, too. Just be aware that MVNOs can see their traffic slowed if a carrier’s network gets too crowded.
5G coverage is now a part of what many MVNOs offer. Metro subscribers can access T-Mobile's 5G with an eligible phone, as can Mint Mobile customers. Visible has added 5G access on Verizon's network to select phones, and Cricket customers can now use AT&T's 5G connectivity with any of that MVNO's plans.
For more on MVNOs, read our guides to AT&T MVNOs, T-Mobile MVNOs and Verizon MVNOs — we'll tell you which discount carriers use which parent networks.
How we pick the best prepaid phone plans
Finding the best prepaid phone plans means widening our search beyond the major carriers, though AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon all have prepaid offerings. We're also researching plans from smaller carriers who use the Big Three's cellular towers to provide their coverage. As smaller carriers usually offer their service at a discount, they make up a majority of the candidates that we consider for best prepaid phone plans.
When we pick the best plans, we put a premium on the monthly price, though we also pay attention to how much data comes with that plan. After all, a carrier may not charge you a lot for data, but it also may not provide enough data for your needs. We're picking plans that offer the best mix of cost and data. We also consider a wide variety of data allotments, since some people can get by very happily using just a couple gigabytes of data each month, while others need an unlimited plan.
As noted previously, prepaid plans don't offer much in the way of perks. That said, we do take note of any special add-ons included with the best prepaid plans, as those can add value to a plan above and beyond its monthly cost.
