What Are The Best Prepaid Cell Phone Plans? Here’s The Truth.

You're looking for the perfect prepaid phone plan, but you don't know where to start. There are so many prepaid plans that it can be difficult to find the right one for you. In this article, I'll tell you about the best prepaid cell phone plans!

What Is A Prepaid Cell Phone Plan?

A prepaid plan is a cell phone plan where you pay upfront for service over a certain period of time. Usually, you pay for a month of service. After that month, you have the option to renew your plan. Sometimes, carriers will offer you a discount if you set up your plan to automatically renew.

There are various benefits to signing up for a prepaid cell phone plan:

• They're typically less expensive than pay-as-you-go plans.
• They're flexible and usually don't have contracts.
• Most prepaid plans don't have overages.

Which Plan Should You Choose?

First and foremost, you'll want to choose a plan from a wireless carrier that has coverage in your area. To see which carriers provide service where you live, check out our coverage maps.

Verizon Prepaid Plans

The Verizon Prepaid Plan with 5 GB of data starts at $25/month for the first line and $25/month for each additional line. This plan includes unlimited minutes, unlimited messages, and 5 GB of 4G LTE data. You can also use your cellular data for mobile hotspot.

If you don't use all of your data, it rolls over to the next month! If you exceed your data for the month, you'll still have access to cellular data at slower speeds.

Verizon also offers 1 GB, 15 GB, and an Unlimited prepaid plan with similar features. 5 GB is enough for most people, but you can easily upgrade or downgrade your plan if it is too much or not enough.

AT&T Prepaid Plans

AT&T Prepaid plans offer 1 GB, 8 GB, or Unlimited data. This plan consists of unlimited minutes and messages in addition to the amount of data you choose. Like Verizon's prepaid plans, you won't be charged overages. Your data is slowed once you've used the amount you paid for.

The price of AT&T's Prepaid plans range from $30–70 / month. If you add multiple lines to your plan, you'll save $10 per line with the multi-line discount.

For a limited time, you can get an AT&T Prepaid Plan with 8 GB of data for just $25 / month when you pay for a year up front.

T-Mobile Prepaid Plans

There are three unique T-Mobile prepaid plans. The carrier's most basic plan is the Simply Prepaid Plan. At $40 a month for a single line, this plan includes 10 GB of 4G LTE data and unlimited calling and texting. Features like Data Maximizer and Music Freedom, which help regulate your data usage when streaming video and music, are also included. You can also use your data for mobile hotspot with 4G LTE speed, but your speeds be throttled once you've used your monthly data.

T-Mobile also has unlimited prepaid plans for those who need more data. The Simply Prepaid Unlimited Plan costs $50 / month and includes all the same features the $40 / plan does. Although the plan has unlimited data, speeds may be throttled when T-Mobile's network is congested.

For $60 / month, you can get the Simply Prepaid Unlimited Plus Plan, which includes 10 GB of 4G LTE mobile hotspot too.

Tello Mobile Prepaid Plans

Tello Mobile's Value Plan costs $14 / month and includes 2 GB of data as well as unlimited minutes and messages. The plan automatically renews each month and offers rollover data as well. Like the other prepaid plans we've mentioned, you won't be charged overages.

The biggest drawback of this plan is that you can't add multiple lines. However, if you're just looking for a single line plan, this is one of your best options, especially for the price.

Tello Mobile Unlimited

The Tello Mobile Unlimited plan gives you unlimited texting, calling, and data for only $39 / month for one line. This plan offers 4G LTE cellular data, and is only throttled to 2G after 25 GB of use. Or, you can put your data towards your mobile hotspot, which doesn't suffer the slower speeds.

Some other great features of this plan are that it's contract-free and prepaid. This contract free plan allows you to make adjustments, if needed, to your plan every thirty days. Additionally, you only have to worry about paying at the beginning of the month. It also doesn't include any overage charges.

TextNow Unlimited LTE

Want a cheap, unlimited prepaid plan? The TextNow Unlimited LTE plan is a great fit for you. This prepaid plan offers unlimited data, minutes, and messages for $39 / month and $30.99 / month for each additional line. This has a high-speed data cap of 23 GB, but you can continue to used data at slower speeds if you reach that threshold.

Mobile hotspot is included, but only if you have a CDMA device. TextNow is an MVNO, meaning they lease coverage from larger wireless carriers. If you decide to subscribe to TextNow, we recommend getting on their CDMA network, not their GSM network.

Boost Mobile Unlimited Gigs

Boost Mobile's Unlimited Gigs Plan is an affordable, prepaid cell phone plan with unlimited data. At $50 per month, this plan also includes unlimited calling and texting. You can save a lot of money on this plan when subscribing to a multi-line plan.

This plan also includes 12 GB of 4G LTE mobile hotspot. Your data speeds may be throttled when Boost Mobile's network is congested.

The Unlimited Gigs Plan is also great for frequent travelers. Unlimited calling to Canada and Mexico and roaming in several countries are included.

Metro by T-Mobile Unlimited

The Metro by T-Mobile Unlimited Plan comes with unlimited texts, calls, data, and a mobile hotspot for $50/month. The Metro is a contract free plan, so you'll pay once a month with no activation fee or overage charges. However, if you go past your allotted amount, your speeds will be reduced.

The mobile hotspot is throttled after 10 GB of usage. But the high-speed data plan gives you 4G LTE speeds for your data, and only slows after 35 GB of usage. This plan also comes with a Data Maximizer to help you make the most out of your data!

Mint Mobile 10 GB Prepaid Plan

Mint Mobile's 10 GB Prepaid plan offers unlimited texting and calling with 10 GB of high-speed data. If your cell phone is compatible with 5G networks, this plan may be especially attractive to you, as all Mint Mobile plans come with 5G access at no additional cost.

Mint Mobile leases coverage in 3 month, 6 month, or 12 month increments. To try Mint Mobile's coverage out, we recommend signing up for their Intro Offer, which offers a significant discount for your first three months of coverage. If you're satisfied with Mint Mobile's service after the Intro Offer ends, you can commit to another full year of coverage for the same rate!

It's important to keep in mind that Mint Mobile requires customers to prepay for a minimum of 3 months of service in advance. While this requirement can save you money in the long run, it might not be compatible with everyone's budget.

The Visible Plan

For $40 per month, Visible's Unlimited plan includes unlimited talk, text, and data. This carrier sets itself apart with Party Pay, a unique take on multi-line discounts. Thanks to Party Pay, up to 4 people can register for a single plan. For every person you add to your Party Pay plan, the monthly price per line goes down $5.

Party Pay is different from other multi-line discounts because every member of a Party is responsible for paying for their own line. It's a great option for roommates who don't want to rely on one person to take care of their monthly payments.

Visible is a Verizon MVNO, so you can be sure your coverage will reach far and wide. This plan also comes with access to 4G and 5G data networks.

T-Mobile Connect Plans

T-Mobile Connect Plans include 2 or 5 GB of data with unlimited minutes and messages. The 2 GB plan costs $15 per month, while the 5 GB plan costs $25 per month. For anyone who doesn't rely too heavily on their cellular data, these options are both worth considering.

If you run out of data before the end of the month, don't worry! There aren't any overage charges for T-Mobile Connect users, and you can purchase more data for the following month if you need to. Both plans also come with unlimited Mobile Hotspot capability at 3G speeds.

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