Best Prepaid Cell Phone Plans

While postpaid plans tend to be the go-to option for many people, prepaid plans have become increasingly popular because of one big reason: They’re straight-up cheaper. But there’s many more reasons to love a prepaid plan.

Read on to see them in a nutshell:

If you like T-Mobile’s network and service, but wish you could just trim it down for a smaller monthly price, then T-Mobile’s prepaid plans still deliver the goods and perks. You still get access to the ever-popular T-Mobile Tuesdays, at least 15GB of data on the cheapest plan, and data top-up options. T-Mobile offers three different prepaid plans starting at $40 per month for one line. T-Mobile’s prepaid plans also offer something called Simply Prepaid for the international benefits. For only $5 more per month per line, you can get unlimited calls, texts, and high-speed data in Mexico and Canada.

If you want access to T-Mobile’s network and some of T-Mobile’s exclusive perks (plus some extra Metro-exclusive perks), then Metro by T-Mobile is a budget-friendly option. Operating on T-Mobile’s network, you can also take advantage of fantastic phone deals when you sign up for a new line including new iPhones, Samsung Galaxy’s, and moto g phones (no tricky trade-ins required!). Notably, Metro offers a five-year price guarantee on all its plans. With five total plans that go from 10GB to 70GB of high-speed data, you still get T-Mobile Tuesdays and even get an Amazon Prime membership.

Mint Mobile is not only one of the best and most popular prepaid plans you can get (operates on T-Mobile’s network). It also made our list of Best Family Plans for its affordable and straightforward pricing—its Unlimited plan doesn’t cap its high-speed data so you’ll never slow down either (this is a new update!). With Mint Mobile, you can pay in increments of three months, six months, and 12 months (12 months offers you the best monthly price). Similarly, you can purchase 5GB, 15GB, 20GB, or unlimited amounts of data per month at any time. However, if you keep buying extra data, it’s wise to upgrade your overall plan for the best savings.

If you want access to T-Mobile coverage, have an extremely tight budget, and would like to mix and match different data needs among multiple family members, Tello is going to save you a whole bunch of money and hassle. Tello is one of the cheapest—if not the cheapest—prepaid plans you can get your hands on. Its site has a build-your-own-plan section which allows you to choose the amount of data you want with the amount of minutes you want. You could get a plan as low as $5 per month if you choose no data and 100 minutes of free text (perfect for a kid, right?). Operating on T-Mobile’s popular and powerful network, a hotspot is included at no extra charge on all plans (minus the no-data plan).

Verizon’s prepaid plans are great for the person who wants to spend extra money on reliable coverage (considered the network with the most bars in the most places), get access to premium data, and enjoy some limited perks with the added flexibility of a prepaid plan. You can get 2GB to 50GB of high-speed data with its four prepaid plans. And while there’s no Data Boosts to top off data with Verizon prepaid plans, you can still use an enormous amount of data for just a prepaid plan … all without a credit check to get started.

Still not sold on the top five plans above? That’s okay! We have three more for you to consider.

Almost everyone I spoke to explained that they were on their postpaid family plan since forever and didn’t know if switching to prepaid was worth it. Well, I’ve got good news for you. You can take advantage of a free trial for almost all of the prepaid carriers listed above!

Here’s a breakdown of the free prepaid trials:

Is a prepaid plan sounding good to you? As a T-Mobile to Mint Mobile switcher, I’m going to stage-whisper to you that it’s definitely a worthwhile choice.

Here are five questions to consider before moving to a prepaid plan:

1. How much data do you actually need?

If you mostly stick to Wi-Fi, then there’s a good chance that 5GB is probably the max amount of data you need. Unlimited data sounds great, but it’s probably overkill for most people. I suggest checking your phone to see your actual data usage to help you decide how much data you want to pay for per month.

2. Which network is big in your area?

Obviously don’t pick a prepaid plan with a carrier that isn’t available in your area. Verizon might sound great, but if there’s no coverage in your area, consider other options.

3. Do you really care about perks?

Some prepaid plans come with added perks such as free phones, hotspot capabilities, and international roaming. Even T-Mobile Tuesdays! However, some carriers are more straightforward and you can pay less for having less.

4. Is your current phone compatible with the network?

If you’re looking to switch, make sure your new network is compatible with the phone type you want or the phone you have.

5. How many people do you want on your plan?

If you want to put multiple people on a plan, consider how different prepaid plans might offer more valuable discounts. To learn more about the best family plans, visit our page on Best Family Cell Phone Plans to explore the pros and cons of different carriers.

I assessed every angle of these prepaid mobile plans and found that these factors were the most important for you to consider:

1. Monthly and annual price: Once you can understand why you’re paying more or less for a plan, then you can decide if the value is worth it for you.
2. High-speed data: Skip looking for unlimited data plans as the best plans. If you want truly unlimited data that won’t slow you down, you want to look for a plan that offers a specific amount of premium or high-speed data. And while big amounts of high-speed data sounds great, many people don’t need it. If you’re connected to Wi-Fi, you can get by with a lot less (which means a cheaper plan works just fine).
3. Coverage and network: It’s essential that you pick a carrier that offers coverage in your area. You want to pick coverage that performs the best where you live, work, or travel.
4. Freebies and perks: Yes, you want the basics. But some plans throw in extra goodies that may make your plan more expensive, but also more valuable to you.

Learn more about how we review on our Methodology page.