Best Verizon Prepaid Plans

For context, here are all the postpaid Verizon plans available right now.

When you’re comparing prepaid and postpaid Verizon plans, the main variable you want to look at is the amount of data you get every month. All of these Verizon plans come with unlimited talk and unlimited text, but the data is what pushes the monthly price up.

Two of Verizon's prepaid plans stand out for their value: the 15GB Prepaid Phone Plan at $35/month and the Unlimited Plus Prepaid Phone Plan at $60/month. (Skip the $50/month Unlimited Prepaid plan in between—more on why below.)

Worth noting, though: Verizon's postpaid Simplicity plan starts at $45/month (or $30/month with AutoPay and a qualifying discount) and includes premium, non-deprioritized data—undercutting the Unlimited Plus Prepaid plan on price while skipping the deprioritization prepaid plans are typically known for. It's worth comparing before you commit to prepaid.

Okay, if prepaid plans are so much cheaper than postpaid plans, why isn't everyone on a prepaid plan? The catch with prepaid cell phone plans is that you have to pay at the beginning of the month instead of the end, and you usually don’t get the same perks you would get with a postpaid plan.

For example, Verizon’s myPlan tiers come with a Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN subscription, and free Apple Music for six months. Verizon’s Unlimited Plus Prepaid Phone Plan is positively perkless. It’s only a $15 difference between Verizon’s Prepaid Unlimited cell phone plan ($65/month with AutoPay) and Verizon’s Unlimited Plus plan ($80/month with AutoPay). 

But before you weigh either of those, check out Verizon's newer Simplicity plan first — it starts at $45/month (or $30/month with AutoPay and a qualifying discount), undercutting Prepaid Unlimited entirely while still including premium, non-deprioritized data. In this case, Simplicity is probably the better postpaid pick over both Prepaid Unlimited and Unlimited Plus, unless you specifically want the Disney+/Hulu/ESPN perk bundle that comes standard with myPlan.

If you want a prepaid unlimited plan that works on Verizon’s awesome network, we highly recommend Visible Wireless. Visible, an MVNO wireless provider that operates on Verizon’s network, offers an unlimited data plan that costs $45 a month, or sometimes less with new-customer promotions.

This is one of those delightful situations where a prepaid plan can both save you money and give you more monthly data than some options, though the gap is smaller than it used to be. The 15GB Prepaid Phone plan for $35/month with AutoPay comes with unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 15 GB of data. This is a great choice for someone who doesn't need unlimited data, especially since all of Verizon's other postpaid plans have unlimited data.

Now, compare that with Verizon's cheapest postpaid unlimited data plan, Simplicity, which starts at $45 a month with AutoPay (or as low as $30 with AutoPay and a qualifying discount). At the standard rate, you still pay $10 less a month with the 15GB prepaid plan, (not the $30 gap you'd see against Verizon's pricier myPlan tiers), and you get the right amount of data if you don't need unlimited. But if you qualify for Simplicity's discounted $30 rate, prepaid actually costs more for less data, so it's worth checking your eligibility before assuming prepaid wins here.

You don’t even need to stress about missing any cool perks, either. Verizon’s big perks (like the Disney+/Hulu/ESPN bundle) only kick in when you opt for a myPlan postpaid tier. Simplicity does still waive activation fees automatically, something prepaid doesn't offer. So if you're not interested in myPlan's bundle, the only real downside here is that you're paying at the beginning of the month instead of the end of the month.

If you’re saving $30 every month, who really cares when you pay?

The other Verizon prepaid plans are the Unlimited for $50 with AutoPay and the Unlimited Plus for $60 with AutoPay. Compared to the Prepaid plan for $35 with AutoPay, you pay an extra $15–$25 a month for unlimited data and 25 GB hotspot data (when you choose Unlimited Plus.)

Here's the wrinkle, though: Verizon's postpaid Simplicity plan now undercuts both of these. At $45 a month with AutoPay (or $30 with a qualifying discount), Simplicity beats Prepaid Unlimited's $50 outright while still including premium, non-deprioritized data—something no prepaid plan on this list offers. The only real tradeoff is hotspot data: Simplicity caps out at 10GB, versus 25GB on Prepaid Unlimited Plus. So if hotspot data matters more to you than price, stick with Prepaid Unlimited Plus. If price and reliable data matter more than hotspot, Simplicity is the better pick over either prepaid Unlimited plan.

This plan doesn’t come with any cool perks, but if you ask me, saving money is a pretty cool perk in and of itself. You can use that extra money to buy your own dang perks.

To make a long story short, if you’re on a Verizon limited-data postpaid plan, you’re doing it wrong, friend. But if you're comparing prepaid to postpaid unlimited data, the math isn't as one-sided as it used to be—Verizon's Simplicity plan starts at $45 a month (or $30 with a qualifying discount), which beats or matches most prepaid unlimited options while including premium, non-deprioritized data.

To get the most value, stick with either the 15GB Verizon Prepaid Plan for $35/month with AutoPay if you don't need unlimited data or the Unlimited Plus Verizon Prepaid Plan for $60/month with AutoPay, and avoid the Unlimited Verizon Prepaid Plan for $50/month with AutoPay because it's terrible.

That said, if you want unlimited data and don't mind trading some hotspot allowance for it, Verizon's postpaid Simplicity plan is ultimately the better pick over any of these prepaid options. It beats or matches the prepaid unlimited plans on price while including premium, non-deprioritized data—something none of the prepaid plans above offer. The only real reason to stick with prepaid instead is if you specifically need more than Simplicity's 10GB of hotspot data, in which case Unlimited Plus Prepaid's 25GB allowance is still the better fit.