Is this the cheapest unlimited plan ever? AT&T's 12-month prepaid unlimited plan is just $20/mo

As someone who writes about cell phone plans all year round, I'm accustomed to the major carriers offering the most expensive plans. While laden with features, speedy data, and other perks, generally speaking, you pay a premium for an unlimited data plan at one of the big three.

There is one big exception, however. It's AT&T's current set of excellent value prepaid plans, the best of which is the carrier's 12-month unlimited prepaid plan that you can get right now for as little as $20/mo.

Unlike with postpaid plans, you'll have to pay for a full year upfront here. If you do so online, however, you get a full 12 months for just $240 upfront. That's a price that significantly undercuts the competition right now, at specialist prepaid carriers as well as the major big three.

As you'd imagine, this is a pretty stripped-down plan, but it's still impressively featured for such a price. Alongside unlimited data, you get 10GB of monthly mobile hotspot allowance, free talk and text to Mexico and Canada, and access to some really cheap phones. Of course, you can still switch over from another carrier and bring your own device, if you'd prefer.

AT&T's super-cheap 12-month prepaid plan

AT&T 12-month unlimited plan: $300 $240 upfront for a full year of service
AT&T is bucking the trend of pricey unlimited plans with a standout prepaid option that offers strong value for those on a budget. Its 12-month unlimited plan costs just $240 upfront ($20 per month), which undercuts both major carriers and many prepaid rivals. While it’s a more basic offering, it still includes unlimited data, 10GB of mobile hotspot usage per month, free calls and texts to Mexico and Canada, and the flexibility to bring your own device or pick up a low-cost phone. That makes it one of the cheapest and most competitive plans currently available.

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• See more: check out all of today's phone deals at AT&T

If the above plan is a little too basic for you, then it's worth noting that AT&T has several other prepaid plans that could fit the bill.

For example, the cheapest pay-monthly plan is the $25/mo unlimited talk and text plan. That one doesn't include any mobile hotspot data, but it's more flexible in terms of payment and it also doesn't have any soft-caps on your data speeds (the 12-month plan has a 16GB soft cap).

Other strong choices include the Unlimited Enhanced Plus ($45/mo) and the Unlimited Ultra ($60/mo). Both include mobile hotspot allowance, and in the case of the latter, 100GB of cloud storage and international calling.