Two of my favorite prepaid carriers are offering $500 off the Galaxy S26 series right now — but which is the best?

Two of the best prepaid carriers on the market also happen to have two of the best Galaxy S26 deals you can get right now. I'm of course talking about Mint Mobile and Visible Wireless, which appear to be duking it out right now in terms of who can provide the best value.

First up, Mint's deal gets you $500 off upfront any Galaxy S26 series device if you pair it up with a new line. That's a discount that doesn't require any trade-ins, though the carrier is also offering an additional $400 off if you do. On top of that, you'll also get a full year of unlimited data for just $180, which equates to half price.

Visible Wireless, on the other hand, is offering $480 off a device if you pair it up with the carrier's higher-end Visible Pro Plus plan. That's a discount that comes in the form of a rebate over 24 months, but you can also trade in your device for a further discount. My tests using the trade-in calculator have yielded a rebate of up to $780 off, so the further savings are potentially very, very good here.

Best prepaid Galaxy S26 deals right now

Samsung Galaxy S26 series: $500 off, plus a trade-in rebate of up to $400 at Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile has just debuted the best deal yet from a prepaid carrier on the latest Galaxy S26 series. For a limited time, you'll be able to get a massive $500 upfront discount across the entire series, as well as the option to trade-in for a further discount of up to $400. Combined, that's enough to cover the entire cost of the standard Galaxy S26 - and, you also get a full year of unlimited data for just $180 (that's half price) as well.

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Samsung Galaxy S26: $480 off with plan, plus trade-in rebates at Visible Wireless
Visible Wireless' excellent deal on the Galaxy S26 gets you a healthy $480 rebate over the duration of 24 months without even having to trade-in. All that's required here is a new line on the carrier's premium Visible Pro Plus plan, and you're good to go. You can even trade in for a further discount if you're looking to upgrade specifically.

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Which carrier has the best deal?

Both offer a high-end, shiny new flagship on a relatively affordable plan, but the deals are quite different otherwise.

Mint's deal comes with a potentially hefty upfront cost, but if you pay that, then you're going to be good to go for a full year without any additional payments. Even without a trade-in rebate, you're potentially paying just $580 upfront for a device and an unlimited data plan for a full year.

Visible, on the other hand, spreads the savings out over 24 months, so it incentivizes those who want to stick it out over the long run. It's less flexible, but there are options to finance the phone to avoid a large upfront payment. Again, this is without the additional trade-in savings.

In terms of the plans themselves, the Mint unlimited plan is a little more basic than the higher-end Visible Pro Plus plan, which is more like a traditional postpaid option. Both have unlimited data, but the Visible plan includes access to the super-speedy Verizon Wideband 5G network and support for UHD 4K streaming.