Jump straight to phone plans:
1. Our top picks
2. Best value
3. Best cheap unlimited
4. Cheapest of the cheap
5. Carrier alternatives
6. Best for seniors
Quick tips:
1. How to save money
2. Who has the best coverage
If you're looking to cut those monthly bills right down to size, let us help you out with a full roundup of this month's best cheap cell phone plans. We've tirelessly researched all the top carrier's in the US to come up with a list that we think, in our humble opinion, not only offers the lowest monthly costs, but also the best overall bang for the buck choices when it comes to cheap cell phone plans.
Of course, it can be tricky to determine which plan is best for you - after all, there are literally hundreds of choices out there and everyone has different needs. To help this, we've taken a pragmatic approach in our assessment of each of these cheap cell phone plans factoring not just costs, but also things like data allowances and handy perks too.
We've also clearly separated out each of our best cheap cell phone plans choices by what application we think they're best for. Put simply, whether you're a single line user, looking for a cheap unlimited plan, or even looking for a cheap family plan alternative to the big carriers - you'll find good options here. Mostly from the excellent selection of prepaid carriers out there right now.
Speaking of prepaid, we highly recommend you go with a prepaid carrier if you're looking for strictly cheap cell phone plans. Not only will you be doing away with those pesky long-term contracts, but these smaller companies quite simply offer bang-for-the-buck that the larger carriers simply can't compete with. Of course, there are a few caveats to going with a prepaid carrier, which we've thoroughly covered in each selection, and in our frequently asked questions section at the bottom of the page.
If you'd like to broaden your scope a little bit, we've got even more options over at our main best cell phone plans page. You can compare these cheap cell phone plans to what the big carriers are offering over at our Verizon plans and AT&T plans pages as well.
Recent updates
Amendments to Twigby Mobile entry.
The best cheap cell phone plans: top picks
- 1. Mint Mobile - best value cheap cell phone plans
- 2. Visible - best cheap unlimited data cell phone plans
- 3. Tello - cheapest of the cheap cell phone plans
- 4. Ultra Mobile - best pay-as-you-go cheap cell phone plans
- 5. Twigby Mobile - a great cheap Verizon alternative
- 6. Pure Talk - a great cheap AT&T alternative
- 7. Boost Mobile - a great cheap T-Mobile alternative
The best cheap cell phone plans in the US
Here we'll be breaking down our choices and giving a quick analysis on each. You'll find all the basic information you need to know, such as monthly cost, data allowances and also coverage right here.
1. Best value cheap cell phone plans
2. Best unlimited cheap cell phone plans
3. Cheapest of the cheap
4. Verizon coverage
5. AT&T coverage
6. T-Mobile coverage
7. Best pay-as-you-go
Cheap cell phone plans: FAQ
How do I save money with a cheap cell phone plan?
Switch to a smaller carrier
Any of the cheap cell phone plans on our list will save you a ton of cash versus the more established brands like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. While bigger carriers do tend to offer more fully-featured plans overall (with things like streaming service subscriptions), when it comes to value they simply can't compete with the smaller fish. Even if you're going to go with an unlimited data plan, for example, carriers like Visible offer cheaper prepaid alternatives for as low as $25 a month. For context, that's about a third of what you'd expect to pay with Verizon, which is Visible's parent company. Subsequently, it can pay dividends to jump ship to a smaller, up-and-coming cheap cell phone plans company.
Cut out what you don't need
Don't pay for what you don't need! It's a simple adage, but it rings true when shopping around for the best cheap cell phone plans. Data especially is one key area where a simple cut-back can really help reign in those monthly bills - particularly if you're someone who tends to use WiFi more than their cellular data. These days, nearly all cheap cell phone plans carriers offer unlimited talk and text on their service, so the biggest savings tend to be around cutting data rather than other features. Bigger carriers also offer things like bundled-in streaming service subscriptions, which don't tend to be featured on cheaper prepaid plans, but are worth dropping if you're strictly on a budget with a post-paid plan.
Review plan usage and avoid data upcharges
Before you commit to any of the cheap cell phone plans on our list we recommend having a solid idea of how much data you'll use each month, along with requirements for talk and text. Some cheaper carriers tend to have quite strict allowances where they'll either cut off your data, throttle your speed, or even charge you extra for going over your monthly allowance. Note - this upcharging is actually pretty uncommon now, and none of the cheap cell phone plans on our list will charge you if you go over your allowance (without prompting you). Still, it's worth reading any fine print carefully and having a good idea of your data usage before you jump on board with any carrier.
Who has the best coverage?
All of the cheap cell phone plans featured in this article are offered by MVNO companies using the bigger carrier networks of Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. They all have good coverage nationwide but you'll definitely want to determine which one's best for you by using the coverage checkers on their websites.
Here are some quick links to the various pages where you can check your coverage directly. Simply enter your zip code or pinpoint your location on the provided maps to see which big carrier has the best coverage in your local area.
How are these cell phone plans so cheap?
Smaller carriers (MVNOs) don't run their own networks for cellular coverage, instead opting to 'piggyback' off one of the four major carriers networks instead. This has the primary benefit of the MVNO not having to pay costly upkeep on maintaining the physical infrastructure needed for a cellular network but still enabling them to have great coverage. That saving means they can operate with much lower overheads and offer cheaper cell phone plans overall to their customers.
All this does come with a catch however, as the big carriers like to prioritize their own customer's connections when the network is seeing heavy traffic overall. This can lead to what's called 'de-prioritization' for the customers using a sub-carrier, which essentially results in a slower connection over LTE (non WiFi internet). That said, the potential savings of going with a smaller carrier tend to outweigh the disadvantages of a potential slower connection for most people. In general, the market tends to call these types of plans prepaid plans, as opposed to the usual postpaid (unlimited) options at the likes of Verizon and such.
