The best prepaid phone plans mean a set cost on your phone bill each month for what turns out to be a fairly generous amount of data. And right now, the prepaid plan I'd recommend for most people comes from Mint Mobile.
Mint Mobile's 5GB plan offers more than enough data for the average smartphone user, and you can lock in a low monthly rate by paying for a full year of service. Of course, if you want month-to-month flexibility and more data, Visible's unlimited plan is another appealing prepaid option.
Best prepaid phone lans: Top picks
Mint Mobile has four different data plans, with the 15GB plan offering enough data for most people. You get high-speed coverage on T-Mobile's network, and the lowest monthly rate — $20 — if you commit to a full year of service.
The Visible Plus plan isn't the cheapest option at $35/month, but you'll get unlimited data at the fastest 5G speeds available on Verizon's network. Visible also offers the flexibility of a month-to-month plan.
AT&T looks to beat Mint Mobile at its own game by offering unlimited data when you pay $240 for 12 months of service. That works out to $20/month — the lowest monthly cost for unlimited data I've seen.
My name is Philip Michaels, and I oversee all the mobile coverage here at Tom's Guide in my role as the managing editor for mobile. In addition to reporting on and reviewing mobile devices, I also look at cell phone plans — a lot of them. Since I've been tracking wireless phone plans for a decade, I know chapter and verse on what carriers charge for their different plans. I'm also well aware of the perks included with different plans that separate the good ones from the great ones.
The best prepaid phone plans available right now
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The best prepaid phone plan overall
Who should get Mint Mobile's plan: Anyone who can swing a big upfront payment and who doesn't need a lot of hands-on customer support. Students and young adults who want to make one annual payment and not worry about monthly due dates will also appreciate Mint.
What I think about Mint: Mint Mobile has a good range of plans, with the carrier's 15GB option providing a nice chunk of data at a low monthly price. You pay $15/month for the first three months of service — an initial $45 upfront cost. After those three months are up, you would need to commit to a full year of service to keep that $20 rate — that means a $240 one-time payment, but that's the only bill you have to worry about for the next 12 months.
Looking at Mint Mobile's best plans, you can go cheaper if you want — a 5GB plan costs $15/month — or ramp things up to a $30/month unlimited data plan. In my experience with Mint, the carrier does an excellent job walking you through your options and recommending a plan that fits the amount of data you use.
I'm currently trying out Mint's service myself, with the carrier using the network of its parent company T-Mobile. That means pretty extensive coverage, particularly for 5G. My data speeds have been in line with what regular T-Mobile customers would experience, though Mint speeds can be slowed down if there's a lot of traffic on the network.
You can use your Mint data plan to provide hotspot data for other devices, and you're able to make calls for free to Canada and Mexico. Those aren't extensive perks, but the price and performance at Mint are first-rate — if you don't mind the big annual payment.
The best prepaid unlimited data plan
Who should get Visible's plan: Anyone who needs a lot of data for less than $40/month and lives in an area with strong Verizon coverage. You'll also appreciate the high-resolution streaming if you watch lots of video on your phone.
What I think about Visible: At $35/month, the Visible Plus plan I'm recommending isn't your cheapest option for unlimited data. Mint Mobile and AT&T both charge less if you pay for a year of service in advance, and Boost Mobile also has a lower monthly rate with that annual commitment. But I think Visible offers the best mix of price and perks with Visible Plus.
You get up to 50GB of high-speed data with this plan, and video streaming resolution can get as high as 1080p. You also get one Global Pass day per month that allows you to use your plan overseas; you can bank up to 12 of those passes to cover future trips. (The more expensive Visible Plus Pro plan offers two Global Passes.)
I've tested out Visible's service and found it to enjoy the same reach as Verizon's coverage. (That's not surprising, as Verizon owns Visible.) Unlike the cheaper Visible plan, your speeds on Visible Plus won't slow down until you've used up your 50GB allotment, which should reassure heavy data users.
Read our full Visible review.
Best prepaid plan value
Who should get AT&T's plan: People who want a fixed monthly rate but aren't comfortable with less well-known carriers will find AT&T to be a more reassuring choice — especially if they can make a one-time payment to cover the full year of service.
What I think about AT&T: Mint Mobile isn't the only carrier to offer lower rates in exchange for a full-year commitment. Pay AT&T $240 up front, and you can get unlimited data for the next 12 months — a price that works out to $20/month. That's $10 cheaper than Mint's price.
AT&T's plan comes with some limitations. Unlike the unlimited plan at Mint, where there's no cap on high-speed data, or the Visible Plus plan and its 50GB high-speed data guarantee, you only get 16GB of high-speed data each month at AT&T. That should cover most people, but if you hit that limit, your speeds slow dramatically.
It's been more than a dozen years since I was an AT&T customer, so I can't speak to the quality of its coverage. Testing firm Rootmetrics says AT&T had the best performing network in the first half of 2025, though, and prepaid customers should benefit from that reliability and speed — provided they don't hit that 16GB data cap.
The best tiered plan from a big carrier
Who should get Verizon's plan: Anyone who wants to benefit from Verizon's far-reaching network but doesn't want to take a chance on Visible. Seniors will appreciate the fixed cost, which is locked in for three years.
What I think about Verizon: Verizon supplies my wireless service, and I'm a pretty satisfied customer, with the caveat that I'm on a postpaid plan. My mother-in-law does use Verizon's prepaid service, however, and she appreciates the locked-in cost and dependable coverage she gets from Verizon.
I'd steer new customers to the 15GB plan as it's Verizon's cheapest option. (There are unlimited data plans, but they start at $50/month — $15 more than you'd pay for Visible Plus, which uses the same network.) The 15GB plan costs $35/month after a $10 discount for enrolling in autopay.
You do get 5G coverage with this prepaid plan, though it's not Verizon's fastest Ultra Wideband service. Unless you have very demanding data needs, though, that really shouldn't impact your experience with Verizon's prepaid service.
The best prepaid plan for families
Who should get Total Wireless' plan: Parents who want unlimited data, but want a plan that covers their kids, too.
What I think about Total Wireless: Prepaid plans don't always favor families, as you don't often see escalating discounts as you add more lines of data to your plan, the way you do with the best family cell phone plans. Total Wireless, another Verizon-owned carrier, is a welcome exception to that rule, though.
While the cost of one line of the Total 5G Unlimited plan isn't that appealing at $50/month, the per line cost drops with each person you add. With Total giving you the fourth line of data for free, you wind up paying $27.50 for each line of data — a total of $110/month.
Contrast that approach with Mint, which only offers the same discounted rate on each line of data that pays for a full year of service. Visible Inner Circle plans have modest discounts — just $5 off each month on a Visible Plus plan.
I haven't used Total's service, though I imagine it's much the same as it is with Visible, another Verizon-owned discount carrier. That means fairly extensive coverage with 5G service included, though speeds can be deprioritized if network traffic is heavy.
Best price-lock guarantee
Who should get Boost Mobile's plan: Anyone who doesn't want a surprise on their monthly bill each month. Seniors, anyone on a fixed income, and people who pick a wireless provider and stick with it will like the low lifetime rate for unlimited data.
What I think about Boost Mobile: Lots of the best prepaid phone plan options are offering price-lock guarantees lately, but no one's offer is as long-lasting as what Boost proposes. With Boost's basic unlimited plan, you'll pay $25 each month for as long as you remain a customer. (A current promotion lowers that rate to $10 for the first two months of service for new customers.)
The trade-offs for that low rate are a lack of perks — Boost's more expensive unlimited plans offer extra like hotspot data, global talk and text, and discounts on devices you buy through Boost. The basic Boost unlimited plan also caps high-speed data at 30GB per month.
Boost has built out its own network to compete with AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, and my colleague John Velasco gave the service a try. He found the speeds to be fast and reliable, and he also appreciated how simple it was to set up a Boost account. He did find the lack of extras a little limiting.
Read our full Boost Mobile hands-on.
Most flexible prepaid data plan
Who should get Tello's plan: Bargain hunters who don't mind drilling down into every detail if it means saving an extra buck or two each month.
What I think about Tello: Variety is the spice of life at Tello, a low-cost carrier that stands out by offering a wide range of data plan options. Tello's monthly plans start at 1GB of data and range all the way up to an unlimited data offering. Personally, I favor the 10GB plan, as it's a lot of data that will still cost you less than $20 each month.
But that's not all you can adjust. By default, you get unlimited talk and text, but if you don't make a lot of calls, you can lower your allotted talk time to get further discounts. Cutting down to 500 minutes of talk lowers your 10GB data plan by $1 and you can save $2 each month with 300 minutes of talk time.
I haven't had the chance to try out Tello's service, which relies on T-Mobile's network for its coverage. That means potential slowdowns in data speed, as T-Mobile subscribers will get priority. From my research, some Tello customers have noticed the slower speeds, so expect to make that trade-off for the flexibility that Tello's range of low-cost plans offers.
Prepaid phone plans compared
Here's how our best prepaid phone plan picks compare. Prices reflect the monthly cost of one line of data. (Note that the Mint and AT&T options require a full year payment upfront.)
Total's plan may seem like the most expensive prepaid option on this list, but keep in mind that per line rates fall as you add more lines, with a family of four paying $27.50 per line. (That's $110 total for the month.) Visible's $35 Plus plan is also high compared to other unlimited options, though Visible also features a $25 unlimited plan with fewer perks.
Carrier | Data amount | Monthly payment, 1 line | Notes |
Mint | 15GB | $20 | Requires annual payment to get lowest monthly rate |
Visible | Unlimited | $35 | Visible Plus Pro plan has more perks for $45/month; cheaper Visible plan ($25) has fewer perks |
AT&T | Unlimited | $20 | 16GB of high-speed data; upfront payment required |
Verizon | 15GB | $35 | Price features autopay discount |
Total Wireless | Unlimited | $50 | Four lines of data costs a total of $110; no cap on high-speed data |
Boost Mobile | Unlimited | $25 | 30GB of high-speed data; lifetime price guarantee |
Tello | 10GB | $19 | Multiple plans available with data amounts ranging from 1GB to unlimited |
What is a prepaid phone plan?
There are two kinds of cell phone plans — prepaid and postpaid. With a prepaid plan, you pay for data at the beginning of the month; that way, you know your precise costs for budgeting purposes. (Prepaid plans also don't require credit checks, so it's easier to get service if you've got a low credit score.)
Should you use up your allotted data for a month, many carriers will just slow down your data speeds for the rest of the billing cycle. In some cases, you'll need to top off your plan with data. That's why it's important to pick a prepaid phone plan with the right amount of data for your needs.
Many phone carriers prioritize traffic from postpaid customers, so it's possible that data rates can be slowed if you're using a prepaid plan. That's especially true when you use a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, such as Mint, Metro by T-Mobile or Cricket, where your phone service is piggy-backing on another carrier's network. (Mint and Metro use T-Mobile's network; Cricket relies on the network of parent company AT&T.)
Best prepaid phone plans: What you should consider
When shopping for a prepaid phone plan, price is paramount. That’s because prepaid plans don’t often come with the kind of benefits postpaid cell phone plans offer. That said, some carriers — notably, Total Wireless and Visible — do work in a few perks, so be aware of those when picking your plans.
You'll also want to pay attention to discounts and special offers. Often, larger carriers like AT&T and Verizon will adjust the size of their autopay discount, which can make a pricier plan more attractive. Some carriers, like Total Wireless, will lower the per-line cost as you add more lines, making them a good choice for families.
Besides price, one of the most important things to consider is what carrier offers the best coverage around your home and workplace. That’s true even if you look beyond the Big Three carriers for service. MVNOs use the cellular networks of AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon for their coverage. So if Verizon’s network is particularly strong where you are, for example, MVNOs that use Verizon’s network for coverage will perform well, too. As we mentioned above, MVNOs can see their traffic slowed if a carrier’s network gets too crowded.
5G coverage is included with most MVNO service by now. In the case of Verizon, you don't always get that carrier's faster 5G coverage, as is the case with the 15GB prepaid plan.
The best prepaid phone plans and free trials
Some prepaid carriers offer free trials, in which you can test out their service on your current phone without having to switch carriers first. It's a convenient way of seeing if a prepaid carrier's coverage is strong in your area.
A free trial at Cricket, which AT&T owns and operates, runs for 14 days and lets you use up to 3GB of data.
Visible's free trial lasts 15 days. In addition to iPhones, it's now open to Samsung and Google Pixel devices that can support eSIM.
Boost Mobile offers a 30-day money back guarantee in which you get your service fees returned if you cancel within 30 days of activation.
How we pick the best prepaid phone plans
Finding the best prepaid phone plans means widening our search beyond the major carriers, though AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon all have prepaid offerings. We also research plans from smaller carriers who use the Big Three's cellular towers to provide their coverage. As smaller carriers usually offer their service at a discount, they make up a majority of the candidates that we consider for best prepaid phone plans.
When we pick the best plans, we put a premium on the monthly price, though we also pay attention to how much data comes with that plan. After all, a carrier may not charge you a lot for data, but it also may not provide enough data for your needs. We're picking plans that offer the best mix of cost and data. We also consider a wide variety of data allotments, since some people can get by very happily using just a couple gigabytes of data each month, while others need an unlimited plan.
As noted previously, prepaid plans don't offer much in the way of perks. That said, we do take note of any special add-ons included with the best prepaid plans, as those can add value to a plan above and beyond its monthly cost.
