The best prepaid phone plans are perfect for keeping your monthly costs under control. With a prepaid phone plan, you know exactly what you're going to spend on wireless service. And it's easy enough jumping to another carrier if a better plan turns up elsewhere.
1. Mint Mobile - Best value (opens in new tab)
2. Verizon - Best coverage (opens in new tab)
3. Visible - Best unlimited data prepaid (opens in new tab)
4. AT&T - Best prepaid deal (opens in new tab)
We're here to help you find that better plan. We keep tabs on the best cell phone plans overall, including prepaid options. And our research finds that prepaid can help you save big over other types of monthly plans.
To reap the savings of prepaid service, you will have to make some sacrifices. But network coverage won't be one of the areas where you have to settle for less, as you'll still be using the same network as people with more expensive cell phone plans. (Your speeds may be slowed down if there's too much traffic on a network.) Most of the best prepaid phone plans now include 5G coverage, too.
Another thing you won't have to sacrifice is data. While there are cheap prepaid plans with small data allotments, if you need a big pile of data each month, you'll find some of the best unlimited data plans can be surprisingly affordable when they come from prepaid services.
So about those tradeoffs — don't expect the kind of perks that come with more expensive plans like free subscriptions to streaming services or the ability to use your monthly data allotment when you travel overseas. At most, you’re likely to get some hotspot data. iI you've need multiple lines, you may want to look elsewhere for the best family cell phone plan — only a few of the options below offer discounts on extra lines.
If those tradeoffs don't sound like too big of a sacrifice, the best prepaid phone plans are right for you, particularly if you're looking to save money on your cell phone bill. You'll find our picks below, followed by an explanation of what we look for when choosing the best prepaid phone plans.
The best prepaid phone plans for your smartphone
The best value prepaid cell phone plan:
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(opens in new tab)Best prepaid plan for coverage:
(opens in new tab)Best unlimited data prepaid cell phone plan:
(opens in new tab)An assortment of cheap prepaid options:
(opens in new tab)Great value from a major carrier:
(opens in new tab)Low cost-plan from T-Mobile:
(opens in new tab)A plan worth a second look:
(opens in new tab)Most flexible prepaid for families:
(opens in new tab)Best prepaid plan for students:
(opens in new tab)Best free prepaid plan:
(opens in new tab)How to pick the best prepaid phone plans
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 — such as Metro By T-Mobile and Boost — 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. Metro by T-Mobile has been known to increase discounts for each line of data you add, too.
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. Other wireless services — known as mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs — use the cellular networks of AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon for their coverage. (Some MVNOs turn to multiple carriers.) 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. Just be aware that MVNOs can see their traffic slowed if a carrier’s network gets too crowded.
5G coverage is now a part of what many MVNOs offer. Metro subscribers can access T-Mobile's 5G with an eligible phone, as can Mint Mobile customers. Visible has added 5G access on Verizon's network to select phones, and Cricket customers can now use AT&T's 5G connectivity with any of that MVNO's plans.
For more on MVNOs, read our guides to AT&T MVNOs, T-Mobile MVNOs and Verizon MVNOs — we'll tell you which discount carriers use which parent networks.
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're also researching 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.
