Opt for one of the best cheap cell phone plans for your handsets, and you'll never have to worry about paying more than $40 per month for talk, text and data. Even with that kind of cap on how much you'll pay for cell phone service, you can still find a plan with plenty of data — even unlimited data in some cases.
1. Best value: Mint Mobile
2. Lowest price: Tello
3. Best coverage: Verizon
4. Best cheap unlimited: Visible
5. Best value from a main carrier: T-Mobile
That said, there are some sacrifices to made if you opt for one of the best cheap cell phone plans — perks won't be as plentiful as on some of the pricer plans out there. But data isn't one of those things you have to give up. While we've found some low-cost plans with only a small pool of data, other options can give you 8GB of data and up, which is plenty for activities like streaming video or playing online games.
As part of our search for the best cell phone plans overall, we've kept an eye out for plans like that. Our best cheap cell phone plan search takes into account the merits of prepaid vs. postpaid phone service while also examining whether MVNOs are worth the money. (You can look at our methodology for making picks just below our rankings of the best cheap plans.) As it turns out, you may be as surprised by what you can get for $40 or less, including some of the best unlimited data cell phone plans we've come across.
Whether you're buying a new phone or just looking for ways to save money this year, we can help you find one of the best cheap cell phone plans that are out there right now.
The best cheap cell phone plans
The best overall cheap cell phone plan
The lowest priced cell phone plan
An excellent price from one of the major carriers
Best cheap plan with extensive coverage
The cheapest unlimited data
Best overlooked value
Best cheap plan for Google Pixel phones
The best cheap AT&T cell phone plan
What to look for with cheap cell phone plans
Obviously, price is going to be paramount when considering a cheap cell phone plan. After all, if money is no object, there are plenty of pricey plans that will deliver maximum perks and data.
But price isn’t the only criteria to look at. You'll want to consider who provides the best cell phone coverage in your area and whether the discount carrier you're considering uses that carrier's network. With the exception of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, none of the discount carriers we've mentioned here operate their own network. Rather, as mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs, they piggyback on the cellular networks built by one or more of the major carriers. Some carriers, such as Republic Wireless and Google Fi, also offload calls and texts to Wi-Fi when available, as part of their efforts to keep monthly costs low.
You'll also want to look at the variety of plans each carrier offered and whether you could move to a different plan if your talk, text and data needs change. We've focused on plans for individuals, but if you're searching for the best family cell phone plan, look into whether a carrier offers discounts on multiple lines. While perks generally aren't included with cheap cell phone plans, look to see if there are some added benefits such as hotspot data.
How we pick the best cheap cell phone plans
We are constantly looking at what phone carriers offer, as part of our research into the best cell phone plans. That includes looking at what's available from the major carriers — AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon — as well as from discount carriers. We check prices monthly, comparing what different services have to offer.
For our best cheap cell phone plans guide, we set a limit of $40 per month, only looking at plans that fall under this threshold. Price is paramount in our rankings, though we do make note of how much data each plan provides as well as any perks to keep in mind. That can help distinguish two equally priced plans — or even make a slightly more expensive plan a better value overall.
Because cell phone coverage can differ from area to area, we try to include a wide variety of cell phone plans priced at $40 or less, so that you can find the best rate for the wireless service with the strongest coverage in your area.