You'll always know how much your wireless service costs with the best prepaid phone plan. You pay a set amount at the beginning of each month and get a set amount of data in return. And if you pick one of the plans I've found for you, you would wind up with quite a lot of data in return for your monthly payment.
I've spent the past decade reviewing the best cell phone plans for Tom's Guide and that work includes considering prepaid plans from carriers big and small. That's how I've learned that the trick to finding a prepaid plan that balances a lot of data with an affordable price is to look beyond the major carriers. Mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs, use the networks of other carriers for their service, helping them charge less for coverage. (They also cut back on perks, though to be honest, you don't get a lot of those anyhow when you opt for a prepaid phone plan.)
When I look at prepaid plans, I'm considering how much data you get in exchange for your monthly rate as well as what happens when you use up all your data in a given month. (Do your speeds slow down, or do you have to buy additional data?) Another thing to consider if you turn to an MVNO: what network are they using for their service?
With that in mind, I'd recommend Mint Mobile, which offers a low monthly price when you pay for a year of its service in advance. For unlimited data, the best prepaid phone plan option comes from Visible, while Total Wireless offers families the best rate. And even, though they're big name carriers, Verizon and AT&T have options that land on our best prepaid phone plan list.
Looking to save even more than the options here? Check out our guide to the best cheap cell phone plans under $40 if price is your biggest consideration. (You will spot some of the same options in both guide.s)
The quick list
15GB for $20 at Mint Mobile
Any one of Mint's four prepaid phone plans would be an excellent choice depending on your needs, but 15GB is plenty of data for most people. After the first three months, you pay for a full year to keep Mint's lowest rate.
15GB for $35 at Verizon
Verizon's best prepaid plan offers the most data of any big carrier for a reasonable monthly price. Sign up for autopay, and your monthly bill drops $10 to $35, and you'll get 15GB as part of the deal. 5G coverage is included.
Unlimited for $25 at AT&T
AT&T's plan features unlimited data, letting you use a generous 16GB of high-speed data before slowing down your speeds. But the low month rate of $25 requires you to pay for a full year of service upfront. If you can afford to spend $300 all at once, you get a big pile of data to use on a very good network.
Unlimited data for $45 at Visible
The $45/month Unlimited Plus option is the best of Visible's two plans, thanks to faster 5G coverage and the ability to make overseas calls. Taxes and fees are included.
Unlimited data (four lines) for $110 at Total Wireless
Families of four should look at the unlimited options at Total Wireless. The Verizon-owned carrier essentially gives you your fourth line for free through escalating discounts as you add lines.
Unlimited data for $25 at Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile matches the low price of other prepaid unlimited data plans. And if you enroll in autopay, you'll lock in that $25 monthly rate for as long as you remain a Boost customer.
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 nearly 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 plan overall
The best prepaid plan from a big carrier
Best annual prepaid plan
The best prepaid unlimited data plan
The best prepaid plan for families
Best price-lock guarantee
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 or Cricket, where your phone service is piggy-backing on another carrier's network.
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, Metro By T-Mobile — 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, making it 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. For example, Metro by T-Mobile 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, and Cricket customers can now use AT&T's 5G connectivity with any of that MVNO's plans.
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.
Mint Mobile's free trial lets you sample the service for seven days. You're given 250MB of data, 250 minutes of talk time and 250 texts to see what Mint's service is all about.
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.
