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The best cheap cell phone plans offer all of the following criteria without compromise — dependable coverage, fast service speeds, and as much data as you need at affordable prices. Choosing the right mobile virtual network operator (or MVNO) for you, though, will come down to your budget and priorities.
Among the best cheap cell phone plans, it's hard to beat our top pick, Mint Mobile's promotion for its three-month prepaid plans, as it offers 5GB, 15GB, 20GB, or "unlimited" high-speed data (40GB) to new customers starting at $15/month. That's $45/month less than T-Mobile's Essentials plan, our top pick for an affordable cell phone plan from a major carrier. If you want to extend your savings even further, we recommend Tello Mobile's Build Your Own plan, which can cost as low as $5/month.
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Our top picks for the best cheap phone plans
Best overall: Mint Mobile (Any 3-month plan) - See at Mint Mobile
Best true budget plan: Tello Mobile (Build Your Own plan) - See at Tello
Best unlimited plan: Visible Wireless (Visible+ plan) - See at Visible
Best international plan: Google Fi Wireless (Flexible plan) - See at Google
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Best overall
All of Mint Mobile's three-month plans are now discounted for new customers, so you can get anywhere from 5GB to "unlimited" monthly data (40GB) from our favorite MVNO at the same low prepaid cost of $15/month.
What we like
- Incredibly good value
- Easy plan management
- User-friendly experience
- Mobile hotspot included
- Free calls to Mexico and Canada
What we don’t like
- Less coverage in rural areas
- No option for premium data that isn't affected by network congestion
- No discounts for additional lines
Mint Mobile's prepaid plans for three, six, or 12 months offer affordable options and easy plan management, like adjusting data allotments per line at any time.
Your best point of entry into the Mint Mobile landscape is its current new customer promotion that sets its three-month plans at the following reduced rates: $15/month for 5GB, $20/month for 15GB, $25/month for 20GB, and $30/month for "unlimited" data, which includes 40GB of high-speed data (subject to deprioritization in congested areas), with slower speeds once you've hit that cap.
The overall customer experience makes Mint Mobile stand out from the competition. Its user-friendly setup and app experience, readily accessible support and FAQs, and easy-to-understand language make it an easy recommendation in addition to the price point.
However, after your promotional three months are up, any of Mint's 12-month plans will provide the most savings, as the monthly price and data remain the same as the three-month plans. All are great deals; in particular, the 5GB ($15/month)and15GB ($20/month)plans are well-priced considering the competition.
Consider your data usage patterns before signing up, but know that you can change your plan at any time with no added cost with Mint's excellent app or website.
In our overarching guide to the best cell phone plans, Mint Mobile is our top pick for a "true budget" option, and its base plan costs $45/month less than our budget pick from major carriers, T-Mobile's Essentials plan.
Read our full Mint Mobile review.
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Best true budget plan
Tello's unique Build Your Own plan allows you to customize your data and minutes to your specific needs and offers a low base price of $5/month.
What we like
- Data and minutes customization per line
- Exceptional budget value
- Free hotspot tethering
What we don’t like
- No discounts for multiple lines
- No international roaming options
- Not ideal for high-data users
The varied plans from Tello Mobile are the cheapest options we can recommend, and they offer the most customization.
With Tello's Build Your Own plan, in particular, you can adjust the minutes and data allotment for each line on your account, making it a great choice to cover the basics for kids, grandparents, students, or anyone who uses a minimum amount of data or is simply on a budget.
As you build your plan, you choose your monthly data amount (from no data to 500MB, 1GB, 2GB, 5GB, 10GB, or unlimited) and your monthly minutes (none, 100, 300, 500, or unlimited), the combination of which adds up to $5/month at the cheapest and $29/month at the most expensive.
The Build Your Own plan is particularly enticing if you want to specify a data allotment on a per-line basis — for example, setting data limits for a kid who just got their first phone while allowing them unlimited minutes.
Read our full Tello Mobile review.
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Best unlimited plan
If you're looking for a large amount of monthly data at a reasonable price, the Visible+ plan from Visible Wireless stands alone among budget carriers in offering up to 50GB of guaranteed high-speed data for $45/month.
What we like
- Dependable coverage on Verizon's network
- 50GB of guaranteed high-speed monthly data
- Unlimited hotspot data
What we don’t like
- No discounts for multiple lines
For high-speed data and extensive coverage, Verizon has your back with Visible Wireless. Our top pick for a budget unlimited plan is Visible's upgraded Visible+ plan at $45/month.
While the Visible+ plan has the highest price point of all the MVNOs we've included in this list, it provides by far the most high-speed monthly data and the closest approximation to "unlimited" data, as it guarantees 50GB of high-speed data before you experience any form of data speed deprioritization.
Most of the nominally "unlimited" plans from MVNOs — including Visible's base unlimited plan ($25/month) — offer data subject to deprioritization at any time behind the higher-paying customers of the MVNO's backing network. If you're in an area with a lot of network congestion, you could encounter deprioritized speeds at any time on such an "unlimited" plan, but you won't see any deprioritization within your monthly allotment of 50GB of high-speed data on the Visible+ plan.
The Visible+ plan also provides extended coverage with 5G "Ultra Wideband" areas, though Verizon's standard coverage (and the Visible base plan's coverage) is already very good. Before signing up, check Visible's coverage map to ensure you're covered.
Read our full Visible Wireless review.
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Best international plan
The Flexible plan at Google Fi Wireless includes international data for the same price as domestic data, along with free international texting and international calling at an affordable rate.
What we like
- International data roaming
- Low-cost international calling and texting
- Additional coverage for "Designed for Fi" devices
What we don’t like
- Data prices can rack up quickly
- Less coverage and support for iPhones
Google Fi Wireless has three plans at different pay tiers, each offering access to coverage provided by T-Mobile and basic benefits like VPN usage and select smartwatch compatibility.
The low-tier Flexible plan allows for pay-what-you-use monthly data at $10/GB plus a base monthly rate of $20 per phone line. That's expensive compared to other MNVOs on this list, and Google Fi doesn't come especially recommended if you don't need international features.
If you need international features, though, Google Fi's Flexible plan includes international roaming for the same price as domestic data usage at $10/GB, so you won't have to worry about being charged an exorbitant price while using your phone internationally. Even if you use more data while you're away, a feature called Bill Protection, unique to the Flexible plan, caps your monthly cost at $80 for a single line to prevent excessive fees from overages.
Google Fi also offers free texting from the US to over 200 destinationsand while traveling internationally.
Given that you have a "Designed for Fi" device (like a Google Pixel phone or a range of other Android phones featured in their list of compatible devices), you might be a great match for Google Fi, particularly if you frequently travel overseas.
Read our full Google Fi Wireless review.
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How we test cell phone plans
In our testing, we spend at least a week with a specific plan from a phone carrier, often longer, and primarily assess the quality of the plan and carrier by the following criteria:
- Plan offerings and flexibility: We consider the pricing and features included in a carrier's range of plans and assess its flexibility in allowing you to switch out of or between plans.
- Coverage area:For MVNOs, we note the approximate coverage area provided by the network or networks backing a budget carrier and evaluate whether particular locations consistently match their purported coverage type (e.g., 5G or 4G/LTE).
- Service reliability and speeds:In consistent testing locations, we assess the reliability of phone and video calls, note how fast videos and apps load over cellular data, and, with MVNOs, mark any apparent effects of deprioritization on service speeds.
- Customer support:We make a holistic assessment of a carrier's customer support system and online (or in-person) user experience for setup, use, and troubleshooting.
We also take into account secondary considerations such as ongoing discounts and any other notable perks or outstanding features.
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What to look for in a cheap cell phone plan
If you aren't in the market for the more expensive best cell phone plans from major carriers, you have no shortage of options for spending less on a phone plan, as affordable carriers have proliferated in recent years.
The best cheap cell phone plan for you will primarily reflect your needs for monthly data and minutes, the constraints of your budget, and the coverage of your local area by the network or networks backing a particular plan.
We set a few baseline criteria in choosing plans for this guide, in that all the plans listed above cost less than $50/month and, as with most MVNO plans, do not require a contract.
Before signing up for a service, take a granular look at the coverage map that an MVNO should make readily accessible on their website — marking the US network range of its backing carrier — and appraise the coverage of your location to ensure dependable service.
