Best wireless carriers for students 2024

It's a good idea to get one of the best wireless carriers for students is a great idea if you're heading back to school or college soon. Fortunately, plenty of wireless carriers — both mainstream and prepaid — offer plans that'll work well with your hectic and tech-savvy lifestyle, and we've rounded up some of our favorites below.

These carriers have plans offering a balance of great coverage nationwide with good old-fashioned bang for your buck, plus it never hurts to get some extra perks as part of the package. Our top vote goes to Visible Wireless, a prepaid carrier that lets you pick from two feature-packed plans and coverage on Verizon's network. Then there is Mint Mobile, which is owned by T-Mobile and uses the magenta carrier's network and multi-month plans to help you save more. Do take a look at Tello as well, which lets you customize your wireless service plan to your liking with no hassles.

• Carrier deals: Verizon | AT&T | T-Mobile | Mint Mobile | Visible

At a glance

Best overall

Arguably one of the most important things for any student is a constant and reliable data connection, the kind that works after midnight when you can't figure out how to get back to your dorm. Visible is one of the simplest solutions offering you a truly unlimited connection on the Verizon network. Nearly every carrier has an unlimited option but with Visible, there's no credit check and you monthly price stays fixed.

The carrier offers two plans, Visible and Visible Plus, for $25 per month and $45 per month, respectively. Both plans come with unlimited talk, text, data, and free mobile hotspot, but Visible Plus has the added bonus of 50GB of premium network data and some international perks, such as calling to over 30 countries worldwide. 

Visible uses Verizon's LTE and 5G networks so you can be confident you'll have some of the best coverage around. Even if it doesn't work out, with no contract, you're free to try another network. Visible also lets you bring your own device, like an unlocked Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, or even iPhone. You can also buy or finance a phone from the website, and there are typically quite a few Visible deals to explore if you are looking to save money. 

Best in bulk

When I was in college, I found that I had far more money at the beginning of the year than at the end. If you have ever faced a similar financial situation, it might be worth buying your phone service for the entire year and not worrying about it while class is in session. Mint Mobile allows you to buy up to 12 months of service upfront and if you do, you can save a lot of cash. You can also buy three or six months of service at a time, but three months is the minimum.

With coverage on T-Mobile's LTE and 5G networks, you will have plenty of coverage with Mint Mobile as well as fast data speeds. Although Mint Mobile's unlimited plan is capped at 40GB, that's still a decent amount, and more high-speed data can easily be added later on.

Mint Mobile also lets you use data via a hotspot with no speed penalties. This can be a lifesaver if you need to get an assignment done while traveling. With plans starting at 5GB and moving up to 15GB and 20GB, you can certainly get something for you.

Best budget

If you're on a really tight budget, you won't find a better option than Tello. Easily one of the best MVNO carriers out there, Tello features a handy customization tool that lets you decide exactly what you want in your wireless service plan, that too at really good price(s). From 1GB of data to unlimited and from 100 minutes of talk time to unlimited, you can pick whatever suits you. Heck, Tello even makes it possible for you to customize your plan with no data or no minutes at all.

With Tello, you can get started for as little as $5 per month. Even if you go unlimited for both talk time minutes and high-speed data (capped at 35GB), your bill will come out to be $25 per month.

If you don't want to bother with the whole customization thing, you can go with one of Tello's pre-configured plans instead. They all offer unlimited talk and text, as well as different amounts of high-speed data. Since the carrier uses T-Mobile's excellent network infrastructure, you can use a wide of Android phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to enjoy 5G and 4G/LTE coverage. Some other benefits offered by Tello include mobile hotspot usage, and international calls to over 60 countries.

Best perks

T-Mobile Prepaid has two unlimited plans but if you make clever use of Wi-Fi while at school and at home, you can probably get by with the starter 10GB option with little to no issues. Apart from unlimited talk and text, this plan lets you enjoy your music on some of the best music streaming services at no extra charges. Set the quality to high and enjoy your tunes from Spotify, TIDAL, and many more.

If you use up your 10GB data, you'll still get data at 2G speeds, which means you'll be able to send and receive messages and even use apps like Google Maps (just switch off satellite view). If you use Wi-Fi to download videos ahead of time, 10GB allotment is more than enough to get you through a month. 

T-Mobile itself has some great perks, including scam call blocking and full access to a superb 5G and 4G/LTE network infrastructure. And with full compatibility with some of the best unlocked phones out there, there's a fairly high chance you'll be able to bring the phone you already own to the carrier, be it an Android device or an iPhone.

Best custom plans

US Mobile offers two unlimited plans, an annual 10GB plan, and a custom plan. The 'Unlimited Starter' plan includes 35GB of premium data and 10GB of hotspot data, while the higher 'Unlimited Premium' option gives you 100GB of premium data and 50GB of hotspot data. Both unlimited plans come with access to 5G mmWave with C-band for solid network coverage.

The unlimited plans are priced at $29 per month (for Unlimited Starter) and $50 per month (for Unlimited Premium), but you can get discounts by getting multiple lines. The Unlimited Premium also makes you eligible for a $15 per month subscription (provided you add three lines), with services like Audible, Max, and PlayStation Plus included in the mix.

Apart from these, US Mobile has a 'Shareable Data' offering that lets you buy data in chunks of 2GB, 6GB, 18GB, and 30GB. This data can be shared amongst devices such as tablets, across multiple lines. No matter which option you choose, the price includes first line and unused data gets rolled over into your next month's allotment.

Best for AT&T coverage

Cricket Wireless is a prepaid carrier owned by AT&T and as such, uses this network exclusively. Even so, it has some solid plans that make quite a lot of sense if you're a student looking to save. You can go with the $30 per month basic plan if you don't need too much data, as it offers only 5GB of high-speed data. Moving up, there is a 10GB option for $35 per month (with autopay discount). However, the carrier's two most interesting options for students are the 'Unlimited' and the 'Unlimited + 15GB Mobile Hotspot' plans.

Unlimited has unlimited data with a lower priority than AT&T's postpaid plans, but the $55 per month price tag makes it a good fit for heavy data users on a budget. For $5 more, you can upgrade to premium data and add 15GB of hotspot data. You also get Max with ads included.

The prices of Cricket Wireless definitely aren't the lowest but if you are looking for a cheaper way to get unlimited data on AT&T's network, its plans are worth taking a look at. If you get multiple lines, you can get some more discounts. While the AT&T network isn't the fastest, it has consistent coverage in many rural areas with better phone compatibility than what that of Verizon.

• Back to the top^

How to choose

Pick the plan that's right for your requirements

There are more options than ever these days if you're a student wanting to get solid value for your money while getting a wireless carrier. It's always a great idea to check each educational institution for discounts on services like these since many schools and colleges form partnerships with specific carriers. With special discounts, it can be possible to save even more money. You can also save cash by going for a cheap but good Android phone, instead of splurging on a top-of-the-line smartphone.

Nearly all schools and colleges have a fairly robust Wi-Fi network for students, with coverage in local public areas and sometimes even on buses. Making good use of Wi-Fi can be a great way to save money and even improve connection speeds. If you are looking to use a lot of public Wi-Fi, consider using a VPN service to protect your privacy.

In the end, Visible provides a great solution for anyone who needs a lot out of their phone service. Its plans are priced reasonably, you get full mobile hotspot use, and unlimited talk and text. Alternatively, you can go for Tello to build a customized plan that's perfect for your needs. US Mobile is also a great option with its 'Shareable Data' offering, which can come in really handy if you want to share data on multiple devices.

• Carrier deals: Verizon | AT&T | T-Mobile | Mint Mobile | Visible