At a glance
1. Best overall
2. Best unlimited
3. Best affordable
4. Best for seniors
5. Best for data sharing
6. Best for families
How to choose
The best cheap data plans let you have (nearly) the same experience as you'd get with one of the 'Big Three' carriers, albeit at much lower prices. Sure, these plans usually don't come with some of the bundled extras (e.g., subscription services, multi-line discounts) offered by proper unlimited plans, but they cover all the basics.
Generally, these affordable plans come from some of the best MVNO carriers in the market. An MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) is an alternative wireless service provider that 'leases' network infrastructure from one (or more) mainstream carriers, which allows for cheaper prepaid plans. These offerings are flexible and lightweight and can be easily customized according to your requirements. No matter what your preferences, I've created this guide to highlight the finest cheap data plans available out there.
My overall vote still goes to Mint Mobile, an affordable yet feature-laden MVNO that uses the incredible 5G network infrastructure of T-Mobile, its parent company. What makes Mint Mobile unique is that it lets you save by offering service in chunks of multiple months. You can choose to pay upfront for three, six, or 12 months. Of course, there are plenty of other carriers as well, so make sure you read all about them!
Patrick is an experienced deal hunter with a particular interest in helping people save money on their phone bills. Whether you're switching to an affordable MVNO or upgrading to one of the Big Three, utilizing Patrick's years of experience in the eCommerce space can help you cut through the noise and find the carrier that works for you.
At a glance
Best overall
Along with 5GB high-speed data, the base plan of Mint Mobile gives you unlimited talk and text, mobile hotspot functionality, and free calling to Mexico and Canada.
Best unlimited
Visible Plus not only gives you unlimited talk and text, but also unlimited mobile hotspot (capped at 10Mbps), automatic spam and robocall blocking, and unlimited premium data.
Best affordable
Tello features a customization tool that lets you choose exactly what you want in your mobile plan. From nothing to unlimited minutes and from no data to unlimited, you can mix and match things up as you like.
Best for seniors
With T-Mobile Essentials Choice 55, you get unlimited talk and text, 5G access, spam and robocall blocking, weekly goodies, SD streaming, and more. Hotspot use is included too.
Best for data sharing
US Mobile lets you buy data in chunks (e.g., 2GB, 10GB) that can be shared between devices across multiple lines. Whatever you choose, the price includes first line, as well as all taxes and fees. All plans also offer hotspot functionality.
Best for families
T-Mobile Go5G is a fully loaded plan that has 100GB premium data, 15GB mobile hotspot data, roaming benefits in Mexico and Canada, and in-flight connectivity benefits. It's also eligible for multi-line discounts.
Best overall
Many Americans use significantly less data than they think. If that includes you, why not consider reducing your monthly bill by getting just what you need from your cell phone plan?
Mint Mobile's 5GB plan is easily the best cheap cell phone plan overall, offering enough data for most light users, as well as unlimited talk and text. Mint Mobile is an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) that starts you off with a three-month plan at a low introductory price. You can keep this rate going if you renew the service for a year, though you have to pay the entire amount in advance. After that, you can opt for a shorter renewal period, but doing so will slightly increase your monthly price.
Mint Mobile is now fully owned by T-Mobile and uses the carrier's 5G infrastructure to give you nationwide coverage. You can buy a phone through the carrier but if your existing device is already paid off and unlocked, you can simply bring it over to Mint Mobile and it'll work without any issues. In any case, we recommend that you check your phone's compatibility on Mint Mobile's website before moving ahead.
Mint Mobile also allows you to share your data allotment via a hotspot, and calling to Mexico and Canada is included with this plan as well. If you need more data, you can either add 1GB (priced at $10) or 3GB (priced at $20) at a time or simply upgrade to a higher plan by paying the price difference.
Note: Mint Mobile has now removed the 40GB data cap from its highest Unlimited plan, making it an even better value. Also, as part of a limited-time offer, you can get this plan at a price of just $25 per month if you sign up upfront for an entire year.
Best unlimited
People rely on their phones these days more than ever, and many just want tons of data without having to think about how much they've used. Luckily, there are a number of unlimited options to pick from. While most of these plans will reduce your speeds if you use too much data, your connectivity won't be completely cut off. Even so, hitting these upper limits is pretty difficult.
Visible uses the LTE and 5G network infrastructure of its parent company Verizon to offer solid coverage, and its prices are inclusive of all taxes and fees. You'll need a compatible phone with VoLTE support (on Verizon) to get going, but most of the new devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Google Pixel 9 support it.
While the base plan is still good enough for most users, we suggest going for Visible Plus. Now priced at an even better $35 per month, it not only has unlimited talk and text, but also unlimited premium data on Verizon's super-fast 'Ultra-Wideband' 5G network. Other benefits include unlimited hotspot use at 10Mbps speed, talk and text to Mexico and Canada with 2GB of daily roaming data, 500 minutes of talk time to over 30 countries, unlimited texting to more than 200 countries, and 1080p video streaming. If you want even more, you can go for the newly introduced Visible Plus Pro plan, which has all the benefits of Visible Plus, along with hotspot use at 15Mbps speed, and 4K video streaming.
Best affordable
Sometimes less is more, and that is often the case with data too. There might be users who don't even need 2GB of data per month, or those who just want a few minutes of talk time. If that sounds someone like you, we recommend getting Tello, as it can help you save a whole lot on your phone bill.
Tello lets you customize your phone plan exactly how you want, both in terms of talk time minutes and data allotment. From 1GB to unlimited data and from 100 minutes to unlimited talk time, there are several options you can mix and match. You can even go for no data or no talk time at all. Some of the other goodies offered by Tello include hotspot usage, free texts, and hassle-free upgrade/downgrade at any time.
Using T-Mobile's network infrastructure, Tello also offers some pre-configured plans to save you the trouble of having to set things up yourself. The base Economy plan features 2GB of data and unlimited talk and text for just $10 per month. The highest Data plan is true to its name and includes unlimited data (capped at 35GB), all while costing a mere $25 per month. You even get free calls to Mexico, India, Canada, and many other countries. Tello's selection of phones is somewhat limited and includes mostly refurbished and pre-owned options, but you can bring most of the best unlocked phones over to the network.
Best for seniors
Many carriers offer discounts on the best phone plans for seniors, and it can be a good way (for eligible consumers) to avail wireless service at lower prices. However, even if you are someone who doesn't care about too much data or a laundry list of features, these plans guarantee that you'll only get what you actually need.
As one of the 'Big Three' carriers in the United States, T-Mobile offers a trio of plans for users aged 55 and above. Of these, the least expensive is the Essentials Choice 55 plan, which costs $45 per month (taxes and fees extra) with autopay discounts. That being said, this plan is only available for one or two lines.
Speaking of benefits, T-Mobile Essentials Choice 55 gives you 50GB of premium data on the carrier's incredible 5G network, complete with unlimited talk and text, mobile hotspot usage, spam and robocall protection (via Premium Scam Shield), weekly free stuff, video streaming (480p quality), a dedicated customer care team, and more. You also get to text while roaming abroad and 2G data in Mexico and Canada.
Best for data sharing
Using the network infrastructure of both T-Mobile and Verizon, US Mobile is easily one of the best MVNO carriers in the United States. Its portfolio includes two unlimited plans having loads of data, but what if you want to share data with multiple devices?
This is where US Mobile's 'By the Gig' offerings come into play. Basically, this feature lets you buy data in chunks of 2GB, 5GB, 10GB, and 20GB, at monthly prices of $10, $15, $20, and $35, respectively (for one line). This data pool can be shared between different devices (including tablets) across multiple lines.
It's worth mentioning that all the above-mentioned prices include one line, as well as all the taxes and fees. You can add more lines at a price of $8 per line, and each line gets unlimited talk and text, premium data, and hotspot functionality. The more lines you get, the more you can save.
As mentioned before, US Mobile offers two unlimited plans too, and you can pay for an entire year of service for more savings. Both plans come with unlimited talk, text, and data, international calling and texting benefits, lots of dedicated mobile hotspot data, and more.
Best for families
Signing up for multiple lines via family plans is a great way of saving money on your phone service. While most of the prepaid carriers need you to pay the full price for the first line, postpaid operators such as T-Mobile offer significant discounts if you bring in multiple members of your family to the network as well.
T-Mobile's Go5G plan is arguably among the best family-centric wireless service options out there. At $75 per month (taxes and fees included) per line, it's definitely not as cheap as some plans offered by competitors, but there are numerous goodies bundled in that make that price almost seem justified.
Each line on the Go5G plan gets 100GB of premium data, which is more than enough for the needs of just about everyone. You also get mobile hotspot functionality with 15GB of high-speed data (after you use 15GB, unlimited hotspot usage is available at 3G speeds), Wi-Fi calling, and unlimited talk and text on T-Mobile's 5G network. Not only that, but the plan also includes 10GB high-speed roaming data in Canada and Mexico (unlimited roaming data at 128Kbps after your high-speed allotment is used up), in-flight connectivity, six months of Apple TV+, and more. And of course, you can pick from any of the best T-Mobile phones to enjoy all the benefits that the plan comes with.
How to choose
How much data do you really need?
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Before selecting a carrier and/or a wireless plan, it's important to spend some time thinking about your requirements. The vast majority of plans now offer unlimited talk and text, so the primary factor to take into account is data. Fortunately, most (if not all) modern phones can tell you how much data you typically use in their settings. If not, you can simply take a look at your past bill and get an estimate of your mobile data (not Wi-Fi) usage.
If you use a significant amount of data (e.g., more than 30GB) in a month, it might be a good ideal to go for an unlimited plan such as Visible Plus. Its unlimited premium data allotment should be sufficient for all your needs, and you'll get super-fast speeds on Verizon's Ultra-Wideband 5G network. There's also mobile hotspot functionality, as well as a few nice international perks.
Of course, Mint Mobile's 5GB plan is an easy recommendation as our top choice, but only if you don't use too much data. If you're over the age of 55, you can go for the T-Mobile Essentials Choice 55 plan. For just $45 per month, it has 50GB of premium data, texting while abroad, and even some weekly free stuff.
The second important thing to consider is device compatibility. If you've already got an unlocked phone, you're one step ahead and can start looking at the plans. On the other hand, if you're stuck with a carrier-locked phone or/and are ready to get a new phone, you can purchase almost any phone unlocked and get it activated on the new carrier of your choice. From affordable options to some of the best Android phones, there are plenty of options in the market.
Get the plan that's ideal for your requirements
It goes without saying that the best plan—no matter how much (or how little) data or talk time it offers—will be the one that works out best for you, and that's not always going to be the cheapest option. Saving money is important, but if you go for a plan that offers too little for your needs, you may find yourself running out of data when you actually need it. Similarly, there's no point getting an unlimited plan if you mostly stay at home and your device is always connected to your Wi-Fi network. You should select an option that matches your usage requirements, rather than adjusting your usage to your plan.
- Carrier deals: Verizon | AT&T | T-Mobile | Mint Mobile | Visible
