I write about wireless carriers for a living, and these are the cheap data plans that I'd recommend in 2025

With the best cheap data plans, you get to enjoy great savings on your phone bill while still getting lots of high-speed data for all your requirements. Sure, these plans often lack some of the bundled extras like subscription services that come with regular unlimited plans, but as far as the basics are concerned, you get everything.

While most of these affordable plans are available through some of the best MVNO carriers in the country, some are also offered by the 'Big Three' service providers. Since these MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) 'lease' network infrastructure from one (or more) mainstream carriers, they don't have to spend money on expenses related to operations and maintenance. This allows them 'alternative' service providers to pass on the savings to consumers, generally in the form of prepaid plans that don't require you to get into any pesky contracts.

My top vote still goes to Mint Mobile, an affordable yet feature-laden MVNO that's owned by T-Mobile and offers its service in chunks of multiple (e.g., three, six, or 12) months. Another solid option is Tello, as it lets you customize your plan just the way you want it. There are quite a few other choices as well, so make sure you read all about them before making a pick!

Patrick Farmer

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

Many of the Americans use significantly less amount of data than they think. If that includes you, why not consider reducing your monthly bill by getting just what you need from your phone plan and getting rid of the extra stuff?

Mint Mobile's 5GB base plan is arguably the best cheap cell phone plan overall, offering enough data for most light users, along with 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 choose to keep this rate 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 fully owned by T-Mobile and uses its parent carrier's excellent 5G infrastructure to give you nationwide coverage. You can buy a phone through the carrier too, but if your existing device is already paid off and unlocked, you can easily bring it to Mint Mobile, and it'll work sans 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 through a hotspot, and calling to Mexico, Canada, and the UK is included with this plan too. 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 top Unlimited plan, making it an even better value. Also, as part of a limited-time offer, you can get any of Mint Mobile's four plans at just $15 per month, provided you sign up for at least three months as a new customer.

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 up. Luckily, there are quite a few unlimited options to choose from. While most of these plans will likely 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 nationwide LTE and 5G network infrastructure of its parent company Verizon to offer solid coverage, and all its prices are inclusive of taxes and fees. You'll need a compatible phone with VoLTE support on Verizon to get going, but majority of the new devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Google Pixel 9 support it.

While the base plan is good enough for most users, we recommend upgrading to the middle Visible Plus plan. Now priced at an even better $35 per month (before any promotional discounts), it not only offers unlimited talk and text, but also unlimited premium data on Verizon's super-fast 'Ultra-Wideband' 5G network. Some other perks include unlimited hotspot use at 10Mbps speed, talk and text to Mexico & 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, smartwatch service, 4K video streaming, and a whole lot more.

Best affordable

Sometimes less is more, and that is generally the case with data as well. 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 suggest checking out Tello, as it can help you save quite a lot on your phone bill.

Tello lets you customize your phone plan almost exactly how you want, both in terms of talk time minutes and data allotment. From just 1GB to unlimited data and from 100 minutes to fully unlimited talk time, there are several options you can mix and match using the carrier's 'Build Your Own Plan' configurator on the website. You can even go for no data or no talk time at all. Some other goodies offered by Tello include free hotspot, free texts, and easy 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 gives you 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 relatively affordable prices. As such, if you are someone who simply doesn't care much about 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 three 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. It also offers a discount of $5 per line, for a maximum of six 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 at 3G speeds (optional high-speed available), video streaming (at up to 480p quality), unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico (at up to 128Kbps), and unlimited texting in more than 215 countries and destinations across the globe. You also get spam call protection, and there are no service contracts to get into either.

Best for data sharing

Utilizing the network infrastructure of both T-Mobile and Verizon, US Mobile is easily one of the best MVNO carriers in the country. Its portfolio includes three unlimited plans having loads of data (with the starter plan only available as an annual option), but what if you want to share data between multiple devices?

This is where US Mobile's 'By the Gig' offerings come into picture. 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 then be shared among 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 three unlimited plans as well, and you can pay for an entire year of service for more savings. All these plans come with unlimited talk, text, and data, lots of dedicated mobile hotspot data, and much more.

Best for families

Signing up for multiple lines for your entire family can be a great way of saving on the phone service. While most of the prepaid carriers need you to pay the full price for the first line, postpaid operators like T-Mobile offer significant discounts if you bring in multiple members of your family to the network as well.

T-Mobile's Experience More plan is one of the best family-oriented wireless plans out there. At $85 per month (taxes and fees included) per line with autopay discounts, it's certainly not as cheap as some plans offered by competitors, but there are numerous goodies thrown into the mix that make the price almost seem justified.

Each line on the Experience More plan gets not only unlimited premium data, but also 60GB of dedicated mobile hotspot data. After you use that allotment, unlimited hotspot usage is still available at 3G speeds. You also get multi-line discounts (with the third line being free), unlimited talk, text, and 15GB of high-speed data in Canada and Mexico, full in-flight connectivity, six months of Apple TV+ and Netflix (with ads), and much more. This plan also comes with a five-year price guarantee, and of course, you can choose from the best T-Mobile phones to fully enjoy all the perks that the plan has.

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How to choose

How much data do you really need?

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Before choosing a carrier and/or a wireless plan, it's very important to take time for thinking about your requirements. The 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(s) 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 up 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 offers 50GB of premium data, texting while abroad, and much more.

The second important thing to consider is device compatibility. If you've already got an unlocked phone, you're one step ahead and can just 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 almost always connected to a Wi-Fi network. You should select a plan that matches your usage, rather than adjusting your usage to your plan.

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