Best prepaid phone plans 2025

The best prepaid phone plans offer the right balance of affordability and flexibility, that too without requiring you to sacrifice the perks and data that you need. Available from nearly all Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), these plans generally work well with most (if not all) unlocked phones. And since there are not any confusing and pricey contracts to deal with, you can move from one plan another with little to no effort.

Perhaps this is the reason that the 'Big Three' carriers — Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T — are buying up alternative service providers like there's no tomorrow. Ultimately, this benefits you as a customer, since you get reliable coverage of mainstream carriers, but at much lower rates. Of course, prepaid operators aren't perfect, as your connectivity could get deprioritized if the network is busy, and you might lose out on some goodies (e.g., customer service) of primary carriers too. That said, with competition getting fiercer by the day, going prepaid makes a lot more sense than it did a few years ago. So, if you've been planning to make the switch, we've shortlisted some of the finest prepaid phone plans that you can take a look at.

• MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Visible | Boost | Tello | Cricket Wireless

At a glance

Best overall

For a prepaid carrier offering four plans and multiple service durations, Mint Mobile is surprisingly easy to understand. The basic premise is that the longer the term you're willing to get, the cheaper your monthly cost will turn out to be. While it does mean you'll be signing a bigger check upfront, but you won't have to pay again for multiple months. Now officially owned by T-Mobile, Mint Mobile uses the former's vast network infrastructure with full access to 5G, so for most customers, coverage and speeds will be great.

Mint Mobile's cheapest plan comes with 5GB of high-speed data, as well as unlimited talk and text. If you're a light user, this is the place to start. And if you end up going over 5GB, there's no need to worry. Our Mint Mobile review found that speeds do slow down to about 500kbps after you've used up your data. This includes the unlimited plan that comes with 40GB of high-speed data. And if you need more data than that consistently, Mint Mobile likely isn't the right choice for you.

One thing to keep in mind is that Mint Mobile offers an introductory price that works out at the 12-month rate for three months. Then after your first three months, you can decide for how long you'd like to renew the service for, and if you can save by switching to a smaller plan. Mint Mobile also has a penchant for promotions, so there's a good chance you can try it for even less, especially if you bundle your wireless service with one of the best Android phones available out there.

Best budget

Tello manages to be an extremely likeable carrier, thanks to its straightforward plans and low costs. It even allows you tailor your plan to a perfect fit via its 'Build Your Own Plan' online tool, offering a number of data & talk time combinations that usually end up being cheaper than other carriers. You can save quite a lot by going for a plan with the bare minimum number of minutes, even more so if you primarily utilize the best text messaging apps to keep in touch with family and friends.

Tello has four pre-configured plans as starting points, with the base 'Economy' plan coming in at just $10 per month with unlimited minutes, texts, and 2GB of data. If you spend most of your time on Wi-Fi, this plan could be all you ever need. The unlimited 'Data' plan costs $25 per month and offers up to 35GB of high-speed data. While it's a bit less than what competitors like Mint Mobile offer, most users shouldn't have any issues at all.

Since Tello uses T-Mobile's network, you'll get full 5G access — including mid-band — if you have a compatible phone. Speaking of phones, T-Mobile's network means that just about any of the best unlocked phones should work just fine on it.

Best for unlimited

Visible is a prepaid carrier by Verizon that offers just two affordable yet feature-laden unlimited plans. Unlike many other prepaid unlimited plans, there's no hard cap with slower data after; you can use as much data as you want. This works by lowering the priority of data on Visible compared to base carrier Verizon, which means in a side-by-side comparison a Verizon plan will almost always come out ahead. Still, our Visible review found the carrier to offer plenty of speeds for your everyday usage, though this will vary depending on the strength of Verizon's network in your area.

The two plans are called 'Visible' and 'Visible Plus' and they're regularly priced at $25 per month and $45 per month, respectively. Both include unlimited talk and text, but Visible Plus gives you access to super-fast 'Ultra-Wideband' 5G network. Hotspot use is unlimited on both plans too, with speeds capped at 5Mbps for Visible and 10Mbps for Visible Plus.

Perhaps the biggest drawback with Visible is that it has a much more limited list of compatible phones as compared to a T-Mobile-based carrier, so we suggest checking your phone's compatibility before you make the purchase. For the most part, all the modern iPhones, as well as high-end Android devices like the Google Pixel 9 and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are going to work just fine. Some older phones might be compatible too, so it's worth checking them on the IMEI Checker tool on Visible's website.

Best for customization

Since US Mobile uses the network infrastructures of both T-Mobile and Verizon, it lets you choose from two SIM cards to get connected. However, to get the most out of it, Verizon is the preferred choice. Although T-Mobile SIMs work as expected, they don't get as much priority data. While US Mobile originally used to have a fully custom plan structure, its newer unlimited plans steal the spotlight when it comes to overall value. You can save even more when you bring over multiple lines.

The two main plans — 'Unlimited Starter' and 'Unlimited Premium' — have a single-line cost of $25 per month and $44 per month, respectively. Both include unlimited talk and text (both in the U.S. and internationally), mmWave and C-band 5G access, and lots of dedicated hotspot data. Unlimited Starter gives you 35GB of high-speed data, while Unlimited Premium increases it to 100GB. The higher plan also makes you eligible for multi-line subscription perks (if you get three lines), through which you can add a bundle of services (e.g., Audible, Hulu, and Xbox Gamepass) to your plan for $15 per month.

There's also a third 'Unlimited Flex' plan that effectively costs $17.50 per month, but it's available only as an annual option. US Mobile's 'By the Gig' feature lets you get chunks of data that can be shared among devices across multiple lines.

Best for families

Cricket Wireless is a prepaid carrier owned by AT&T and is one of the best options for getting more affordable service on the former's network. The fact of the matter is that some users just get a more consistent coverage through AT&T, so it's nice that Cricket Wireless offers competitive rates, along with the option of unlimited high-speed data on its most expensive plan. Still, the operator's cheaper plans are quite compelling.

Cricket Wireless has four primary plans, with the base plan offering 5GB of data at $30 per month. Next, the $40 per month plan increases the data allowance to 10GB. Then there are two unlimited plans, with the cheaper option being priced at $55 per month and offering hotspot functionality as an optional add-on. However, the data on this plan gets a lower priority so if you live in an area with a lot of AT&T customers, you may notice speeds getting reduced when the network is busy. Lastly, there's the $60 per month plan that not only offers unlimited premium data, but 15GB of dedicated hotspot data as well. It also comes with 150GB of cloud storage (all other plans have 2GB cloud storage) and ad-supported (HBO) Max.

If you want to avail multi-line discounts, Cricket Wireless is definitely worth taking a look at. For example, if you sign up for four lines, you can get the cheaper unlimited plan at a mere $25 per month for each line.

Best high-speed data

As its name suggests, Metro by T-Mobile is a prepaid carrier owned by T-Mobile and offers plans that quite resemble the parent carrier's offerings, along with a few extra benefits. For one thing, the prices are inclusive of all taxes and fees for all main plans, so what you see is what you pay. You also get some nice perks usually available only with the best T-Mobile plans, without having to get into any contracts.

The cheapest plan costs $40 per month and gives you 10GB of high-speed data. And of course, you get unlimited talk and text too. Next, the $50 per month plan bundles 8GB of dedicated hotspot data, 100GB of cloud storage via Google One. Then there's the $60 per month plan, which increases your dedicated hotspot allowance to 25GB and also adds unlimited texting to over 210 destinations around the world. Rounding off things is the most expensive $70 per month plan, which offers all the goodies of the previous plan, while also packing in Amazon Prime.

It's worth mentioning that all plans of Metro by T-Mobile come with some exclusive benefits like T-Mobile Tuesdays promotions, and Scam Shield for blocking spam and robocalls.

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How to choose

Get the right prepaid plan for your requirements

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Even though all of the best prepaid phone plans come with a diverse range of perks, you should consider your individual requirements before picking one up. To start off, think about how you use your phone. You'll also want to buy a solid Android phone so that you can take advantage of the latest 5G networks. Of course, the phone has to be unlocked so you can take it with you if you decide to switch from one MVNO carrier to another.

If you need a ton of data for cheap, Visible is a great starting point. However, it will struggle in more congested areas, so getting a plan with some premium data such as US Mobile's Unlimited Premium plan may be well worth the extra cost for you. If you don't need truly unlimited data, you can get Mint Mobile's 15GB or 20GB plans. You'll save a lot of cash in the long term, and phone compatibility won't be an issue either.

• MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Visible | Boost | Tello | Cricket Wireless