The best cheap cell phone plans prove that you don't have to spend big bucks to get solid wireless service. For less than $40 a month, you can find a plan that delivers just the right amount of data for your needs — even if those needs require the best unlimited data plans.
In our search for the best cell phone plans overall, we keep an eye out for low-cost offerings that have the right mix of data, price and perks. Our picks below include several different options, so that you can find one that uses the phone network best serving your area. We think Mint Mobile and Visible have the best low-cost options, but we've also found the best cheap cell phone plans from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.
Whether you need unlimited data or just the bare minimum, we can help you find a cheap cell phone plan that keeps your monthly costs low and your phone well-connected.
The quick list
5GB for $15 at Mint
Mint plans start at $15/month for 5GB of data, though after the first three months, you have to pay for a full year of service to get that attractive rate.
Unlimited data for $25 at Visible
Visible offers unlimited data for $25 a month — and you don't have to sign up for a year-long plan like at Mint. Even better: Visible relies on Verizon's network, including 5G.
15GB for $35 at Verizon
Verizon's cheapest prepaid plan is $35/month, which gets you 15GB of data after an autopay discount. Your plan includes 5G coverage, too.
5GB for $15 at T-Mobile
T-Mobile's $15 monthly plan features more data than ever — it's grown to 5GB — with 5G coverage included. (There's also a 1GB option for $10). Hit that cap, though, and you're out of data until the next cycle.
16GB for $25 at AT&T
While it's not as cheap as some others, you get 16GB of high-speed data for $25 per month from AT&T. You will have to sign up for a year-long contract and pay up front to get that low rate.
Philip Michaels, our managing editor for mobile devices, has been writing about tech since 1999, with a focus on smartphones since the first iPhone debuted back in 2007. He joined Tom's Guide in 2014 and has been following wireless carriers ever since. In addition to keeping tabs on the big three carriers, he's also studied plans for smaller mobile virtual network operators, so he's well versed on what different wireless providers charge for monthly coverage. He spends far too much time looking at his phone screen.
The best cheap cell phone plan overall
Mint Mobile has a whole host of cheap cell phone plans, with four different options costing less $30 or less. We're recommending the 5GB plan as that's Mint's lowest-priced offering, and it includes a decent amount of data alongside unlimited talk and text. You'll get that rate for three months, but to keep it, you'll need to pay for a full year of service upfront. (That's $180 for the 5GB plan.) If you can swing the upfront payment, Mint Mobile's low monthly rate delivers good value, especially since you'll get coverage from T-Mobile's network. That includes the carrier's far-reaching 5G service.
As of this writing, Mint is running a promotion that cuts the prices of all its plans to $15/month for the first three months of service. It's a great way to get unlimited data (normally $30 at Mint) for half the usual cost.
The best cheap unlimited data plan
Visible joins Mint Mobile in offering an unlimited data plan for less than $40, but Visible's option is cheaper. And unlike Mint, you don't have to pay for a year up front — Visible charges on a month-to-month basis with taxes and fees baked into its $25 rate. Customers can now save more by choosing to pay for service annually, which turns out to be $275 for the entire year. By paying annually, it makes the $25/month rate turn out to be $23/month.
The cheaper of Visible's two unlimited data plans comes with some trade-offs: your data speeds can be slowed whenever parent network Verizon is experiencing lots of traffic, and you won't get faster Ultra Wideband 5G. (That's available to Visible Plus customers for $45/month, along with a bunch of other recently added perks.) Still, unlimited data for just $25 is tough to beat, which is why we steer people on a tight budget to Visible's plan.
See Visible's unlimited data plan.
Best cheap Verizon plan
The best prepaid phone plan at Verizon also happens to be one of the best cheap cell phone plans under $40, provided that you enroll in autopay. That saves you $10 a month on your bill, bringing the cost of this 15GB down from $45 to $35 per month. In exchange, you get a large pool of data — 15GB to be exact — which you can also draw on for hotspot data.
You're able to use talk, text and data while traveling in Canada and Mexico so long as it only accounts for 50% of your usage over 60 days. You also get 5G service, though it isn't through Verizon's fastest Ultra Wideband network, which requires a more expensive Verizon plan.
See Verizon's 15GB prepaid plan.
Best cheap T-Mobile plan
T-Mobile Connect offers the cheapest way to get T-Mobile's service. While a 1GB plan costs just $10/month, we think the $15 plan is the way to go, as it's grown to 5GB thanks to annual data boosts rom T-Mobile. (Those increases are supposed to come to an end next year.)
Opt for the Simple Connect plan — one of the best T-Mobile cell phone plans — only if you know you can stick to your data allotment each month, because once you hit that cap, you've either got to refill your account by paying for more data or wait for the next billing cycle to begin; T-Mobile doesn't just slow your speeds like other carriers. Still, with 5G coverage included, Simple Connect is a cheap way to get fast speeds on a great network.
See T-Mobile's 3.5GB Simple Connect plan.
Best cheap AT&T plan
AT&T's prepaid plan features unlimited data, with 16GB of that high-speed data, for just $25/month. To get that low monthly rate, you've got to pay for a full-year in advance. But if you can swing the one-time $300 payment, you've locked in a low rate for the year that matches what Visible charges. And while your data slows down to 1.5 Mbps speeds after you use 16GB, most people won't approach that limit.
Perks include 10GB of hotspot data, 5G coverage where available, unlimited texting to 230 countries and calls to Canada and Mexico from the U.S. But again, the real lure here is a $25 monthly rate for a very large pool of data on AT&T's network.
See AT&T's unlimited prepaid plan.
Other cheap cell phone plans to consider
Our research has turned up a few other cheap cell phone plans under $40 that deserve some attention, even if they didn't make the cut for our top picks.
- Tello: The carrier uses T-Mobile's network and has a range of plans under $40, with a 1GB plan for $9 all the way up to unlimited data for $25.
- Consumer Cellular: For $35/month, you can get 10GB of data on the networks of AT&T or T-Mobile. AARP members get a 5% discount, making this a top choice for seniors.
- Cricket: Enroll in autopay and you can reduce the cost of a 10GB plan to $35/month on this AT&T-owned prepaid carrier.
- Google Fi: Google charges a lot for wireless coverage — $20 for talk and text, plus $10 for each GB of data you use. But you get the best international coverage with the Flexible plan.
- Ultra Mobile: Rates start at $15/month for a talk and text plan that throws in 250MB of data, but Ultra offers four other plans under $40. Rates drop even further if you pay for a year of service in advance.
- TextNow: Pay nothing for talk and text at TextNow and use Wi-Fi for your data connection. Need cellular data? Prices range from 99 cents for a day pass to $40 for a month of unlimited data.
- Now Mobile: This newly launched low-cost service from Comcast provides an unlimited data plan for $25/month, with taxes and fees included in that rate. You will need to get your broadband service from either Xfinity or Now to sign up for Now mobile coverage.
Best cheap plans compared
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Cost | Data | Data cap reached |
| Mint Mobile | $15/month | 5GB | data slowed to 128 Kbps |
| Visible | $25/month | Unlimited | Speeds can be slowed when network congested |
| T-Mobile | $15/month | 5GB | Must refill data |
| Verizon | $35/month | 15GB | data slowed to 128 Kbps |
| AT&T | $25/month | Unlimited | After 16GB, data slowed to 1.5 Mbps |
Frequently asked questions
What should I consider when looking for the best cheap cell phone plan?
Overall price is going to be your biggest consideration. That's why we imposed a limit of $40 a month to make sure we're evaluating plans that will fit in many budgets.
But price isn’t the only criteria to look at. You'll want to concentrate your search on who provides the best cell phone coverage in your area and whether the discount carrier you're considering uses that carrier's network. With the exception of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, none of the discount carriers we've mentioned here operate their own network. Rather, as mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs, they piggyback on the cellular networks built by one or more of the major carriers. Some carriers, such as Republic Wireless and Google Fi, also offload calls and texts to Wi-Fi when available, as part of their efforts to keep monthly costs low.
You'll want to look at the variety of plans each carrier offers and whether you could move to a different plan if your talk, text and data needs change. We've focused on plans for individuals, but if you're searching for the best family cell phone plan, look into whether a carrier offers discounts on multiple lines. While perks generally aren't included with cheap cell phone plans, look to see if there are some added benefits such as hotspot data.
How do you pick the best cheap cell phone plans?
We are constantly looking at what phone carriers offer, as part of our research into the best cell phone plans. That includes looking at what's available from the major carriers — AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon — as well as from discount carriers. We check prices monthly, comparing what different services have to offer.
For our best cheap cell phone plans guide, we set a limit of $40 per month, only looking at plans that fall under this threshold. Price is paramount in our rankings, though we do make note of how much data each plan provides as well as any perks to keep in mind. That can help distinguish two equally priced plans — or even make a slightly more expensive plan a better value overall.
Because cell phone coverage can differ from area to area, we try to include a wide variety of cell phone plans priced at $40 or less, so that you can find the best rate for the wireless service with the strongest coverage in your area.
