AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile may seem like your only cell phone plan options, but they’re not. And sticking with the familiar could be costing you hundreds per year.
Alternative providers use the same networks as the big companies, offering almost identical service but with lower prices, still no contracts, and often more perks. With a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), an unlimited plan can be had for as little as $30 per month for a single line, and $25 per line for group plans. And that includes 5G coverage.
Further reading: I switched to a cheap cell phone plan. I’m saving a ton of money with no downsides
Light cell phone users can enjoy big savings, too. Where you live doesn’t matter either—AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile MVNOs all exist. The only real catch is that deciding on the right alternative carrier takes a little more consideration (see below), but we’ve taken those into consideration when choosing our top picks.
In fact, not only do our selections cost little, but you can expect straightforward management of your account, accessible customer service, and little hassle if you chose to leave. A couple even toss in great perks, like free subscriptions to cloud storage or streaming services. (Or both.)
Best cheap cell phone plans with unlimited data
Cricket Wireless – Best AT&T cheap plan with unlimited data
- Carrier: AT&T
- Cost: $60/mo
- Taxes included: Yes
- BYOD: Yes
- Data throttling: None
- Hotspot allowed: Yes (15GB)
- International roaming: Mexico & Canada included
The advertised price is what you’ll pay with this AT&T subsidiary. Taxes and fees are included in the cost of its premium “Unlimited + 15 GB Mobile Hotspot” plan, which offers truly unlimited talk, text, and data. Coverage includes international roaming in Mexico and Canada, and within the U.S., you also get international texting to 37 countries.
A slew of perks come with this plan: 15GB of hotspot data, HBO Max (with ads), and 150GB of cloud storage. It also gets the same prioritization as post-paid AT&T subscribers, meaning your calls, texts, and data won’t suffer extra delays in congested areas.
Managing an account is pretty easily done via website or app, and customer service is easy to reach. It works out well despite the lack of a slick interface or fast service.
Need multiple lines? Cricket Wireless offers hefty group discounts, particularly for four or five lines. Currently, you’ll pay just $160/month for five lines for this plan, or $32 per month per line.
Metro by T-Mobile – Best T-Mobile cheap plan with unlimited data
- Carrier: T-Mobile
- Cost: $40/mo
- Taxes included: Yes
- BYOD: Yes
- Data throttling: Possible after 35GB usage
- Hotspot allowed: No
- International roaming: Mexico and Canada for an additional fee
A fun perk included with T-Mobile subsidiary MetroPCS’s plans is T-Mobile Tuesdays, which provides freebies and deals on food, gas, and more. But the real benefit to MetroPCS is its all-inclusive pricing, which means taxes and fees are included in the advertised cost.
This basic $40 unlimited plan offers up to 35GB of 5G or LTE data unthrottled; afterward you may see slowdowns whenever the network’s congested. Note that this basic plan lacks hotspot use and the extras available to more expensive unlimited plans, like a Google One membership (100GB) and unlimited texting to over 210 locales.
T-Mobile does put MetroPCS subscribers at lower priority for call, text, and data requests, so if your area is congested, you may notice slower responses than on a post-paid plan before using 35GB of data.
Need multiple lines? Like Cricket Wireless, MetroPCS’s group discounts are sizable for four or five lines. For this plan, it’s $125/month for five lines, or $25 per month per line.
Want to save even more cash? Rival T-Mobile MVNO Tello offers a $30 unlimited plan with hotspot included, as well as free calling to over 60 countries. But its data throttling starts earlier, at 25GB, and will bump you down to a painful 64Kbps. It also doesn’t bundle in taxes and fees into its prices, so if you live in an area with high regulatory charges, the cost skirts closer to $40 per month.
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US Mobile – Best Verizon cheap plan with unlimited data </h3>
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<ul>US Mobile’s incredibly slick interface makes switching to its Unlimited Premium plan an absolute breeze. In fact, managing your account is so easy through the app and website, they’re part of what sells this service.
But the meat of this top-tier plan is still the star of the show. You get unlimited talk and text, along with 100GB of 5G data and 50GB of hotspot data before you’re subject to speed throttling. You also get free international LTE roaming in select countries, with data allotments as generous as 10GB. (Varies by country; some still require an additional fee.)
The main drawback of US Mobile is that despite its premium data plans having the same prioritization as post-paid Verizon plans, you’ll only experience that benefit on a 5G device. LTE-only phones get hit with deprioritization, and in our experience, it can cause your data to crawl—especially if the network is congested or you’ve got poor reception. Happily, though, US Mobile recently moved to all-inclusive pricing, so the price you see advertised is exactly what you’ll pay. Unlimited international long-distance calling to 87 countries is now free of charge, too.
Need multiple lines? US Mobile’s group discounts steadily drop the cost the more lines you have, with the maximum of four lines costing $160/month or $40/month. But the company further sweetens the pot—plans with three lines can choose a free subscription to a streaming service (e.g., Spotify, Disney Plus, HBO Max, and Xbox Live Gold).
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