We wish that choosing a cell phone plan and carrier was as easy as picking one or the other, but unfortunately, there are many variables involved in your decision. Price and data coverage is often the driving factor for many individuals. When you’re on a budget, looking for the most affordable cell phone plans is a must—we made that more manageable with this article! Get the most bang for your buck with the options below.
Traditional Carriers
Traditional cell phone carriers are the ones that typically have regional stores near your location where you can walk into the store and purchase a phone or start a plan. This option is convenient because you can go to the store during normal business hours with any questions or concerns you might have. Let’s go over your options for traditional carriers first.
Verizon
Verizon is a popular cell phone network that many individuals choose, and they have a wide range of plans. A significant variable that factors into the price of these plans is whether you need unlimited data or if you can skate by with only a few gigabytes.
The most affordable plan Verizon currently offers in 2023 is the 15 GB plan starting at 45 dollars per month. However, we suggest enrolling in auto-pay because it can drop the price by 10 dollars—so instead of 45 dollars a month, you’ll be paying 35 dollars. If you use more monthly data, you might consider an unlimited plan at 60 dollars—50 dollars with the auto-pay.
This carrier has excellent speeds with its nationwide 5G coverage offered to all customers with monthly mobile or prepaid plans. Verizon has Apple, Google, Samsung, or Android phones available for customers. Plus, you can bring in your own device as long as it’s an unlocked smartphone and the hardware/software is compatible with Verizon’s network.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile is another popular traditional cell phone carrier many customers gravitate toward. With a low-cost T-Mobile Connect plan, you can save money and still use your smartphone as you usually would. Prepaid plans with talk, text, and high-speed data start at only 10 dollars per month.
If you rarely use your phone but need one in emergencies, the first plan is a great starting point. Starting at 10 dollars, you can receive 1,000 domestic talk minutes (or call minutes), 1,000 domestic texts, and 1GB of data. If you have a teenager or use your phone more frequently, you might choose the 15-dollar plan with unlimited talk, text, and 3GB of data.
However, the downfall to having a limit on your data is that you will need to forgo using it if you meet the gigabyte usage. Once you meet the limit, you must wait for the next billing cycle to renew the data. On average, a single person could use up to 4GB. So unlimited data doesn’t always need to be your first option; you could get by with 3GB a month. If you need more data through T-Mobile, choose the 25-dollar plan with 6GB of domestic data or the 35 dollars plan with 12GB of data.
AT&T
AT&T also gives other phone carriers a run for their money with prepaid phone plans. This is your year because this phone carrier doubled its monthly data allotment in 2023 while retaining the same price. That’s a major win for customers nationwide!
The best phone plan that AT&T offers is a 16GB plan starting at 25 dollars a month. However, this phone carrier can be sneaky because the price increases if you don’t invest in a full-year contract. For example, if you pay month to month, 5GB can cost you 30 dollars, so it’s worth investing in the longer contract to lock in the more affordable prices.
You receive a great amount of data for the price you’re paying, but consider how long you plan to use your contract. If you don’t plan on switching carriers, we suggest going with the long-term contract immediately to save money.
Non-Traditional Carriers
Non-traditional carriers offer low-cost plans, yet they work on traditional networks, or the networks above carry them. Typically, these stores are digital only, and you can use unlocked phones eligible on the specific network that the non-traditional phone carrier uses. Let’s take a look at the most affordable cell phone plans through these carriers.
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile runs on the T-Mobile network, so you’re getting the same 5G network but at a more affordable price. Mint Mobile also has a family plan that offers the same discounted price per phone line you add to the plan.
Most of the plans you can choose from on the Mint Mobile website are on a three-month plan. Your prices could increase once this expires, but you can avoid this by locking into a year contract. The most affordable plan offers 4GB of data at 15 dollars per month, including unlimited talk and text. If you need more data, consider the 10GB plan at 20 dollars per month.
Tello
Another non-traditional carrier that T-Mobile offers on its network is Tello. When it comes to a brand-new cell phone plan, Tello is one of the most affordable options. You can even customize and build your plan to curate how many minutes, texts, and gigabytes of data you need.
The first plan provides 1GB of data for 10 dollars per month. While the data isn’t as high as you might like, this plan offers unlimited calls and texts, and there’s no contract that ties you in for a lengthy period of time. If you need more than 1GB of data, you can receive 5GB for 19 dollars per month or unlimited data for 29 dollars per month.
You can save money with the 10 dollars per month plan, but you won’t break the bank if you need more data. Consider Tello if you’re on a budget with your cell phone plans.
Cricket
Many individuals often overlook Cricket, yet it offers affordable phone plans. AT&T owns Cricket, so they use the same towers and network. If you don’t want to pay the AT&T plan, you can always use Cricket!
While AT&T used to cap the speeds on this carrier, you can now take advantage of the full benefits of AT&T’s network. Receive 10GB of data for 40 dollars per month or save 5 dollars every month by enrolling in auto-pay. Unlimited data will cost 55 dollars per month.
Unfortunately, this carrier might not have as many perks as the other options on this list. Ensure you’re looking through the stipulations in these plans to understand what your contract will entail.
Now that you have some options, don’t forget to consider data coverage with your price. While the price may drive your decision on which carrier to choose, you must also consider the data coverage in your area because not all networks will work in your location. For example, Tello might be the choice for you, but the T-Mobile network might not offer great coverage in your region. Take your time going over the plans to make the appropriate decision.
