Best cheap cell phone plans 2023: family plans, unlimited plans, and more

Looking for the best cheap phone plans? If so, you might want to look past traditional carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. The big three tend to charge more for their services, though significant discounts exist for families with multiple lines. Your best bet is to consider a prepaid service, which partners with one of the major networks to bring you discounted service.

We’ve gathered up the best cheap cell phone plans across four categories: unlimited, limited, family plans, and free.

Cheap cell phone plans: What to look for, what to avoid

Finding cheap phone plans is very easy, but keep in mind not all plans are created equally. After all, a cheaper phone plan with horrible data deprioritization is essentially a paperweight outside of your Wi-Fi network.

Ultimately, when picking up a cheap cell phone plan, you’ll want to consider the following factors:

• What network does the service use? Does it work well in your area?
• Are there free trials or promotions that let you try before you fully switch?
• What is the service’s deprioritization like? Will you get true LTE speeds or be relegated to a 3G-like performance?
• Do they offer robust customer service, or is it limited (such as Visible with its online-only customer service)?
• Do they offer discounted phones or financing or will you have to pay upfront for your device?

Decide how much you’re willing to sacrifice in terms of customer service or data speeds. Once you know that, picking a plan from below becomes all that much easier.

Best cheap unlimited plans

If you’re looking for an unlimited plan on a budget, you can’t go wrong with Boost, Visible, or Mint Mobile. That said, each plan has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here’s a quick breakdown of what makes each plan stand out and who it’s best suited for:

Boost Mobile Unlimited is the best option for most

At $25 a month, Boost Mobile has the cheapest unlimited data plan out there, but it’s not without a few catches. First, you have to sign up for autopay. Second, while it is unlimited, you are only prioritized for 30GB of data. After that, you may be subject to deprioritization depending on congestion. Still, this is easily the best value for those looking for unlimited data on a budget. Even better, Boost lets you try the service for a whole month at just $12.50, so you have very little at risk if you want to give it a try.

Visible is the best unlimited option on Verizon’s network

At just $35 a month, Visible is a great alternative to Boost Mobile, which runs on the Verizon network. This is truly unlimited data and I’ve personally used 100s of GBs on Visible in a single month. There’s no cap, but there is definitely deprioritization. If you’re in a busy city, you might find your speeds can vary considerably, and there may be times it dips as low as just 1-3Mbps. However, most of the time, this isn’t a major issue.

You also get unlimited hotspot access, though it’s technically capped at 5Mbps. We say technically because we’ve certainly gotten better speeds than that in our trials, but again this may just vary depending on how congested your area is.

Mint Mobile Unlimited is a great deal for those who want to pay upfront

Mint Mobile’s unlimited plan is just $360 a year, which breaks down to the equivalent of $30 a month. While this isn’t much different from Boost or Visible’s monthly prices, there are some users that prefer to pay for service once a year and then forget about it. For example, those who get a big tax refund might find this a convenient way to pay the bill off all at once. Mint might be a bit more expensive than Boost, but it does give you an additional 10GB of prioritized data. Mint also has a reputation for quality customer service, something Boost and Visible aren’t so great at.

Best cheap cell phone plans with limited data

Sometimes you just don’t need unlimited data. For those looking for plans with limited data, you have a lot of options, but the three below are the ones we most recommend:

Google Fi Flexible is for those whose data use varies

With Fi Flexible, you pay just $20 for unlimited talk and text, while data costs $10 per gig. This plan works a bit like a hybrid between prepaid and postpaid, as you pay the $20 upfront but settle your data costs after the month ends. We really appreciate that Google only charges what you use, so if you only used 500MB you’d just be hit with a $5 charge.

Fi Wireless relies on T-Mobile’s network but roams via US Cellular, perfect for those who live in the Midwest like me. I have to say that this is one of the most reliable services as you tend to get fast speeds and little deprioritization. Just be aware that if you’re constantly hitting the 6GB threshold for unlimited data, you might as well switch to one of Google’s unlimited plans, as it’ll be cheaper in the long run.

Mint Mobile is a great value for those that don’t mind paying upfront

As we already mentioned, Mint Mobile charges you in advance with terms of either 3, 6, or 12 months. The best discounts require you to pay for a whole year, but the good news is you get pretty substantial savings. For most users, the $240/year (equivalent $20/month) 15GB plan is the best value, as the 20GB plan isn’t much cheaper than Mint’s unlimited option. If you don’t use much data, you can save even more by switching to the 5GB plan for just $180 a year ($15/month).

Mint is known for great customer service and decent data prioritization, making it one of the most trusted prepaid carriers out there.

Consumer Cellular is best for those that want good customer service

Consumer Cellular has two different limited data plans, though the $35/month plan is probably the better value. You get 10GB of data on T-Mobile’s network with decent prioritization. What really makes Consumer Cellular stand out is its customer service. The carrier primarily targets senior citizens (though that’s not its only audience) and offers 24/7 assistance over the phone. It also offers a decent selection of phones and a few discounts, such as a 5% discount for AARP members.

Best cheap family plans

The big carriers aren’t the only ones with family plans. Below we take a look at our favorite three cheap family plans:

Mint Mobile 4-line 5GB is a great family plan for those that don’t use much data

Mint Mobile family plan charges you the whole year upfront, but at $720, that’s a heck of a good deal and works out to about $60 a month — or just $15 a line. To be honest, this is no cheaper than getting a single line, but it is still useful for those who want all the lines on one single account. You’ll get just 5GB of data per line, but you can also mix and match with higher data or unlimited plans for those that need more access.

Metro by T-Mobile Unlimited 4-line is a good alternative to going directly with T-Mobile

Metro by T-Mobile is a great way to get T-Mobile service at a discount, as it runs just $100 for four lines. That breaks down to $25 a month per line. Owned directly by the carrier, you get many of the same benefits, such as T-Mobile Tuesdays. You also get 10GB of highspeed priority access. After that, you still get unlimited data but at potentially reduced speeds, depending on traffic congestion.

While Metro doesn’t have quite as good of customer service as T-mobile proper, it’s a close second. Unfortunately, you don’t get hotspot access, so if that matters to you, this might not be the best fit.

Cricket Wireless Unlimited + 15GB hotspot is great for those who want perks

Cricket’s Unlimited plan is just $130 a month for four lines, which works out to about $32.50 per line each month. That’s not as cheap as the other two options, but you get 15GB of hotspot access, international access in Mexico and Canada, and a free ad-supported HBO Max plan. When you factor in HBO Max alone, that brings the pricing in line with the others while you still get a few other benefits.

Best free cell phone plans

Yes, free phone plans do exist. The best route is to go through a service that is partnering with the US government’s Affordable Connectivity Program. These are services that are paid directly through a government grant, though you have to meet certain income and residency guidelines to qualify. Here are just a few free options:

• Assurance Wireless: Free smartphone, free unlimited talk, text, and 25GB of high-speed data. You also get 2.5GB of hotspot data.
• Life Wireless: Unlimited talk, text, and data. 5GB of hotspot access. Bring your own phone, as a free phone isn’t included.
• Q Link Wireless: Free unlimited talk, text, and data. Bring your existing phone and number. You also get a tablet as part of the offer.

Don’t qualify? You still have two options, but be aware they are pretty limited:

• FreedomPop Free: This plan gives you just 10 minutes of calling and 10 text messages, as well as 25MB of data. As you can imagine, this plan really is only suited for emergencies. It would be perfect for a teen or senior citizen that just needs an emergency line for when they are away from home and need help. It’s also worth mentioning FreedomPop has a free program for those who qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program.
• TextNow Free: Technically not 100% free as the SIM card is a one-time $5 fee, but beyond that you really do get unlimited talk and text for nothing. The downside is there are ads in the special app it uses, and you don’t get any data. If you need data you can add it for just $8.99/month for 1GB or as much as $27.99/month for 5GB of data.

More options are out there if you’re willing to look

While the above plans give you a great starting place, there are a ton of phone plans out there anymore. Be sure to check out our guide to the best prepaid plans for more options. Also check out our guides to the best family plans and best senior plans. 

Which phones are compatible with cheap cell phone plans?

The actual list of compatible phones will vary depending on the carrier. Some of the smaller carriers may not sell phones directly or may have extremely limited options. The good news is the vast majority of networks allow you to bring your own device as long as it’s compatible with the network. Each carrier will have a tool on their website that can check if a phone you’re interested in will work on their network on not.

If you don’t have an existing phone to bring to the network and aren’t interested in getting a device through the carrier, we recommend checking out our guide to the best phones as well as a look at the best cheap phones. All these devices are unlocked and (pending a compatibility check) should play nicely with most carriers in the US.