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Reviews: Budget
Prepaid Carriers
Prepaids that are not affiliated with the "Big 3". Listed Alphabetically
Prepaids that are not affiliated with the "Big 3". Listed Alphabetically
About Our Reviews: These
reviews are created from data provided by the wireless carriers
themselves. We
include a certain amount of opinion from our wireless experts to
further distinguish among prepaid services, for which we receive no
compensation. We also have an affiliate relationship with all of these
carriers but two, and if you click on their site and make a purchase we
may receive a commission.
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Reviewer's Choice |
BOOST
MOBILE
Boost Mobile is operated by Dish Wireless and gives you a unique choice of plans and good nationwide coverage. Old Boost phones use the T-Mobile network. Customers with newer devices will use either the T-Mobile or AT&T networks and will eventually operate on Dish's own 5G network, but only with a compatible 5G phone. Their Unlimited plan is a great alternative to those from the other carriers at a good price, including price reductions the longer you remain a Boost customer. Boost Mobile was sold to Dish Wireless as part of the T-Mobile acquisition of Sprint.
Boost Mobile has earned a position in our Reviewer's Choice by offering service with multiple networks at a low price. They have their own all-5G network in several cities, but beyond that, you will be roaming on AT&T or T-Mobile, providing coverage almost everywhere. New customers get to choose a $25 nearly-Unlimited 30 Gb plan or a $15 plan with 5Gb of data, both of which are throttled to 2G speeds after your data limit.
CONSUMER
CELLULAR
Consumer Cellular provides easy-to-use phones, no-contract plans and free or low-cost handsets. Coverage includes the AT&T network and some roaming partners. Plan prices are reasonable and are available for Talk, Text and Data. You can bring your own AT&T or Unlocked GSM phone. Customer Service is better than average. AARP and AAA members can get up to 5% discounts. Their cheapest plan with Data starts at $20/month for Unlimited Talk and Text, with 1Gb of Data (+ Taxes & Fees).
GOOGLE FI
Google Fi offers a new approach to wireless service. Your phone will determine the best connection to make a call or access the Internet. Their plan involves a $20 monthly fee and another charge for broadband access. You are then credited each month for unused data. In addition to Unlimited Calls and Text as well as low-cost international calls, you have access to use your phone in over 120 foreign countries. The service works with only a limited number of phone models. Establishing a Google Fi account also automatically replaces your Google Voice account.
H2O
WIRELESS
H2O has been a price leader with plans starting as low as $18 which gives you 2Gb of Data and Unlimited Talk & Text with Auto-Refill. Your speed is reduced after your Data limited and not capped. You normally get a choice of the AT&T or Verizon networks. They support eSIM and International Talk & Text options. H2O will let you bring your own phone but they also have a small number of new phones available.
MINT
MOBILE
Mint Mobile is a very good overall Prepaid value. They save you money by offering longer spans between refills. You can sign up for $20 per month for Talk, Text and 10Gb of Data with a 3-month plan. After 3 months you'll know if you want to stay and can then sign up for a long-term plan, the longer the term, the cheaper. They have other plans and promotions, some as low as $15 per month with plenty of Data. Mint uses the T-Mobile network.
RED POCKET
Red Pocket offers you a choice of the big 3 wireless networks. Some network choices get you more features for your money. Their low prices include plans for singles, families, businesses and data-only, with both monthly and annual plans. Also included are FREE international calls and live customer service. Plans start at $10 that include 500 minutes Talk, 500 Text, and 500 Mb Data.
TELLO
Tello has risen among the prepaid carriers as a low-price leader. Their plans start as low as $5 and plans with data can be less than $10. While they encourage you to bring your own phone, there is a limit of the type of phones that are compatible. They now use the entire T-Mobile network including their 5G Coverage with a compatible phone. They offer Pay As You Go rates and calls to Canada and Mexico are included. Check for Tello's Current Promotions.
Tello has earned our Reviewer's Choice for the best Bargain-Basement Prepaid. Use their cute online selector to get just the right amount of Talk, Text and/or Data and cut your price to the bone. If the $5 plan doesn't work for you, maybe the $6 plan will. It's that flexible.
TWIGBY
Twigby has stepped up to offer an extreme bargain price with total access to the Verizon network. Their current promotion is a $5 per month plan with Unlimited Talk & Text and 1Gb of data for the first 3 months. Then the price goes up to a still-reasonable $15. Twigby offers a modest selection of phone models, and you can bring your own. Since Twigby does not charge an "activation" fee, they seek additional profit by charging you to get your initial FREE SIM faster. Pay the extra one-time shipping charge so your SIM arrives quickly and your old plan doesn't go into a new charged period. Twigby is one of the lowest-priced ways to access the Verizon network with a prepaid that isn't owned by Verizon.
Twigby has earned our Reviewer's Choice for the lowest-cost Prepaid that uses Verizon's network. Their $20 plan provides a large 4Gb Data bucket and includes a 3-month half-price introductory price and FREE SIM.
ULTRA
MOBILE
Ultra Mobile has been one of our most popular Prepaids. Prices start at $15 for Unlimited Talk, Text and Data and at that price the first 250 Mb is high speed. Ultra uses the T-Mobile 5G network and offers significant discounts for multi-month plans. They also provide FREE Wi-Fi Calling and Text, FREE Mobile Hotspot, FREE Unlimited Talk to 80+ International Countries, FREE Unlimited Global Text and a FREE 3-in-1 SIM Card. Other Prepaids offer some of these features, Ultra gives you all of them. They offer a moderate selection of new phones but you'll save much more if you bring your own.
Boost Mobile is operated by Dish Wireless and gives you a unique choice of plans and good nationwide coverage. Old Boost phones use the T-Mobile network. Customers with newer devices will use either the T-Mobile or AT&T networks and will eventually operate on Dish's own 5G network, but only with a compatible 5G phone. Their Unlimited plan is a great alternative to those from the other carriers at a good price, including price reductions the longer you remain a Boost customer. Boost Mobile was sold to Dish Wireless as part of the T-Mobile acquisition of Sprint.
Boost Mobile has earned a position in our Reviewer's Choice by offering service with multiple networks at a low price. They have their own all-5G network in several cities, but beyond that, you will be roaming on AT&T or T-Mobile, providing coverage almost everywhere. New customers get to choose a $25 nearly-Unlimited 30 Gb plan or a $15 plan with 5Gb of data, both of which are throttled to 2G speeds after your data limit.
Consumer Cellular provides easy-to-use phones, no-contract plans and free or low-cost handsets. Coverage includes the AT&T network and some roaming partners. Plan prices are reasonable and are available for Talk, Text and Data. You can bring your own AT&T or Unlocked GSM phone. Customer Service is better than average. AARP and AAA members can get up to 5% discounts. Their cheapest plan with Data starts at $20/month for Unlimited Talk and Text, with 1Gb of Data (+ Taxes & Fees).
Google Fi offers a new approach to wireless service. Your phone will determine the best connection to make a call or access the Internet. Their plan involves a $20 monthly fee and another charge for broadband access. You are then credited each month for unused data. In addition to Unlimited Calls and Text as well as low-cost international calls, you have access to use your phone in over 120 foreign countries. The service works with only a limited number of phone models. Establishing a Google Fi account also automatically replaces your Google Voice account.
H2O has been a price leader with plans starting as low as $18 which gives you 2Gb of Data and Unlimited Talk & Text with Auto-Refill. Your speed is reduced after your Data limited and not capped. You normally get a choice of the AT&T or Verizon networks. They support eSIM and International Talk & Text options. H2O will let you bring your own phone but they also have a small number of new phones available.
Mint Mobile is a very good overall Prepaid value. They save you money by offering longer spans between refills. You can sign up for $20 per month for Talk, Text and 10Gb of Data with a 3-month plan. After 3 months you'll know if you want to stay and can then sign up for a long-term plan, the longer the term, the cheaper. They have other plans and promotions, some as low as $15 per month with plenty of Data. Mint uses the T-Mobile network.
Red Pocket offers you a choice of the big 3 wireless networks. Some network choices get you more features for your money. Their low prices include plans for singles, families, businesses and data-only, with both monthly and annual plans. Also included are FREE international calls and live customer service. Plans start at $10 that include 500 minutes Talk, 500 Text, and 500 Mb Data.
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Reviewer's Choice |
Tello has risen among the prepaid carriers as a low-price leader. Their plans start as low as $5 and plans with data can be less than $10. While they encourage you to bring your own phone, there is a limit of the type of phones that are compatible. They now use the entire T-Mobile network including their 5G Coverage with a compatible phone. They offer Pay As You Go rates and calls to Canada and Mexico are included. Check for Tello's Current Promotions.
Tello has earned our Reviewer's Choice for the best Bargain-Basement Prepaid. Use their cute online selector to get just the right amount of Talk, Text and/or Data and cut your price to the bone. If the $5 plan doesn't work for you, maybe the $6 plan will. It's that flexible.
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Reviewer's Choice |
Twigby has stepped up to offer an extreme bargain price with total access to the Verizon network. Their current promotion is a $5 per month plan with Unlimited Talk & Text and 1Gb of data for the first 3 months. Then the price goes up to a still-reasonable $15. Twigby offers a modest selection of phone models, and you can bring your own. Since Twigby does not charge an "activation" fee, they seek additional profit by charging you to get your initial FREE SIM faster. Pay the extra one-time shipping charge so your SIM arrives quickly and your old plan doesn't go into a new charged period. Twigby is one of the lowest-priced ways to access the Verizon network with a prepaid that isn't owned by Verizon.
Twigby has earned our Reviewer's Choice for the lowest-cost Prepaid that uses Verizon's network. Their $20 plan provides a large 4Gb Data bucket and includes a 3-month half-price introductory price and FREE SIM.
Ultra Mobile has been one of our most popular Prepaids. Prices start at $15 for Unlimited Talk, Text and Data and at that price the first 250 Mb is high speed. Ultra uses the T-Mobile 5G network and offers significant discounts for multi-month plans. They also provide FREE Wi-Fi Calling and Text, FREE Mobile Hotspot, FREE Unlimited Talk to 80+ International Countries, FREE Unlimited Global Text and a FREE 3-in-1 SIM Card. Other Prepaids offer some of these features, Ultra gives you all of them. They offer a moderate selection of new phones but you'll save much more if you bring your own.
Don't see
the Prepaid you're looking for? We have more Reviews and
Ratings:
- PREPAID
FROM THE MAJOR CARRIERS:
The top 3 carriers offer Prepaid under their own name as well as a few others.
- SMALLER
PREPAIDS
There are dozens of other secondary prepaid services worthy of consideration, some specialize in specific types of calls, features and customers. We list them with brief descriptions and reference links on our Smaller Prepaids list.
