Why You Can Trust CNET Best Prepaid Phone Plans in 2024
When it comes to finding a prepaid phone plan, traditional carriers like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile aren't your only options. Here are our top picks for the best prepaid phone plans.
Most cellphone users subscribe directly to mobile providers like AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon for their wireless service. However, there is a way to save money on your mobile plan, and that's by going for smaller providers. They can get you reliable service at a cheaper rate. Traditional wireless providers tout unlimited data plans as the big attraction, but smaller carriers still offer a variety of plans with high-speed data or even a better price on unlimited plans. If you want to switch over, these are the best prepaid phone plans right now.
As someone who's covered the wireless industry for more than a decade, I know there are a ton of prepaid service providers. For this article, I'm going to focus on just a few: Boost Mobile, Cricket, Mint, Google Fi Wireless, MobileX, Tracfone, Metro by T-Mobile, Total by Verizon, Verizon Prepaid and AT&T Prepaid. Since these carriers also have so many different prepaid cellphone plan options, I'll focus on the best options for under 5GB of data, under 15GB of data and the best unlimited plans.
Read more: Cheap Phone Plans Compared
Know your area
Before we get to the plans, to get the best deal you need to make sure you have the coverage that you need. This makes it very hard for us to give a blanket recommendation of any one carrier. T-Mobile's service in New York may be excellent, but if you're in rural Iowa, Verizon is more reliable.
While your mileage may vary, the good news is that these networks are growing and improving all the time, particularly as the three major players race to blanket the US with 5G. It's quite possible that you left a network complaining about its sparse service a decade ago, but now it's beefed itself up because of that race to acquire customers.
If you know any friends or family in your area that already use the carrier you're considering, ask about their experience. You could also go to a carrier's store and see if they offer any free ways to try out the service before switching over, such as T-Mobile's Network Pass. Verizon offers a similar 30-day "Test Drive" program, while the Cricket prepaid service has its own trial program that lets you sample parent AT&T's network.
Boost Mobile will use a combination of AT&T, T-Mobile and parent Dish's own network.
Know the prepaid phone plan promos and deals
As with the leading carriers, there are periods when the prepaid players offer deals. Boost Mobile used to run a promo for new customers that let you get three lines with unlimited talk, text and data for $90 per month ($30 per line) after "your first payment of $100." It has since added a new unlimited plan that is $25 per month for new users, though each line must be separate and cannot be grouped on a family plan.
Best prepaid phone plans of 2024
Pros: Runs on T-Mobile's network, more data than some comparably priced plans from other prepaid rivals.
Prepaid phone plan FAQ
What exactly is a prepaid phone plan?
There are two main types of ways to pay for phone service: postpaid, where you pay at the end of the month, and prepaid, where you buy service before you use your phone. The advertisements you see for AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are almost always for postpaid plans, while the plans and carriers we're talking about here are all prepaid plans.
Will your area get good cell coverage?
As I noted when covering the best unlimited plans, to get the most out of your deal you need to make sure you have the coverage you need. This makes it hard to give a blanket recommendation of any one carrier: T-Mobile's service in New York may be excellent, but if you're in, say, rural Iowa, Verizon is more reliable.
Read more: What to Know Before You Buy a New iPhone or Android
How we test
Picking a wireless plan and carrier is a very individualized process. What works for you and your family's needs may be vastly different from your friends or neighbors. Even geographically, some areas have better AT&T coverage while others work best on Verizon or T-Mobile (and vice versa). The picks we make are based on over a decade of covering and evaluating the wireless carriers, their offerings and their performance.
Since choosing a provider is unique, we focus on larger plans and the value they provide; as well as calling out ways you can test the different networks in your area for yourself so you can make the best pick.
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