Visible Wireless’s unlimited data plan offers the best value. You get unlimited data, free hotspot data, and access to Verizon’s network for just $30/month. Mint Mobile operates on T-Mobile’s network, which may not have as vast a network as Verizon, but it does have the fastest data speeds on average. US Mobile’s unlimited talk and text, no-data plan is only $7 a month, and it runs on Verizon’s fantastic network. Cricket Wireless’s family plan is the all-data, no-drama solution to keeping your family connected. Get all the talk, text, and data your family needs to stay tight.
Plan pricing: We expect prepaid plans to be affordable and budget-friendly, so we focused on individual plans that were around $40 or less. Our multi-line recommendation is under $100 for three lines. That’s the price ballpark we consider fair. Contract flexibility: Prepaid plans usually have a pay-as-you-go and quit-when-you-want structure. All the ones we recommend here are no-contract plans. Network performance: What network does your carrier use? Prepaid plans can be a great way to get on a top-flight network at an affordable price. Data allotment: There are prepaid plans with unlimited data, some data, and no data. Be sure to pick one that matches your actual data use, as overages can be pricey. Data speeds: Most prepaid plans have some kind of limitation on data speeds, either in the form of a throttling threshold or low overall download rates. You’ll want to consider how that could affect your daily phone use before you sign up. Perks: Just know up front that you won’t find many perks, like streaming subscriptions or other discounts, with prepaid plans. So when we do find a prepaid plan with perks, we definitely take note.
If you want to know more about prepaid and postpaid plans, check out our comparison of prepaid vs. postpaid cell phone plans. So why do we like this prepaid cell phone plan so much? The short answer is: it gives you truly unlimited data on Verizon’s expansive network. Oh, and the unlimited hotspot data helps too. But not with Visible. Visible Wireless’s unlimited data plan comes with truly unlimited data. You can use 5 GB, 100 GB, or more. So if you’re looking for a plan to replace your home internet, this is a great option (though it’s not the fastest option—more on that below). There are a couple of restrictions though. You can only tether one device at a time and your speeds will be capped at 5 Mbps. Visible offers one other nice perk: right now, you can pick up a $100–$200 prepaid Mastercard when you sign up for a plan or buy a new device on your existing plan. That’s like the cherry on top of an already delicious pie! Five to 12 Mbps is still plenty of speed for most normal activities, like streaming music and video, playing games, and browsing the web. But if you’re a serious gamer or need your phone for working on the go all the time, then you might want to consider a plan from AT&T or Verizon instead. T-Mobile may not have the best coverage in the nation (though it is plenty good in most areas), but it does have the best data speeds. T-Mobile leads the pack in both the upload and the download speed categories. Gamers, streamers, influencers, and everyone else who enjoys using the internet on their phone will benefit from these speeds. With a Mint SIM card and an unlimited data plan, you’ll be able to turn your phone into a mini mobile hotspot. You can use all of your allotted data (up to 35 GB) as hotspot data, which is great news for folks who like to stream a show or work on their laptop while they’re waiting at the airport. Deprioritization happens when your carrier slows down your data speeds during times of congestion. Pretty much every single prepaid plan on the market comes with risk of deprioritization, including Mint. If you want to always receive the best speeds available, you’ll have to go straight to the network owner (T-Mobile) to buy a plan. Throttling is when your carrier slows down your speeds once you’ve used a certain amount (called your data cap). On this Mint Mobile plan your data cap is 35 GB. Once you go over that, your speeds will go way down to 128 Kbps, which is kind of like going from broadband internet to dial-up. It’s not pretty. While this may sound pretty bad, it’s actually quite standard. Besides, most folks won’t get even close to using 35 GB of data a month. That means you also won’t be seeing any awesome deals on a new iPhone 11 or other device. Yep, you can bundle three unlimited data lines together on Cricket Wireless for just $90 a month. Here’s a look at how much a similar plan would look like on AT&T (which runs on the same network as Cricket). Plus, Mint will hook you up with a free, 30-day trial of HBO Max. So, once you’re done with the nice baking show you can go and watch something a bit more intense, like Lovecraft Country. Three Mbps should be enough for most basic stuff: posting to Instagram, scrolling through Twitter, streaming music, and using Google Maps. But those who want to game or stream video in HD may notice occasional lag time.
Best value: Visible Wireless’s unlimited data plan offers more than pretty much any other prepaid plan. You’ll get truly unlimited data, free hotspot data, and the best mobile coverage in the nation for just $30/month. Best data speeds: Mint Mobile’s $30 unlimited data plan matches Visible’s pricing and offers superior data speeds on T-Mobile’s network. Best no-data plan: US Mobile’s unlimited talk and text plan is just $7 a month. Need we say more? Okay, we’ll say just a bit more: not only is it ultra cheap, this plan runs on Verizon’s fantastic network! Best family plan: Cricket Wireless’s unlimited data family plan comes with everything you need to keep your family connected: talk, text, and data. Cricket will even throw in a trial membership to HBO Max!
We hope this review has helped you find the perfect new prepaid plan for your life (and your wallet). Let us know which one you picked in the comments section! We winnowed down our list using our own extensive research into cell phone carriers and their networks. We’ve reviewed cell phone plans from all the major carriers and most of the smaller ones. We’ve conducted our own tests to determine which carrier offers the fastest upload and download speeds. We applied that knowledge base to prepaid cell plans. This allowed us to determine which carriers offer the best prepaid and no-contract cell phone plans according to each of the key factors.
