MVNOs cut deals with the major cellular networks—AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile—to use their cellular towers. This means a prepaid SIM card can get you virtually the same coverage as a traditional plan (but your data speeds may be slower).
Best for budget: Red Pocket Mobile’s cheapest (and more popular) plan costs just $10 a month. It will get you 500 minutes, 500 texts, and even 500 MB of data. Red Pocket also has cheap unlimited talk and text plans with more data. Best for high-data users: Cricket Wireless has a truly unlimited plan that doesn’t cap your high-speed data at 15 or 20 GB, like many other carriers on this list. It also offers a 15 GB mobile hotspot plan. Best for low-data users: FreeUp Mobile offers cheap limited-data plans and free international talk and text. But it offers no unlimited plans. Best for international callers: H2O Wireless offers simple, straightforward plans that are awesome for international callers. You can get unlimited talk and text to 50+ countries with this MVNO.
Phew, that’s a lot of cell phone plans. Why are so many companies vying to get on AT&T’s cell towers anyway? Let’s take a closer look. Check out this interactive service map to see what coverage looks like in your hometown: Check out how AT&T’s speeds stack up against the other major carriers: Straight Talk plans Straight Talk only offers a 2-line family plan so if you are interested in more lines than that, this might not be for you. Here’s a look at some of Pure TalkUSA’s plans, ranked by their popularity: Most popular Pure TalkUSA plans One downside to Pure TalkUSA’s service is its full-speed data cap. Pure TalkUSA’s “unlimited” plan only guarantees 22 GB of full-speed data. That’s less than most other companies, including other MVNOs. So if you’re a big gamer, streamer, or social media user, you might want to find another prepaid cell phone company. Here’s a look at all of the plans that Cricket is offering up right now: Cricket Wireless cell phone plans The most obvious downside to Cricket Wireless is that $25 startup fee. What’s the deal, Cricket? I thought we were old pals. H2O Wireless plans One thing these higher prices will get you is unlimited talk and text to 50+ countries. If you need to stay in touch with friends and relatives overseas, H2O is a great option. Take a gander at these plans from Red Pocket, organized by popularity: Red Pocket plans by popularity If you’ve got a bit more to spend on your cell phone plan Red Pocket can hook you up with unlimited talk and text plus 3 GB of data for $20. Not bad, Red Pocket. Just make sure that you sign up for a Red Pocket plan that works with your specific iPhone, Galaxy, or other device. Tracfone plans by popularity So you may or may not get on the AT&T network with Net10. But no matter which network you’re on, Net10 has some decent deals on mid-level data plans. Here’s a breakdown of the most popular plans that the company offers: Net10 plans by popularity Net10’s $60 plan offers 40 GB of data. If none of these plans seem like the one for you, you still have the option to go with an unlimited plan from a traditional provider. Look at this sampling of the most popular FreeUp plans: FreeUp plans by popularity i3 Mobile plans by popularity All of you penny-pinchers out there should check out Red Pocket. And all you data-lovers should look at Cricket. But all of these carriers have something to offer. Here are a few words about each one and a link you can use to sign up:
Straight Talk gives you decent low-data plans with international perks. Pure TalkUSA has cheap unlimited data plans, family plans, and no overage charges. Cricket Wireless offers deals on hotspot data, but pricier unlimited plans and startup fees. H2O Wireless’s simple plans come with international benefits but are on the pricey side. Red Pocket Mobile has plans for as low as $10 a month. Tracfone brings you unconventional low-data plans with longer pay periods. Net10 Wireless lets you choose you network and get a mid-level data plan for a good price. FreeUp keeps things simple with its low-data plans. i3 Mobile doesn’t exactly “wow” us with its limited plan selection and higher prices.
