Picking a cell phone plan may seem overwhelming, because of the number of phone carriers available in the current mobile phone industry, and plans offered by massive companies aren’t right for everyone.
The carrier you choose is even more important than the type of phone or service plan you select. After all, if the carrier has bad service in your area, you’re going to be extremely unhappy. So finding the right cell phone carrier is just step one, then you can select the best cell phone plan that suits your needs.
These days, you can get cheap and reliable wireless service without worrying about the phone bill. The biggest consideration is whether to go with a contract or no-contract plan. On the whole, no-contract plans through an MVNO are ideal because MVNOs are more flexible, more competitive, and thus will save you money.
Also, keep in mind that most cell phone carriers offer promotional pricing and discounts frequently. A number of these carriers offer discounts for autopay and paperless billing, so your bill might actually be less than what you’re seeing here.
In this article, we’ve listed 7 of the most popular cell phone carriers which offer some of the best cell phone plans currently available in the US. Check out the list below for more information.
7 Best Cell Phone Plans in 2020: Quick Overview
- Tello 2GB Plan: $14/month for unlimited talk, text and 2GB 4G LTE data with free calls to Canada, Mexico, and China, plus mobile hotspot access.
- Verizon Prepaid 6GB Plan: $40/month ($35 with AutoPay) for unlimited talk, text, and 6GB of 4G LTE data with unlimited text to over 200 countries outside the U.S.
- Mint Mobile 8GB Plan: $20/month for unlimited talk, text, and 8GB of 4G LTE data for three months (price upfront is $60/month).
- Visible Unlimited Data Plan: $40/month ($25 First Month) for unlimited talk, text, and unlimited 4G LTE data with free Wi-Fi calling and mobile hotspot access.
- Sprint Unlimited Plus: $70/month for unlimited 4G LTE data with 50GB mobile hotspot and unlimited talk and text in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, along with 10GB of 4G LTE data while roaming in Canada and Mexico. Plus unlimited texts to over 200 countries and some sort of subscription to Hulu.
- Boost Mobile (Unlimited Plus): $60/month for unlimited talk, text, and unlimited of 4G LTE data with 1080p video streaming, and 30GB of mobile hotspot, along with some sort of Tidal subscription.
- Twigby (Basic Plan): 9.75/month for unlimited talk and text with free international talk and text.
Best Phone Plan with 1GB+ of Data
Tello Mobile – 2GB Plan
Our best pick for the best cell phone plans goes to Tello. Tello is a prepaid carrier with flexible plans and low rates, perfect for any type of user! There are no contracts, no activation fees, no early termination fees, and customers get nationwide 4G LTE coverage provided by Sprint’s network.
Tello plans start as low as $5 per month and allow you to choose how much data and minutes you want each month including data-only plans for tablets, and customers can upgrade or downgrade plans anytime for free. For just $14/month you can get 2GB of data with unlimited talk and text, in case you are a heavy data user you can go all out with unlimited data for $39 per month.
Tello allows you to bring your own phone. Just enter your phone IMEI number on their site here, and see if it’s supported or not. If you live in an area that’s covered by Sprint coverage (check Tello’s coverage), Tello is the way to go.
Tello’s 2GB Plan ($14/month) – Includes unlimited talk, text and 2GB 4G LTE data with free calls to Canada, Mexico, and China, plus mobile hotspot access and WiFi calling through their application at no extra cost, along with visual voicemail and unlimited 2G data. If you are not happy with your plan, you still can change it at any time.
More 1GB+ Cell Phone Plans:
- Mint Mobile (3GB): $15/month for unlimited talk, text, and 3GB of 4G LTE data for three months (price upfront is $45/month).
- Tello (1GB): $10/month for unlimited talk, text, and 1GB of 4G LTE data with free calls to Canada, Mexico, and China, plus mobile hotspot access.
- Twigby (1GB): 14.25/month for unlimited talk, text, and 1GB of 4G LTE data with free international talk and text.
- Xfinity Mobile (1GB): 12/month for unlimited talk, text, and 1GB of 4G LTE data, along with 18 million Wi-Fi hotspots access. ($12 per additional GB)
- TextNow (2GB): 19.99/month for unlimited talk, text and 2GB of 4G LTE data
Best Phone Plan with 4GB+ of Data
Verizon Prepaid – 6GB Plan
The second best cell phone plan on our list comes from Verizon prepaid plans. You don’t have to run a credit check or sign up for an expensive plan to try out the largest carrier in the U.S. Starting today, Verizon’s prepaid plans are getting more affordable with a $5 auto pay discount per line.
Verizon has been America’s largest wireless network, and that is the case even today. Now you don’t have to run a credit check or sign up for an expensive plan to try out the largest carrier in the U.S. Starting today, Verizon’s prepaid plans are getting more affordable with a $5 auto pay discount per line.
Verizon’s prepaid plans give you full access to Verizon’s nationwide network without locking you into a lengthy contract. You have the option of buying a prepaid phone from Verizon or bring your own device.
Verizon Prepaid 6GB plan – $40/month ($35 with AutoPay): include unlimited talk, text, and 6GB of 4G LTE data with unlimited text to over 200 countries outside the U.S. You can add up to nine additional lines to your prepaid plan, and of course, the more lines you have the more you save.
- Add a 6GB plan for $30 more (save $10)
- Add a 16GB plan for $35 more (save $15)
- Add an unlimited plan for $50 (save $20)
More Details on Verizon Prepaid
More 4GB+ Cell Phone Plans:
- Tello (6GB): $24/month for unlimited talk, text and 6GB of high-speed data with free calls to Canada, Mexico, and China, plus mobile hotspot access.
- Total Wireless (5GB): $30/month ($27 with AutoPay) for unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of high-speed data, then at 2G.
- Twigby (5GB): 24.75/month for unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of 4G LTE data with free international talk and text.
- US Mobile (5GB): $30/month for unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of high-speed data
- H2O Wireless (5GB): $30/month ($27 with AutoPay) for unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of 4G LTE data, then at 2G. Plus $10 Free international talk credit.
Best Phone Plan with 8GB+ of Data
Mint Mobile – 8GB Plan
Mint Mobile is another popular option for those looking for the best phone plans. Mint is an interesting option to consider, and not just because of its approach to mobile plan pricing. Mint’s hook is that you can save big if you’re willing to pay for multiple months of service in advance, which can be 3 months, 6 months, or 12 months, with “buying in bulk” saving you more money in the long run.
Mint Mobile offers three-month introductory plans starting at $15 a month for 2GB of 4G LTE service on up to $25 a month for 12GB of 4G LTE service. However, the amount of GB you’ll be able to take advantage of is suitable for light and medium data users, as well as several heavy data users.
All plans include unlimited nationwide talk, text, and data, though you only get so much 4G LTE per month. Unlimited international texting is included in all plans. Extra data can be added to your account on a per month basis at $10 for 1GB or $20 for 3GB.
Mint Mobile (8GB): $20/month for unlimited talk, text, and 8GB of 4G LTE data for three months (price upfront is $60/month).
More 8GB+ Cell Phone Plans:
- Twigby (10GB): 32.25/month for unlimited talk, text, and 10GB of 4G LTE data with free international talk and text.
- Tello (8GB): $29/month for unlimited talk, text and 8GB of 4G LTE data with free calls to Canada, Mexico, and China, plus mobile hotspot access.
- Verizon Prepaid (16GB): $50/month ($45 with AutoPay) for unlimited talk, text, and 16GB of 4G LTE data with unlimited text to over 200 countries outside the U.S. along with unlimited calling to Mexico and Canada. You can add up to nine additional lines to its prepaid plans.
- Page Plus (8GB): $39.95/month ($36 with AutoPay) for unlimited talk, international text, and 8GB of 4G LTE data, then at 2G. Plus $10 free international calling credit.
- Simple Mobile (15GB): $40/month ($37.50 with AutoPay) for unlimited talk, text, and 15GB of high-speed data with Hotspot access, along with international talk and text to 69 destinations plus international roaming to 16 Latin American countries.
Best Unlimited Data Plan
Visible Unlimited Data Plan
Visible is one of the newest carriers to hit the market with a large LTE network. Leveraging the power of Verizon’s LTE network. Visible provides great coverage while letting its users forget about how much data they’re using.
Visible offers only one plan at $40/month with taxes and fees included. You can either buy a new phone or bring your own device. Visit the BYOD page to see if you have a compatible device.
Rather than going into a store to get started with your new phone service, everything with Visible is handled through its mobile app. This includes creating an account, paying your bill, etc.
Visible Unlimited Data Plan – $40/month ($25 First Month): include unlimited talk, text, and unlimited 4G LTE data with free Wi-Fi calling and mobile hotspot access. Taxes and fees are included.
- One Line: $40/month
- Two Lines: $70/month – ($35 per line)
- Three Lines: $90/month – ($30 per line)
- Four Lines: $100/month – ($25 per line)
More Unlimited Data Plans:
- Sprint Unlimited Kickstart (Unlimited): $35/month for unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data with 480p video streaming. Each additional line is an additional $35 per month.
- Tello (Unlimited): $39/month for unlimited talk, text and unlimited 4G LTE data with free calls to Canada, Mexico, and China, plus mobile hotspot access.
- Xfinity Mobile (Unlimited): $45/month per line for unlimited talk, text and unlimited 4G LTE data, along with 18 million Wi-Fi hotspots access.
- US Mobile (Unlimited): $40/month for unlimited talk, text, and high-speed data
- TextNow (Unlimited): $39.99/month for unlimited talk, text and high-speed data
- Ultra Mobile (Unlimited): $49/month for unlimited talk, text, and unlimited 4G LTE data with unlimited talk to 80+ international destinations, along with mobile hotspot access.
- Simple Mobile (Unlimited): $50/month ($45 with AutoPay) for unlimited talk, text, and unlimited 4G LTE data with 5GB mobile hotspot.
Best Family Cell Phone Plan
Sprint – Unlimited Plus
Sprint has an expanding network, and they offer fantastic rates for individuals and families. Out of any of the big carriers, Sprint is known for having the lowest prices. While it is not on the level of Verizon or AT&T in terms of coverage, Sprint has been working hard to expand its 4G network.
Sprint focuses primarily on offering unlimited plans, with pricing that beats the competition, HD streaming video and unlimited access to Hulu, Sprint is trying to keep up with the competition with its $70 unlimited plan.
Sprint Unlimited Plus: $70/month for unlimited 4G LTE data with 50GB mobile hotspot and unlimited talk and text in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, along with 10GB of 4G LTE data while roaming in Canada and Mexico. Plus unlimited texts to over 200 countries and some sort of subscription to Hulu.
- One Line: $70/month
- Two Lines: $120/month – ($60 per line)
- Three Lines: $130/month – ($43 per line)
- Four Lines: $140/month – ($35 per line)
- Five Lines: $150/month – ($30 per line)
More Family Phone Plans:
Verizon Start Unlimited: $70/month for unlimited talk, text and unlimited 4G LTE data. but users may temporarily experience slower data in times of congestion. Plus unlimited texts to over 200 countries and unlimited talk to Mexico and Canada, along with one year Free Disney+ subscription, and free Six months subscription to Apple Music service.
- One Line: $70/month
- Two Lines: $120/month – ($60 per line)
- Three Lines: $135/month – ($45 per line)
- Four Lines: $140/month – ($35 per line)
- Five or more lines: ($30/month per line)
Boost Mobile (Unlimited Plus): $60/month for unlimited talk, text, and unlimited of 4G LTE data with 1080p video streaming, and 30GB of mobile hotspot, along with some sort of Tidal subscription.
- One Line: $60/month
- Two Lines: $100/month – ($50 per line)
- Three Lines: $140/month – ($47 per line)
- Four Lines: $180/month – ($45 per line)
- Five Lines: $220/month – ($44 per line)
T-Mobile Magenta: $70/month for unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data in the U.S. with 480p video streaming and 3GB of 4G LTE mobile hotspot data, along with roaming in Mexico and Canada for unlimited talk, text, and 5GB high-speed data, plus unlimited international texting and free Netflix subscription.
- One Line: $70/month
- Two Lines: $120/month – ($60 per line)
- Three Lines: $120/month – ($40 per line)
- Four Lines: $140/month – ($35 per line)
- Five Lines: $160/month – ($32 per line)
AT&T Unlimited Extra: $75/month for unlimited talk, text and unlimited 4G LTE data in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, along with with 50GB of premium data and 15GB of mobile hotspot per line, plus unlimited texts to over 120 countries.
- One Line: $75/month
- Two Lines: $130/month – ($65 per line)
- Three Lines: $150/month – ($50 per line)
- Four Lines: $160/month – ($40 per line)
Best Family Prepaid Cell Phone Plan
Boost Mobile – Unlimited Plus
Boost Mobile offers affordable no-contract mobile plans on Sprint’s nationwide network, with a variety of family plans that offer similar features and discounts based on the number of activated lines.
Boost Mobile offers two tiers of single line and family plans, the 2GB of 4G LTE data, starting at $30 a month, as well as an unlimited data plan that starts at $50 a month and delivers mobile-optimized streaming video, games and music.
All Boost plans include mobile hotspot, unlimited music streaming from Spotify, Pandora and more. Optional add-ons include international calling and boostTV. Note: Data is not shared between lines on a family plan. Each line gets its own allotment, based on its plan.
Boost Mobile (Unlimited Plus): $60/month for unlimited talk, text, and unlimited of 4G LTE data with 1080p video streaming, and 30GB of mobile hotspot, along with some sort of Tidal subscription.
- One Line: $60/month
- Two Lines: $100/month – ($50 per line)
- Three Lines: $140/month – ($47 per line)
- Four Lines: $180/month – ($45 per line)
- Five Lines: $220/month – ($44 per line)
More Family Prepaid Phone Plans:
Verizon Prepaid (Unlimited): $70/month ($65 with AutoPay) for unlimited talk, text, and unlimited of 4G LTE data with unlimited text to over 200 countries outside the U.S. along with unlimited calling to Mexico and Canada. You can add up to nine additional lines to its prepaid plans.
- Add a 6GB plan for $30 more (save $10)
- Add a 16GB plan for $35 more (save $15)
- Add an unlimited plan for $50 (save $20)
Visible (Unlimited): $40/month ($25 First month) for unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data with free Wi-Fi calling and mobile hotspot access. Taxes and fees are included.
- One Line: $40/month
- Two Lines: $70/month – ($35 per line)
- Three Lines: $90/month – ($30 per line)
- Four Lines: $100/month – ($25 per line)
Metro by T-Mobile (Unlimited): $50/month for unlimited talk, text, and unlimited of high-speed data with 5GB of mobile hotspot, along with 100GB of Google One storage. Save $20 on each additional line.
T-Mobile Prepaid (Unlimited): $50/month for unlimited 4G LTE data and unlimited talk and text, along with unlimited mobile hotspot but limited to 3G speeds and unlimited music. Data will be throttled down to unlimited 2G speeds after 50GB.
- One Line: $50/month
- Two Lines: $80/month – ($40 per line)
- Three Lines: $110/month – ($37 per line)
- Four Lines: $140/month – ($35 per line)
- Five Lines: $170/month – ($34 per line)
AT&T Prepaid (Unlimited): $65/month ($45 with AutoPay) for unlimited talk, text, and unlimited of 4G LTE data but AT&T may temporarily slow data speeds when the network is busy., along with unlimited talk and text in Mexico and Canada with unlimited texts to over 100 countries, plus roaming in Mexico and Canada for talk, text, and data.
- Add 2 or 3 lines and save $10
- Add 4 or 5 lines and save $20
Best Basic Phone Plans (No-Data)
Twigby – Unlimited Talk & Text
Twigby is one of the newest prepaid carriers offering reliable and cheap service, they run on both Sprint or Verizon networks wherever available, giving them better coverage than other providers.
Plans with unlimited voice minutes can be availed for just $13 per month while global texting is already free on Twigby, right now they are offering a 25% discount on your bills for the first six months of usage. This is an excellent promotion keeping costs in mind, and will no doubt make Twigby an exciting option for all. With Twigby, you can change your plan whenever you want.
Twigby (Basic Plan): 9.75/month for unlimited talk and text with free international talk and text.
More Basic Phone Plans:
- Tello (Basic Plan): $8/month for unlimited talk and text. with free calls to Canada, Mexico, and China, plus mobile hotspot access.
- US Mobile (Basic Plan): $10/month for unlimited talk and text.
- Total Wireless (Basic Plan): $25/month ($23.70 with AutoPay) for unlimited talk and text.
- Google Fi (Basic Plan): $20/month for unlimited talk and text. Each additional line is an additional $15 per month.
- Republic Wireless (Basic Plan): $15/month for unlimited talk and text
- TextNow (Basic Plan): 9.99/month for unlimited talk and text
There are plenty of cell phone plans to choose from and with all of the competition out there, it can be hard to choose the right one for you. Of course, the best way to narrow down your choices is to take into consideration your budget and have a decent idea of your data usage patterns, and how many people you can add to the plan.
Those are our list of the best cell phone plans from the major US carriers. We’ll add more options to the list. If you are choosing a carrier for the first time or looking to switch, we hope this article will be of help to you.
