Looking to lower your cell phone bill?
Here are the five best cheap cell phone plans of 2024:
Opting for a low-cost cell phone plan can be a great way to reduce your wireless bill.
However, there are three things you should look out for before settling on a new plan:
Is there a point in saving money on your cell phone bill if you never have service?
I don’t think so.
That is why it is essential to make sure you are covered before you sign up for a new plan.
Websites such as CoverageMap.com make it easy for consumers to check coverage. Simply enter your ZIP code and the site will tell you the number one ranked network in your area.
Keep in mind that all cell phone plans will run on either the AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon networks for service.
A lot of budget cell phone plan offerings can be more affordable because they include a limited amount of high-speed data per month.
On the most affordable end, under $20 per month, you’ll see plans including between 1GB and 5GB of high-speed data per month.
In the middle of the pack you will find budget unlimited plans. These range between $25 and $35 per month. Budget unlimited plans typically include between 30GB and 40GB of high-speed data before slowing your speeds to 512 Kbps.
Considering the average data use is 26GB per month in North America right now, these budget unlimited plans can be great picks for a lot of people. They can typically save you a substantial amount of money on your wireless bill and give you plenty of high-speed data to meet your needs.
At the high-end of the range you will premium unlimited plans will never slow your speeds down based on how much data you use.
These range from about $45 to $90 per month.
If you are interested, you can check your cellular data usage on your phone to get an estimate of how much data you need. Getting a plan tailored for your specific usage means you are not overpaying for data you don’t need.
Low-cost cell phone plans typically make compromises on the service in order to give you a lower price.
Here are four of the compromises you should keep in mind:
US Mobile’s 10GB annual plan comes out to just $15 per month. It includes unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and 10GB of high-speed data. You can use all of the 10GB of data as hotspot data. Data is shut off after the 10GB allotment. This plan also includes free international calling to over 200 countries.
The service is available on either Verizon or T-Mobile, which US Mobile refers to as “Warp 5G” and “GSM 5G,” respectively.
If you activate on the Verizon side you get priority data, which gives you the exact same network experience as a Verizon postpaid customers.
Activating on the T-Mobile network, meanwhile, gives you free international texting from within the U.S. and the option to purchase international minutes and texts while traveling abroad.
Compared to other $15 plans, US Mobile's 10GB annual plan is an outstanding value. Mint Mobile's $15 annual plan, for example, includes just 5GB of high-speed data.
Tello is probably the best competitor here. Tello's $15 plan is month to month, and it also comes with free international calling. However, Tello's plan also only comes with 5GB of high-speed data.
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Visible Base is hands-down the best option if you need unlimited high-speed data on a budget. The plan costs just $25 per line per month and comes with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and unlimited high-speed data. You even get unlimited hotspot data, which is impressive.
There are two compromises to the plan though:
Even with the compromises, $25 per month for unlimited high-speed data cannot be beaten. Visible Base has the best price in the game.
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If you want something crazy affordable and that has all the essentials, US Mobile’s 1GB plan may not be a bad pick. It is priced at just $10 per month and still comes with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and 1GB of high-speed data.
The US Mobile 1GB plan will ride on either the T-Mobile or Verizon network for coverage.
You pick which network you want when you sign up.
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Tello recently updated its plans on December 5th, 2023, and the new rates are awesome.
One of Tello’s new options is its 5GB plan, which comes with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and 5GB of high-speed data for just $14 per month. It also includes free international calling to over 60 countries.
Even after all taxes and fees, the plan costs just $16.19 for me here in Longmont, Colorado.
Coverage and data speeds are also great because Tello uses T-Mobile’s 4G LTE and 5G networks for coverage.
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Instead of selling plans with set buckets of minutes, texts, and data, MobileX is allowing customers to choose exactly how many minutes, texts, and data they want each month.
You can configure your plan based on a specific data amount, say 3.24 GB, or by a set price, such as $15.16. You can also use the AI data forecaster to monitor your usage and predict how much data you will need by the end of the month.
No matter what you choose, MobileX will always issue you account credit for any unused data at the end of the month.
You can also choose how many minutes or texts you want per month, ranging from $1.50 for 50 minutes and 50 texts to $4.50 for unlimited minutes and unlimited texts.
If you want a cell phone plan built just for you, MobileX gives you an impressive level of control and customizability over your plan.
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Stetson graduated from Ithaca College in 2019 with a degree in Communication Management and Design. He launched BestPhonePlans.net as part a senior project in school. He loves helping people find great, affordable cell phone plans that meet their needs. When he’s not reviewing cell phone plans on his YouTube channel or website, Stetson is out hiking in the crisp Colorado air, playing board games with friends, or competing in an epic game of pickleball.