id="article-body" class="row " section="article-body" data-component="trackCWV"> (image: ) While most Americans subscribe to services directly from , or , a number of smaller providers can get you solid service for a cheaper rate. Whereas the main carriers now focus primarily on unlimited plans, these smaller carriers still offer a variety of plans with set allotments of data -- or even a better price on unlimited data. <br>There are a ton of providers, but for the purposes of this story I'm going to focus on just a few: , , Mint, Google Fi, Tracfone, Metro by T-Mobile, Verizon Prepaid and AT&T Prepaid. Since these carriers also have so many different plan options, I'm also going to focus on the best options for under 5GB of data, under 10GB of data and . <br><br>Read more: <br> What exactly is a prepaid phone plan? <br>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. <br><br>You're buying the data and access in advance of using it. Prepaid plan providers let you purchase in various increments -- 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, six months or even a full year -- with prices often varying depending on how long you're willing to commit to. <br><br>In this story, I'm comparing single-year prepaid cell phone plans. <br> Will your area get good cell coverage? <br>As I noted when covering the , 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. <br><br>Prepaid providers almost always use someone else's service. Before you sign up for one, it's worth checking what the underlying network is. Each offers some version of 5G and , but to recap: <br>Boost Mobile uses AT&T and T-Mobile for now (it's switching to a combination of AT&T, T-Mobile and parent Dish's in the future)Mint uses T-MobileCricket uses AT&TGoogle Fi uses T-Mobile and US CellularMetro uses T-MobileTracfone uses VerizonVerizon Prepaid is on VerizonAT&T Prepaid is on AT&T<br>If you have any friends or family in your area who already use the prepaid carrier you're considering, ask about their experience. You could also go to a major carrier's store and see if it offers any free ways to try out the service before switching over, such as T-Mobile's Test Drive.<br> (image: ) (image: ) <br>Boost Mobile will use a combination of AT&T, T-Mobile and its own network. <br> Sarah Tew/CNET Know the prepaid phone plan promos and deals <br>As with the main carriers, there are periods of time when the prepaid players offer deals. Boost Mobile is running a promo that lets you get ($30 per line) after "your first payment of $100," though you will need to be a new customer to take advantage. It has since added a new unlimited plan that is $25 per month, though each line has to be separate and cannot be grouped together on a family plan. <br><br>Some prepaid providers will even give discounts on buying a new device, though unlike the main carriers don't expect the same big promotions offering a free new iPhone 13 or Galaxy S22. Those deals are often tied to 24- or 36-month installment plans, which prepaid by its nature does not really offer. <br> Best prepaid phone plans Sarah Tew/CNET <br>Boost Mobile has added a new unlimited plan that offers unlimited talk, text and data to new users for $25 per month with taxes and fees included. Unlike Mint Mobile's 12-month plan, our previous pick in this slot, Boost's plan isn't tied to 12-month increments. You do, however, need to be a new Boost customer to get the offer. <br><br>The plan includes 5G access and 30GB per month of high-speed data (if you blow through that your data will slow until your next billing month starts). Hotspot is included as well, with that data pulling from your high-speed allotment. One thing worth noting: You do need to set up automatic payments to get the $25-per-month rate. <br> Sarah Tew/CNET <br> has made a name for itself with its quirky advertising, but it also has one of the better offers for unlimited data that we've seen. For 12 months, you can get unlimited talk, text and data for $30 per month per line. Running on T-Mobile's networks, you get 35GB of high-speed data on 5G and 4G LTE per month, though if you do blow through that before your 30-day period resets, your speeds will slow to "3G speeds."<br><br>There's also 5GB of high-speed hotspot data and free international calls to Mexico and Canada. <br> Sarah Tew/CNET <br>As with all plans, the value will change depending on your specific needs and if that particular network works well in your area. Google has updated the unlimited plans on its Fi cell phone service that not only lowers the monthly price, but also adds in a few useful features. While its $50 pricing for one line is way higher than Mint's, if you have three lines or more you can save a bit. <br><br>Called Simply Unlimited, the plan runs $25 per line per month with three lines and drops to $20 per month if you have four or more lines. It now includes 35GB of high-speed data plus talk, text and data in Canada and Mexico. The plan also now offers 5GB of hotspot data, though that is a "hard" cap where the hotspot feature stops after 5GB is used, as opposed to the data slowing. <br><br>Other options: Beyond those two providers, Boost Mobile has that promotion for three lines that we mentioned, offering 35GB of high-speed data per line for $90 per month. After that point, your speeds "will be reduced for the remainder of the month." Between the two, we'd recommend Google Fi as it's cheaper. <br><br>Cricket also has a similar option that's $30 per line, but if you have four or five lines the price per line would drop to $25 per line per month ($100 a month for four lines, $125 for five lines). That's still pricier than Fi's updated offering and Cricket does not offer mobile hotspot data with these plans. <br><br>Cricket says it "may temporarily slow data speeds if the network is busy," whereas Google says it will slow data if you exceed 35GB in a month. <br><br>Tracfone does not offer a traditional unlimited data plan. Verizon and AT&T's prepaid options start at $50 a month with automatic payments ($65 without). Verizon's deal also requires you to commit to 10 or more months.<br> Sarah Tew/CNET <br>Cricket and Metro also offer perks with their top unlimited plans -- in the case of Cricket you get a subscription to HBO Max with ads, while Metro offers a subscription to Amazon Prime and 100GB of Google One storage. But those prices are higher per line if you were only looking for one, two or three lines. <br><br>If you're looking for four or more lines, the top Metro unlimited plan could be worth considering. A promotion has that down to $30 a month per line, so if that's your budget you may want to look at that deal, as for the same price per line you may as well get the perks like Amazon Prime and Google One alongside the service. <br><br>If price is the biggest factor for you, look at Google Fi's Simply Unlimited plan we mentioned above. <br><br>Anything less than four lines, however, and it is a lot pricier than Mint. One phone line with this top unlimited plan runs $60 a month, two lines are $90 a month and three lines are $120.<br><br>It is worth mentioning that Metro -- like AT&T, Verizon and Boost -- works with the . If you qualify for that program, Metro's $40 per month unlimited plan could be had for $10 per month (and the one with perks could be $30 per month instead of its regular $60 monthly). <br> Sarah Tew/CNET <br>When it comes to data under 10GB, Mint once again has the best value if T-Mobile's network is solid in your area. Whereas Metro and Cricket charge $40 per month for one line and Boost has a $35 plan for 10GB of data, Mint beats them all on price. <br><br>Getting 10GB of 4G LTE/5G monthly data is $20 per month at Mint when purchased in 12-month increments. <br><br>Other options: Google Fi has a "bill protection" feature designed to refund you for data you don't use, but with a maximum monthly charge of $80 per month for one line and 6GB of data and unlimited talk/text, I think you're better off looking elsewhere instead of having to calculate how much data you're using. <br><br>AT&T has an online offer of 16GB per month plan if you prepay the $300 for a full year (equating to $25 per month). <br><br>Tracfone doesn't have a 10GB plan but has two other options directly above and below it. The first is an 8GB-per-month plan that runs $35 per month if you enable auto-refill, or $40 per month regularly. The provider does have a 12GB plan for one year that runs $199, though that 12GB is all the data you get for the year. <br><br>The perk with the AT&T and Tracfone plans is that any unused data carries over to the next month. For the latter, if you're looking for a prepaid provider on Verizon it's hard to top what amounts to a monthly rate of $16.58.<br> Sarah Tew/CNET <br>At $15 per month for 4GB of data Mint Mobile has a deal that beats out Boost Mobile's offer of $15 for 2GB of data and Cricket's $30-per-month rate for the same amount of data. Tracfone has a 3GB data plan but that runs $25 when on auto-refill ($30 without). <br><br>Boost, however, has a $100 deal that for new customers. That breaks down to $8.33 per month. If you don't have Boost, find yourself largely on Wi-Fi and price is the biggest driver for you, this is the go-to pick if looking for a new service.<br><br>If you need a little more data, Mint is the way to go. <br><br>Verizon Prepaid has a 5GB plan that it lists as running $25 per month so long as you're willing to commit to at least 10 months, but the math here can be tricky. The plan is normally $40 per month but that price will drop to $35 per month starting in the second month assuming you have automatic payments enabled. It will then fall to $30 per month if you keep the service for three months, before dropping another $5 down to $25 if you stick with the carrier past the ninth month.<br><br>T-Mobile has a including a $25 per month option with unlimited talk/text and 6GB of data (with an extra 500MB of data added to your plan every year). The carrier also has a $10 per month Connect option that includes 1,000 domestic minutes for talk, 1,000 domestic and 1GB of data. <br><br>As we said at the top, the best deal is the one that works best for you. But when it comes to price, assuming T-Mobile's network works well in your area, it's hard to top the prices Mint charges.<br> (image: ) (image: ) Now playing: Watch this: Best Budget Phone Plans in 2022 (and the Fine Print) 8:04 <br>Read more: <br><br> <br>
Other recent topics