The best prepaid phone plans for 2024

white, green, and blue sim card on blue background
(Image credit: Future)

The best prepaid phone plans on the market can cut your monthly bills down to size significantly and forgo those pesky 3-year contracts that are now commonplace at the larger carriers. Overall, prepaid phone plans are lightweight, cheaper, and much more flexible for consumers. Generally speaking, all you need is an unlocked device ready and you're good to go. Let us help you out, then, with an extensive roundup of the best prepaid phone plans on the market,  including options for individuals, families, and even cheap unlimited data options.

We select our choices for the best prepaid phone plans on the criteria that we think are most important to our readers - price, coverage, data allowance, and any handy perks that the carrier may offer. While there's no set 'best' prepaid plan for everyone, we're confident that our choices will tick a lot of the boxes for most customers.

For example, those who want a healthy set amount of data per month may want to check out Visible Wireless or US Mobile - two excellent prepaid carriers that offer incredible value unlimited data plans. Those who want to switch up their plan regularly may find Tello's flexible design-your-own-plan to be compelling. Lastly, as a great all-round option for most people, it's hard to go wrong with Mint Mobile's excellent selection of plans - all of which offer competitive prices across the board. 

If you find yourself stuck when choosing the best prepaid phone plans for you, then at the bottom of the page is a handy 'FAQ' section that's there to provide a bit of extra guidance.

Firstly, here's a quick overview of the best prepaid phone plans with links to the relevant carrier pages. Below that, you'll find a detailed breakdown for each one with the specific reasons why we picked it. If you'd like to see more options - including what the big carriers are offering - then we recommend heading on over to our main best cell phone plans to see an overview of the market as a whole. Don't forget to consider options like the Tello promo codes currently available too.

Recent updates

Amended entries for Boost Mobile and US Mobile to reflect recent price and plan amendments.

The best prepaid phone plans: top picks

  1. Mint Mobile - best for overall value
  2. Visible - best unlimited prepaid plan
  3. US Mobile - cheapest unlimited plan on market
  4. Tello - best for flexibility
  5. AT&T prepaid - best for big carrier value
  6. Red Pocket - superb AT&T alternative
  7. Boost Mobile - best for flexible family options

The best prepaid phone plans

best prepaid plans cheap mint mobile

(Image credit: Mint Mobile)

1. Mint Mobile

Best for overall value

Pricing: $15/mo - $30/mo |external/boostmobile.sjv.io/c/221109/1330603/16069?subId1=trd-us-1123929981425894890&sharedId=trd-us&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.boostmobile.com%2Fexpanded-plans.html" data-url="https://www.boostmobile.com/expanded-plans.html" target="_blank" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" rel="sponsored noopener" data-hl-processed="hawklinks" data-placeholder-url="https://boostmobile.sjv.io/c/221109/1330603/16069?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk-prefix&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.boostmobile.com%2Fexpanded-plans.html" data-google-interstitial="false" data-merchant-name="boost mobile" data-merchant-id="217152" data-merchant-url="boostmobile.com" data-merchant-network="ImpactRad">Boost Mobile - best for flexible family options

The best prepaid phone plans

best prepaid plans cheap mint mobile

(Image credit: Mint Mobile)

1. Mint Mobile

Best for overall value

Pricing: 5/mo - 0/mo | Data options: 5GB, 10GB, 15GB, Unlimited |external/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RPCzhGepMjnAKpUgkxT2Je-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RPCzhGepMjnAKpUgkxT2Je-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RPCzhGepMjnAKpUgkxT2Je-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RPCzhGepMjnAKpUgkxT2Je-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RPCzhGepMjnAKpUgkxT2Je-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RPCzhGepMjnAKpUgkxT2Je-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)">best prepaid plans cheap mobile visible

(Image credit: Visible)

2. Visible

Best for unlimited data on a budget

Pricing: 5 - 5mo |external/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/djBXZ9rBhZ8tfsUPATkhfX-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/djBXZ9rBhZ8tfsUPATkhfX-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/djBXZ9rBhZ8tfsUPATkhfX-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/djBXZ9rBhZ8tfsUPATkhfX-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/djBXZ9rBhZ8tfsUPATkhfX-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/djBXZ9rBhZ8tfsUPATkhfX-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)">US Mobile logo

(Image credit: US Mobile)

3. US Mobile

Absolute cheapest unlimited prepaid plan

Pricing: 7.50/mo - 0/mo |external/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9fyghWsDYnzgx9cnuMR9C3-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9fyghWsDYnzgx9cnuMR9C3-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9fyghWsDYnzgx9cnuMR9C3-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9fyghWsDYnzgx9cnuMR9C3-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9fyghWsDYnzgx9cnuMR9C3-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9fyghWsDYnzgx9cnuMR9C3-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)">Red Pocket logo

(Image credit: Red Pocket)

6. Red Pocket

A great alternative to AT&T

Pricing: /mo - 0/mo | Data options: 5GB, 8GB, 16GB, Unlimited | Talk & Text: Unlimited | Perks: 5G, mobile hotspot, free Mex & CA calling | Network: AT&T

Flexible line-up of plans
Start at just per month
Option to pay for a full year
Unlimited plan a little pricier than AT&T's version

As good as AT&T’s own prepaid options are, there are other smaller carriers operating on its larger network that are even cheaper still. Take Red Pocket, for example, which could be a good option for you if you’re looking for a super basic plan with a small data allowance.

Right now, Red Pocket’s best prepaid plans start at just per month for its 1GB plan and range up to its unlimited plan for 5 per month. As with other prepaid carriers (notably Mint Mobile), Red Pocket has the option to pay for a full year of service upfront in exchange for cheaper monthly rates on average which makes it a flexible all round choice. Overall, it’s one of the cheapest carriers on the market right now - particularly on the wider AT&T network where decent prepaid choices seem to be rarer. 

best prepaid plans cheap boost mobile

(Image credit: Future)

7. Boost mobile

Best for all-in-one plans

Pricing: 5/mo - 0/mo | Data options: Unlimited | Talk & Text: Unlimited | Perks: 5G, mobile hotspot | Network: T-Mobile

Plan plus phone for 5/mo
Super cheap set-data allowance plans recently discontinued

Boost Mobile used to be more of a traditional prepaid carrier with cheap set-data plans as well as unlimited plans but it's switched up its line-up recently to solely focus on the latter now. In short, if you're looking for an unlimited data prepaid plan on the T-Mobile network, you'll find competitive options across the board with Boost Mobile.

Perhaps the biggest selling point for Boost, however, is the carrier's unique 'Infinite Access' plans, which bundle in one of the latest best prepaid plans cheap mobile AT&T

(Image credit: AT&T)
(Image credit: Red Pocket)

As good as AT&T’s own prepaid options are, there are other smaller carriers operating on its larger network that are even cheaper still. Take Red Pocket, for example, which could be a good option for you if you’re looking for a super basic plan with a small data allowance.

Right now, Red Pocket’s best prepaid plans start at just per month for its 1GB plan and range up to its unlimited plan for 5 per month. As with other prepaid carriers (notably Mint Mobile), Red Pocket has the option to pay for a full year of service upfront in exchange for cheaper monthly rates on average which makes it a flexible all round choice. Overall, it’s one of the cheapest carriers on the market right now - particularly on the wider AT&T network where decent prepaid choices seem to be rarer. 

best prepaid plans cheap boost mobile

(Image credit: Future)

7. Boost mobile

Best for all-in-one plans

Pricing: 5/mo - 0/mo | Data options: Unlimited | Talk & Text: Unlimited | Perks: 5G, mobile hotspot | Network: T-Mobile

Plan plus phone for 5/mo
Super cheap set-data allowance plans recently discontinued

Boost Mobile used to be more of a traditional prepaid carrier with cheap set-data plans as well as unlimited plans but it's switched up its line-up recently to solely focus on the latter now. In short, if you're looking for an unlimited data prepaid plan on the T-Mobile network, you'll find competitive options across the board with Boost Mobile.

Perhaps the biggest selling point for Boost, however, is the carrier's unique 'Infinite Access' plans, which bundle in one of the latest Red Pocket logo