4 Best Cheap Phone Plans (2023): Alternatives to Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile

There are four tiers: 4GB for $25, 10GB for $35, 15GB for $45, or Unlimited for $40. Prices are lowest if you pay for a year at a time. Mint has an offer that drops prices to $15, $20, $25, and $30 per month for the first three months, according to the plans above. These prices revert to actual prices if you pay every three months, but if you commit to a year you can keep the discounted price. There’s also a smaller discount if you commit to six months at a time. Mint does not include wireless taxes and fees in its prices.

Mint offers a free one-week trial of its service. Download the Mint Mobile app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and try a limited version of the Mint plan for free, either by having a SIM card sent to you or by using an eSIM if your phone supports it .

We suggest going with the plan $15 per month for 4GB if you tend not to use a lot of dates. Go for the one that is $30 per month for unlimited data when you are far away from Wi-Fi with your phone. Remember that prices increase after the first three months.

Phone Compatibility: This network runs on T-Mobile, so any T-Mobile or AT&T phone should work, along with many newer high-end phones that are universally unlocked, such as iPhones, Samsung phones, and Google Pixels. Check compatibility here.

Best for rural areas

Visible was our favorite until Mint released its Unlimited plan, but it’s still a lot if you prefer Verizon’s cellular coverage, which is better in remote or rural areas. Visible claims 99 percent of the population in the US are insured. It’s owned by Verizon and uses that network exclusively (meaning it’s not technically an MVNO).

Visible’s basic plan costs $30 per month for one line, including taxes and fees. It offers 5G and 4G LTE coverage as well as unlimited calls, text and data. There is also a higher tier plan: Visible+. For $45 per month for a line, you get 5G Ultra Wideband – a faster band of 5G service – unlimited voice, text and data roaming in Canada and Mexico (for US customers), as well as international calling and texting from the USA to “30+ and 200+ countries”, respectively

Your 5G data speed is capped at 200Mbps, which is fast enough for most tasks. During times of heavy network traffic, Visible will deprioritize its customers sharing Verizon cellular infrastructure. On the Visible+ plan, this only comes into effect after 50 GB of data usage. Visible is giving you a gift card of up to $200 if you bring your own device, depending on the device, which is $100 less than the maximum offered late last year. You’ll have to pay for the first three months of service and port your old number first.