Best Prepaid Cell Phone Plans

When it comes to cell phone plans, it’s easy for prices to creep up over time. But prepaid cell phone plans make it easy to save money and switch plans if your provider jacks up the price.

When it comes to prepaid cell phone plans, you have lots of options. And each of the companies offering these plans have different strengths and weaknesses.

We’ve ranked some of the best prepaid cell phone plans based on their top strengths and pricing. Here are the top prepaid cell phone plans for 2022.

Here’s our picks for the top three prepaid cell phone plans for 2022. 

Google FI starts at $20 per month with no data. Then you pay $10 per 1 GB of data, only paying for the exact amount that you actually use.

The plan has some nice bells and whistles for moderate data users. First, it comes with free international texting, and international calling at just 1 cent per minute. Moderate data users are likely to come away with fairly inexpensive bills most months.

Heavy data users aren’t careful about data consumption on their phone. Their phone habits are the same whether they are connected to WiFi or not.

They may send and receive emails on their bus commute, stream podcasts while on a walk, browse Instagram at the park, or watch a movie on a road trip. Heavy data users may also want to turn their phone into a hotspot from time to time.

Visible runs on Verizon’s network and offers unlimited talk, text and data for $40 per month for single lines. Plus, the carrier also offers party plans.

People with two people on a bill can get coverage for $35 per month. Three users cuts the cost to $30 per line per month, and four users cost just $25 per month. This is a great way to share costs with your family, significant other, or friends.

Family plans (or party plans) are ideal for those who want to save money on several lines. Both companies listed offer four lines for $25 per line. They both offer unlimited text, calls and data.

While most people are relatively stationary during the Covid-19 pandemic, some people still need to travel across borders for work or personal reasons. These plans offer coverage outside of the US for competitive prices.

Remember, you can always connect your phone to WiFi to use messaging apps or to use video chat. But the plans below will be a necessity for people who need to use data or make calls internationally.

T-Mobile’s Simply Prepaid plan includes unlimited talk, text and 10GB of data per month, for $40. For an additional $5 per month, users can get unlimited calling to and from Canada and Mexico. You can also add international calling (including to landlines) for $15 additional per month.

Those living in rural areas are likely to experience spotty coverage unless they’ve got a great prepaid plan. This plan maximizes coverage area while keeping costs moderate.

Xfinity Mobile is an ideal plan for existing Xfinity customers. Those who aren’t customers need to pay an additional $20 per month per line.

It offers unlimited talk and text (all over Verizon’s coverage network), plus 1 GB of data for $15 per month (3 GB is $30 and unlimited is $45 per month). Additional lines (such as your watch or a tablet) can be added for $10 per month. One drawback to this plan is that it comes with limited BYOB (bring your own device) options.

The plans below are bare bones talk and text plans designed for people who really don’t need much data. If you’ve got solid WiFi at home, and don’t rely on GPS, these plans could save you a lot of money in 2022.

Tello’s basic plan includes 500 minutes, unlimited text and no data. The carrier operates on Sprint’s network, so coverage can be spotty except in Urban areas.

Despite being bare bones, Tell comes through on cost. The basic plan runs you just $7 per month. During this pandemic (and potentially beyond), it is possible to keep data costs extremely low by using WiFi all the time.

Some parents buy a phone to keep at home for kids who are too young for their own cell phones. Others use a work cell phone but may want to keep their personal number active. Regardless of the reason, the below plans are for people who rarely use their phones.

For $3 per month you get 100 minutes of talk, 100 texts, and 100 Mbps of data (enough for a few iMessages per month). Additional talk minutes cost $.03 per minute and additional texts are $.01 per text.

Data has to be purchased on a per-day basis. 500 Mbps can be purchased for $5, but is only usable for 24 hours. A 7 day, 1 GB pass costs $10. It’s easy to see how these costs could add up. However, $3 per month is a steal for those who need a phone but rarely use it.

The basic plan includes 500 minutes of talk, unlimited text, and costs just $7 per month. Those who rarely use their phone except for two-factor authentication or making plans with friends will appreciate the low costs.