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Sometimes you just want to go back to basics, even with your cell phone. That's where the basic cell phone plan comes in.
Cell phone plans with only talk time (minutes) and texts are becoming fewer and further between in 2022. But the ones we found could be solid options for smartphone holdouts or those who are content to surf the web only when on Wi-Fi. These plans are almost always prepaid, since none of the major cell phone carriers offers a plan without mobile data. It's mobile data that allows you to access the internet over a cellular network.

Best basic cell phone plans: unlimited minutes
Ting, Consumer Cellular and Google Fi offer plans with unlimited talk time at reasonable prices. In each case, though, it’s not much more expensive to add a gigabyte of data.
Ting: Flex plan
Price: $10 per month.
At a glance: Unlimited minutes and texts.
Consumer Cellular: Unlimited Talk Only plan
Price: $15 per month.
At a glance: Unlimited minutes.
Google Fi: Flexible for 1 plan
Price: $20 per month.
At a glance: Unlimited minutes and texts.
THINGS TO KNOW
Best basic cell phone plans: limited minutes
No sense paying for unlimited minutes if you really just need a few. With Tracfone, unused airtime rolls over each month, as long as you top up your balance. Prefer a more traditional monthly plan? US Mobile offers a flexible, build-your-own plan for as little as $2 per month.
Tracfone: 30-minute airtime card
Price: $9.99 a month.
At a glance: The 30 minutes are divided into unit increments, and you spend them on talk time, texts and/or megabytes for data use. Depending on your phone type, a text sent or received can equate to less than a full "minute."
US Mobile: Build your own plan
Price: Starts at $2 per month for 75 minutes, plus selected tier of texts and/or data.
At a glance: Usage is divided into levels, and you select the number of minutes, texts and data you need.
THINGS TO KNOW

METHODOLOGY
We evaluated cell phone plans offered by popular carriers, considering monthly plan price before taxes and fees. We only considered national carriers, which ruled out regional providers like U.S. Cellular.