Best Cheap Cell Phone Plans 2020

You want a cheap cell phone plan. The problem is, you don’t know where to start. We did the research for you and found the least expensive plans out there.
The plans we recommend here are the cheapest, but they might not be the best value for you. If you need more than 1GB of data per month, check out our picks for best cell phone plans and best prepaid cell phone plans, which emphasize value over having the absolute lowest price.
If you’re on a government program such as Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income or food stamps/SNAP, you might qualify for free or subsidized plans from various carriers via the federal Lifeline Program.
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Cheapest prepaid plans with data
Ting and Republic are cheapest if you want just a little data, but you might find a better value elsewhere if you need a few gigabytes.
Ting
Ting: Individual line, Small
Price: $15 per month
At a glance: 100 minutes, 100 text messages and 100 megabytes of data
Republic Wireless
Republic Wireless
Price: $20 per month
At a glance: Unlimited minutes and text messages, plus 1GB of data. Not available on iPhones.
THINGS TO KNOW
Cheapest postpaid plans with data
Traditional plans are pricier than prepaid ones, but they do come with some advantages.
You can get the latest phones and pay for them in installments. You also get priority access to a carrier's network — a difference from prepaid plans, even with the four largest carriers.
Sprint
Sprint 6GB
Price: $45 per month; $40 with autopay discount
At a glance: This plan is only available when you activate a new account and purchase a new phone for $450 or less, which eliminates popular new releases like the iPhone 11, Samsung Note10+ and Google Pixel 4.
U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular Total Plan (2GB)
Price: $55 per month; $45 with autopay discount
At a glance: Unlimited minutes and text messages, plus 2GB of data
THINGS TO KNOW
Cheapest plans without data
No data? No problem. The cheapest cell phone plans on the market come with just a handful of minutes and text messages. Want fewer minutes? Consider a pay-as-you-go plan.
Tracfone
Tracfone 30 minute airtime card
Price: $9.99 per month
At a glance: Any combination of 30 minutes or texts
Ting
Ting: Individual line, Small, no data
Price: $12 per month
At a glance: 100 minutes, 100 text messages
THINGS TO KNOW
Cheapest pay-as-you-go plans
True pay-as-you-go plans are hard to find these days, but they're an excellent option if you go weeks or even months without using your cell phone. One thing to keep in mind: You’ll need to add money to your account every so often to keep it active.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile PayGo (via Ultra Mobile)
Price: $3 per month, plus 10 cents per minute or message over the included 30
At a glance: Any combination of 30 minutes or 30 texts per month
AT&T
AT&T GoPhone Pay as You Go
Price: $2 per day of use. Data costs 1 cent per 5 kilobytes or $1 for 100MB
At a glance: Unlimited minutes and text messages with option to purchase data package
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Cheap cell phone plans: summary
Plan | Best for | Cost per month |
---|---|---|
Ting — Individual line, level Small | People who want a prepaid plan with data | $15 |
Republic Wireless 1GB plan | People who want a prepaid plan with data | $20 |
Sprint 6GB | People who want a postpaid plan with data | $45 |
U.S. Cellular Shared Connect (2GB) | People who want a postpaid plan with data | $55 |
TracFone 30 minute airtime card | People who want minutes and texts only | $9.99 |
Ting — Individual line, level Small, no data | People who want minutes and texts only | $12 |
T-Mobile PayGo (via Ultra Mobile) | People who want a pay-as-you-go plan | $3 per month, plus 10 cents per minute or message over the included 30 |
AT&T GoPhone Pay as You Go | People who want a pay-as-you-go plan | $2 per day of use, data is 1 cent per 5KB or $1 for 100MB |
METHODOLOGY
We evaluated more than 200 cell phone plans offered by the following carriers: AT&T, Boost Mobile, Consumer Cellular, Cricket, GreatCall, Google’s Project Fi, MetroPCS, Net10, Republic Wireless, Sprint, Straight Talk, T-Mobile, Ting, Tracfone, Verizon Wireless and Virgin Mobile. Our picks for the cheapest cell phone plans were those with the lowest price. Other plans may offer a better value but have a higher monthly cost.