Not only does Best Buy sell phones and refill cards for prepaid plans, it also lets you sign up for a postpaid plan from the Big Four carriers: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. You can even sign up on Best Buy’s website and buy a phone to pick up in-store the same day.
Keep reading for the best cell phone plans available at Best Buy. Since some plans aren’t available online, the links below will take you directly to the carrier to get started.
Top Best Buy prepaid plans
- Plan name: Virgin Mobile Unlimited Plan
- Price (monthly): $50.
- At a glance: Unlimited talk, text and high-speed data.
- Why we like it: You can pay just $1 per month for the first six months if you bring or buy a qualifying iPhone.
- Plan name: Cricket Wireless Basic
- Price (monthly): $40; $35 with autopay discount.
- At a glance: Unlimited talk and text with 5GB of data.
- Why we like it: Hits the sweet spot on monthly data for most users.
Things to Know
- Virgin Mobile: Virgin runs on Sprint’s network. You can only use an iPhone and must sign up for automatic payments.
- Cricket: The carrier operates on AT&T’s network. New customers might pay a $25 in-store activation fee. Cricket allows customers to bring their own phone, if it’s compatible.
How OTHER PLANS Compare
| 6GB for $45; $40 with autopay discount |
| 3GB for $35 |
| 7GB for $50 |
Top Best Buy postpaid plan
- Plan name: Sprint single line plan
- Price (monthly): $45; $40 with autopay discount.
- At a glance: Unlimited talk and text with 2GB of data.
- Why we like it: Sprint’s single line plan is one of the most affordable traditional plans available.
- Plan name: Verizon 5GB plan
- Price (monthly): $60; $55 with autopay discount.
- At a glance: Unlimited talk and text with 5GB of data.
- Why we like it: Verizon’s top-rated network, plus the option to roll over unused data for up to 30 days.
things to know
- Sprint: A $30 fee may apply for upgrades and new activations. Sprint’s single line plan includes unlimited 2G data, which kicks in after you hit your high-speed data limit.
- Verizon: A $30 fee may apply to new activations and upgrades. You can only have one smartphone on the 5GB plan, so it’s not an option for families. The autopay discount is only available when paying via checking account or debit card.
how others compare
| 3GB for $60 |
| Unlimited for $75; $70 with autopay discount |
Top Best Buy family plans
- Plan name: AT&T Unlimited Choice
- Price (monthly, four lines): $165; $155 with $10 autopay discount
- Plan at a glance: Unlimited data, minutes and text messages
- Why we like it: It’s an affordable, entry-level unlimited plan on a top-notch network
- Plan name: Cricket Wireless Basic (with Group Save discount)
- Price (monthly, four lines): $110.
- At a glance: Unlimited talk and text, 5GB of data per line.
- Why we like it: A no-frills family plan with an affordable price tag.
things to know
- AT&T: Video streams in standard definition. You can save $10 per month if you opt for automatic payments.
- Cricket: New customers might pay a $25 in-store activation fee. LTE data speeds are slower for Cricket customers than those with AT&T, despite using the same network. This difference is most noticeable with high-bandwidth activities, such as streaming HD video. Unlimited 2G data kicks in if a line hits its monthly high-speed allotment.
how others compare
| Unlimited for $180; $160 with autopay discount |
| Unlimited for $180; $175 with autopay discount |
| Unlimited for $140 |
Top pay-as-you-go Best Buy cell phone plans
- Plan name: T-Mobile Pay As You Go Plan
- Price (monthly): $3.
- At a glance: Includes any combination of 30 minutes or texts; 10 cents per minute or message over the limit.
- Why we like it: Bare-bones plan with a price to match.
- Plan name: AT&T GoPhone Daily Plan
- Price: $2 per day of use; data costs 1 cent for every 5 kilobytes.
- At a glance: Unlimited minutes and text messages for $2 per day of use.
- Why we like it: You pay nothing on days you don’t use your phone.
things to know
- T-Mobile: The $3 fee gets you any combination of 30 minutes and texts per month. So if you send 20 texts, you’ll have 10 minutes left in that month before you go over. Each minute and text beyond the allotted 30 costs 10 cents. The plan doesn’t include data.
- AT&T: You pay the $2 fee only when you use your phone. If your phone sits in the junk drawer for three months, you pay nothing for that time. Checking your voicemail counts as using your phone for that day.
How other PLANs Compare
| Talk plan: $15 per month for 250 minutes, no texts or data included |
| $15 per month for unlimited minutes and texts |
| $9.99 per month for 30 minutes/texts |
Best Buy cell phone plans: summary
| Carrier | Plan | Best for | Cost per month, unless otherwise stated | Get started |
| Virgin Mobile Unlimited Plan | People who want a prepaid plan | $50 |
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| | Cricket Wireless Basic (5GB) | People who want a prepaid plan | $40; $35 with autopay discount |
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| Sprint single line plan | People who want a postpaid plan | $45; $40 with autopay discount |
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| Verizon 5GB Plan | People who want a postpaid plan | $60; $55 with autopay discount |
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| AT&T Unlimited Choice | Families | $165 for four lines; $155 with autopay discount. |
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| Cricket Wireless Basic (5GB data per line; with Group Save discount) | Families | $110 for four lines. |
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| T-Mobile Prepaid Pay As You Go Plan | People who want a pay-as-you-go option | $3 |
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| AT&T GoPhone Daily Plan | People who want a pay-as-you-go option | $2 per day of use; data costs 1 cent per 5KB |
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