Verizon, T-Mobile i AT&T has a lot of wear and tear. They offer a lot of brilliant features, such as 1080p video streaming, generous hotspots, and very high data acceleration limits. But if you don’t need very fast features or high-speed transmission, you can save a lot of money every month by choosing one of the smallest and least known mobile phone providers. Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) charge cheaper prices for renting wireless capacity to larger businesses, rather than maintaining their own mobile towers.
They may not have the money for advertising campaigns, but an MVNO can offer many basic features that were previously restricted to the Big Three. Today, it is reasonable to expect all the best cheap phone plans to include access to the 5G network with the option to use your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot. These are our favorites.
Don’t you see anything useful? Read our guides on the best unlimited plans, the best Android phones, the best iPhones, and the best cheap phones for more recommendations.
Updated June 2022: We’ve updated prices and details in all sections of this guide.
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Better overall
Courtesy of Mint Mobile
Mint was launched in 2016 and has become the best value among the smallest cellular networks. Your Unlimited plan is our favorite data service and starts at $ 30 a month (the first three months) for impressive benefits. This is a new introductory offer: it will return to $ 40 a month when it is time to renew it at the end of these three months. Mint Mobile allows you to renew your service every three, six or 12 months.
Get 4G LTE and 5G on all plans, though Unlimited plan speeds are reduced after using 35 gigabytes of data per month (videos also play at 480p unless you have Wi-Fi). All plans have unlimited conversation and texting, and you can make free calls to Canada and Mexico. You also have mobile access point capability with your phone so you can connect your laptop to the internet, even though connected data is restricted to 5 GB per month.
There are four levels: $ 4 for $ 25, $ 10 for $ 35, $ 15 for $ 45, or Unlimited for $ 40. Prices are the lowest if you pay for one year at a time. Mint has an offer that reduces prices to $ 15, $ 20, $ 25, and $ 30 per month, respectively, in the plans mentioned above, for the first three months. These prices will return to the actual rates if you choose to pay every three months, but if you commit to one year, you can keep the rate discounted. There is also a smaller discount if you commit to six months at a time. Mint does not include wireless taxes and fees in its pricing. Both plans will cost you $ 10 a month if you don’t pay annually.
