16 Prepaid Phone Plans: Pay As Low As $10 Per Month

Written by Jason Michaels Last Updated: May 8, 2024

The average cell phone bill for a single person is $73 per month. That’s a grand total of $876 per year – not including fees, taxes and other charges. Many people I know pay anywhere between $90 to $100 per month for a single phone line. Individuals spend a lot of money on their phone plans, but they don’t have to. I personally pay $420 per year for my phone bill.

I’ve created a post to show you some of the cheapest prepaid phone plans. These no-contract plans are affordable and offer the luxuries of more expensive alternatives. At the bottom of this post, I’ll explain the many benefits of using a prepaid phone service. The ‘Potential Savings’ sections are based on the statistic of $73 per month being the average cost. Let’s see which option below suits you.

Prepaid Phone Plans With Data

1. FreedomPop

Plan Costs: $0 – $35

The only thing you have to pay for is the sim card, a one-time fee of around $15 after shipping. With their free plan, you get 500 MB of 4G data, 200 minutes and 500 texts per month. You can also choose to upgrade, and you can increase your limits for a small fee.

Potential Savings: 100%

2. Boost Mobile

Plan Costs: $35 to $50 per month

Plan Highlights

• The $35 plan provides users with unlimited talk, text, and data. Data speed is slowed down to 2G after three gigs of 4G LTE are used. This plan also allows the phone to be used as a mobile hotspot for up to three gigs.
• The $50 plan offers unlimited data, talk, and text. The unlimited data is primarily 4G LTE. This plans also offers unlimited calling to Mexico.
• Boost Mobile runs on Sprint service towers.
• Family plans and additional add-ons are available.

Potential Savings: $23 to $38 per month

3. Cricket Wireless

Plan Costs: $30 to $60 per month

Plan Highlights

• The $30 per month plan offers 1GB of high-speed data access and unlimited talk and text. Data speeds are reduced to 128Kbps max if the amount is exceeded.
• The $40 per month plan offers 4GB of high-speed data access and unlimited talk and text. Data speeds are reduced to 128Kbps max if the amount is exceeded.
• The $50 per month plan offers 8GB of high-speed data access, unlimited talk and text, international texting, and talk, text, and data access to and from Mexico and Canada. Data speeds are reduced to 128Kbps max if the amount is exceeded.
• The $60 per month plan offers unlimited data plus all of the features offered in the $50 per month plan.
• You can save $5 per month on the $40, $50, and $60 plans by enrolling in auto-pay.

Potential Savings: $13 to $43 per month (or $18 to $48 with auto-pay enrollment)

4. Straight Talk

Plan Costs: $30 to $60 per month

Plan Highlights

• Straight Talk’s $30 plan offers 1500 minutes, 1500 texts, and 100MB of data.
• The $45 plan offers unlimited talk, text, and data. High-speed data is capped at 8GB then slows down to 2G.
• If you want more high-speed data, Straight Talk offers a $55 option with 12GB of data.
• Lastly, there’s $60 option with 8GB of data, unlimited talk and text, and unlimited national calling.

Potential Savings: $13 to $43 per month

5. Verizon Wireless

Plan Costs: $40 to $80 per month

Plan Highlights

• The $40 prepaid plan offers 3GB of high-speed data, unlimited talk, and unlimited text. The phone can be used as a mobile hotspot.
• The $50 prepaid plan offers 7GB of high-speed data, unlimited talk, and unlimited text. The phone can be used as a mobile hotspot.
• The $60 prepaid plans offers 10GB of high-speed data, unlimited talk, and unlimited text. The phone can be used as a mobile hotspot, and you can make unlimited calls to Canada and Mexico.
• The $80 prepaid plan offers unlimited high-speed data, unlimited talk, and unlimited text. Unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada are also available.
• Verizon Wireless prepaid plans offer carryover data. That means any unused data will carry over to the next month if your bill is paid on time.

Potential Savings: $13 to $33 per month (with the unlimited $80 plan, you’ll pay $7 more per month)

6. Ting

Plan Costs: $15 to $72 per month

Plan Highlights

The plans that Ting offers are notably unique. To determine the cost of your plan, you choose from different options on an interactive table. There are options for the number of lines you want, how many minutes you want, how many text messages you want, and how much data you want.

The $15 price is based on a single line with the lowest amount of minutes, text messages, and data. The $72 price is based on a single line with the highest amount of minutes, text messages, and data.

There are also different add-ons available once you surpass the highest priced plan. You can add extra minutes for 1.9 cents each, extra text messages for ¼ cents each, and extra data for $10 per GB.

Potential Savings: $1 to $58 per month

7. TracFone

Plan Costs: $10.27 to $20 per month

Plan Highlights

• With almost every TracFone plan, you pay for several months of service at a time. This is shown in the information below.
• For $125 or $10.27 per month, you receive 1500 minutes, 1500 texts, and 1.5GB of data. With this plan, you pay the total $125 at once and receive 365 days of service.
• For $50 or $16.67 per month, you receive 750 minutes, 1,500 texts, and 2GB of data. With this plan, you pay the total of $50 and receive 90 days of service.
• For $45 or $15 per month, you receive 750 minutes, 1,000 texts, and 1.5GB of data. With this plan, you pay the total $45 and receive 90 days of service.
• For $35 or $17.50 per month, you receive 750 minutes, 1,500 texts, and 2GB of data. With this plan, you pay the total of $35 for 60 service days
• For $25 or $12.50 per month, you receive 500 minutes, 1000 texts, and 500MB of data. With this plan, you pay the total $25 and receive 60 days of service.
• For $20 per month, you receive 300 minutes, 1,000 texts, and 1GB of data.
• For $15 per month, you receive 200 minutes, 500 texts, and 200 MB of data.
• You can save 5% per payment if you sign up for auto-refill.

Potential Savings: $53 to $62.73 per month

8. U.S Cellular

Plan Costs: $35 to $70 per month

Plan Highlights

• For $35 per month, receive unlimited talk, unlimited text, 1GB of high-speed data, and no overage fees.
• For $45 per month, receive unlimited talk, unlimited text, 5GB of high-speed data, and no overage fees.
• For $70 per month, receive unlimited talk, unlimited text, unlimited high-speed data, and no overage fees.
• After you have used the allotted amount of data on the $35 and $45 plans, your data speed will switch to 2G. After you use 22GB of data on the $70 plan, your data speed will switch to 2G.
• You can add unlimited calling to Canada or Mexico to any of these plans for an additional $10 per month.

Potential Savings: $3 to $38 per month

9. Republic Wireless

Plan Costs: $30 to $90 per month

Plan Highlights

• For $30 per month, get unlimited talk, unlimited text, 2GB of cell data, and WiFi data.
• For $45 per month, get unlimited talk, unlimited text, 4GB of cell data, and WiFi data.
• For $60 per month, get unlimited talk, unlimited text, 6GB of cell data, and WiFi data.
• For $90 per month, get unlimited talk, unlimited text, 10 GB of cell data, and WiFi data.

Potential Savings: $13 to $43 per month (with the $90 plan, you’d be paying $17 more per month.

10. MetroPCS

Plan Costs: $30 to $60 per month

Plan Highlights

• The $30 plan offers 2GB of 4G LTE data with unlimited talk and text.
• The $40 plan offers 3GB of 4G LTE data with unlimited talk and text.
• The $50 plan now offers unlimited 4G LTE data instead of 4GB of data, along with unlimited talk and text.
• The $60 plan offers unlimited 4G LTE data, unlimited talk and text, and the ability to use your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot. This means your phone can be used as a high-speed web router.
• MetroPCS provides a Data Calculator at the link above. You can use this to determine how much data is right for you; this may help prevent you from overspending.

Potential Savings: $13 to $43 per month

Prepaid Phone Plans Without Data

11. Consumer Cellular

Plan Costs: $10 to $30 per month

Plan Highlights

• For the $10 plan, you are only billed per the minutes you use that month. Each minute cost $0.25.
• For the $15 plan, you receive 250 minutes of talk time per month.
• For the $20 plan, you receive 1,500 minutes of talk time per month.
• For the $30 plan, you receive an unlimited amount of talk time per month.
• For each plan, you do have the option of adding text messages and data for an additional fee. The fees range from $2.50 to $40 per month.

Potential Savings: $43 to $63 per month (not including add-ons)

12. TracFone

Plan Costs: $9.99 to $26.66 per month

Plan Highlights

• With almost every TracFone plan, you pay for several months of service at a time. This is shown in the information below.
• The $9.99 plan provides 60 minutes of talk, text, basic web for 60 days.
• The $19.99 or $6.66 per month plan provides 120 minutes of talk, text and basic web for 90 days.
• The $29.99 or $10 per month plan provides 240 minutes of talk, text, and basic web for 90 days.
• The $39.99 or $13.33 per month plan provides 400 minutes of talk, text, and basic web for 90 days.
• The $79.99 or $26.66 per month plan provides 900 minutes of talk, text, and basic web for 90 days.
• The $99.99 or $8.22 per month plan provides 800 minutes of talk, text, and basic web for 365 days.
• The $159.99 or $13.15 per month plan provides 2,000 minutes of talk, text, and basic web for 365 days.
• The $199.99 or $16.44 per month plan provides 3,000 minutes of talk, text and basic web for 365 days.
• You can save 10% per payment by enrolling in the auto-refill plan.

Potential Savings: $46.36 to $63.01 per month

13. Ting

Plan Costs: $9.00 to $61.00 per month

Plan Highlights

Once again, the plans that Ting offers are unlike other options. The link above allows you to work with the interactive table to determine your costs. For plans without data, simply click the “No Usage” box in the data section.

The $12 price is based on a single line with the lowest amount of minutes, text messages, and no data. The $52  price is based on a single line with the highest amount of minutes, text messages, and no data.

As a reminder, you always have the option to add more minutes and texts if you’d like. You can add extra minutes for 1.9 cents each and extra texts for ¼ cents each.

Potential Savings: $21 to $51 per month

14. Republic Wireless

Plan Costs: $15 per month

Plan Highlights

• For $15 per month, you receive unlimited talk and text. You also have unlimited access to Wi-Fi-based data through your phone.
• All other Republic Wireless plans offer data; you can view them at Number 8 in this list.

Potential Savings: $58 per month

15. Verizon Wireless

Plan Costs: $30 per month

Plan Highlights

• For $30 per month, you receive unlimited talk and text.
• Verizon offers a Bring Your Own Device option. This means that if you have a phone already, you may be able to use it on this plan.

Potential Savings: $43 per month

16. Total Wireless

Plan Costs: $25 per month

Plan Highlights

• For $25 per month, you receive unlimited talk and text.
• If you enroll in the Total Wireless Auto Refill service, you get a 5% discount each month. This reduces your cost to $23.75.
• Total Wireless also offers a single line prepaid phone plan with data for $35 per month.

Potential Savings: $48 to $49.25 per month

The Benefits Of Prepaid Phone Plans Vs. Contract Phone Plans

Lastly, I want to cover the benefits of using a prepaid phone system. No contract plans have a lot to offer:

• Your credit score and credit history does not factor into your eligibility to get a phone or plan. You simply purchase the plan and pay for the service.
• No contract is required for prepaid phone plans. That means you can end your service whenever you’d like.
• There are no early termination fees if you want to change phones or service providers.
• These affordable plans are ideal for emergency cell phones and phones for children or young teenagers.
• Many prepaid service providers offer discounts if you choose to enroll in their auto-pay programs.

Wrapping Things Up

Overall, wireless phone plans are very diverse; there’s really something for everyone. The good news is that there’s also no contract cell phone plans to suit every budget. With these plans starting at just $10 per month, you can save a significant amount of money with one of the options above.

If you love saving money like we do, I recommend checking out a few of our posts. 15 Ways On How To Save Money On Rent and 40 Best Ways On How To Save Money On Groceries are great picks. Enjoy learning how you can cut back on costs in every facet of your life!