I’ve always thought paying $80-$110/month for a phone plan was some sort of sick joke. I recently stumbled across a glimmer of hope with one of our promotions offering 1 year of free talk, text, and data. This promotion would literally save me $1,200 a year, yet, moronically, isn’t enough for me to forfeit my iPhone.
Though FreedomPop wasn’t for me, I knew if a free smartphone plan existed there had to be something more reasonable than the $97/month I’ve been forking over to Verizon. This sent me out on a mission to find the best phone plan for smartphone users. Not only did I find that Verizon has a smartphone plan that would have saved me $960 the past 2 years, but there are multiple options going as low as $35 a month! And best of all, no more contracts!
Saving Potential: Though these prepaid plans lose the perk of a contracted phone discount, potential savings are still substantial. The cheapest monthly data contract runs about $80/month x 24months = $1,920 + $200 phone = $2,120 for 2 years. Virgin mobile prepaid plan with 1,200 talk minutes and unlimited text & data runs $40/month x 24 months = $960 + $550 for a full-priced iPhone 5s through Virgin = $1,510 for 2 years. Still considerable savings! Plus after 2 years, you can sell your iPhone for approximately $200-$300 toward a more modern phone which could act as a contractual discount. I personally swapped my Verizon iPhone 4s for a Sprint iPhone 4s ($0) to use on Boost Mobile’s network at $42.50/month x 24 months = $1,020 (and will be $420 annually after 24 months). Previous 2 years of Verizon service $97 x 24 months = $2,328. That comes out to $654 in annual savings!
Enough babbling! After hours of research, I present you the cheapest smartphone plans:
Tier-1 Prepaid Phone Plans
AT&T Smartphone Monthly Unlimited w/ Data
If you are a smartphone power user, this is your best bet. AT&T’s network is only second to Verizon for talk. What makes this plan more appealing than the similarly priced Verizon plan is the ability to use 4G phones like the iPhone 5/5s.
Price: $60+ tax
Talk: Unlimited
Text: Unlimited
Data: 2GB Add more: $10/1GB
Supports: 3G/4G
Verizon Prepaid Smartphone Plans
I’ve been on the Verizon network for my 10 years of cell phone usage. The coverage is awesome, but it definitely comes at a cost. The reason this Tier-1 prepaid plan falls behind AT&T is because it only supports 3G phones (iPhone 4/4s), though I image that will change soon.
Price: $60+ tax
Talk: Unlimited
Text: Unlimited
Data: 2GB included. Pay $70/month for 4GB
Supports: 3G
Tier-2 Prepaid Phone Plans
Our most dedicated Stack employee, Mark Swiggum, has been using Sprint ever since he arrived in LA 2 years ago. This guy is constantly working from his phone and never has connectivity issues whether he’s toes in the sand at so-cal beaches or grazing the cow pastures of his home state of Wisconsin. If it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for everyone. The Sprint Network is actually used by all the services listed in these Tier-2 plans. We suggest going with 1 of the other providers in this section as the extra cost for this plan is only for the Sprint name and minutely better customer support.
Price: $60+ tax
Talk: Unlimited
Text: Unlimited
Data: Unlimited
Supports: 3G/4G
Virgin Mobile Unlimited Data & Messaging Plans
If you are looking for the cheapest smartphone plans for 4G phones (iPhone 5/5s/5c), Virgin is your ticket. Again, Virgin uses the Sprint Network so coverage is slightly below Tier-1, but the hundreds in savings makes it more than worth it. Virgin also gives you an additional $5/month off for enrolling in automatic bill pay (deduction is included in below prices). This plan is especially enticing for people who don’t use many minutes.
Price: $30+ tax
Talk: 300 anytime minutes. +$10 for 1,200 anytime minutes. +$20 for unlimited talk
Text: Unlimited
Data: Unlimited
Supports: 3G/4G
Boost Mobile Monthly Unlimited
Boost is absolutely the way to go for 3G phone users (iPhone 4/4s) as well as users who love to blab on the phone for hours. They also have a Shrinking Payments Program that knocks $5/month off your bill every 6 months maxing out at 18 months for an additional $15/month in savings.
Price: $42.50+ tax averaged out over 24 months, $35/month after 2 years
Talk: Unlimited
Text: Unlimited
Data: Unlimited
Supports: 3G. $10/month extra for 4G
The most straightforward deal yet. StraightTalk is unlimited talk & text plan with a sizable 2GB/month of data. It uses a interesting networking model that combines tower usage of multiple carriers including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. You can also walk into any Wal-mart (bleh) and find an assortment of phones compatible with the StraightTalk Service.
Price: $45
Talk: Unlimited
Text: Unlimited
Data: 2 GB/month
Supports: 4G
This is a sister service to StraightTalk and uses the same multi-network service coverage. I would only recommend NET10 to users who use their phones internationally. For $15 extra ($65/month), one can upgrade to unlimited international talk, text, and data.
Price: $50
Talk: Unlimited
Text: Unlimited
Data: Unlimited
Supports: 4G
Tier-3 Prepaid Phone Plan
This is the ultimate plan for anyone who isn’t particular about their device and doesn’t use heavy data. Again, FreedomPop uses the Sprint Network and you can get started with an HTC Evo 4G for only $159 with our current promotion. This plan will literally save you thousands and is definitely something to consider if you can swing it.
Price: FREE!
Talk: 200 monthly
Text: 500 monthly
Data: 500mb
Supports: HTC Evo 4g (adding more phone options soon!)
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please don’t hesitate to ask @AllanBlocker!
What about StraightTalk? I know there is an issue with the TOS fine print related to media streaming, but the $45 per month unlimited seems very competitive. Isn’t StraightTalk also using the Sprint network?
Somehow missed StraightTalk in my research. Definitely looks like a valid option. Added them, along with their sister provider, Net10.
Thanks!
Somehow I missed StraightTalk in my research. Definitely looks like another affordable option depending on your needs. Added therm along with their sister provider, Net10 which is a great option for users who frequently make international calls!
When studying abroad in London this past smester, I used G3 Wireless (https://g3wireless.com) for my international calling. I saved a lot on roaming fees with a single SIM-Card that has global coverage. The set-up is a basic pay-as-you-go plan (without contracts), which is exactly what I was looking for, since I didn’t know exactly how many hours I would use and did not want to pay more than necessary. My family and I were both extremely happy knowing I could call them from far away at a reasonable price.
If you truly want to save on you cell phone plan go to:
https://walmartdeals.weebly.com/