The best prepaid phone plans in 2026

Prepaid wireless has reached parity with postpaid in 2026. Same towers, same coverage, identical phones - just lower monthly costs and no annual contracts. The remaining differences (network priority, customer service, premium streaming bundles) matter less than the savings for most users.

Our picks

Best overall: Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile runs on T-Mobile and prices aggressively. The Unlimited plan is $30/month month-to-month or $15/month with 12-month prepayment. The 5GB plan is $15/month with annual prepay - excellent for users who primarily use Wi-Fi at home.

Trade-offs: 40GB premium data cap on the Unlimited plan (deprioritization after that), no premium streaming included, no physical retail locations.

Best Verizon prepaid: Visible

Visible is Verizon's prepaid brand. The Visible plan is $25/month unlimited on Verizon's network. Visible+ at $45/month adds Canada/Mexico coverage and reduced deprioritization.

Account management is online-only. No retail stores. Customer service is responsive via chat but slower via phone.

Best AT&T prepaid: Cricket Wireless

Cricket Core at $55/month delivers AT&T network coverage with deprioritization in congested areas. Cricket has 6,500+ retail stores nationwide - the only major prepaid carrier with widespread physical support.

Best for light users: Tello

Tello's Build Your Own plan starts at $5/month with 1GB of data. For users who primarily make calls and texts and use Wi-Fi for data, this is the lowest sustainable cost in US wireless. Runs on T-Mobile.

Best for family prepaid: US Mobile Group Plan

US Mobile's Group Plan delivers unlimited prepaid lines at $25-30 per line for families of 2-4 people. Choice of T-Mobile or Verizon network. The lowest per-line cost in the prepaid family category.

Differences from postpaid

Network priority. Prepaid users get deprioritized behind postpaid customers in congested areas. In normal use, this is invisible. At stadiums, busy events, or peak hours in dense urban areas, postpaid users see better speeds.

Customer service. Postpaid customers typically get faster support response times. Prepaid support varies from very good (Cricket retail) to acceptable (Mint phone support).

Premium streaming bundles. Most postpaid plans include Netflix, Apple TV+, or similar perks. Prepaid plans rarely include these.

International roaming. Postpaid plans typically include international day passes or covered data abroad. Most prepaid plans require add-ons.

When prepaid does not save money

If your postpaid plan includes streaming services you would otherwise pay for separately. A T-Mobile plan with Netflix Standard ($15.49/month value) and Apple TV+ ($9.99/month) effectively reduces your phone plan cost by $25/month.

If you have a phone payment plan. Postpaid plans typically include device financing at 0% interest. Most prepaid carriers require you to buy phones outright or use third-party financing.