Prepaid mobile plans are a great way to save money on voice and SMS and that's true for data too.
Here are my favorite operators and MVNOs (listed in alphabetical order) for affordable prepaid mobile data on U.S. national carriers. Scroll down the post for recommendations by network and level of usage.
This post is constantly being updated as data plans and pricing change frequently.
Last updated Aug 18, 2014 - T-Mobile Pay As You Go Plan changes.
An annoying feature of all Airvoice monthly plans, is that data is shut off after only half the advertised amount of data has been used. The user has to call, text or email Airvoice and get the second half of their data "released".
Air Voice is notable for having well regarded US based support and for the most affordable AT&T based pay as you go plan, with prices of 4¢/voice minute, 2¢/text and 6.6¢/MB of data.
: The largest US GSM operator's data offerings have gotten a lot more competitive lately, particularly on monthly plans where the options are:$25/month: 250 voice minutes, unlimited domestic and international messaging. Data is $5 for a 50 MB. The data add-on expires after 30 days, but if you add another one before expiration, the unused data rolls over.
$40/month: 500 MB of data, 500 voice minutes and unlimited domestic and international messaging. Additional data is available for $5 per 100 MB.
$45/month "Walmart Plan": unlimited voice and messaging and 1 GB of data per month. Additional data is available for $10 per 1 GB. This is a Walmart exclusive plan. It's officially only available with phones and SIMs purchased at Walmart. However multiple users have reported being able to switch to it by calling A&T customer support and asking for the "$45 Walmart 1 GB plan".
$60/Month: unlimited voice and messaging and 2.5 GB of data per month. Additional data is available for $10 per 500 NB.
To add a data package to one of these plans you can either call 611 from the handset and wade through the voice response menus or use the AT&T's Pay As You Go Online site. It's also possible to set up automatic refills using the web site.
You can use any phone that supports ATT's 850/1900 bands and isn't locked to another operator. LTE 4G data is available with a compatible phone.
: Owned by Sprint, Boost offers CDMA service using Sprint's native 2.5G, 3G EVDO and 4G LTE network as well as 4G WiMAX on the Sprint/Clearwire network.Boost has monthly and daily unlimited plans only. The monthly plans include unlimited voice and messaging and varying amounts of high speed data; $40 for 500MB high-speed data, $50 for 2.5 GB high speed data and $60 for 5GB high speed data. Throttled speed after the high speed data allowance is consumed is 128 Kbps on all plans.
Boost's daily plan costs $2/day for feature phones and $3/day for smartphones. It's a lousy deal because the daily fee is charged every day whether the phone is used or not and there's no way to suspend the plan when you aren't using it. It's essentially a tax on the poor, targeted at users who are too broke to pay for a whole month of service.
AT&T is positioning Cricket as its value priced prepaid brand. Cricket offers more data for less money than GoPhone. However Cricket data speeds are lower. High-Speed data is throttled to a maximum of 8 Mbps for LTE data and 4 Mbps for HSPA+, either of which is still fast enough for most uses including video streaming.
Cricket offers a $5/month auto-pay discount and a group save discount of $5 to $18 per line for multiple line accounts.
Cricket SIMs and phones are sold online and through a network Cricket stores and authorized dealers. Cricket products are not available at AT&T stores.
EcoMobile (855-825-8855) is a Sprint MVNO. EcoMobile can activate most Sprint phones except BlackBerrys, WebOS phones and phone models launched by Sprint in the last 12 months. LTE is available only on EcoMobile's $60/month plan.
EcoMobile has a wide range of plans including a pay as you go plan with good rates, 5¢ voice minutes, 2¢ texts and 10¢/MB data. A $50 monthly plan includes unlimited voice, messaging and 2.5GB of full speed 3G data and unlimited data throttled to 128 Kbps. EcoMobile's $60/month plan is the same but includes unlimited 4G LTE.
GoSmart offers monthly plans only, including two plans with unlimited data. GoSmart's $45/month Unlimited Talk, Text & High-Speed Web plan delivers 5 GB of hi-speed HSPA+ data. LTE is not available. After 5 GB data speed is throttled to 118 Kbps. The $35/month Unlimited Talk Text and Web plan includes 500 MB of high speed data and unlimited throttled data.
GoSmart has native T-Mobile network coverage with no roaming. Any T-Mobile or unlocked phone will work with GoSmart.
H2O Wireless (800-643-4926.) is a long established AT&T MVNO with monthly and pay as you go plans. Plan prices are generally competitive with those of Airvoice but H2O doesn't make you call in to get the rest of your data like Airvoice. On the other hand, H20 throttles data speeds after 1 GB on its $50 2GB plan and after 2 GB on the $60 unlimited monthly plans.
H2O's best value plan is probably their pay as you go which has a minimum cost of $10 every three months ($3.33/month) and rates of 5¢/text, 5¢/minute and 10¢/MB of data.
MetroPCS (888-8metro8)
, which was acquired by T-Mobile in May 2013, offers unlimited talk, text and (throttled after 500 MB) data for as low as $40/month. T-Mobile is migrating service from MetroPCS legacy CDMA network to T-Mobile's GSM technology. MetroPCS CDMA devices will work until 2015.
PagePlus (800-550-2436): Is an América Móvil owned MVNO that uses the Verizon network. PagePlus can activate all non-LTE Verizon postpaid phones as well as compatible CDMA phones from other operators. Phones sold for or last active on Verizon's prepaid service are not allowed. Non-Verizon phones will require manual programming ("flashing") for basic activation and some additional tweaking to get the data settings right before data and MMS will work. Non-LTE Verizon Smartphones usually work out of the box with PagePlus' data features.
Data is available on all plans:
NET10 (877-836-2368): Another América Móvil brand with a range of unlimited monthly plans.
NET10 also sells its own line of phones which, depending on phone model, run either the Verizon, Sprint, AT&T or T-Mobile network. NET10 allows you to use your own unlocked GSM or locked T-Mobile or non-LTE Verizon phone on the $45 plan. SIMs are $6.99 and CDMA activation codes are $14.99
4G LTE data is available on the AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile networks. NET10's terms of service recommedprohibit tethering and "continuous" video streaming.
NET10 phones, SIMs and airtime are sold by independent dealers and national chains like RadioShack, BestBuy and Walgreens. NET10's most popular plan includes unlimited talk and messaging and 2.5GB of high speed data for $50/month. NET10 offers family plan discounts and a $5/month auto pay discount.
PTel Mobile
(866-CALL-ME-1): Is a T-Mobile MVNO with relatively lackluster monthly plans but some of the best pay as you go rates for voice, SMS and data. Voice is 5 cents/minute, texts are two cents each and data is 10 cents/MB. The minimum spend is $10 every two months.
There is one quirk to watch out for on PTel pay as you go. Unused balances rollover if you top up before they expire. However, any residual balance from a $10, $20, $30 or $50 refill that was added over a year ago disappears. Funds added with a $100 refill rollover indefinitely as long as you top up before they expire.
You can use any T-Mobile USA or unlocked GSM device with PTEL provided it supports for the 1900 Mhz band and ideally (for maximum 3G coverage) the 1700 Mhz AWS band. As with most T-Mobile MVNOs, LTE is not available.
Red Pocket Mobile (888-993-3888) which was founded in 2006 as an AT&T MVNO. RedPocket recently began offering plans on all four national operators.
Users have reported a number of issues with the new Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon services including activation and payment problems. Currently the only way for users to check their balances, data used or plan expiration on the non-AT&T plans is by calling customer support. Until these issues are resolved I recommend sticking with RedPocket's AT&T based plans.
Red Pocket's best value plan is its $59.99 monthly plan on AT&T which comes with unlimited voice and messaging, $2 worth of international calling, 40 outgoing international texts, 3 GB of high speed data and unlimited throttled data.
Republic Wireless (no support phone number) which launched in late 2011, is notable for offering unlimited voice, SMS and data, including off-network voice and data roaming, starting at $25/month plus about $7.50/month in taxes and fees. The low price is made possible in part by custom phone firmware which shifts voice, SMS and data traffic to WiFi, if it's available.
Republic offers two unlimited talk, text and data plans. The $40 plan includes LTE, the $25 plan is limited to 3G EVDO. Add about 10-30% to plan prices for taxes and fees. Data is unlimited but speeds are throttled after 5GB/month.
RingPlus (310-919-0915) launched in August, 2013 as a BYOSD-only operator with a unique free ad-supported plan. Early adopters got 300 minutes and 50 texts per month free "for life" in return for listing to ads instead of the usual ringing tones during the time between when a call is placed and the called party or voicemail answers. The free plans are no longer available to new users.
RingPlus' regular plans, which start at $1.99/month (plus taxes averaging 20%) are a good value thanks to their 2¢/MB data pricing. RingPlus supports LTE but not WiMAX.
RingPlus routes calls through their own servers so they can offer value added services like call recording and on the fly language translation. The RingPlus servers seem to have stability issues and have been blamed for a number voice calling outages. Data and texting have been reliable.
Selectel Wireless (877-218-5744) launched in May, 2013. Selectel's monthly plans are very similar to comparably priced plans from PagePlus. But Selectel, unlike PagePlus, includes no extra charge voice and SMS off-network roaming with all plans
Selectel offers a $10 Flex card that can be used to pay for overage on any Selectel plan. The Flex Card has attractive rares (5¢/voice minute, 5¢/SMS, 5¢/MB of data) and is unusual in that the funds on it never expire.
Straight Talk (877-430-2355): América Móvil's $45/ month Straight Talk Unlimited plan includes unlimited data throttled to 2 G speeds (about 128 Kbps) after 3 GB.
Straight Talk allows you to use your own unlocked GSM or locked T-Mobile or non-LTE Verizon phone on the $45 plan. SIMs are $6.99 and CDMA activation codes are $14.99 and are available online from www.straighttalkbyop.com
and from Walmart.
Straight Talk also sells its own line of phones which, depending on phone model, run either the Verizon, Sprint, AT&T or T-Mobile network. Straight Talk's smartphone selection includes the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 which use the Verizon network as well as a number of Android phones which run on the Sprint, Verizon or AT&T network depending on model.
4G LTE data is available on the AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile networks. Straight Talk's terms of service prohibit tethering and "continuous" video streaming.
Ting (855-846-4389) Is another Sprint MVNO. Ting can activate most Sprint phones except BlackBerrys, and PTT and WebOS phones. WiMAX and LTE are available.
Ting has an unusual pricing model that's a hybrid of pay as you go and a monthly plan. There's a $6 monthly fee plus separate buckets (Ting calls them tiers) of voice minutes, messages and data. There are five tiers for each type of usage. Minute tiers run from $3 for 100 minutes to $35 for 2100. Data tiers are from $3 for 100 MB to $29 for 2 GB. Prices across all tiers average around 2¢/minute, 1¢/text and 5¢/MB. Ting is a good value for moderate users. The sweet spot seems to be about 75-1000 minutes, 75-1000 messages and under 500 MB of data which costs between $12 and $41 before taxes and fees which run between $1 and $10/month.
T-Mobile (877-778-2106): T-Mobile has five monthly plans. The $50, $60, $70 and $80 plans all include unlimited voice, messaging and data. The difference is the amount of full speed 3G or 4G data that you get before speed is throttled. The $50 plan has a soft cap of 1 GB/per month. Exceed that and your data speed is severely throttled to about 120 kbits/second. The $60 plan increases the soft cap to 3 GB/month and the $70 plan raises the cap to 5 GB. T-Mobile's $80 plan is one of the rare few that includes unlimited data with no cap or throttle.
T-Mobile's plans priced at $50 and higher include no-extra cost hotspot and a limited amount of data-roaming. There's 1 GB of hotspot and 10 MB of data roaming on the $50 plan and 3 GB of hotspot and 50MB of data roaming on the $60 plan and 5 GB of hotspot and 50 MB of data roaming on the $70 and $80 plans.
T-Mobile's $30 plan is one of the best values data values in prepaid. It only includes 100 voice minutes, but there's unlimited messaging and unlimited data with the first 5 GB/month at full speed before throttling to 120 Kbps. Unfortunately, this plan is saddled with restrictions. It's available only online or with new phones purchased at Walmart and requires activating a new account with a new SIM. If you have this plan and switch to another plan you can't switch back to it without activating another new SIM! To get this deal you need to activate a T-Mobile Prepaid Activation kit (a SIM and an activation PIN) online at prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-activate. You can buy the kit online at prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com
, amazon.com or some independent mobile phone shops
. T-Mobile stores do not sell unactivated SIM kits.
A free BlackBerry add-on is available on request for the $50, $60 and $70 plans. It provides BIS support which is required for BlackBerry Messenger and Email on RIM Blackberry devices. Although it isn't mentioned on the T-Mobile site, the BlackBerry add-on reportedly is also available for $10/month extra on the $30/month unlimited data, 100 minute plan.
T-Mobile offers two Daily unlimited plans. Both provide unlimited talk and text. The $2/day plan includes unlimited 2G (approximately 120 kilobits/sec maximum) data. The $3/day plan gives you unlimited data with the first 200 MB/day at full 4G ( up to about 10 megabits/sec) speeds and the rest capped to 2G speeds.
For users on Pay As You Go data is available in the form of two add-on data packages; 500MB good for one day at $5/day or 1GB good for 7 days at $10/7 days.
All of T-Mobile's prepaid plans include voice and SMS off-network roaming. LTE data is available with a compatible phone on the $3/day plan and the monthly plans.
Verizon Wireless
(800-901-9878) has just one prepaid smartphone plan. It's $45/month for unlimited voice minutes and messaging and 500 MB of data per month.
For additional data users can add a "BRIDGE DATA" add-on:
$5 - 500 MB good for 30 days, $10 - 1 GB good for 90 days or $20 - 3 GB good for 90 days. The BRIDGE add ons have their own expiration independent from the basic plan activation. You can "stack" two add ons and the second one will be held in reserve until the first one is used up or expires. Any Verizon smartphone except phones that support LTE data can be activated on this plan.
For feature phones on Verizon's basic 25¢/minute pay as you go and $2/day unlimited plans, unlimited data is available for $1/day, which is only charged on days when you actually use data. Verizon doesn't allow any smartphones, BlackBerries or even feature phones that require what Verizon calls an “Nationwide” plan on the basic prepaid plans that include dollar a day data.
Virgin Mobile
(888-322-1122): Sprint owned Virgin has three Beyond Talkpackages that include unlimited data and messaging. The packages vary only by the number of included voice minutes; 300 for $35/month, 1200 for $45/month and unlimited for $55/month.
Sprint network:
Lycamobile $45 3GB (LTE)
AT&T network:
T-Mobile network:
Sprint network:
H2O's best value plan is probably their pay as you go which has a minimum cost of $10 every three months ($3.33/month) and rates of 5¢/text, 5¢/minute and 10¢/MB of data.
, which was acquired by T-Mobile in May 2013, offers unlimited talk, text and (throttled after 500 MB) data for as low as $40/month. T-Mobile is migrating service from MetroPCS legacy CDMA network to T-Mobile's GSM technology. MetroPCS CDMA devices will work until 2015.Data is available on all plans:
- The $69.95 Plan includes 5 GB of data and unlimited voice and texts. The data overage rate is 5¢/MB.
- The 55 Plan provides 3 GB of data and unlimited voice and texts. The data overage rate is 5¢/MB.
- The $39.95 Unlimited Talk n Text Plan includes 1 GB of data with a 5¢/MB overage charge.
- The $29.95 Talk n Text 1200 Plan comes with 1200 voice minutes, 3000 texts and 500 MB of data with a 5¢/MB overage rate.
- The 12 Plan includes 250 minutes, 250 texts and 10 MB of data for $12/month with a 10¢/MB overage rate.
- Data is a reasonable $0.10/MB on PagePlus' Pay As You Go plan plan.
NET10 also sells its own line of phones which, depending on phone model, run either the Verizon, Sprint, AT&T or T-Mobile network. NET10 allows you to use your own unlocked GSM or locked T-Mobile or non-LTE Verizon phone on the $45 plan. SIMs are $6.99 and CDMA activation codes are $14.99
4G LTE data is available on the AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile networks. NET10's terms of service recommedprohibit tethering and "continuous" video streaming.
NET10 phones, SIMs and airtime are sold by independent dealers and national chains like RadioShack, BestBuy and Walgreens. NET10's most popular plan includes unlimited talk and messaging and 2.5GB of high speed data for $50/month. NET10 offers family plan discounts and a $5/month auto pay discount.
(866-CALL-ME-1): Is a T-Mobile MVNO with relatively lackluster monthly plans but some of the best pay as you go rates for voice, SMS and data. Voice is 5 cents/minute, texts are two cents each and data is 10 cents/MB. The minimum spend is $10 every two months.There is one quirk to watch out for on PTel pay as you go. Unused balances rollover if you top up before they expire. However, any residual balance from a $10, $20, $30 or $50 refill that was added over a year ago disappears. Funds added with a $100 refill rollover indefinitely as long as you top up before they expire.
You can use any T-Mobile USA or unlocked GSM device with PTEL provided it supports for the 1900 Mhz band and ideally (for maximum 3G coverage) the 1700 Mhz AWS band. As with most T-Mobile MVNOs, LTE is not available.
PureTalkUSA (877-820-7873) is another AT&T MVNO with good data pricing on one their monthly plans. It's the $40.95/month Unlimited Plus+ Plan which includes unlimited voice and SMS messaging, 600 MMS picture messages and 1 GB of data. Additional data is pricey at $10 for 100 MB
PureTalkUSA SIMs are free and work with unlocked GSM phones or any AT&T phone.
Users have reported a number of issues with the new Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon services including activation and payment problems. Currently the only way for users to check their balances, data used or plan expiration on the non-AT&T plans is by calling customer support. Until these issues are resolved I recommend sticking with RedPocket's AT&T based plans.
Red Pocket's best value plan is its $59.99 monthly plan on AT&T which comes with unlimited voice and messaging, $2 worth of international calling, 40 outgoing international texts, 3 GB of high speed data and unlimited throttled data.
Republic offers two unlimited talk, text and data plans. The $40 plan includes LTE, the $25 plan is limited to 3G EVDO. Add about 10-30% to plan prices for taxes and fees. Data is unlimited but speeds are throttled after 5GB/month.
RingPlus' regular plans, which start at $1.99/month (plus taxes averaging 20%) are a good value thanks to their 2¢/MB data pricing. RingPlus supports LTE but not WiMAX.
RingPlus routes calls through their own servers so they can offer value added services like call recording and on the fly language translation. The RingPlus servers seem to have stability issues and have been blamed for a number voice calling outages. Data and texting have been reliable.
Selectel offers a $10 Flex card that can be used to pay for overage on any Selectel plan. The Flex Card has attractive rares (5¢/voice minute, 5¢/SMS, 5¢/MB of data) and is unusual in that the funds on it never expire.
Straight Talk allows you to use your own unlocked GSM or locked T-Mobile or non-LTE Verizon phone on the $45 plan. SIMs are $6.99 and CDMA activation codes are $14.99 and are available online from www.straighttalkbyop.com
and from Walmart.Straight Talk also sells its own line of phones which, depending on phone model, run either the Verizon, Sprint, AT&T or T-Mobile network. Straight Talk's smartphone selection includes the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 which use the Verizon network as well as a number of Android phones which run on the Sprint, Verizon or AT&T network depending on model.
4G LTE data is available on the AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile networks. Straight Talk's terms of service prohibit tethering and "continuous" video streaming.
Ting has an unusual pricing model that's a hybrid of pay as you go and a monthly plan. There's a $6 monthly fee plus separate buckets (Ting calls them tiers) of voice minutes, messages and data. There are five tiers for each type of usage. Minute tiers run from $3 for 100 minutes to $35 for 2100. Data tiers are from $3 for 100 MB to $29 for 2 GB. Prices across all tiers average around 2¢/minute, 1¢/text and 5¢/MB. Ting is a good value for moderate users. The sweet spot seems to be about 75-1000 minutes, 75-1000 messages and under 500 MB of data which costs between $12 and $41 before taxes and fees which run between $1 and $10/month.
A major plus with Ting is no-extra cost voice and SMS roaming on Verizon and other CDMA networks.
T-Mobile (877-778-2106): T-Mobile has five monthly plans. The $50, $60, $70 and $80 plans all include unlimited voice, messaging and data. The difference is the amount of full speed 3G or 4G data that you get before speed is throttled. The $50 plan has a soft cap of 1 GB/per month. Exceed that and your data speed is severely throttled to about 120 kbits/second. The $60 plan increases the soft cap to 3 GB/month and the $70 plan raises the cap to 5 GB. T-Mobile's $80 plan is one of the rare few that includes unlimited data with no cap or throttle.T-Mobile's plans priced at $50 and higher include no-extra cost hotspot and a limited amount of data-roaming. There's 1 GB of hotspot and 10 MB of data roaming on the $50 plan and 3 GB of hotspot and 50MB of data roaming on the $60 plan and 5 GB of hotspot and 50 MB of data roaming on the $70 and $80 plans.
T-Mobile's $30 plan is one of the best values data values in prepaid. It only includes 100 voice minutes, but there's unlimited messaging and unlimited data with the first 5 GB/month at full speed before throttling to 120 Kbps. Unfortunately, this plan is saddled with restrictions. It's available only online or with new phones purchased at Walmart and requires activating a new account with a new SIM. If you have this plan and switch to another plan you can't switch back to it without activating another new SIM! To get this deal you need to activate a T-Mobile Prepaid Activation kit (a SIM and an activation PIN) online at prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-activate. You can buy the kit online at prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com
, amazon.com or some independent mobile phone shops. T-Mobile stores do not sell unactivated SIM kits.A free BlackBerry add-on is available on request for the $50, $60 and $70 plans. It provides BIS support which is required for BlackBerry Messenger and Email on RIM Blackberry devices. Although it isn't mentioned on the T-Mobile site, the BlackBerry add-on reportedly is also available for $10/month extra on the $30/month unlimited data, 100 minute plan.
T-Mobile offers two Daily unlimited plans. Both provide unlimited talk and text. The $2/day plan includes unlimited 2G (approximately 120 kilobits/sec maximum) data. The $3/day plan gives you unlimited data with the first 200 MB/day at full 4G ( up to about 10 megabits/sec) speeds and the rest capped to 2G speeds.
For users on Pay As You Go data is available in the form of two add-on data packages; 500MB good for one day at $5/day or 1GB good for 7 days at $10/7 days.
All of T-Mobile's prepaid plans include voice and SMS off-network roaming. LTE data is available with a compatible phone on the $3/day plan and the monthly plans.
TracFone (800-867-7183) is América Móvil's traditional pay as you go brand. It's now offering Android phones that run on the Verizon network and use a new "triple-triple" billing system that delivers very affordable data. TracFone also supports limited BYOP. You can activate most clean-ESN, non-LTE postpaid Verizon phones including the iPhone 4 and 4s on TracFone and get triple-triple rates.
Triple-Triple billing uses separate buckets for minutes, texts and data, a $19.99 "60 minute" card gives you 180 minutes, plus 180 texts plus 180 MB of data. That's quite a deal, especially for data. Assuming you could use all three buckets at an equal rate, the per unit price of a minute, text or MB of data ranges from 3.7ċ with the $19.99 60 minute card to 2¢ with the $79.99 450 minute card. There are also special data only cards that add 300 MB for $10, 750 MB for $20 and 2 GB for $50.
(800-901-9878) has just one prepaid smartphone plan. It's $45/month for unlimited voice minutes and messaging and 500 MB of data per month.For additional data users can add a "BRIDGE DATA" add-on:
$5 - 500 MB good for 30 days, $10 - 1 GB good for 90 days or $20 - 3 GB good for 90 days. The BRIDGE add ons have their own expiration independent from the basic plan activation. You can "stack" two add ons and the second one will be held in reserve until the first one is used up or expires. Any Verizon smartphone except phones that support LTE data can be activated on this plan.
For feature phones on Verizon's basic 25¢/minute pay as you go and $2/day unlimited plans, unlimited data is available for $1/day, which is only charged on days when you actually use data. Verizon doesn't allow any smartphones, BlackBerries or even feature phones that require what Verizon calls an “Nationwide” plan on the basic prepaid plans that include dollar a day data.
(888-322-1122): Sprint owned Virgin has three Beyond Talkpackages that include unlimited data and messaging. The packages vary only by the number of included voice minutes; 300 for $35/month, 1200 for $45/month and unlimited for $55/month.
There's a soft data cap. Users consuming over 2.5 GB in a month will have their data speeds throttled to 128 Kbps or less for the rest of the month. 2G, 3G, 4G WiMAX and LTE data is available on phones that support it.
There's no BYOD. you must use a Virgin Mobile phone. All of Virgin Mobile's Beyond Talk phones are smartphones. Current models include the full iPhone line and an extensive range of Android phones.
Recommendations:
If you need unlimited voice and messaging combined with a sizable amount of high-speed data, good choices are:
AT&T network:
There's no BYOD. you must use a Virgin Mobile phone. All of Virgin Mobile's Beyond Talk phones are smartphones. Current models include the full iPhone line and an extensive range of Android phones.
Recommendations:
If you need unlimited voice and messaging combined with a sizable amount of high-speed data, good choices are:
AT&T $45 for 1GB, $60 2.5 GB (LTE)
Cricket $50 2.5GB (LTE speeds capped at 8Mbps, HSPA+ at 4 Mbps)2
Airvoice $30 for 500 MB, $40 for 1 GB or $60 for 3GB (no LTE)
Red Pocket $29.99 500MB, $59.99 for 3 GB (no LTE)
Sprint network:
RingPlus $17.99 plus about $3.60 taxes 300MB (LTE)
Republic Wireless $25 plus about $5 in taxes 5GB (no LTE)
Republic Wireless $40 plus about $8 in taxes 5GB (LTE)
Boost Mobile $50 2.5GB or $60 5GB (LTE)
T-Mobile network:
MetroPCS $60 unlimited plan (LTE).Lycamobile $45 3GB (LTE)
Straight Talk $45 3GB (LTE)
GoSmart's $40/month 3GB plan (no LTE)
Ultra Mobile $20 100MB, $30 500MB (LTE, prices include $1 "cost recovery fee")
Ultra Mobile $20 100MB, $30 500MB (LTE, prices include $1 "cost recovery fee")
Verizon network:
PagePlus $69.95 5 GB
Straight Talk $45 3 GB
Selectel $55 2GB
Verizon's $45 500 MB
AT&T $25 plan with $5 - 50 MB rollover data add-ons (only cost effective for 150 MB/month or less).
Sprint network:
RingPlus $9.99 plus
Virgin Mobile $35 unlimited data, first 2.5 GB unthrottled, unlimited texts, 300 voice minutes.
RingPlus $9.99 plus
Virgin Mobile $35 unlimited data, first 2.5 GB unthrottled, unlimited texts, 300 voice minutes.
T-Mobile network:
T-Mobile $30 unlimited data, first 5GB unthrottled, unlimited texts, 100 voice minutes.
Verizon network:
PagePlus $29.95 plan for 500 MB with 5¢/MB add-on data,
Selectel $30 plan with 500 MB and 5¢/MB overage,
Selectel's $15 plan with 15 MB and 5¢/MB overage
PagePlus $12 Plan (10 MB, 10¢/MB overage).
AT&T network:
AT&T network:
Airvoice's $10/month plan
Airvoice or H2O's Pay as You Go
Sprint network:
RingPlus $1.99, $5.99 or $7.99 (plus taxes & fees) plans
Ting's $6/month (plus taxes) plan
T-Mobile network:
PTEL's $5/month pay as you go.
Verizon network:
PagePlus pay as you go
Tracfone's Android phones or BYOP.
2 Cricket's high-speed data is throttled to a maximum of 8 Mbps for LTE data and 4 Mbps for HSPA+
3 On the Airvoice $60 plan data is cut off at 1.5 GB, rather than the advertised 3 GB. The user has to call Airvoice after 1.5 GB and ask them to release the last 1.5 GB! Data on the $40 plan is similarly cut off after 500 MB.
4 Selectel charges $15 too activate its own phones and $30 to activate customer's BYOD phones. Some Selectel dealers offer low cost or free activations.
1 Ting: Taxes and fees run from 58¢ - $10 month
2 Ting: average prices based on using half the middle tier of minutes, texts and data
3 T-Mobile: Plan only available with phone + SIM bundles purchased at Walmart or when activating a SIM on new account at www.t-mobile.com/PrepaidActivation
4 Selectel charges $15 too activate its own phones and $30 to activate customer's BYOD phones. Some Selectel dealers offer free activations.
7 RingPlus adds taxes and fees of 10% - 30%
1 PagePlus deducts a 50¢ maintenance fee from your balance each month on the pay as you go plans
2 Airvoice deducts a $1 maintenance fee from your balance each month on the $10/90 day pay as you go plan.
3 AT&T deducts a monthly 911 fee of between 25¢ and 96¢ from your GoPhone balance in some states
4 AT&T ad-hoc data - 0.02¢/KB is not available on smartphones.
5 Selectel charges $15 to activate its own phones and $30 to activate customer's BYOD phones. Some Selectel dealers offer free activations.
6 T-Mobile pay as you go charges $3/month which includes 30 non-rollover minutes or texts. Additional minutes or texts are 10¢/each
| Plan | Monthly Price(sales tax of 0-10.75% of total cost additional) | Network | SIM Cost or Activation Fee | Allowed Phones | Voice | Text | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RingPlus | $14.99 - $33 + taxes & fees 7 | Sprint (Sprint) LTE available | $9.99 | Most Sprint | unlimited | unlimited | $14.99 50 MB, $17.99 300 MB, $33 2.5 GB, overage 2¢/MB |
| Lycamobile | $23 - $55 | T-Mobile, LTE available with "Plus" SIM | 0 | Unlocked GSM. Also T-Mobile using "Plus" SIM | unlimited | unlimited | $23 100 MB, $35 unlim 1 GB HS, $45 unlim 3 GB HS, $55 unlim 5 GB HS throttle 118 Kbps |
| Republic Wireless | $25 - $40 + taxes & fees 7 | Sprint (Sprint) LTE available | 0 | Republic Wireless Only | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited 5 GB hs (LTE on $40 plan, 3G on $25 plan) throttle 128 Kbps |
| Red Pocket | $29.99 - $59.99 | AT&T (GSM) no LTE | $9.99 | Any At&T or unlocked GSM phone | unlimited | unlimited | $29.99 500MB, $39.99 unlim. 500MB HS,$49.99 unlim. 1GB HS $59.99 unlim. 3GB HS 3 GB ---- $49.99 500 MB hs unlimited 128 Kbps |
| Airvoice Unlimited Talk & Text + Data | $30 - $60 | AT&T (GSM) no LTE | $4.99 | Any At&T or unlocked GSM phone | unlimited | unlimited | $30 500 MB, $40 1 GB, $50 2GB, $60 3 GB (overage 2.5¢ / MB)3 |
| H2O | $30 - $60 | AT&T (GSM) no LTE | $9.99 | Any Unlocked GSM or AT&T | unlimited | unlimited | $30 500 MB, $40 1 GB, $50 2 GB6, $60 unlimited 6, overage 2.5¢ / MB |
| PureTalk USA | $34.95 - $40.95 | AT&T (GSM) no LTE | 4.99 | Any Unlocked GSM or AT&T | unlimited | unlimited | $34.95 300 MB, $40.95 1 GB |
| GoSmart Unlimited Talk, Text & Web | $35 - $40 | T-Mobile (GSM) no LTE | $8.00 | Any Unlocked GSM or T-Mobile | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited $35 500 MB hs $40 - 3GB hs throttle 118 Kbps |
| PTel Unlimited Everything | $25 - $55 | T-Mobile (GSM) LTE available | $4.99 | Any Unlocked GSM or T-Mobile | unlimited | unlimited | Unlimited $25 no hs $35 - 500 MB hs $50 - 2 GB hs $65 4 GB hs throttle 128 Kbps |
| PagePus Unlimited Talk n Text | $39.95 - $69.95 | Verizon (CDMA) 3G only | 0 | Any CDMA except Verzion prepaid | unlimited | unlimited | $39.95 1 GB. $55 3 GB. $69.95 5GB. (overage 5¢/MB) |
| Selectel Unlimited | $40 - $55 | Verizon (CDMA) 3G only | 0 - $30 4 | Any CDMA except Verzion prepaid | unlimited | unlimited | $40 200 MB. $55 2 GB. (overage 5¢/MB) |
| Boost Mobile Select | $40 - $60 | Sprint (CDMA) LTE available | 0 ($10 for used phones) | Boost, some Sprint | Unlimited | Unlimited | $40 500 MB hs, $50 2.5 GB hs, $60 5 GB hs, throttle 128 Kbps |
| Cricket | $40 - $60 | AT&T (GSM) LTE available | $10 - $35 | Any Unlocked GSM or AT&T | unlimited | unlimited | $40 500 MB hs 2, $50 2.5 GB hs 2, $60 5GB hs 2, throttle 128 Kbps |
| MetroPCS | $40 - $60 | T-Mobile (GSM) LTE available | 0 | Any Unlocked GSM or T-Mobile | unlimited | unlimited | $40 500 MB hs $50 2.5 GB hs $60 unl'd hs throttle 128 Kbps |
| NET10 Unlimited | $40 - $75 | AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon LTE available (AT&T & T-Mobile only | $6.99 - $14.99 | Straight Talk or T-Mobile, AT&T or unlocked GSM | unlimited | unlimited | $40 500 MB hs $50 2.5 GB hs $60 3.5 GB $75 5 GB hs throttle 128 Kbps |
| EcoMobile | $40 -$60/month | Sprint (CDMA) LTE available on $60 plan only | 0 | Most Sprint | unlimited | unlimited | $40 500 MB $50 2.5 GB $60 5 GB |
| Verzion ALLSET Smartphone Plan | $45 | Verizon (CDMA) | 0 | Any Verizon phone except LTE devices | unlimited | unlimited | 500 MB 5 |
| AT&T GoPhone Smartphone Monthly with Data | $45-$60 | AT&T (GSM) LTE available | 0-$20 | Any At&T or unlocked GSM phone | unlimited | unlimited | $45 1GB, $60 2GB |
| Straight Talk Unlimited | $45 | Verizon, Sprint (CDMA), AT&T, T-Mobile (GSM) or Verizon LTE available (AT&T & T-Mobile only | $699 -$14.99 | Straight Talk or T-Mobile or unlocked GSM | unlimited | unlimited | Unlimited. 3 GB hs throttle 128 Kbps |
| T-Mobile Monthly | $50 - $70 | T-Mobile (GSM) LTE available | 0 - $10 | Any T-Mobile or unlocked GSM | Unlimited | Unlimited | $80 unlimited hs, $70 5 GB hs, $60 2.5 GB hs, $50 500 MB hs, throttle 128 Kbps |
| Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk | $55 | Sprint (CDMA) LTE available | 0 | Virgin Mobile Only | unlimited | unlimited | 2.5 GB hs, throttle 128 Kbps |
3 On the Airvoice $60 plan data is cut off at 1.5 GB, rather than the advertised 3 GB. The user has to call Airvoice after 1.5 GB and ask them to release the last 1.5 GB! Data on the $40 plan is similarly cut off after 500 MB.
4 Selectel charges $15 too activate its own phones and $30 to activate customer's BYOD phones. Some Selectel dealers offer low cost or free activations.
5 Verizon: Available data add-ons: $5 - 500 MB/30 days, $10 - 1 GB/90 days, $20 - 3 GB/90 days
6 H20 $50 2GB plan throttled after 1GB, $60 unlimited plan throttled after 2GB. Throttled speed is 128 Kbps
7 RingPlus and Republic add taxes and fees of + taxes & fees 7 10% - 30%
6 H20 $50 2GB plan throttled after 1GB, $60 unlimited plan throttled after 2GB. Throttled speed is 128 Kbps
7 RingPlus and Republic add taxes and fees of + taxes & fees 7 10% - 30%
| Plan | Monthly Minimum Price (sales tax of 0-10.75% of total cost additional) | Network | SIM Cost or Activation Fee | Allowed Phones | Voice | Text | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RingPlus Kate | $1.99 + taxes & fees 4 | Sprint (CDMA) LTE Available | 0 | Most Sprint | 50 overage 2¢/min | 10 overage 2¢/min | 2¢/MB |
| T-Mobile $2 Pay By The Day | $3.33 or $2/day used | T-Mobile (GSM) no LTE | $10 | Any T-Mobile or unlocked GSM | Unlimited | Unlimited | unlimited (throttled to 128 Kbps) |
| T-Mobile $3 Pay By The day | $3.33 or $3/day used | T-Mobile (GSM) LTE available | $10 | Any T-Mobile or unlocked GSM | Unlimited | Unlimited | unlimited 200 MB hs, throttle 128 Kbps |
| RingPlus Harrison | $5.99 + taxes & fees 4 | Sprint (CDMA) LTE Available | 0 | Most Sprint | 100 overage 2¢/min | 50 overage 2¢/min | 2¢/MB |
| Ting | $6/month and up + taxes and fees 1 | Sprint (CDMA) LTE available | $6 | Most Sprint | 2¢/min (average)2 | 1¢/each (average)2 | 5¢ MB (average)2 |
| RingPlus Hazel | $7.99 + taxes & fees 4 | Sprint (CDMA) LTE Available | 0 | Most Sprint | 300 overage 2¢/min | 300 overage 2¢/min | 2¢/MB |
| RingPlus Bella | $9.99 + taxes & fees 4 | Sprint (CDMA) LTE Available | 0 | Most Sprint | 400 overage 2¢/min | 400 overage 2¢/min | 300 MB, overage 2¢/MB |
| PagePlus The 12 | $12/month | Verizon (CDMA) | 0 | Any CDMA except Verzion prepaid | 250 (overage 5¢/min) | 250 (overage 5¢/each) | 10 MB (overage $0.10/MB) |
| Selectel Value Plan | $15/month | Verizon (CDMA) | 0 - $30 4 | Any CDMA except Verzion prepaid | 300 (overage 5¢/min) | 300 (overage 5¢/each) | 15 MB (overage $0.05/MB) |
| AT&T $25 Monthly Plan | $25 | AT&T (GSM) LTE available | 0 - $20 | Any At&T or unlocked GSM phone | 250 (overage 10¢/minute | unlimited | $5/50 MB |
| PagePlus 1200 Talk n Text | $29.95/month | Verizon (CDMA) | 0 | Any CDMA except Verzion prepaid | 1200 (overage 5¢/min) | 3000 (overage 5¢/each) | 500 MB (overage $0.05/MB) |
| Selectel Talk & Text | $30/month | Verizon (CDMA) | 0 - $30 4 | Any CDMA except Verzion prepaid | 1300 (overage 5¢/min) | 3000 (overage 5¢/each) | 500 MB (overage $0.05/MB) |
| T-Mobile $30 Monthly 4G 3 | $30 | T-Mobile (GSM) LTE available | $10 | Any T-Mobile or unlocked GSM | 100 (overage 10¢/min) | Unlimited | Unlimited 5 GB hs, throttle 128 Kbps |
| Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk | $35 | Sprint (CDMA) LTE available | 0 | Virgin Mobile Only | 300 | unlimited | 2.5 GB hs, throttle 128 Kbps |
2 Ting: average prices based on using half the middle tier of minutes, texts and data
3 T-Mobile: Plan only available with phone + SIM bundles purchased at Walmart or when activating a SIM on new account at www.t-mobile.com/PrepaidActivation
4 Selectel charges $15 too activate its own phones and $30 to activate customer's BYOD phones. Some Selectel dealers offer free activations.
7 RingPlus adds taxes and fees of 10% - 30%
| Plan | Monthly Minimum Price (sales tax of 0-10.75% of total cost additional) | Network | SIM Cost or Activation Fee | Allowed Phones | Voice | Text | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile Pay As You Go | $3 / month 6 | T-Mobile (GSM | $10 | Any T-Mobile or unlocked GSM | 10¢/min | 10¢/ea | $5 500 MB/1 day, $10 1 GB/7 days |
| PagePlus Prepaid | $2.50 / month 1 | Verizon (CDMA) | 0 | Any CDMA except Verzion prepaid | 4¢-10¢/min | 5¢/ea | 10¢/MB |
| Airvoice Pay as You Go | $3.33 / month 2 | AT&T (GSM) | $4.99 | Any At&T or unlocked GSM phone | 10¢/min | 10¢/each | 6.6¢/MB |
| H2O Pay as You Go | $3.33 / month | AT&T (GSM) | $9.99 | Any At&T or unlocked GSM phone | 5¢/min | 5¢/each | 10¢/MB |
| PTel Real PAYGO | $5.00 | T-Mobile (GSM) | $4.99 | Any T-Mobile or unlocked GSM | 5¢/ min | $0.02/ea | 10¢/MB |
| TracFone Android | $5.00 | Verizon (CDMA) | N/A | TracFone Android phones and BYOP | 2¢ - 11¢ / min | 2¢ - 11¢ / ea | 2¢ - 11¢ / MB |
| AT&T Go Phone | $6.67 3 | AT&T (GSM) | 0-$20 | Any At&T or unlocked GSM phone | 10¢/min | $0.20 each, 200 - $4.99, 1000 - $9.99, unlimited - $19.99 | 0.2¢/KB ($2/MB)4 |
| EcoMobile $10 Plan | $10.00 | Sprint (CDMA) | 0 | Most Sprint phones | 5¢/min | 2¢/each | 10¢/MB |
| Air Voice $10 Plan | $10.00 | AT&T (GSM) | $4.99 | Any At&T or unlocked GSM phone | 4¢/min | 2¢/each | 6.6¢/MB |
| Verzion Pay As You Go | $10/month | Verizon | 0 | Verizon Prepaid feature phones only | 25¢/min | 20¢/each. Unlimited (Verizon phones only) $10. Unlimited to all $20/month | unlimited - $1/day |
2 Airvoice deducts a $1 maintenance fee from your balance each month on the $10/90 day pay as you go plan.
3 AT&T deducts a monthly 911 fee of between 25¢ and 96¢ from your GoPhone balance in some states
4 AT&T ad-hoc data - 0.02¢/KB is not available on smartphones.
5 Selectel charges $15 to activate its own phones and $30 to activate customer's BYOD phones. Some Selectel dealers offer free activations.
6 T-Mobile pay as you go charges $3/month which includes 30 non-rollover minutes or texts. Additional minutes or texts are 10¢/each
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