The 9 Best Cheap Phone Plans in 2020
August 16, 2020
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If your phone is costing you an arm and a leg, it’s time for a change. And you’re in luck.
Right now, the scene is stacked with new plan providers.
We want to help you find a phone plan that meets your needs and fits your budget.
These are the best cheap phone plans of 2020.
Ting ditches the traditional phone plan model. Instead, they ask you to pay $6 per line plus whatever else you need.
We chose one line with up to 100 talk minutes, 101-1,000 texts, and 100 MB of data per month to get a bill of just $17 per month.
They advertise coast-to-coast coverage and Ting works with many phones, including Pixels and LGs.
With plans that include 5G coverage starting at $15 a month, it’s no surprise Mint Mobile is making a name for itself.
And their plans last just three months so you can take them for a spin, relatively risk-free.
They use the T-Mobile network for their coverage and offer it across most of the US, but check to see if your state is covered before buying.
You can buy a new phone or bring your own with Mint Mobile.
If you’re okay with just 3 GB a month of data, RedPocket Mobile has an unlimited talk and text plan for just $19.
They use major carriers’ networks to offer broad coverage and they sell iPhones to use with their plans.
If you skip the data, you can get a Tello plan with unlimited talk and text for just $8 a month. They also have affordable, easily customizable family plans.
Tello advertises that they use the Sprint network. With T-Mobile and Sprint’s recent merger, that likely means you’ll get to tap into the T-Mobile network, too.
You can check their coverage map to see if Tello will work in your area.
You can buy a phone from Tello or bring your own.
Visible is Verizon’s pre-paid service, which means you get their award-winning coverage network when you choose Visible.
They offer just one plan. It costs $40 a month. That might seem high, but it includes all taxes and fees. And gives you unlimited talk, text, and data.
Or, if you’ve got some friends who want to go in with you, you can use their Party Pay to get their phone plan for as little as $25 a month.
You still get your own line and your own account if you choose Party Pay.
You can use your existing phone or buy a new one with Visible.
Consumer Cellular actively markets to older users. In fact, if you’re an AARP member, you can score 5% off with them.
That said, there’s no minimum age to be a Consumer Cellular user. Plus, they get good customer service reviews.
They offer plans with data and unlimited talk and text starting at $25 and you can bring your own phone. They also offer coverage across most of the US.
If you love Pixel or Moto G phones, Google Fi could be right for you. You can also bring your own phone to this network.
Their plans are straightforward: you can choose to pay $20 + $10 for every GB of data you use or you can get their unlimited plan for $70.
Because most people use at least a couple of GB of data each month, we put them in this top pricing tier.
Google Fi is great for people who travel. Their plan offers coverage in more than 200 countries and you won’t pay anything extra for data or texts while you’re abroad.
Domestically, their coverage map extends to most areas.
Metro, which is part of T-Mobile, offers plans starting at $40. That base plan includes a fairly impressive 10 GB of data.
Their general coverage is pretty thorough and their 5G network is growing, too.
Cricket’s plans do include a $30/month plan that offers 2 GB of data, but most people opt to pay $40 to get 5 GB of data each month.
If you bring your own number, Cricket offers phones for free. Alternatively, you can opt to bring your own phone.
Their coverage map extends across most of the country, too.
Your phone bill doesn’t have to eat up a big portion of your monthly budget. Shop the above options to spend less on your phone each month.
Opinions, advice, services, or other information or content expressed or contributed here by customers, users, or others, are those of the respective author(s) or contributor(s) and do not necessarily state or reflect those of The Bancorp Bank (“Bank”). Bank is not responsible for the accuracy of any content provided by author(s) or contributor(s).
If your phone is costing you an arm and a leg, it’s time for a change. And you’re in luck.
Right now, the scene is stacked with new plan providers.
We want to help you find a phone plan that meets your needs and fits your budget.
These are the best cheap phone plans of 2020.
Best for $20 per month or less
Ting
Ting ditches the traditional phone plan model. Instead, they ask you to pay $6 per line plus whatever else you need.
We chose one line with up to 100 talk minutes, 101-1,000 texts, and 100 MB of data per month to get a bill of just $17 per month.
They advertise coast-to-coast coverage and Ting works with many phones, including Pixels and LGs.
Mint Mobile
With plans that include 5G coverage starting at $15 a month, it’s no surprise Mint Mobile is making a name for itself.
And their plans last just three months so you can take them for a spin, relatively risk-free.
They use the T-Mobile network for their coverage and offer it across most of the US, but check to see if your state is covered before buying.
You can buy a new phone or bring your own with Mint Mobile.
RedPocket
If you’re okay with just 3 GB a month of data, RedPocket Mobile has an unlimited talk and text plan for just $19.
They use major carriers’ networks to offer broad coverage and they sell iPhones to use with their plans.
Tello
If you skip the data, you can get a Tello plan with unlimited talk and text for just $8 a month. They also have affordable, easily customizable family plans.
Tello advertises that they use the Sprint network. With T-Mobile and Sprint’s recent merger, that likely means you’ll get to tap into the T-Mobile network, too.
You can check their coverage map to see if Tello will work in your area.
You can buy a phone from Tello or bring your own.
Best for $20-$40/mo
Visible
Visible is Verizon’s pre-paid service, which means you get their award-winning coverage network when you choose Visible.
They offer just one plan. It costs $40 a month. That might seem high, but it includes all taxes and fees. And gives you unlimited talk, text, and data.
Or, if you’ve got some friends who want to go in with you, you can use their Party Pay to get their phone plan for as little as $25 a month.
You still get your own line and your own account if you choose Party Pay.
You can use your existing phone or buy a new one with Visible.
Consumer Cellular
Consumer Cellular actively markets to older users. In fact, if you’re an AARP member, you can score 5% off with them.
That said, there’s no minimum age to be a Consumer Cellular user. Plus, they get good customer service reviews.
They offer plans with data and unlimited talk and text starting at $25 and you can bring your own phone. They also offer coverage across most of the US.
Best for $40-$70/mo
Google Fi
If you love Pixel or Moto G phones, Google Fi could be right for you. You can also bring your own phone to this network.
Their plans are straightforward: you can choose to pay $20 + $10 for every GB of data you use or you can get their unlimited plan for $70.
Because most people use at least a couple of GB of data each month, we put them in this top pricing tier.
Google Fi is great for people who travel. Their plan offers coverage in more than 200 countries and you won’t pay anything extra for data or texts while you’re abroad.
Domestically, their coverage map extends to most areas.
Metro
Metro, which is part of T-Mobile, offers plans starting at $40. That base plan includes a fairly impressive 10 GB of data.
Their general coverage is pretty thorough and their 5G network is growing, too.
Cricket
Cricket’s plans do include a $30/month plan that offers 2 GB of data, but most people opt to pay $40 to get 5 GB of data each month.
If you bring your own number, Cricket offers phones for free. Alternatively, you can opt to bring your own phone.
Their coverage map extends across most of the country, too.
Your phone bill doesn’t have to eat up a big portion of your monthly budget. Shop the above options to spend less on your phone each month.
Opinions, advice, services, or other information or content expressed or contributed here by customers, users, or others, are those of the respective author(s) or contributor(s) and do not necessarily state or reflect those of The Bancorp Bank (“Bank”). Bank is not responsible for the accuracy of any content provided by author(s) or contributor(s).
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Writer Bio
Kacie Goff
Kacie Goff has over five years of experience writing personal finance content for a wide range of audiences. She's always loved taking complex concepts and distilling them down so they're more accessible to others. As she creates content, she aims to educate and engage, helping people discover that successfully managing their money can be easier than they ever imagined. Over the last five years, she’s also covered personal and commercial insurance, home design, health and wellness, and more for publications including Bankrate, Freshome, The Simple Dollar, and websites of a broad variety of businesses. Her brand is Jot Content (jotcontent.com).