Mint Mobile is offering a Black Friday and holiday sale through Jan. Boost Mobile is running a promo that lets you get three lines with unlimited talk, text and data for $90 per month ($30 per line) after 'your first payment of $100.' With the holidays approaching, prepaid carriers are getting into the deals spirit. Know the prepaid phone plan promos and deals You could also go to a major carrier's store and see if it offers any free ways to try out the service before switching over, such as T-Mobile's Test Drive.īoost Mobile will use a combination of AT&T, T-Mobile and its own network. If you have any friends or family in your area that already use the prepaid carrier you're considering, ask about their experience.

Tracfone uses Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile (Verizon is in the process of purchasing the company).

Google Fi uses T-Mobile and US Cellular.

(It will be switching to a combination of AT&T, T-Mobile and its own network in the future.) Each offers some version of 5G and I've broken this all down here, but to recap: Before you sign up for one, it's worth checking what the underlying network is. Prepaid providers almost always use someone else's service. This makes it hard to give a blanket recommendation of any one carrier: T-Mobile's service in New York may be excellent, but if you're in rural Iowa, Verizon is more reliable. Read more: How to buy a new iPhone or Android Phone in 2022 Will your area get good cell coverage?Īs I noted when covering the best unlimited plans, to get the most out of your deal you need to make sure you have the coverage you need. In this story, I'm comparing single-year prepaid cell phone plans. Prepaid plan providers let you purchase in various increments - 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, six months or even a full year - with prices varying depending on how long you're willing to commit to. You're buying the data and access in advance of using it. The advertisements you see for AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are almost always for postpaid plans, while the plans and carriers we're focusing on here are all prepaid plans.

When it comes to phone plans there are two main types of ways to pay: postpaid, where you pay at the end of the month, and prepaid, where you buy service before you use your phone.

Read more: Cheap phone plans compared What exactly is a prepaid phone plan?

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