Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Think about when you might cross your month-to-month telephone service off the ever-growing record of payments for good! Paying yearly not solely helps you to care for the fee in a single go, however it additionally means you’ll be able to time your cost round when you might have further money — like throughout tax season — or cowl it as a present for somebody in the course of the holidays. Even higher, in lots of instances, you’ll save a considerable amount of cash.
Due to the character of postpaid accounts, not one of the large three carriers supply annual prepayment plans. Meaning you’ll want to have a look at the pay as you go market. Whereas Tracfone is among the oldest and most well-known choices, there are a surprisingly massive variety of pay as you go carriers that provide annual plans together with US Cellular, Mint Cellular, Straight Discuss, and even Seen.
Based mostly on my expertise with many of those carriers, I can lower via the advertising and marketing communicate and inform you proper now: US Cellular, Seen, and Mint Cellular are the three I most advocate. In reality, they’re my prime three pay as you go carriers total.
Right here’s a fast comparability of what you’ll pay and get with every:
US Cellular | Mint Cellular | Seen | |
---|---|---|---|
Annual price |
US Cellular
Limitless Flex: $210/yr ($17.50m)
Limitless Starter: $270 ($22.50/m) Limitless Premium: $390 ($32.50/m) |
Mint Cellular
Mint 5GB: $180/yr ($15/m) |
Seen
Seen: $275/yr ($23/m) |
Financial savings over month-to-month |
US Cellular
As much as $11.50 a month |
Mint Cellular
N/A |
Seen
As much as $12 a month |
Information |
US Cellular
Limitless Flex: 10GB premium information, 5GB hotspot
Limitless Starter: Limitless precedence information, 10GB hotspot information Limitless Premium: Limitless precedence, 50GB hotspot |
Mint Cellular
Mint 5-20GB: 2G speeds after utilizing allotment, Hotspot use as much as information restrict
Mint Limitless: 40GB excessive pace information (together with hotspot), 2G after |
Seen
Seen: Limitless telephone and hotspot information, deprioritization and throttling throughout peaks
Seen Plus: Limitless telephone and hotspot information, limitless precedence information |
Further perks |
US Cellular
Worldwide calling and texting inside the US
As much as 10GB of worldwide information Free Apple Watch plan for Limitless Premium Community switching |
Mint Cellular
Free calls and texts to Mexico and Canada inside the US |
Seen
Seen: Limitless discuss and textual content to Mexico and Canada, Limitless hotspot
Plus: |
As you’ll be able to see, Mint is the one one in every of these choices that doesn’t supply month-to-month plans as properly. Each Mint and US Cellular allow you to save round $12 a month by paying upfront, although precise financial savings fluctuate by plan. So which do you have to select? It is determined by what you’re on the lookout for.
- Decide Mint Cellular when you don’t want limitless information. Mint’s 40GB “Limitless” information plan isn’t as sturdy as the highest limitless plans from opponents, because it affords much less precedence information. Nonetheless, for patrons who don’t want massive quantities of knowledge, Mint’s $180/yr 5GB plan is a improbable worth.
- Seen is nice, however provided that you go together with Plus. The usual Seen account has low prioritization and few extras, however Seen Plus affords precedence near Verizon’s postpaid accounts and perks like free watch service.
- Get US Cellular if you would like community flexibility. All of US Cellular’s plans are technically limitless, though Flex gives solely 10GB of high-speed information earlier than throttling right down to round 1-5Mbps. Pricing is great, and you’ll swap between all three networks, although there’s a price past the primary two switches.
Prepared to save lots of large over conventional month-to-month plans? Join right here:
How a lot are you able to save over postpaid carriers?
The reality is paying abruptly can prevent considerably over a standard service — for sure plans. How a lot it can save you will fluctuate relying in your plan and household measurement. Nonetheless, in most conditions, it is possible for you to to discover a comparable plan that may prevent a whole bunch, even when just a few concessions are required.
What when you solely want one line?
Postpaid plans usually begin at $50 per 30 days with T-Cellular, whereas AT&T and Verizon begin round $65. That’s a minimal of $600 yearly for a fundamental plan. With the costliest pay as you go possibility, Seen Plus, you’ll save at the very least $220 a yr — and probably way more with cheaper choices, like Mint Cellular’s 5GB plan, which prices $180/yr, which represents a staggering $420 in financial savings over postpaid.
Whereas postpaid service could appear value the additional price at a look, the fact is base postpaid plans supply related options and prioritization to pay as you go. In consequence, higher-end pay as you go plans from Seen, Mint, and US Cellular usually present comparable or higher prioritization than entry-level postpaid choices.
For further perks and excessive prioritization, a mid-tier postpaid plan prices round $75 to $80 a month — round $900 yearly. Even then, a pay as you go service would prevent at the very least $300 and that’s for a costlier pay as you go plan that provides related options and prioritization whereas preserving prices low.
What about households, will they save?
The reality is postpaid carriers are typically at their finest once you convey a number of strains over. These postpaid household plans supply sizable reductions, streaming perks, and different extras which might be laborious to disregard.
From a pure service high quality perspective, Seen Plus and US Cellular truly supply related protection and efficiency simply with out as many bells and whistles. Mint Cellular has barely decrease prioritization compared, however it’s nonetheless fairly shut. Should you don’t care in regards to the extras, will you save with an annual pay as you go plan nonetheless? It relies upon.
You’ll pay round $25 to $35 a line when you have a fundamental postpaid plan with 4 relations, which works out to only $1200 to $1,680 a month. Compared, US Cellular Flex affords a fundamental expertise that strains up properly with the postpaid entry tiers, and but it solely prices $840 for 4 strains, which is a financial savings of at the very least $360. Not all offers stack up this favorably, as Seen Plus would price you $1,580 for 4 strains. Meaning you may truly save with a postpaid plan.
In fact, Seen Plus has higher precedence than these fundamental plans. With this in thoughts, you’d pay at the very least $1,860 for a yr of mid-tier service via T-Cellular’s Go5G plan and as a lot as $2,160 for Verizon’s comparable myPlan Plus. In distinction, you’d save $280 at minimal with Seen Plus.
Which possibility do you have to select?
US Cellular, Mint Cellular, and Seen characterize the easiest of the pay as you go world already however annual financial savings assist these carriers stand out much more. We didn’t dive too deeply into how every of those carriers examine past the restricted desk above, however don’t fear we received’t go away you hanging. For a deeper dive you’ll need to take a look at our US Cellular vs Mint Cellular and Mint Cellular vs Seen guides.
Know which possibility will give you the results you want? Hit up the buttons under to join service now.