Mint, Seen, Verizon, and extra

Whenever you consider U.S. carriers, what involves thoughts? For a lot of, it’s Verizon, AT&T, and T-Cellular — the three greatest networks within the nation. However are they actually the very best carriers? For lots of people, the reply may very well be no. Regardless of their combined (and largely undeserved) popularity, pay as you go companies usually provide higher worth and suppleness.

On this information, we’ll leap proper in and discover the very best carriers within the US marketplace for 2025, whether or not they run their very own networks or function on an current community by way of partnership.

Mint Cellular is an distinctive worth and runs on T-Cellular’s community

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Mint Cellular is likely one of the best-known pay as you go carriers and affords distinctive worth, particularly in the event you solely want one or two telephone strains. Plans begin as little as $15 a month for restricted information or $30 for limitless information.

A Mint 5GB plan can prevent not less than $25–$50 per thirty days in comparison with a single postpaid line from any of the large three carriers, making it one of many most cost-effective pay as you go choices obtainable. Even Mint’s Limitless Plan affords higher worth than most entry-level postpaid plans. Nevertheless, remember that financial savings could also be minimal for bigger households, as Mint doesn’t present multi-line reductions like the larger carriers.

It’s additionally price noting that Mint’s finest charges require upfront annual funds. However round this time of 12 months, that’s extra of a characteristic than a downside! Tax season is the proper alternative to make use of your refund to make the swap, letting you pay as soon as and overlook about your telephone invoice for the remainder of the 12 months.

Mint Cellular doesn’t include many particular perks, however it does present dependable community protection and speeds, just like T-Cellular’s entry-level pay as you go and postpaid plans. Moreover, you get just a few worldwide options, equivalent to free calling and texting to Canada and the choice to roam internationally by means of the acquisition of the Minternational add-on.

There are frequent misconceptions about pay as you go companies, however the reality is Mint affords many options historically related to postpaid plans, equivalent to gadget fee choices, insurance coverage, and extra. Whereas most of those are supplied by means of third-party partnerships, the choices are moderately aggressive with what you’d discover on postpaid plans.

Proper now you possibly can purchase the Google Pixel 9 for simply $579 and also you’ll get a complete 12 months of Limitless information. Not solely is that this cheaper than you’ll discover the Pixel 9 anyplace else proper now, however the bonus of free service would usually value you over $360.

As for what plan we advocate? It relies on what you’re searching for:

• Most of it’s best to decide the 15GB plan. At simply $20 a month (when paid yearly), this plan affords wonderful worth. For under $5 extra per thirty days than the 5GB plan, you get an extra 10GB of information.
• Get the 5GB plan in the event you use little or no information. Should you primarily depend on Wi-Fi, the 5GB plan will prevent $5 per thirty days in comparison with the 15GB plan. This works out to only $15 a month when paid yearly.
• Want extra information? Persist with the Limitless plan. Whereas the 15GB plan is the candy spot for many, the Limitless plan is a greater deal than the 20GB plan. For under $5 extra per thirty days than the 20GB plan, although limitless clients utilizing  over 40GB a month will expertise decrease speeds.

That’s Mint Cellular at a look. Need to dive deeper? Try our detailed information evaluating Mint Cellular vs the large three carriers.

If you would like all the very best worldwide options, add-on perks, precedence customer support, and different advantages that include postpaid plans on Huge Purple’s community, your only option is to think about Verizon immediately.

Verizon affords each pay as you go and postpaid plans, with brick-and-mortar customer support choices for each. Postpaid pricing begins at $65 a month for an entry-level limitless plan, although it could possibly drop to as little as $30 per line for 4 strains. Nevertheless, we advocate skipping this entry-level plan generally. Not solely does it get decrease community precedence throughout congestion than Verizon’s dearer postpaid plans, however it additionally usually doesn’t qualify for actually free telephone offers with out a trade-in.

Verizon’s pay as you go service affords a 15GB plan for as little as $35 a month, whereas its limitless plans begin at $50 a month. Remember the fact that all Verizon plans, besides the 15GB pay as you go plan, provide multi-line reductions — although not as beneficiant as postpaid choices.

As for what plan we advocate? It relies on what you’re searching for:

• These enthusiastic about postpaid ought to decide Verizon MyPlan Limitless Plus. You’ll get sooner precedence information than Welcome Limitless, together with 30GB of hotspot entry. This tier begins at $80 a month however drops to as little as $45 per line for 4 strains.
• These enthusiastic about pay as you go information ought to decide the 15GB plan. For a lot of common customers, 15GB is greater than sufficient so why pay greater than you need to? You’ll pay $35 a month for one line, however there’s no multi-line low cost for this plan. Should you want 4 strains, the Limitless pay as you go plan is cheaper.
• Need low-cost limitless information? Decide Limitless Plus. This pay as you go plan prices $5 lower than MyPlan Limitless Welcome at $60 a month and contains 50GB of precedence information earlier than speeds are diminished throughout congestion. Nevertheless, bigger households might discover postpaid plans cheaper.
• Decide Limitless Final for the very best reductions. The most important reductions—particularly for current clients—are reserved for the Final tier. The Plus tier additionally affords some stable returning buyer offers, although you’ll want so as to add a brand new line or commerce in a tool for some promotions. Remember that this tier is pricier, beginning at $90 a month for one line or as little as $55 per line for 4.

Similar to with Verizon, if you’d like all the perfect high-tier options of T-Cellular’s community you actually don’t have any different that’s totally equal. Postpaid plans begin at $50 a month for Necessities Saver or $60 for Necessities.

Each of those plans have decrease community precedence in comparison with the remainder of T-Cellular’s postpaid household. The principle distinction is that the cheaper plan requires you to convey your individual gadget. Similar to with Verizon, I’d advocate skipping these tiers and choosing Go5G in the event you’re contemplating postpaid service. This plan affords higher promotional pricing and sooner information entry.

Whereas T-Cellular focuses closely on its postpaid plans, it additionally affords pay as you go companies. On the decrease finish of the pay as you go spectrum is the 10GB plan, which prices $40 a month or as little as $25 per line for 4 strains. T-Cellular additionally affords limitless pay as you go plans beginning at $50 a month, dropping as little as $35 per line with 4 strains. Nevertheless, there isn’t a lot readability on how T-Cellular prioritizes its pay as you go plans.

As for what plan we advocate? It relies on what you’re searching for:

• These enthusiastic about postpaid ought to decide T-Cellular Go5G at minimal. Beginning at $75 a month — or as little as $38.75 per line for 4 — this plan gives sooner precedence information than Necessities and contains perks like higher promotions and taxes and costs included within the pricing.
• These enthusiastic about pay as you go ought to decide the Limitless plan. Beginning at $40 a month 10GB plan is cheaper, however the Limitless plan provides you full entry to 5G and 4G LTE information for simply $10 extra a month. Whereas it doesn’t provide full-speed hotspot entry, you’ll nonetheless get limitless hotspot entry at 3G speeds.
• Decide GO5G Plus or Subsequent for streaming perks. T-Cellular is the one main provider that features free streaming perks with a number of of its plans. The Plus tier contains Apple TV+ and Netflix Commonplace with Adverts, whereas the Subsequent tier provides Hulu with Adverts to the combo.
• Decide Go5G Subsequent for the very best reductions. If you wish to be upgrade-ready yearly and qualify for the very best promotions, you’ll need Go5G Subsequent. This tier additionally has higher worldwide perks too. You’ll additionally pay $100 for a single line of Subsequent or $90 for Plus, although you possibly can convey them all the way down to  $56.25 and $46.25 per line for 4 strains, respectively.

AT&T may be the least thrilling of the large three carriers nowadays, however it stays among the best methods to totally expertise Huge Blue’s community, particularly in the event you dwell in an space with sturdy protection. Like its rivals, AT&T affords each pay as you go and postpaid plans, together with the comfort of brick-and-mortar areas.

AT&T gives choices for each pay as you go and postpaid plans, although — just like T-Cellular — there’s restricted transparency round information prioritization for pay as you go plans following latest modifications. Postpaid plans begin at $50.99 a month for AT&T’s Worth Plus VL plan, or as little as $30.99 per line for 4. Nevertheless, for the very best precedence information, you’ll must go for Limitless Further EL or greater.

In the case of pay as you go plans, AT&T affords each restricted and limitless choices. That mentioned, we’d advocate skipping the restricted information plans, as their charges are comparatively excessive in comparison with different carriers on this record. For instance, 5GB and 8GB plans value $30 and $33 a month, respectively. The most cost effective limitless plan begins at $25 a month and will increase in value from there.

As for what plan we advocate? It relies on what you’re searching for:

• These enthusiastic about postpaid ought to decide AT&T Limitless Further EL at minimal. Beginning at $75.99 a month and dropping as little as $35.99 for 5 strains, you’ll get 75GB of upper precedence information in addition to 30GB of hotspot entry.
• These enthusiastic about pay as you go information ought to decide the Limitless + 10GB Hotspot plan. For simply $25 a month, you get 16GB of high-speed information after which limitless 1.5Mbps speeds for the remainder of the month.
• AT&T Limitless Degree Up is for individuals who need postpaid however don’t qualify. This pay as you go plan is $50.99 a month for 30GB of information, then 1.5Mbps speeds after. You additionally get roaming information, calls, and texts in Canada and Mexico. The true star of the present is the improve characteristic, which helps you to get a $0 down curiosity free telephone on AT&T postpaid after simply six months with Degree Up.

Google Fi is probably not a conventional provider, however it actually feels shut. The service affords a Versatile information plan beginning at $20 a month, alongside two limitless plans beginning at $50 — or as little as $25 per line for 4 strains with multi-line reductions. Like the key carriers, Google Fi contains perks equivalent to Google One storage on choose plans, however its standout options are its worldwide roaming capabilities and the truth that all its plans present the identical precedence information as postpaid T-Cellular service.

For Versatile plan customers, you’ll pay $20 per gig of information each within the US and in over 200 international locations, making it a superb possibility as a secondary SIM for frequent vacationers. On the limitless facet, the Merely Limitless plan contains information in Canada and Mexico. Nevertheless, for extra strong options — like calls from the US to 50 international locations, limitless shareable information for tablets, six months of YouTube Premium, 100GB of Google One storage, and free limitless worldwide information (although it’s not meant for consecutive worldwide use intervals exceeding 90 days) — you’ll need the Limitless Plus plan.

Google Fi additionally affords gadget safety by means of Assurant, financing choices by way of Affirm, and a robust choice of telephones. Whereas Google Fi doesn’t formally carry iPhones, you possibly can convey your individual. As for promotions, Google Fi steadily rotates its particular affords. For instance, proper now, new clients can get as much as $800 off the Galaxy S25 sequence while not having to commerce in a tool.

As for what plan we advocate? It relies on what you’re searching for:

• If you would like a backup telephone for worldwide journey, get Fi Versatile. This plan begins at $20 a month (or as little as $17 per thirty days for 4 strains). It’s not really helpful as your major line, as there are cheaper choices for low-data use within the US. Nevertheless, for dual-SIM customers, Fi Versatile is ideal for protecting a line energetic because of its unbeatable $10 per gig worldwide information charges.
• Get Merely Limitless in the event you don’t journey usually. Beginning at $50 a month or as little as $25 per line for 4, you’ll get 5GB hotspot entry and information in Canada and Mexico however not a lot else. You’re going to get the identical prioritized T-Cellular information, nevertheless.
• Get Limitless Plus for the very best expertise. For simply $15 a month extra you get limitless information in over 200 international locations, calls from the US to 50-plus areas, and some of the perks talked about above.  It’d begin at $65 a month however these with 4 or extra strains will see that drop to only $40 per line.

US Cellular upped its sport in 2024 by turning into the primary self-branded tremendous provider. Fancy title apart, this implies US Cellular has the excellence of being the one provider that permits you to decide between Warp 5G (Verizon), Gentle Velocity (T-Cellular), and Darkish Star (AT&T). You possibly can even swap between them, although you possibly can solely do it at no cost twice over the lifetime of the road until you’ve gotten the most costly plan. After that, it’s going to value $2 per swap, with a restrict of 8 switches per billing cycle.

US Cellular affords the identical three limitless plans no matter which community you select, with plans beginning as little as $17.50 per thirty days for the entry-level annual plan. Month-to-month plans start at $25 per thirty days for individuals who desire to keep away from upfront prices. Don’t want limitless information? US Cellular additionally has restricted information choices beginning at simply $8 per thirty days.

Whereas it doesn’t provide insurance coverage, US Cellular does present a good (although small) choice of units, with optionally available financing obtainable by means of Affirm.

As for what plan we advocate? It relies on what you’re searching for:

• Get Limitless Starter if you’d like probably the most balanced limitless expertise. Beginning at $25 a month or as little as $22.50 a month if paid yearly, this plan is barely $5 extra in the event you pay yearly and but Starter provides you limitless precedence information, whilst you solely get 10GB of premium information on Flex. You even have the choice of paying month-to-month, which is barely one other $2.50 extra.
• Get Limitless Premium if you’d like a extra carrier-like expertise. Beginning at $44 a month or as little as $32.50 a month when paid upfront yearly, Limitless Premium provides you a free Apple Watch plan, 50GB of hotspot entry, 10GB worldwide information, and free community transfers.
• Get the Gentle Plan if don’t use a lot information. Regardless of the title, this plan works with all three networks. The “gentle” right here refers to the way you solely get 2GB of information, however the excellent news is you might be solely paying the equal of $8 a month if paid yearly, or $10 month-to-month.

Based mostly on our expertise with it and a number of other different Verizon-based pay as you go carriers, Seen stands out as the very best different to Verizon’s pay as you go and postpaid companies. For a restricted time, pricing even begins as little as $20 per thirty days (usually $25 per thirty days). It’s price noting that Seen is owned by Verizon, which provides an additional layer of belief for these conversant in Huge Purple’s community.

Seen affords two plans, with the higher-priced possibility together with 50GB of premium information — the identical precedence stage you’d get with a way more costly mid-tier or greater Verizon postpaid plan.

Moreover, you’ll discover perks like gadget financing and insurance coverage, although they’re supplied by means of third-party companies reasonably than immediately by means of Verizon. Nevertheless, remember that Seen solely affords on-line buyer help, with no brick-and-mortar areas obtainable. On the plus facet, each plans embrace limitless discuss and textual content to Mexico and Canada, with just a few extra perks included within the dearer plan.

As for what plan we advocate? It relies on what you’re searching for:

• Get Seen Fundamental in the event you don’t thoughts deprioritization. At simply $20 a month, in the event you lock within the promo for 25 months, this can be a actually inexpensive technique to get the identical service as precedence service as Verizon’s entry postpaid plan for a fraction. Remember you might expertise nice speeds in much less congested areas, however barely useable ones in additional frequented areas.
• Get Seen Plus for the very best expertise. At simply $45 a month, this can be a nice plan however you may get it for simply $30 for the subsequent 25 months in the event you act quick. You’ll get 50GB of precedence information and extras like sensible watch service, $10 off on Verizon House Web, and some additional worldwide perks like limitless discuss, textual content, and 2GB of information per day in Canada and Mexico and one International move per thirty days that rolls over in the event you don’t use it.

Cricket was as soon as an impartial provider however has been a part of the AT&T household for a few years now. Similar to the Verizon-owned Seen is one of the best ways to expertise Verizon on a finances, Cricket is a superb different to AT&T. Sadly, it’s additionally rather a lot pricier than Seen. The most cost effective plan begins at $30 however solely provides you 5GB of information.

What makes Cricket stand out is that you simply get an expertise that feels extra like a serious US provider whereas nonetheless costing lower than AT&T immediately generally. Whereas Seen is all about no-frills service, Cricket has extra strong customer support full with restricted brick-and-mortar areas and plans that provide extras like streaming companies, cloud storage, and extra. There are even multi-line reductions with the very best financial savings requiring 4 strains or extra.

You even get the identical stage of prioritization as you’ll with any AT&T postpaid plan, besides those that pay for the Turbo precedence improve on AT&T. That mentioned, this greater precedence solely applies to the restricted information plans provided by Cricket or the $60 a month Limitless + 15GB Hotspot plan. In contrast to just a few of the choices on this record, the Limitless plans actually imply limitless, although the cheaper of the 2 limitless plans will see noticeable slowdowns throughout occasions of heavier congestion.

As for what plan we advocate? It relies on what you’re searching for:

• Get Cricket 10GB if you’d like restricted information. At $40 a month, there are loads of higher offers on the market however in the event you add a number of strains the value will fall dramatically with 4 strains costing $27.50 every. You’ll additionally get 2GB of Cloud storage and free utilization in Mexico and Canada with new accounts.
• Get Cricket 5GB plan in the event you use VERY little information. The 5GB plan is $10 much less a month at $30 a month, however this little information requires a bit extra aggressive administration making the additional value price it. You additionally get 2GB of Cloud storage.
• Get Cricket Limitless + 15GB Hotspot information plan. Beginning at $60 a month or dropping to $32.50 per line for 4, this plan provides you high-priority limitless information, whereas the cheaper plan saves you simply $10 a month and drops each hotspot entry and better precedence. Regardless of solely costing $10 extra a month, this Limitless plan additionally provides Max with Adverts and 150GB of cloud storage. Each plans additionally embrace limitless texts from the US to 37 international locations, and utilization in Mexico and Canada.

Mint is likely one of the most cost-effective pay as you go carriers on the market that we advocate, however it’s removed from the one worth possibility on this record. For people who don’t eat a lot information, Tello may be very exhausting to beat.

You’ve gotten the choice of selecting what number of minutes you need, in addition to information. Textual content is thrown in at no cost with the previous. The top result’s a wide range of totally different plan choices operating as little as $5 a month to as excessive as $25. In contrast to Mint, you additionally don’t should pay yearly for these charges.

Tello doesn’t provide extras like insurance coverage or brick-and-mortar customer support, however it has a fairly dependable customer support division you possibly can name, textual content, or chat with on-line. The excellent news is there may be gadget financing by means of Affirm if that’s one thing you’re enthusiastic about. There’s a considerably restricted choice of units, however loads of standard telephones like Pixel 9 are represented.

Because of the configurable nature of Tello, there are actually tons of plans potential however listed here are just a few choices I wish to spotlight:

• Tello restricted information plans are nice for teenagers. Most youngsters don’t ever name anymore until an emergency, so you could possibly simply get them a 300-minute plan which might qualify at no cost texting. For a youthful child that wants little information, you could possibly pair that with 1GB for simply $7 whole (plus taxes). Simply bear in mind that after 10GB or greater you may be higher with a limiteless plan as an alternative.
• Tello’s limitless plan is affordable, however very primary. If you would like low-cost no frills limitless information (as much as 35GB), you possibly can’t get less expensive than $25 a month. That’s even lower than Mint, although you additionally get rather less information and some different minor variations.

You’ll discover there have been undoubtedly additions we didn’t embrace equivalent to Shopper Mobile, Whole Wi-fi, and some others. Whereas these aren’t dangerous choices, I merely felt the above picks supplied a well-rounded vary that might cowl most customers.

You may additionally discover that we didn’t put Metro by T-Cellular on this record. We went forwards and backwards on this, however the motive we didn’t embrace it’s most individuals can be higher served with T-Cellular immediately over Metro.

Arguably Seen and Cricket actually provide one thing that helps them stand out regardless of being owned by their respective carriers, however Metro doesn’t. The principle motive for that is that T-Cellular is likely one of the few carriers that limits its greater precedence counts to its personal choose in-house plans, and that doesn’t lengthen to T-Cellular-owned manufacturers like Metro.