 Re: What's the cheapest phone service in USA just for eBay account use?
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. Best pay-as-you-go
Ultra Mobile | T-Mobile network | 1 month contract | 100Mb data | $3 per month
Are you a light user? You could consider cutting it right down to the basics and opt for a pay-as-you-go SIM card. Ultra Mobile is a prepaid carrier (sister to Mint Mobile) that operates under the T-Mobile network and offers a great option for just $3 a month. For that small sum, you'll get 100MB of data, 100 texts, and 100 minutes of call time thrown in. After that, you'll be charged 3 cents for every minute of call time or MB of data usage, and 1 cent per text, making it a very cheap option for a light user. Note - Tello also operates a similarly fantastic pay-as-you-go plan.
Compare all the prepaid plan options at Ultra Mobile
CHEAP CELL PHONE PLANS: FAQ
best cheap cell phone plans
(Image credit: Future)
How do I save money with a cheap cell phone plan?
Switch to a smaller carrier
Any of the cheap cell phone plans on our list will save you a ton of cash versus the more established brands like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. While bigger carriers do tend to offer more fully-featured plans overall (with things like streaming service subscriptions), when it comes to value they simply can't compete with the smaller fish. Even if you're going to go with an unlimited data plan, for example, carriers like Visible offer cheaper prepaid alternatives for as low as $25 a month. For context, that's about a third of what you'd expect to pay with Verizon, which is Visible's parent company. Subsequently, it can pay dividends to jump ship to a smaller, up-and-coming cheap cell phone plans company.
Cut out what you don't need
Don't pay for what you don't need! It's a simple adage, but it rings true when shopping around for the best cheap cell phone plans. Data especially is one key area where a simple cut-back can really help reign in those monthly bills - particularly if you're someone who tends to use WiFi more than their cellular data. These days, nearly all cheap cell phone plans carriers offer unlimited talk and text on their service, so the biggest savings tend to be around cutting data rather than other features. Bigger carriers also offer things like bundled-in streaming service subscriptions, which don't tend to be featured on cheaper prepaid plans, but are worth dropping if you're strictly on a budget with a post-paid plan.
Review plan usage and avoid data upcharges
Before you commit to any of the cheap cell phone plans on our list we recommend having a solid idea of how much data you'll use each month, along with requirements for talk and text. Some cheaper carriers tend to have quite strict allowances where they'll either cut off your data, throttle your speed, or even charge you extra for going over your monthly allowance. Note - this upcharging is actually pretty uncommon now, and none of the cheap cell phone plans on our list will charge you if you go over your allowance (without prompting you). Still, it's worth reading any fine print carefully and having a good idea of your data usage before you jump on board with any carrier.
How are these cell phone plans so cheap?
Smaller carriers (MVNOs) don't run their own networks for cellular coverage, instead opting to 'piggyback' off one of the four major carriers networks instead. This has the primary benefit of the MVNO not having to pay costly upkeep on maintaining the physical infrastructure needed for a cellular network but still enabling them to have great coverage. That saving means they can operate with much lower overheads and offer cheaper cell phone plans overall to their customers.
All this does come with a catch however, as the big carriers like to prioritize their own customer's connections when the network is seeing heavy traffic overall. This can lead to what's called 'de-prioritization' for the customers using a sub-carrier, which essentially results in a slower connection over LTE (non WiFi internet). That said, the potential savings of going with a smaller carrier tend to outweigh the disadvantages of a potential slower connection for most people. In general, the market tends to call these types of plans prepaid plans, as opposed to the usual postpaid (unlimited) options at the likes of Verizon and such.
Who has the best coverage?
All of the cheap cell phone plans featured in this article are offered by MVNO companies using the bigger carrier networks of Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. They all have good coverage nationwide but you'll definitely want to determine which one's best for you by using the coverage checkers on their websites.
Here are some quick links to the various pages where you can check your coverage directly. Simply enter your zip code or pinpoint your location on the provided maps to see which big carrier has the best coverage in your local area.
Verizon - check your coverage
AT&T - check your coverage
T-Mobile - check your coverage
Sprint - check your coverage
Last edited by agent006140; 06-28-2021 at 05:15 PM.
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