If you’re looking for ways to control your monthly cellphone bill, you’re not alone. The cost of cellphones rises from year to year — and that trend won’t end anytime soon. That leaves many people searching for the cheapest service plans available. Fortunately, if you search online, you can find plenty of cell phone plans at every price.
You just have to search for cheap cell phone plans in order to find the best prices. Cell phone companies advertise their best, most current offers online rather than in person. To find a plan that fits your budget as well as your lifestyle, start an online search right now.
1. FreedomPop Basic Free
If free cellphone service sounds good, FreedomPop may fit your needs. The network offers 4G and 4G LTE service throughout most of the United States. There are more network lapses in the northwestern region. If you have an unlocked Apple or Android phone, you have what you need to connect into the FreedomPop network.
FreedomPop customers can select a free service that offers the following monthly coverage terms:
- 200MB data
- 200 talk minutes
- 500 text messages
Service plans with more extensive coverage start at just $9.99 and go up to $59.99. The variety of plan options makes it easy to select one plan that fits your needs. It’s easy to move up to higher tier plans, so you can start with a free plan and upgrade if needed.
2. FreeUP Mobile
FreeUP Mobile runs on a tier one network and offers service across the United States. You can purchase a new cellphone when you sign up for service or connect your own unlocked device into the network. They offer a free plan that includes the following terms of service:
- 1,000 minutes for talk or text
- Unlimited hotspot Wi-Fi
Paid plans with unlimited talk and text time and limited data plans range from $15 to $45 per month.
What makes FreeUP unique is its rewards app that allows you to earn points toward your service. You can receive a paid service plan for free if you’re active enough on the app. Activities that earn points may include:
- Surveys
- Coupons
- Videos
- Games
- Shopping
- Referrals
If you use sites like Swagbucks to earn gift cards, you already know how this works. The more fun you have on the app, the more cellphone service you can earn for free.
The downside to FreeUP is the limitation of 2GB of data for the highest-paid service plan. If you need more data, consider one of the other cheap cellphone service plans on our list.
3. Tello Mobile
Tello offers 4G LTE service across the United States and operates on the Sprint network. What it doesn’t have are the contracts and prices that are demanded by Sprint. All service plans are prepaid and you never have to worry about added fees. The price is exactly what you sign up for, and there are no monthly bill surprises.
The Economy Plan is the lowest priced option at Tello. It will cost you $10 per month and comes with 1GB data and unlimited talk minutes and text messages.
The Value Plan offers unlimited talk and text with up to 2GB of data for just $14 per month. The highest tier service plan offers 10GB of data, so you may need to consider another plan if you need more data.
One more reason to give Tello your business. They have a great referral program. Each person that you refer receives $10 in credit and you receive that credit as well.
4. Republic Wireless
Republic ditches the contracts and offers cheap cellphone service plans with a unique structure. They charge $5 per gigabyte of data while operating on two of the largest networks in the United States. 4G LTE service is offered throughout the U.S. and reaches approximately 98 percent of the country.
You don’t get to choose service plans when you give Republic Wireless your business. Every subscriber pays $15 per month plus $5 per gigabyte of data used. Talk and text minutes are unlimited.
You can control your bill by limiting your data usage, but keep in mind that your bill can easily skyrocket if you aren’t monitoring your data closely. That means this may not work well for parents with teenagers or young adults who can use up minutes quickly. If you mostly use your Internet features while connected to Wi-Fi, then you may save a lot of money by going with Republic.
5. Page Plus Cellular
Page Plus is a prepaid cellphone service that never requires a contract. They offer 4G LTE service that operates on a large network covering most of the United States. There are some coverage gaps in the northwestern U.S., so check their coverage map before committing to a service plan.
The cheapest Page Plus service plan will cost you $12 per month. You can reduce the price to $10 per month by committing to automatic monthly refills. If you want to pay the full price, you can refill your plan when it’s convenient for you. This plan comes with the following terms of service:
- 500 talk minutes
- 500 text messages
- 100 MB data
Other Page Plus plans offer unlimited talk and text with limited international calling. The highest paid plan offers unlimited data, but Page Plus reserves the right to review your data usage at this level. That may not mean anything for most people, but make sure that you’re aware of their terms of service for data usage if you choose that plan.
What to Consider Before Choosing a Plan
Before you contact one of these cheap cellphone service providers, look at your current data usage to determine how much you use on average each month. That will help you select the most affordable plan.
You don’t want to pay for a lot of data that you will never use. Unlimited plans are expensive, and many people never use enough data to justify the cost.
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