Boost Mobile unlimited for $25 a month
Best for a single line with unlimited data
Google Fi Wireless Simply Unlimited
Best for a family of four: $80 per month for four lines
As prices for goods remain high, looking for more ways to save has continued to be a big focus for people across the country. Cutting expensive subscriptions and resisting the temptation to eat out are a couple of ways to lower your costs, but there are a few things you can’t compromise on, like cellphone plans. Luckily, you don’t need to get rid of your service — you only need to find a cheaper phone plan.
In 2023, there are plenty of ways to do just that, from prepaid carriers such as Mint Mobile to cable companies’ mobile endeavors like Comcast’s Xfinity Mobile and Charter’s Spectrum Mobile. All of them could be more affordable than an unlimited plan from AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile. Cheap phone plans now also have many of the features traditional plans offer, including an unlimited option, and they often run on a larger carrier’s network.
Though there are dozens of phone plan options out there, I’ve listed a few for you to consider, as well as some other ways to save on your bill. This market can quickly get unwieldy, so as with some of CNET’s other wireless carrier coverage, I’ll focus on options for a single line and for those looking for four lines.
Verizon’s Visible restructured its unlimited plans last year, dropping the price for its base offering from $40 per month per line to $30. In doing so it also tweaked some of the features, perhaps most notably removing access to Verizon’s fastest Ultra Wideband 5G network (for that you’ll need to pay $45 a month for the Visible Plus plan). The carrier also removed its Party Pay family-plan-like option that allowed for rates as low as $25 a month.
Family plans with unlimited data
Google’s phone service got a pricing revamp that makes it a much more appealing alternative to major providers. For a family of four, you can now get its Simply Unlimited plan for $80 per month ($20 per month, per line) which includes not only unlimited talk, text and data but also 5GB of mobile hotspot use. There also is free roaming in Canada and Mexico, though taxes and fees are not included in the sticker price.
AT&T’s prepaid brand has a decent deal if you’re looking for four lines: $25 a month for unlimited talk, text and data. A single line is $55 a month, but Cricket gives a solid discount if you’re willing to add more lines to the account.
US Mobile has a good option for 5GB of data for $15 a month, which beats comparably priced offers from Mint ($15 a month for 4GB of data), Boost Mobile ($15 for 2GB of data) and others.
Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile and Optimum Mobile could be options, depending on where you live. Xfinity Mobile and Spectrum Mobile each use Verizon’s network while Optimum uses T-Mobile.
If you want to stick with a major carrier such as AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile, one easy way to save is to take advantage of its discounts. All of the carriers offer additional discounts that you could be eligible for, depending on your employer, military status, student status or age.
