Different Pay as you go Mobile Providers
Mint Cellular is a pay as you go service that makes use of the T-Cellular community (T-Cellular acquired the corporate in 2024). Plans begin at $15 for five GB, although they provide an Limitless tier at $30 (and generally that’s on sale for much less). Mint’s charges are low, however the firm’s plans have fairly a couple of restrictions on service and information, and Mint doesn’t provide smartwatch plans in any respect. Worldwide calling and information are costly, too.
Cricket Wi-fi is a pay as you go service owned by AT&T. It presents limitless plans beginning at $35 a month, although the entry-level plan doesn’t embrace hot-spot information (it’s offered as an additional). Line reductions are first rate as much as 5 strains, so Cricket may be good for household plans. Cricket Wi-fi has many shops within the US, which is uncommon for a pay as you go cellphone service supplier, and makes Cricket a strong decide when you favor to talk with a buyer consultant face-to-face.
Metro is owned by T-Cellular. The corporate’s Limitless 5G plans, accessible at $25 per thirty days or $20 per thirty days (when billed on a six-month cycle), are strong, as Metro gives 35 GB of high-speed information together with limitless discuss and textual content. Nonetheless, these plans lack hot-spot assist, and even probably the most fundamental worldwide assist is an add-on service. Metro has a five-year worth lock promise, however Increase by T-Cellular has a “without end” worth promise. Like different T-Cellular manufacturers, Metro has many retail areas, which could be good if you’d like face-to-face service.
Straight Speak is owned by Verizon and is usually marketed in Walmart areas. It has limitless discuss, textual content, and information plans beginning at $45 per thirty days. These plans have 10 GB of hot-spot information and limitless worldwide calling to Mexico and Canada. Nonetheless, US Cellular and Verizon-owned Seen provide plans with higher worth and extra options, like bundled smartwatch assist, on the similar worth.
TracFone is a Verizon-owned pay as you go mobile service. Like Client Mobile, its advertising focuses closely on older customers. And very similar to Client Mobile, the plans aren’t the most effective worth. On a extra optimistic word, many TracFone plans embrace rollover information, which is uncommon. This might be engaging when you principally don’t require a lot information, however often use rather more than regular.
Ting Cellular is a pay as you go mobile service that makes use of the Verizon community. It used to make use of T-Cellular, and it’s owned by Increase. Ting presents Limitless plans, although lots of the Limitless plans have moderately low high-speed information limits. Scorching-spot information is included in all plans, however Worldwide shouldn’t be included, so that you’ll be charged further for that. Smartwatches aren’t supported. I personally used this as my major service 5 years in the past, however switched as its plans turned much less aggressive.
Client Mobile is a model that markets itself in direction of older people with the promise of straightforward, cheap service. Nonetheless, the corporate’s plans are usually costlier than opponents’, beginning at $20 per thirty days for simply 1 GB of information. The corporate has ranked extremely in Client Studies consumer surveys, at the least. Client Mobile has retail areas and opened its fiftieth retailer in July 2025.
MobileX is a pay as you go service on the Verizon community that has a variety of pay-as-you-go and limitless plans. The limitless plans don’t strike me as compelling, given their limits on information and worldwide use.
RedPocket Cellular is a pay as you go cellular provider with entry to Verizon, AT&T, and T-Cellular (customers select the community at sign-up). It has a easy plan system with simply three tiers, from 3 GB to 50 GB of premium information. Solely the premium tier has a scorching spot. All plans embrace a point of Worldwide protection in 80-ish international locations, with 100 minutes/100 texts and an honest chunk of information (1 GB to 10 GB), in order that they’re an honest decide for individuals who journey internationally however don’t use sufficient information to justify the costlier Google Fi Limitless Premium plan. I used to be additionally pissed off by RedPocket Cellular’s app, which proved buggy and sometimes threw errors claiming that my private info was incorrect, however didn’t say what particularly was flawed.
Complete Wi-fi can be owned by Verizon and presents limitless plans beginning at $40 per thirty days. They’re affordable plans, however as soon as once more, the alternate options from US Cellular and Verizon’s personal Seen are extra compelling general.
UScellular was, till lately, the oldest impartial MVNO within the US, nevertheless it was acquired by T-Cellular in 2024, and T-Cellular plans to combine the corporate into T-Cellular. So, when you can nonetheless technically buy a plan from the corporate, it makes extra sense to go to T-Cellular.
