Phone Plan Pros and Cons: Prepaid vs. the Big Carriers

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Shopping for a new phone plan usually comes down to one question: do you pay more for a big-name carrier, or save with a prepaid brand that runs on the same networks? Slickdeals shoppers are split. Over the past two years, T-Mobile and Verizon drew the most phone plan clicks on Slickdeals, together accounting for about 44% of them. But prepaid brands like Metro by T-Mobile and Total Wireless turned clicks into sign-ups at roughly three to four times the rate of the major carriers. In other words, people browse the big names and buy the cheaper plans.

Most prepaid brands run on Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile’s networks, so you can often get the same coverage for half the price. Below, we compare what each carrier charges on its own site and the Slickdeals deals that can lower your bill even more. Prices were checked on November 13, 2026, and don’t include taxes and fees unless noted.

Phone Plan Prices at a Glance

The Big Three: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile

Verizon’s Simplicity Plan is $30 per month for one line. That price includes AutoPay and a $15 monthly switch discount that lasts 36 months. You get 10GB of hotspot data, and unlimited hotspot is a $15-per-line add-on, so the bill climbs quickly. Verizon’s best recent Slickdeals deals are on phones, like an unlocked 256GB Google Pixel 11 Pro for $480 with a new line. For Verizon’s network at a lower price, see Visible and Total Wireless below.

AT&T’s four unlimited tiers run $30 to $70 per line with four lines, though the cheapest, Value 2.0, includes just 5GB of high-speed data. Those prices assume AutoPay and paperless billing, and the AutoPay discount depends on how you pay: $10 per line with a bank account or the AT&T Points Plus Card from Citi, $5 with a debit card, and nothing with other credit cards. With no AT&T plan deals on Slickdeals right now, Cricket Wireless is the cheaper way onto AT&T’s network.

T-Mobile’s T-Mix plans run from $45 to $95 per month for one line after AutoPay, or $115 to $240 for four lines. Only the top two tiers include unlimited premium data. The real draw is phone deals: select customers can get an iPhone 17 or Pixel 11 On Us, or up to $930 off, with a trade-in in any condition. The offer is targeted, and the discount comes as 24 or 36 monthly bill credits, so check your T-Mobile account or the T-Life app to see if you qualify.

Carrier-Owned Prepaid Brands: Same Networks, Lower Prices

Visible, Verizon’s online-only brand, charges $25 to $45 per month, and code HOLIDAYHACK takes $6 off for one, three, or five years depending on the plan. The better deal is annual: new members can get a year of Visible+ Pro for $225 with code BLACKFRIDAY, half the regular $450 price and under $19 a month.

Total Wireless runs on Verizon’s network with plans from $35 to $60 per month with AutoPay. The standout is its Frontpage BYOD deal: $20 per month ($30 the first month) when you bring your own phone and number, taxes and fees included. The 5-year price guarantee doesn’t cover the AutoPay discount, so keep AutoPay on to hold the $20 price.

Straight Talk, Verizon’s Walmart-focused brand, has unlimited plans at $45, $55, and $65 per month, and the top two include Walmart+. AutoPay takes $2.50 to $5 off for the first 3 months. It’s best for a cheap phone: Walmart has the Straight Talk 128GB Motorola Moto G Power 2026 5G for $29.88, locked to Straight Talk.

Metro by T-Mobile starts at $25 per month with AutoPay when you bring your own phone, and several plans include a 5-year price guarantee. It also gives away phones often. Right now new customers can get a 128GB Samsung Galaxy A37 5G free with one month of the $40 plan and a number transfer. You’re not eligible if you’ve been with Metro or T-Mobile in the past 180 days.

Cricket Wireless, AT&T’s prepaid brand, runs $30 to $55 per month with AutoPay. Unlimited plans start at $35. New customers who transfer a number can get an iPhone 16e free when they prepay 3 months of Supreme Unlimited for $180, about $10 less than the same bundle in July and August.

Boost Mobile’s base Unlimited plan is $25 per month with AutoPay, with 30GB of premium data but no hotspot. New customers who bring a phone can get Unlimited for $10 per month for the first 6 months, paid month to month instead of upfront.

Online-Only Budget Brands: The Lowest Monthly Prices

Mint Mobile runs on T-Mobile’s network, and its Unlimited plan is $30 per month when you buy 12 months ($360 upfront). New customers can get any plan, including Unlimited, for $15 per month, paid upfront as $45, $90, or $180 for 3, 6, or 12 months. The $180 annual price has been posted on Slickdeals several times this year, and October’s anniversary sale was even lower at $60 for 6 months.

US Mobile charges $25 per month for Unlimited Starter and $44 for Unlimited Premium. You can also get Unlimited Starter for $15 per month for 3 months when you add a new line. Its best deal tends to arrive on Black Friday: last year’s 1-year Unlimited Premium plan was $167 per line.

Google Fi’s unlimited plans are $35 to $65 per month. New customers who bring a phone get 50% off Essentials or Standard for 12 months through December 1, 2026. It’s also a great place to buy a Pixel: new customers can get the unlocked 256GB Google Pixel 11 from $399 through November 18, 2026, with 120 days of service required.

Tello keeps it simple with unlimited data for $25 per month and 10GB for $15, month to month. There’s no Tello deal on Slickdeals right now, but Tello offered new customers 50GB for $10 per month for six months earlier this year.

How to Pay the Least for Your Phone Plan

• Prepay if you can. Mint’s $180 year and Visible’s $225 year work out to $15 to $19 per month.
• Bring your own phone. BYOD plans like Total Wireless’s $20 plan are among the cheapest ways onto a major network.
• Know when the price goes up. Set a reminder for when your promo ends so you can switch before paying full price.
• Check the unlock policy. Prepaid phones are usually locked for up to a year, while Google Fi phones are factory unlocked.
• Keep AutoPay on. Nearly every advertised price assumes it.
• Shop around Black Friday. Phone plan clicks on Slickdeals peak in November and December, when many of the year’s best plan deals launch.