There are phone plans under $30 for data lovers, international callers, rural folks, city slickers, families, and pretty much everyone else. Read on for the details about our favorite plans (and some alternative options). The best cell phone plans under $30:
Best value: Mint Mobile’s Unlimited Plan Best network coverage: Twigby’s Unlimited Talk and Text + 5 GB plan Best no-data plan: Gen Mobile’s Unlimited Talk & Text Plan Best family plan: Visible Wireless’s Unlimited Plan with four lines
That’s right, Deadpool (or Green Lantern, if you prefer), owns Mint Mobile. This doesn’t necessarily give the company superpowers, but we thought we’d mention it. Anyway, on to the stuff we like about Mint! This happens because the network owner (T-Mobile) wants to prioritize the speeds of its own customers, which makes sense given, ya know, money and competition. You’ll be able to meet some of your data needs with this Twigby plans, but heavier users will hit that 5 GB cap pretty quickly. If you’re willing to tack an extra $10 onto your monthly bill, you can upgrade to Sprint’s Kickstart unlimited plan. For $9 a month, Gen Mobile will give you unlimited talk and text, plus free international texting to over 100 countries. This is a perfect plan for your tween who just needs a phone to coordinate rides to birthday parties and soccer practice. Just tell them to get good at connecting to those Wi-Fi networks if they want data! Fine, we’ll tell you. Here’s what we love about Visible Wireless. So if you’ve got a family of gamers, streamers, and other data hogs, then Visible is the way to go. Bundle up with your roommate, your BFF, your boo, your D&D group, or the barista that just made your americano. You can each pay your bills separately using the Visible phone app. This shouldn’t happen to Visible customers too often, but it’s always a possibility when you’re in heavily congested areas (i.e., sports matches, Disneyland, or Coachella). Here’s a recap of our favorite cell phone plans under $30.
Best value: Mint Mobile’s Unlimited Plan Best network coverage: Twigby’s Unlimited Talk and Text + 5 GB plan Best no-data plan: Gen Mobile’s Unlimited Talk & Text Plan Best family plan: Visible Wireless’s Unlimited Plan with four lines
If we missed your favorite cheap cell phone plan in our review, let us know in the comments section. Or, if you want even cheaper plan options, check out our breakdown of the best cell phone plans under $20. The absolute cheapest cell phone plan is probably one of these $0 a month, pay-as-you-go plans. But most people will want something more than what these plans offer.