Compare Cellphone Plans From Discount Carriers Caret RightMain Menu Mortgage Mortgages Financing a home purchase Refinancing your existing loan Finding the right lender Additional Resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Bank Banking Compare Accounts Use calculators Get advice Bank reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Credit Card Credit cards Compare by category Compare by credit needed Compare by issuer Get advice Looking for the perfect credit card? Narrow your search with CardMatch Caret RightMain Menu Loan Loans Personal Loans Student Loans Auto Loans Loan calculators Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Invest Investing Best of Brokerages and robo-advisors Learn the basics Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Home Equity Home equity Get the best rates Lender reviews Use calculators Knowledge base Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Loan Home Improvement Real estate Selling a home Buying a home Finding the right agent Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Insurance Insurance Car insurance Homeowners insurance Other insurance Company reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Retirement Retirement Retirement plans & accounts Learn the basics Retirement calculators Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. How We Make Money
The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you. SHARE: February 25, 2015 Kristin Wong Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. We’ve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by and edited by , who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy. Our banking reporters and editors focus on the points consumers care about most — the best banks, latest rates, different types of accounts, money-saving tips and more — so you can feel confident as you’re managing your money. Bankrate logo Editorial integrity
Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers. Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Bankrate logo How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. Not long ago, you had to pay top dollar to get the full cellphone experience, including unlimited calling, more texts than your thumbs could possibly pound out and all of that data. Today, we demand gobs of calling time, texts and data — but we want to pay less for it, too. The good news is, we can. Some carriers offer plans that charge well below the nationwide average, which is more than $90 per month per phone among the four major cellular providers, according to Cowen and Co., a financial services firm. So-called discount wireless carriers allow you to use the same amount of data, minutes and texts as the big wireless companies offer; you just pay less. As for trade-offs, you’ll have a limited selection of phones to choose from and service may be limited based on where you live. You also won’t find much in the way of phone subsidies here, either. You’ll pay full price for a new or refurbished phone, but you won’t be saddled with a contract. Here are a handful of popular discount cellphone carriers, what they feature and how to know whether they’re right for you. Ting
Coverage and data speeds: Like a lot of discount carriers, Ting piggybacks on Sprint’s network, so you’ll get the same type of coverage you would get with Sprint. Customers also have access to Sprint’s high-speed 3G, 4G and LTE networks. It’s worth noting, however, that Sprint ranked last in Consumer Reports’ annual cellphone service survey. Sprint’s service is so notoriously poor, the company once acknowledged it, asking customers “to ‘pardon our dust’ as we build out and upgrade our network.” Ironically, Ting — again, using the Sprint network — tops the magazine’s survey for best service provider. Ting offers a coverage map on its website that will give you an idea of what service is like in your area. The company doesn’t offer support for data roaming, which means if you find yourself in a service area not covered by Sprint, you won’t be able to get Internet service. Plans: Ting follows a pay-what-you-use model, using tiered pricing. You’ll pay a standard fee of $6 per device, but from there, the rates are low, and there’s no contract. Ting says its average customer pays less than $30 a month. Use your phone on Wi-Fi most of the time, and your rate may be even lower. There are specific rates for international calls, messaging and data, depending on the country. You can add another user for an extra $6 a month and share minutes, texts and data. Ting a la carte monthly plans
Minutes 1-100 101-500 501-1,000 1,001-2,100 Price $3 $9 $18 $35 Messages 1-100 101-1,000 1,001-2,000 2,001-4,800 Price $3 $5 $8 $11 Megabytes 1-100 101-500 501-1,000 1,001-2,000 Price $3 $12 $19 $29 Source: Ting.com Phones: You can’t use the iPhone 6 on Ting, but you can choose from a variety of newer phone models, including the iPhone 5s and the Samsung Galaxy S5. The phone, however, must be compatible with the Sprint network. If you’re coming from another carrier, you’ll have to find a way to unlock your phone, or you can trade it in for a Sprint device. Is it right for you? Because it’s pay-what-you-use, Ting is a great choice for someone who doesn’t talk on the phone much or use a large amount of data. But after 1,000 minutes and about 1 GB, your tiered plan is about as pricey as any plan with a major carrier. If you can take advantage of Wi-Fi, Ting’s service would be ideal. You can potentially save even more by sharing your plan with someone who has similar usage habits. Republic Wireless
Coverage and data speeds: Like Ting, Republic Wireless uses the Sprint network. Also like Ting, this company’s coverage map will show you where you can get Sprint’s 3G and 4G speeds, depending on whether your plan allows it. However, you can’t make international calls with Republic Wireless. Plans: Republic Wireless’ plans start incredibly cheap — at just $5 a month. But this will pay only for Wi-Fi access. You can make calls, text and use data features, but only when you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network. For $10 a month, you’ll have access to that same unlimited Wi-Fi capability, but you’ll also get unlimited talk and text when using a cellular network. At Republic’s $25-a-month price point, you’ll get all of that, but with access to Sprint’s 3G network. And for $40, you’ll have access to 4G. Like Ting, there’s no contract. Republic Wireless monthly plans
Plan Cost What you get Wi-Fi Only $5 Unlimited talk, text and data over Wi-Fi; no cellular service The Republic Plan $10 Wi-Fi plan with cellular backup for talk and text Republic + 3G $25 Unlimited talk and text over Wi-Fi or a 3G network; data is unlimited over Wi-Fi and up to 5 GB monthly cellular Republic + 4G $40 Similar to 3G plan, but cellular network is faster Source: RepublicWireless.com Phones: Your phone choices are limited. In fact, there are only a handful of Motorola smartphones you can choose — the Moto X, for example. While these phones might not be as sought after as the iPhone or Galaxy, they have most of the same features and functionality. But they do have their limits. None of them supports tethering, for instance. Is it right for you? Republic is a top-notch option for someone who is almost always around a Wi-Fi network. Republic also is a great option for anyone who uses their phone more than most, and can really benefit from those unlimited plans. Finally, if you’re not picky with your choice of phone, Republic might be worth it. Cricket Wireless
Coverage and data speeds: Owned by AT&T, Cricket uses the phone giant’s network, providing up to 4G speeds. After reaching a certain data cap, depending on your plan, Cricket will slow your data transfer speed, unless you opt to pay for additional high-speed access. Plans: Basic plans start at $40 a month, but Cricket offers a $5 discount if you use Auto Pay for your bill. This plan offers 2.5 GB of 4G LTE data, reduced to 128 Kbps once you reach your cap. You’ll also get unlimited nationwide talk and domestic text. At $50 per month, you can get 5 GB of data and add international text to your plan. But this plan, and those above it, may not be considered “discount,” as they’re comparable to the cost of traditional plans. You can get an unlimited talk and text plan for $25 a month, but you won’t have access to any data. Customers are not required to sign a contract. Cricket Wireless monthly plans
Plan Cost What you get Basic $40 Unlimited talk and domestic text messaging; 2.5 GB of data access up to 4G LTE speeds Smart $50 Data plan increased to 5 GB; includes unlimited international texts Pro $60 Data plan increased to 10 GB Source: CricketWireless.com Phones: Like Ting, you can’t use the iPhone 6 on Cricket, but you can choose from a variety of newer models, including the iPhone 5s and the Galaxy S5. You can also bring your own unlocked phone to Cricket, but it has to be compatible with their network and able to use a Cricket SIM card. Is it right for you? If you’re not a fan of the Sprint network and you’re OK with AT&T’s coverage, you might prefer a Cricket phone. If you don’t use more than 2.5 GB of data per month, you can still take advantage of a relatively low monthly cost. Virgin Mobile
Coverage and data speeds: Virgin Mobile is also powered by the Sprint network, using up to 4G LTE speeds. Like Ting and Republic, Virgin offers a coverage map to help you see where you’ll have access to Sprint’s service. Plans: Virgin offers a wide variety of no-contract plans. You can choose a prepaid unlimited plan or plans that cost you only for what you use. The latter starts at less than $7 a month, though that includes only 20 minutes of talk and 20 text messages. Data is not included in the plan. But you can adjust your usage, similar to Ting’s tiered pricing. For example, at 500 minutes, 500 texts and just over 1 GB of data, you’ll pay about $35. Any additional lines are about $7 per month. Virgin also offers unlimited prepaid plans. These start at $20 a month, and at this price point, you’ll get unlimited text and 300 minutes. Mobile data isn’t available at this price, but you can always use Wi-Fi. For more standard usage, Virgin offers a $35-per-month plan that includes 2.5 GB of high-speed data, unlimited text and 300 minutes. Or, you can share a plan for $65 with unlimited talk and text and 4 GB of high-speed data. Virgin Mobile a la carte monthly plans Minutes 0-20 21-250 251-500 501-750 Price $0 $3 $6 $8 Messages 0-20 21-250 251-500 501-750 Price $0 $2.50 $4.50 $6.50 Megabytes 0-20 21-250 251-500 501-750 Price $0 $8 $13.50 $16 Line charge: $6.98 per phone Source: VirginMobileUSA.com; see website for pricing on larger packages Phones: Virgin offers a number of recent models, but some of the best phones — like the iPhone 5s — are out of stock on the Virgin website. Is it right for you? If you rarely talk or text, you can save big bucks with Virgin. Even with regular usage, the company offers competitive rates. If you use a large amount of data, you’ll benefit from Virgin’s low-cost data rates. Virgin is also a solid, inexpensive option if you share a plan and don’t use more than 4 GB of data, combined. Related Links: How to live your financial life on a phone Related Articles: What’s your email worth? Save with shopping apps More On Mobile: SHARE: Kristin Wong Related Articles