Paying $90 a month for a single phone line in 2026 is starting to feel like a lifestyle choice. The smaller carriers riding on T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T's networks now sell unlimited data for $25 to $35 a month, and one of them dips under $17 if you pay for a year upfront. So where does your money actually go furthest right now?
How we picked these plans
Every plan here costs $35 a month or less for one line, and I checked each price against the carrier's own plan page on October 11, 2026. Prices are for a single line unless I say otherwise.
We'll refresh this list every month. Budget carriers reshuffle their promos more often than most people change phone cases.
Mint Mobile: best overall budget plan
Mint runs on T-Mobile's network and charges $30 a month for unlimited data when you buy 12 months upfront, which is $360 in one go. The 3-month option is also $30 a month, but that's an intro rate that jumps to $40 afterward. Light users can drop to the 6GB plan at $15 a month on a 12-month term.
New customers can currently get any Mint plan for $10 a month for six months, paid as $60 upfront, under what Mint calls its Anniversary Offer. Mint's terms note that video streams in SD on that deal, and hotspot is capped at 20GB.
Every Mint plan includes mobile hotspot and free calls to Mexico, Canada, and the UK. Mint says unlimited users who pass 50GB in a month may see slower speeds when the network is busy.
Visible: best for Verizon coverage
Visible is Verizon's own budget brand, and its base plan costs $25 a month with taxes and fees included. That buys unlimited data, an unlimited hotspot capped at 5Mbps, and unlimited calls and texts to Mexico and Canada. Video streams in SD, according to Visible.
Visible+ is the sweet spot at $30 a month for new members who use the code 5OFF5, which Visible says knocks $5 off its regular $35 price for five years. It adds premium data on Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network, HD video, a 10Mbps hotspot, and roaming in Mexico and Canada with 2GB of high-speed data per day.
Prefer to pay once a year? Annual billing brings the base plan down to $275 and Visible+ to $375.
US Mobile: cheapest if you pay for a year
US Mobile's Unlimited Starter costs $199 for the first year, which works out to $16.58 a month with taxes and fees included. It renews at $270 a year, and the deal is for new lines only.
You get unlimited high-speed data, 20GB of hotspot on US Mobile's Dark Star network, and 1GB of roaming across 180+ countries. US Mobile sells service on more than one network, with Warp running on Verizon and Dark Star on AT&T, which is handy if one network is patchy where you live. It's also been pairing plans with phone promos, like its Pixel 11 offer at launch.
Cricket Wireless: best AT&T network option
Cricket's Select Unlimited plan costs $35 a month with AutoPay, or $40 without. It covers US calls and texts to Mexico and Canada, though video is limited to SD and Cricket says data may slow when the network is busy. Hotspot is a paid add-on.
Cricket also offers a 14-day free trial of its network through the tryCricket app, which is a low-risk way to test coverage before you port your number. We dug into Cricket's current plan lineup when it launched.
What the big three offer on a budget
T-Mobile's Essentials Saver costs $55 a month for one line before AutoPay, with 50GB of premium data and an unlimited hotspot at 3G speeds. Families do better with T-Mobile's limited-time Essentials 4 Line Offer at $120 a month for four lines, again before AutoPay. The carrier's postpaid lineup is also mid-shake-up, with its new T-Mix plans reportedly replacing the Experience tiers this week.
AT&T's Value 2.0 plan works out to $30 per line on four lines after AutoPay and paperless billing discounts, but you only get 5GB of high-speed data. Single-line users can also look at AT&T's Build-A-Plan, which starts at $15 a month before taxes and fees with unlimited talk and text and 1GB of high-speed data. AutoPay is required, but there's no discount for it.
Notable mention: Verizon Simplicity Plan
Verizon's Simplicity Plan costs $30 a month for one line if you're switching from another carrier. That price includes AutoPay and Verizon's $15 monthly Switch & Save discount, which Verizon says has no end date as long as the line stays active. Without the switcher discount, Droid Life reports the plan costs $45 a month with AutoPay.
To qualify, Verizon's FAQ says you need to bring a line from a listed carrier, such as Cricket, Boost, Metro, or Verizon's own prepaid brands, and show your most recent bill. The discount applies to every line you bring over, up to 12 lines on the plan. It's one more sign that carriers are fighting harder for switchers.
You get unlimited 5G Ultra Wideband data, 10GB of hotspot, and talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada, per Verizon. Droid Life reports a 500GB high-speed data threshold and 720p video streaming on cellular.
What you give up by going cheap
The trade-off is usually priority. Visible's base plan doesn't include premium data, Cricket Select can slow down when the network is busy, and the cheapest tiers cap video at SD.
Upfront billing is the other catch. Mint and US Mobile ask for $199 to $360 in one payment, which isn't very budget-friendly if money is tight this month.
Check your phone is unlocked before you switch, too. Verizon dropped its 60-day automatic unlock earlier this year, and its policy now says phones unlock only once they're paid off, or after 365 days on prepaid. We covered the end of the 60-day rule when the FCC signed off on it.
Verdict
Mint is the pick for most people who want unlimited data on T-Mobile's network for $30 a month, and the $10 new-customer offer makes it an easy one to try. Visible+ makes more sense if Verizon is the stronger network where you live.
US Mobile wins on pure cost if you can pay for a year upfront, while Cricket suits anyone who wants AT&T coverage without AT&T pricing. If you want streaming perks or big hotspot allowances, none of these will scratch that itch, and that's the point.
Intro pricing on Mint and US Mobile won't last forever, so it'll be worth checking what each plan renews at before you commit. Cheap is only cheap if it stays that way.
