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Whether you’re looking to swap network carriers or just trying to find a better price for your preferred network, deciding whether or not to go with one of the big three — Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile — can be annoying. Not only do you need to compare coverage, but you also need to look at pricing. If you’re in an area where AT&T offers the best coverage, then you have a few options to take into account.
First, you can take advantage of perks like AT&T’s OneConnect plan, bundling your home internet and phone service together. However, there are some limitations to be aware of, and if you’re just trying to get phone service, then the cheapest plan the company offers at the time of this article’s writing is $50 for a single line, and that doesn’t even get you unlimited data. This is where MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) can really help even the playing field.
Not only do MVNOs often offer the same coverage as one of the big three networks, but their prices are often lower. This makes MVNOs one of the best ways to get a cheap phone plan. And, if you’re currently looking to get AT&T service somewhere, but don’t want to pay the full prices that AT&T asks, then there are a number of highly rated MVNOs you can choose from, all of which offer cheap plans for $50 a month or under with unlimited data.
Cricket Wireless
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Acquired by AT&T back in 2014, Cricket Wireless has become one of the better options out there for users who want AT&T service without paying for the higher prepaid or postpaid plans that the parent company offers. Cricket utilizes AT&T’s network and offers several different monthly plans for users to choose from. The cheapest is the company’s Select Unlimited, which starts at $40 a month, or $35 with autopay enabled. This plan gives users unlimited data, nationwide 5G coverage, as well as the option to add on a hotspot data plan if they need one. Additionally, you’ll also get unlimited calls and texts from the U.S. to Mexico and Canada.
The company’s other plans, like its $50 a month Smart Unlimited, also offer unlimited data, as well as 15GB of hotspot data included in your monthly price and 100 GB of cloud storage through Cricket Wireless. Furthermore, the Smart Unlimited plan will also give users unlimited texts from the U.S. to more than 200 other countries and territories, as well as service within Mexico and Canada. It’s not a bad setup for the same price that you’d pay for regular service through AT&T proper.
Cricket also offers some multi-month plans, like a 12-month unlimited plan that gives you most of the same perks as its Smart Unlimited Plan, though with only 2GB of cloud storage included, and no access to a hotspot add-on. But, for what equates to $25 a month ($300 annually), that’s not a bad deal at all.
US Mobile
Over the years, US Mobile has made quite a name for itself as a “super carrier” thanks to the fact that it offers three different networks for users to connect to. These networks all have different names — like Warp and Dark Star — which line up with the larger network they operate off of. Dark Star, for example, is US Mobile’s AT&T offering, and you can change to it at any point when using your US Mobile service.
On top of delivering the freedom to jump from network to network as needed (there is a price for this, depending on your plan), US Mobile also offers some affordable plans for users to take advantage of. Its cheapest option, the Unlimited Starter plan, runs for $25 a month and gives you access to unlimited high-speed data, unlimited talk and texting, as well as 20GB of hotspot data depending on the network you select. There’s also a smartwatch add-on available, and add-ons for international data and calling.
If you want to take full advantage of the multi-network setup, you can pay an extra $10 a month, letting you change between networks to find the best coverage in that area. This is great if you travel a lot, as your AT&T service might not always be as good as T-Mobile’s in some places. There’s also an Unlimited Premium plan for $44 a month, giving you unlimited priority data on certain networks, unlimited hotspot, 20GB of international data, and international calling and texting all within your monthly payment. And, you can take advantage of the company’s annual plans to bring those monthly prices down even more.
Straight Talk
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Despite being owned by Verizon, Straight Talk also has access to AT&T’s towers. You’ll need to have an AT&T-compatible device and a SIM card, but all of that can be handled during your account setup. If you’ve ever browsed the prepaid phone section in a Walmart, then you’ve seen at least one or two advertisements about Straight Talk’s services, and some of its plans will even get you an additional perk of free access to Walmart+.
The company has several affordable plans, though its cheapest with unlimited data is its Silver Unlimited, which runs for $45 a month. This nets you international calling and texting to Canada and Mexico, as well as unlimited talk, text, and data. You’ll also get 10GB of hotspot data with that monthly service. There are other plans available if you need more perks, too, including the Gold Unlimited, which runs for $55 a month. That’s the cheapest option that comes with Walmart+, but since we’re specifically focused on plans that are $50 or under, we’re not going to spend a lot of time talking about it in this article.
If the idea of additional perks does sound enticing, though, you can always take advantage of the company’s three-month purchase option for Gold Unlimited, which will cost you $150 up front. That breaks down to $50 a month, though, and gets you access to 5GUW (ultra wideband), which the company claims is up to four times faster than standard 5G, as well as 30GB of hotspot data, 100GB of cloud storage, and a Walmart+ membership on them.
H20 Wireless
This option’s cheapest plan with unlimited data is $50 a month, however, it comes with some great perks that make it a worthwhile pick for anyone who finds themselves chatting with people internationally. That’s because all H20 Wireless plans come with unlimited talk and text to 100+ countries while you’re in the U.S., as well as up to $10 in international roaming credits, should you need to travel outside the U.S. for any reason.
The $50 Unlimited plan also comes with 5GB of hotspot data, so you can connect to the internet with your laptop on the go if you need to. If you want to take the savings to other levels, you can also choose from annual plans, which can range from $5 a month to $25 a month — though these don’t offer unlimited data, and like other MVNOs, H20 Wireless also offers some multi-line plans, as well as several options for more limited data plans, in case you don’t need unlimited.
How we picked these carriers
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When we started looking at cheap phone carriers that offer AT&T service, we knew we wanted to focus on options that were $50 or under. This would make any MVNO service we highlighted comparable to the pricing of AT&T’s cheapest postpaid plan. From there, we also knew we wanted to focus on plans that came with unlimited data. Those two requirements — $50 or under and unlimited data — were the main factors we looked at.
The additional perks we’ve highlighted for any option that includes them were simply extra benefits of choosing those carriers. Many of the MVNOs also offer multi-line discounts, though for the purpose of this article, we focused solely on the single-line pricing, as it helps highlight the biggest price differences for most people.
