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Prepaid
Reviews & Ratings
The largest Prepaids not affiliated with the major carriers. Listed Alphabetically
The largest Prepaids not affiliated with the major carriers. Listed Alphabetically
About Our Reviews: These
reviews are mostly data from the wireless carriers themselves. We
include a certain amount of opinion from our wireless experts to
further distinguish among prepaid services, for which we receive no
compensation. We also have an affiliate relationship with all of these
carriers but two, and if you click on their site and make a purchase we
may receive a commission.
America
Movil operates the largest number of Prepaids in the US under several
different names including Tracfone, Straight Talk, Total Wireless
and others. Each of their Prepaids concentrate on a
specific type of coverage or customer. Customer Service
is average. America Movil has agreed to sell its Prepaid products to
Verizon Wireless which should happen in the middle of 2021. Compare the
various products on our America
Movil page.
BOOST
MOBILE
■ Our Rating:
(3 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Operated by Dish Wireless
■ Network: Sprint and T-Mobile, then Dish's own 5G network.
■ Our Rating:
(3 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Operated by Dish Wireless
■ Network: Sprint and T-Mobile, then Dish's own 5G network.
Boost
gives you a unique choice of plans and good nationwide coverage.
Boost phones use the combined Sprint and
T-Mobile networks. Customers will transition to the
additional coverage of the new T-Mobile network, but will eventually
operate on Dish's own 5G network, if
any. Their Unlimited plan is a great alternative to those
from the
other carriers at a good price, including automatic price reductions
the longer you remain a Boost customer. Boost Mobile was sold to Dish
Wireless as part of the T-Mobile acquisition of Sprint.
CONSUMER
CELLULAR
■ Our Rating:
(4 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Independently Operated
■ Network: AT&T and others.
■ Our Rating:
(4 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Independently Operated
■ Network: AT&T and others.
Consumer
Cellular provides easy-to-use
phones, no-contract plans and free or low-cost handsets. Coverage
includes the AT&T network and some roaming partners. Plan
prices are reasonable and are available for Talk, Text and Data. You
can bring your own AT&T or Unlocked GSM phone. Customer Service
is better than average. AARP and AAA members can get additional
discounts.
GOOGLE FI
■Our Rating:
(3 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Independently Operated
■ Network: T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular and foreign carriers.
■Our Rating:
(3 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Independently Operated
■ Network: T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular and foreign carriers.
Project
Fi offers a new approach to
wireless
service. Your phone will
determine the best connection to make a call or access the Internet.
Their plan involves a $20 monthly fee and another charge for broadband
access. You are then credited each month for unused data usage. In
addition to Unlimited Calls and Text as well as low-cost international
calls, you have access in over 120 foreign countries. The service works
with only a limited number of phone models. Establishing a Google Fi
account also automatically replaces your Google Voice
account.
■ Google Fi Coverage Maps
■ Google Fi Coverage Maps
NET10
has very good coverage with no extra charges for Roaming or Long
Distance. You can get Local numbers and coverage almost anywhere in the
US. NET10 uses the top cellular networks available. They can also
automatically refill your account monthly. Net 10 also has a no
contract Unlimited plan and a "Bring-Your-Own-Phone" plan. NET10 is
nearly identical to its sister service, StraightTalk,
but differs by being available at retailers other than Walmart and that
plans are available at different data caps and price levels, especially
for "family" plans. NET10, like all America
Movil
companies, charges local sales tax. Net10 will be acquired by Verizon
Wireless, closing in mid-2021. After that time, Net10 subscribers who
are not using the Verizon network will transition to the Verizon
Wireless infrastructure.
■ Discount Refills for NET10
■ Discount Refills for NET10
PAGE
PLUS
CELLULAR
■ Our Rating:
(4 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Operated by America Movil
■ Network: Verizon Wireless and others.
■ Our Rating:
(4 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Operated by America Movil
■ Network: Verizon Wireless and others.
Page
Plus is a great
choice to convert your existing CDMA phone to Pay
As You Go. They offer great rates and you are charged for their various
features only when you use them. Refills start at only $10 for 100
minutes and they have an inexpensive Unlimited plan. They can refill
your minutes automatically, although their "auto-fill" function is not
100% reliable. You get access to the entire Verizon Wireless
network in the country with off-network roaming available for an
additional charge, including roaming in Mexico. Their normal refill
period is good
for 120 days and at the $80 level, refills are good for a whole year.
Unlike other Prepaid carriers, Page Plus Auto-Refill occurs on the same
date each month, not each 30 days, a small but significant advantage.
Also, Page Plus phones will roam off the Home network as long as you
have a cash balance in your Page Plus account. Page Plus, like all America
Movil
companies, charges local sales tax.
Page Plus will
be acquired by Verizon Wireless, closing in mid-2021.
REPUBLIC WIRELESS
■ Our Rating:
(2 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Independently Operated
■ Network: Wi-Fi and Sprint.
■ Our Rating:
(2 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Independently Operated
■ Network: Wi-Fi and Sprint.
Republic
satisfies the needs of those users who want to make Calls
& Texts and use Data at a much lower price by only using Wi-Fi
for most connections. All actions occur through available Wi-Fi
networks but Roaming is also available on the Sprint network. You get
Unlimited Talk, Text, Data and 3G Roaming with below average rates!
Republic offers a few phones with capabilities
defined by the phone model. If most of your connections cannot be made
through Wi-Fi, your charges may change. Since calls are
delivered primarily through Wi-Fi your phone can make calls in over 60
countries.
■ Online Deals for Republic Wireless
■ Online Deals for Republic Wireless
SIMPLE
MOBILE
■ Our Rating:
(4 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Operated by: America Movil
■ Network: T-Mobile in the US, plus foreign roaming partners
■ Our Rating:
(4 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Operated by: America Movil
■ Network: T-Mobile in the US, plus foreign roaming partners
Simple
Mobile
phones are confined mostly to the T-Mobile network and give you lower
rates in
return for more restricted network access, including during
congestion, Simple Mobile customers may notice reduced speeds vs.
T-Mobile customers. Simple Mobile plans allow FREE calling to 69 other
countries and a credit of $10 or $20 per month to call 100 more. FREE
international roaming is included to 16 Latin America countries
including Mexico. The
name "SIM-PLE"
originated as a "SIM-only" service, but now they offer
several Simple
Mobile-branded phones. You are still invited to bring your own
unlocked or T-Mobile-compatible GSM phone and they'll
send
you a SIM card to start service. SIM are also available at many
retailers for as little as $1. Data is indeed "Unlimited" but it is
slowed to 2G speeds after your monthly allotment is depleted.
All
plans have Unlimited
Calls and Texts. Watch for substantial
promotional prices especially for Auto-Refill.
Simple Mobile will
be acquired by Verizon Wireless, closing in mid-2021. After that time,
Simple Mobile subscribers will transition
to the Verizon Wireless network.
STRAIGHT
TALK
■ Our Rating:
(4 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Operated by America Movil
■ Network: AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and others.
■ Our Rating:
(4 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Operated by America Movil
■ Network: AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and others.
Straight
Talk offers monthly prepaid plans that start at $30 for 1,000 minutes
of Talk and Text without a contract. Their Unlimited Talk, Text,
Picture Messaging, Web browsing and 411 plan is $45 per month. You can
set up to automatically refill your account. Each phone model they sell
specifically uses one of the national wireless networks with no
off-network roaming. You should check coverage to make sure a
certain phone model covers where you travel, the model they offer you
is based on where you sign up for service. They sell a number of phones
including Smart phones, some of which are expensive, but you can save
with reconditioned phones.
They also offer a "Bring Your Own Phone" plan both for GSM and CDMA phones. Unlike the phones noted above, the Bring Your Own Phone GSM plan allows your phone to use different GSM networks. CDMA phones are still limited to one network.
Straight Talk Customer Service leaves some to be desired, but not enough to lower them from the top of the ratings. If something goes wrong you might be smart to just leave things alone...or start from scratch. The savings are usually worth it. StraightTalk, like all America Movil companies charges local sales tax. Straight Talk will be acquired by Verizon Wireless, closing in mid-2021.
This is one of the few places where you can buy Straight Talk Online, and with Free Shipping. Straight Talk is an America Movil Network.
■ Straight Talk Coverage Maps
They also offer a "Bring Your Own Phone" plan both for GSM and CDMA phones. Unlike the phones noted above, the Bring Your Own Phone GSM plan allows your phone to use different GSM networks. CDMA phones are still limited to one network.
Straight Talk Customer Service leaves some to be desired, but not enough to lower them from the top of the ratings. If something goes wrong you might be smart to just leave things alone...or start from scratch. The savings are usually worth it. StraightTalk, like all America Movil companies charges local sales tax. Straight Talk will be acquired by Verizon Wireless, closing in mid-2021.
This is one of the few places where you can buy Straight Talk Online, and with Free Shipping. Straight Talk is an America Movil Network.
■ Straight Talk Coverage Maps
Tello
has risen among the prepaid carriers as a low-price leader. Their
plans start as low as $5 and plans with data can be less than $10.
While they encourage you to bring your own phone, there is a
limit of the type of phones that are compatible. They now use the
entire T-Mobile network including their 5G Coverage with a compatible
phone. They offer Pay As You Go rates and calls to Canada
and Mexico are included.
■ Check for Tello's Current Promotions
■ Check for Tello's Current Promotions
TextNow has earned its way into our reviews by
their brazen
offer: FREE service! What's the catch? Their
free and cheapest plans use
VoIP and ocassionally shows ads on your screen. You do need
to be
within range of Wi-Fi but you get an assigned phone number, voice mail,
and affordable international calling. You get a 30-day trial
and
you can eliminate the ads for $3/mo.
TOTAL WIRELESS
■ Our Rating:
(3 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Operated by America Movil
■ Network: Verizon Wireless and some roaming partners.
■ Our Rating:
(3 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Operated by America Movil
■ Network: Verizon Wireless and some roaming partners.
Total
Wireless was created
to be sold with limited retail distribution but is
available online. Coverage is limited to the
Verizon
Wireless network and not their roaming partners. You can get
Unlimited Talk & Text plans starting at $25 and a
large amount of Data for
about $10 more. Total
Wireless is supported by America Movil and, like all America
Movil products, sales
tax and local fees are added. If
you live and travel within Verizon's wireless network, Total Wireless can
be a good
value if you. Total Wireless will
be acquired by Verizon Wireless, closing in mid-2021.
Total Wireless is Available Online!
Total Wireless is Available Online!
TRACFONE
■ Our Rating:
(3 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Operated by America Movil
■ Network: AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and others.
■ Our Rating:
(3 Out of 4 Stars)
■ Operated by America Movil
■ Network: AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and others.
TracFone is
the largest prepaid
cellular company in the US and arrange for their phones to use
whichever wireless carrier is available in a given geographic area. As
a result, TracFone actually has more included roaming coverage
available than perhaps any other single company, especially prepaid.
Their price points start below $9 a month and offer all the advantages
of prepaid services. They feature monthly plans and offer promotions
with bonus minutes, and plans with 365-day expiration. You are limited
to only the phones they sell and they only offer a few models.
They offer the option of having the charges deducted from your credit card or checking account automatically, eliminating the need to renew an exact expiration date. TracFone offers Free international calls to about 60 countries by calling a special access number, and with their International Neighbors features, they can provide a local number in Mexico or Canada for incoming calls from those countries at local rates for both callers. Tracfone's customer service is fairly easy to access, however, their agents have a wide variety of experience. It may take multiple calls to solve a problem. TracFone, like all America Movil companies, charges local sales tax. TracFone will be acquired by Verizon Wireless, closing in mid-2021. After that time, Net10 subscribers who are not using the Verizon network will transition to the Verizon Wireless infrastructure.
They offer the option of having the charges deducted from your credit card or checking account automatically, eliminating the need to renew an exact expiration date. TracFone offers Free international calls to about 60 countries by calling a special access number, and with their International Neighbors features, they can provide a local number in Mexico or Canada for incoming calls from those countries at local rates for both callers. Tracfone's customer service is fairly easy to access, however, their agents have a wide variety of experience. It may take multiple calls to solve a problem. TracFone, like all America Movil companies, charges local sales tax. TracFone will be acquired by Verizon Wireless, closing in mid-2021. After that time, Net10 subscribers who are not using the Verizon network will transition to the Verizon Wireless infrastructure.
Don't see
the Prepaid you're looking for? We have more Reviews and
Ratings:
- PREPAID
FROM THE MAJOR CARRIERS:
The top 3 carriers offer Prepaid under their own name as well as a few others.
- SMALLER
PREPAIDS
There are dozens of other small, prepaid services worthy of consideration, some specialize in specific types of calls, features and customers. We list them with brief descriptions and reference Links on our Smaller Prepaids list.
- - Our
Ratings: We rate each
service based on
Coverage, Price, Roaming, Customer Support and Features, 1 to 4 stars,
with 4 stars rated the best..
