These days, 5G phones are more commonplace as 5G steadily rolls out around the U.S. and all three of the major carriers now offer nationwide networks. In other words, in most populated areas, you’ll be able to connect to at least one 5G network, provided you have a 5G-compatible phone.
But not everyone wants to subscribe to an expensive postpaid wireless 5G phone plan. Not only do they often cost more than prepaid plans, but they may also come with perks that you don’t want or need. Thankfully, going with a prepaid plan doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy 5G networks — especially considering the fact that most major carriers offer their own prepaid plans.
Interested in checking out 5G prepaid phone plans for yourself? Not all prepaid carriers offer 5G support just yet, but here are the best ones that do.
Verizon prepaid plans
Verizon offers a hefty four prepaid plans, all of which take advantage of its expanding the Verizon 5G network. They offer some pretty sweet perks, too, and while not everyone will care about those perks, they may help some users save some cash. Verizon offers a talk and text plan, however it doesn’t come with data, so we won’t really talk about that plan here.
First up among Verizon’s phone plans are the 5GB and 15GB plans You’ll get either 5GB or 15GB of data, depending on the plan you go for, and you can use that data for hot spot usage if you want — though it will, of course, count against your data use. Initially, these plans cost $40 or $50 per month, respectively, but you’ll get a savings of $10 per month after three months of use, and another $5 per month after nine months of use.
Verizon offers two unlimited data plans, one of which allows access to Verizon’s mmWave-based Ultra Wideband network. In a few years, this might be important — but for now, don’t expect to actually get much use out of Ultra Wideband. Also, the cheaper unlimited data plan does not come with hot spot usage, while the more expensive one does. Speaking of prices, the standard unlimited data plan starts at $65 per month, while the premium one is $75 per month — but again, you’ll save $10 per month if you stay for three months, and another $5 after nine months.
Subscribe to Verizon prepaid
AT&T prepaid plans
AT&T offers a number of prepaid plans, however, most of them do not allow access to AT&T’s 5G network. In other words, if you want 5G access, you’ll need AT&T’s Unlimited Plus plan, not its 5GB, 15GB, or Unlimited plans.
Unlimited Plus costs $60 per month (with AutoPay), and allows for HD video streaming, 100GB of AT&T cloud storage, and 10GB of mobile hot spot usage. It’s a solid plan for the price — it’s just a bit of a shame that it’s the only plan you can get if you want a prepaid plan with 5G access.
Subscribe to AT&T Unlimited Plus
T-Mobile prepaid plans
T-Mobile has been making waves for its postpaid plans of late, but it also offers some great prepaid plans. All of its prepaid plans support the T-Mobile 5G network, despite the fact that its webpages don’t really reflect that just yet.
First up are the T-Mobile Connect plans. There are two of them — one of which costs $15 per month and offers 2GB of data, and anther that costs $25 per month with 5GB of data. They are no-frills plans, but for some, that will be a good thing.
Then there’s T-Mobile Simply Prepaid options. There are three Simply Prepaid plans, and they’re all slightly different. First is the 10GB Simply Prepaid plan, which costs $40 per month and allows you to use your data for a hot spot connection if you want. Second is the Unlimited Simply Prepaid plan, which allows for unlimited hot spot usage at 3G speeds and costs $50 per month. Last but not least is Unlimited Plus, which is $60 per month and allows for 10GB of hot spot usage at high speeds, then unlimited usage at 3G speeds.
Subscribe to a T-Mobile prepaid plan
Visible
Visible, which is owned by Verizon, is aimed at being completely no-frills and as such, it only has one plan — the Visible plan. The plan offers unlimited talk, text, and data, as well as unlimited hot spot usage, though you’ll be limited to 5Mbps download speeds. The plan costs $40 per month for one line, or as little as $25 per month per line if you have four lines.
Metro by T-Mobile
Metro by T-Mobile has a few different plans, and they all rely on T-Mobile’s 5G network. They offer some other perks, too, which are worth noting.
First up is the 2GB data plan, which costs $30 per month. That’s about all it offers, though — there aren’t any perks to note. Next is the 10GB data plan, which is $40 per month. On this plan, music streaming doesn’t count against your data usage.
For $50 per month, you’ll start to get unlimited data. You’ll also get 5GB of hot spot usage and 100GB of Google One storage. Or, you could pay $60 per month for 15GB of hot spot usage and an Amazon Prime subscription.
Subscribe to a Metro by T-Mobile plan
Google Fi
Google Fi piggybacks off of T-Mobile’s network, including its 5G network. Fi offers two different plans, but they can work a little differently than other plans.
The entry-level plan was introduced by Google a number of years ago, but these days it’s really only useful for people who don’t use much data. You’ll pay $20 as a base fee, plus $10 per 1GB of data you use. Thankfully, there are limits to that — data is free after 6GB, so you won’t pay more than $80 in one month. Since you’re paying for the data you use, you’ll get hot spot usage, too.
Alternatively, you can simply sign up for an unlimited data plan from Google Fi, which costs $70 per month. On this plan, you’ll get 22GB of high-speed data, after which you may be throttled, as well as full hot spot usage and even a 100GB Google One subscription.
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile has been making waves for its low prices over the past few years, and for those low prices, you’ll now also get 5G access.
Mint Mobile plans are all pretty much the same, except for the amount of data you use and the price. In other words, you’ll get the same perks in each plan, including hot spot usage that counts against your data (and there’s a 5GB limit on the unlimited plan).
Mint’s pricing varies a little depending on how long you stay on the plan. The way it works is that you essentially pay for either three, six, or 12 months of usage. Strangely, paying for six months is more expensive than paying for three months, but paying for 12 months is the same price as three months.
Pricing is $15 per month for 4GB of data, $20 per month for 10GB, $25 per month for 15GB, and $30 per month for unlimited data.
Subscribe to a Mint Mobile plan
Editors' Recommendations
- Motorola just launched a new Android phone to take on the Google Pixel 8a
- 5 phones you should buy instead of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus
- Visible’s affordable 5G plans just got even cheaper
- 5G home internet: What is it, and should you get it?
- 5 phones you should buy instead of the Samsung Galaxy S24
