Google · AT&T · Engadget
Most of them cost at least $50 per month and can get close to $100/month for a single person
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Lower cost doesn't always mean lower quality.
Key facts
- If your data usage differs by month, the Flexible plan costs $20/month for talk and text, plus $10/GB of data (which is also available internationally)
- Most of them cost at least $50 per month and can get close to $100/month for a single person
- The core Visible plan is $275/year (or $25/month), including taxes and fees
- The cheapest plan was 3GB when the reporter joined, which shifted to 4GB in 2021, 5GB in 2023, and then 6GB in 2026
Summary
Using a popular postpaid plan with one of the three major phone carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon) isn't cheap. Thankfully, these carriers aren't your only option. The big carriers like Verizon and AT&T are officially known as mobile network operators (MNOs). This means when you subscribe to an MVNO like Mint Mobile, you're still on the network that company rents from (in Mint's case, T-Mobile). Most of these services are prepaid (service is charged upfront monthly or yearly) instead of postpaid (after each month's usage) like the big carriers. Instead, they promote "free" phones that are covered by bill credits over 24 to 36 months.