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Verizon's Family of Prepaid Phone Plans Buyer's Guide
Don’t get locked into an overpriced, multi-year phone plan. Learn how prepaid plans from Visible, Total Wireless, Straight Talk, and Tracfone can give you more control over your monthly expenses.
Are you overpaying for your phone plan? Chances are, if you’ve agreed to a two- or even three-year plan, you are paying well over the odds for the service you need.
Prepaid phone plans are tailored to your specific needs – whether that’s a few gigabytes of data, unlimited calls and texts, or a more comprehensive bundle – giving you complete control over your monthly spending.
Whether you’re a budget-conscious student, traveling with short-term requirements, hoping to hook up the whole family for less, or simply looking for a better deal on your current plan, prepaid phone plans now rival the service offered by contract plans, with none of the commitment.
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Verizon Prepaid Plans – Overview
Time-limited holiday device deals to pair with your prepaid phone plan
– Samsung Galaxy A36 5G: Free with Total 5G/5G+ Unlimited plans
– Samsung Galaxy A15 5G: Free with the Straight Talk Silver Unlimited plan
– iPhone 16e: Only $299 at Total Wireless
– iPhone SE 3rd-gen: Now only $189.99 at Tracfone
– iPhone 13: Just $49.99 when you port-in, switch, and purchase a three-month Total 5G+ Unlimited plan
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How to choose a prepaid phone plan
One of the best things about a prepaid phone plan is there is no contract – you are free to try it for a month, then switch if the service level doesn’t fit your needs. Of course, you’ll save yourself time and hassle if you pick the perfect plan the first time around. Here are a few things to consider.
Where you live or work matters when choosing a phone plan, and it’s always worth checking coverage in your area. Mobile operators offer coverage maps on their websites – add a zip code to check how reliable the cellular connection is likely to be in that area.
Major carriers will usually have strong coverage in all but the most remote locations, but smaller outfits can provide better value if you’re in an area with solid coverage. Visible, Total Wireless, Straight Talk, and Tracfone have all the perks of an MVNO, with the reliable coverage of Verizon’s 5G and 4G LTE network.
How much data you’re likely to need is a key consideration: will you be streaming video, spending a lot of time online shopping, browsing the web and social channels, or are you merely checking the odd email? While many prepaid plans offer generous call and text allowances, also consider whether you’ll be regularly calling abroad or you require hotspot access. And is this plan just for you, or for your whole crew? Some carriers offer multi-line discounts, with Total Wireless supplying your fourth line for free.
The price of the plan will be affected by whether you are bringing your own device. If you wish to purchase a new phone with the prepaid plan, expect to pay an upfront fee or additional monthly charges on top of the line rental. You can usually save money by opting for a previous-generation or lower-specification phone – some are even offered for free with your new prepaid phone plan.
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Choose your prepaid phone plan
Visible Monthly & Annual Plans – Simple, low-cost, unlimited phone plans for individuals
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Visible makes choosing a prepaid phone plan ridiculously easy, and it focuses on providing low-cost, hassle-free plans that simply offer outstanding connectivity on Verizon’s 5G and 4G LTE networks.
There are just three plans, all of which come with unlimited data, calls, and texts, so you never need to worry about overstepping your allowance and being cut off or incurring extra fees. You can use your smartphone as a hotspot to get other wireless devices online, without usage limits, and you can call or text your friends and family in Canada and Mexico as much as you like. As an extra bonus, Visible blocks spam and robocalls to protect you from timewasters and hackers.
If you regularly visit Mexico and Canada, stream online video, or use your phone as a hotspot, step up to the Visible+ plan, which gives you a faster data connection for watching higher-quality HD video and getting other devices online, plus unlimited roaming data in Mexico and Canada and a one-day Global Pass per month.
Step up again to Visible+ Pro to connect a cellular smartwatch, enjoy 4K video streaming, or to contact friends and family in more than 200 countries. You’ll also get a two-day Global Pass each month, and mobile tethering at three times the speed of the standard plan.
You can bring your own phone, with prices starting at $25 ($19/month for 26 months with code SWITCH26), or choose a new device. Visible offers the latest phones from Apple, Samsung, Google and more.
Total Wireless Monthly Plans – Unlimited plans with international calls & multi-line discounts for families
Total Wireless
With Total Wireless, the more lines you add the more you save – and the fourth line is free! That makes this mobile network perfectly suited to families, who will also appreciate the peace of mind of having prices locked in for five years, and the reliability of the solid Verizon 5G and 4G LTE network on which it operates.
Total Wireless offers three simple prepaid plans. The Total Base 5G Unlimited package costs from $23/month with five lines, up to $40/month with one line. It’s perfect for those with friends or family living abroad, offering international calls in 85+ countries and texts in 200+ countries, plus roaming in Canada and Mexico. Data is unlimited, so you’ve no concerns about running low, and you can use 5GB of that data to get other devices online when you create a mobile hotspot.
Step up to Total Wireless’ 5G Unlimited plan for 15GB of hotspot data, or to Total 5G+ Unlimited for unlimited hotspot data. Both allow international calling in 180+ countries, data roaming in 30+ countries, and each has Disney+ Premium thrown in; Total 5G+ Unlimited also adds $10/month long-distance calling credit.
Total Wireless lets you choose a new device to go with your new prepaid phone plan, or you can save 50% by bringing your old cell phone with you. If you opt for the new phone there are several free options, including the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G, or you can buy a higher-spec model – Apple’s iPhone 16e is currently $299 and the Motorola razr 5G is just $149.99 with a Total 5G Unlimited or 5G+ Unlimited two-month plan.
Straight Talk Monthly Plans – Flexible prepaid plans with additional perks for individuals & families
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Straight Talk offers a range of flexible, Verizon-backed prepaid phone plans, plus some additional perks you won’t find on other mobile networks. Whether you’re looking to trade in your old device, buy the latest phone, or bring your current handset with you, Straight Talk makes the whole process smooth and hassle-free.
You get unlimited calls, and texts in the US, Canada, and Mexico, and unlimited data that gets faster with each plan – it’s four times faster than 5G on the Gold Unlimited and Platinum Unlimited plans. There are multi-line discounts for families, and mobile hotspot is there if you need it on the Silver Unlimited (10GB), Gold Unlimited (30GB), and Platinum Unlimited (unlimited) plans.
Unique to Straight Talk’s Gold Unlimited and Platinum Unlimited prepaid plans is a Walmart+ membership tie-in, so you can save money on your gas and groceries as well as your phone bill. These mobile plans add 100GB of cloud storage, and you get $100 back in device credit after a year. With the Platinum Unlimited plan you also get Device Protection. Individual users can also access a $35/month Bronze 10GB plan ($34/month with Auto Pay).
You can also bring your own phone and you’ll get StraightSAVINGS – unlimited data, talk and text for $25/month, plus a $50 bonus credit for a new device after one year.
If you are looking for a new phone, Straight Talk has a huge range of high-end models available, including the brand-new iPhone 17 series, and some of the best savings – for example, iPhone 13 is just $199. You can also get a Samsung Galaxy A16 5G free with Straight Talk’s Gold Unlimited plan.
Tracfone Flexible Plans – Affordable Prepaid phone plans for no-nonsense buyers
Tracfone
Why pay for all the bells and whistles when you aren’t going to use them? Verizon-backed Tracfone is designed for the smart shopper, letting you choose exactly how many minutes and how much data you want, and add on international calling credit only when you need it. You choose how long you want your plan to last, and save money with Auto-Refill.
All Tracfone plans are mobile hotspot-capable, letting you use your cellular connection to get other wireless devices online. At the end of the month, you can carry over any data you haven’t used.
If your data needs are great, the brand-new Tracfone Freedom plan for $50/month with $45 Auto-Refill adds unlimited calls, texts, and data for the US, Canada and Mexico, 15GB hotspot allowance, and ID protection from Experian IDnotify. Sensible users can take advantage of Handset Protection, too.
Not got a ‘smart’ phone? No problem. Tracfone’s $125 annual plan is designed for users with only modest needs. Basic plans for kids and seniors start at just $10/month.
Tracfone’s My Rewards loyalty program earns you points each time your service plan renews; you can earn extra My Rewards points by playing games, watching videos, referring friends, and more. Redeem these points against your service plan and when purchasing add-ons for international calling or high-speed data.
Bring your own device or buy a new phone – it’s just $189.99 for the iPhone SE 3rd-gen, while a range of Android phones start from only $29.99. Tracfone also offers a 10% military discount on all $20/month+ prepaid phone plans.