Wireless plans are known to be expensive, and that’s not even counting how much the normal new phone costs. It means that if you’re on a tight budget, like most students and new workers who are just starting out, you’re probably going to have a hard time picking a provider. If you add up all of the extra taxes, fees, and possible overage charges, you might spend all of your money before you even get started.
The good news is that you can find a fairly cheap and budget-friendly phone plan if you know where to look. Some plans are even made just for students.
We’ve put together a list of the best student cell phone plans and deals and offers for the year to make sure you’re looking in the right places and to help you save some of that much-needed cash. Read on to find out what they are!
The Best Student Cell Phone Plans (2023)
Mint Mobile — Plans start at $15 per month
Republic Wireless — Plans start at $20 per month
Verizon Start Unlimited — Plans start at $35 per month
Cricket Wireless — Plans start at $40 per month
Ting Mobile — Plans start at $10 per month
What We Look for in Cell Phone Plans for Students
No wireless plan is the same, so you probably won’t get the same benefits and options from different companies. But here are the most important things to look for:
- Unlimited
- Price
- Coverage
- Phones
- Contracts
Unlimited
A plan with unlimited talk, text, and unlimited Data is the holy dream. If they are available, hotspots are another great thing to have. Not every plan on the list will have everything on it, but if it does, it’s a clear winner.
Price
Traditional cellphone plans have a lot of extra charges, fees, and other costs. If you don’t have a lot of money, you want something easy with a single, fixed price. In other words, you should look for a monthly plan with a price that stays the same every month and includes everything you’d have to pay.
Coverage
Outside of the big names, many third-party wireless companies use an already-built network. Visible, for example, doesn’t have its own network. Instead, it uses Verizon’s national network. Compare what the wireless company says about range with the network they actually use.
Phones
With many of these cell service companies, you can bring your own phone or buy a new one. Almost always, when you buy a new phone and start a new line, you can get great deals and savings that you wouldn’t get otherwise. Before you sign anything, you should think about which choice is best for you.
Contracts
To make up for the costs, traditional telecom companies offer steep discounts and deals in exchange for long-term contracts. Most of the time, you sign a contract for something like two years, and the cost of your service plan and any new products you buy is spread out over that time. If you quit early, you have to pay the exit fees, which can include a fine as well as the cost of your gadgets that you didn’t use. As a student, you should look for choices that don’t require you to sign a contract and don’t tie you down to a specific plan or network.
Here are The Best No-Contract Phone Plans for 2023
Here Are the Best Student Phone Plans
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile is based on the idea that you use your own phone. When you sign up, they give you a SIM card to put in your phone. You also pay for everything up front, which lets them give some great deals that you can’t get anywhere else. For example, you can get unlimited talk, text, and 4GB of 4G or 5G LTE data for just $15 per month, but you have to pay for the first three months upfront. For $30 a month, you can get a plan that lets you talk, text, and use data as much as you want. You can also choose how long your plan is, from three to 12 months, which will change how much you pay.
Republic Wireless
With Republic, you get a mixed network that uses both cell service and Wi-Fi to send and receive data, based on where you are and how good the coverage is. When you connect to Wi-Fi, you save a lot of money and use less data. This is a great idea for students because even if they don’t spend much time on campus, almost every company or place they go has Wi-Fi. Plans vary, but all of them let you talk and text as much as you want for $15 per month. You can also buy data deals, like 1GB of 4G LTE data for $5, for a total of $20 per month. Each extra GB costs $5 per month. If you’re a regular DISH customer, you also get a deal.
Verizon Start Unlimited
Start Unlimited is different from Verizon’s other options because it doesn’t require a contract and lets you talk and text as much as you want for $35 per month plus some extras. You’ll also get 22GB of 4G LTE data and 15GB of 4G LTE hotspot use. If you need more, you can improve. Keep in mind that Verizon still charges a $30 registration fee per line, so if that’s the service you choose, make sure to plan for that.
Cricket Wireless
With Cricket, you can talk, write, and send pictures to anyone in the U.S. as much as you want for $40 a month. You can also use HD voice and Wi-Fi talking with a phone that can do so. New users will also be able to talk to people in Mexico and Canada as part of the plan. You can use up to 10GB of 5G data each month. All of this comes with a new plan and a single line, and there are no contracts, overages, or monthly fees. If you want to join with family or friends, there are plans with more than one line.
Ting Mobile
If you need to call people in more than 60 different countries, Ting is a great choice because there are no extra costs or fees for doing so. The least expensive plan starts at $10 a month and includes unlimited talk and text. You can add more internet for $5 a month per GB, or you can choose one of the more expensive plans. You can bring your own phone and get a SIM card for it, or you can buy a new one from Ting’s website.
Stay tuned with cell plan store if you are planning t buy cell phone plans.
