Who Normally Has The Cheapest Cell Phone Plans? A New Study Shows Which

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Countless cell phone carriers are vying for your business at any given time. Some of them do better at gaining new customers than others. With the number of people who use cell phones, however, having even a tiny portion of the market can mean a whole lot of money for a carrier.

The Big Three carriers are by far the most successful, and 62% of Americans use one of them.

AT&T

AT&T Retail cell phone and mobility store. AT&T wrapped up its merger with WarnerMedia and now controls HBO and CNN V
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Among Americans, 22% are using AT&T. They’re highly reputable, and they’ve been around forever. However, they can be the most costly cell phone carrier as well. The average paid by AT&T customers is $179 per month.

T-Mobile

T-mobile logo on the smartphone screen in hand
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T-Mobile has been around for decades, and it’s gotten a lot of loyal customers during that time. About 21.4% of people in the U.S. use this cell phone carrier. The average customer of T-Mobile pays $158 per month for service.

Verizon

Verizon store signage day exterior
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The third of the Big Three, Verizon is also a carrier powerhouse that has many millions of customers. The company provides service to 18.7% of the people in the U.S. The price of Verizon for a month averages $170.

Metro by T-Mobile

metro by T mobile logo visible on display screen.
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Metro by T-Mobile is a separate brand from T-Mobile. It uses the 5G network that T-Mobile uses, but it’s a different type of plan. This brand offers pre-paid phones only. About 7.1% of American customers use this brand.

Straight Talk

Walmart supercenter store Straight Talk cellphone section
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Straight Talk is a cell phone carrier that has no-contract service plans and provides cell service as well as home internet. It uses its own 5G network. About 5.7% of people use this company for their cell service.

Boost Mobile

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Boost Mobile is known for its reasonable prices and its unlimited talk and text offer for cell service. It has a smaller but respectable percentage of the market at 3.7%.

Cricket

Cricket Wireless retail store. Cricket Wireless provides prepaid cellular service and is a subsidiary of ATT Mobility.
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Cricket is known for having good rates on prepaid phone plans, and they don’t require an annual contract. They currently have about a 3.4% market share among U.S. cell phone users.

TracFone

In this photo of the TracFone Wireless logo seen displayed on a smartphone
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For those who don’t use much data, these prepaid data plans are often a good choice. Verizon owns this brand, and it doesn’t require contracts. About 3.2% of people use this brand that uses 5G technology.

Spectrum Mobile

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Spectrum Mobile is a discount cell phone carrier that comes with very low-cost service options and doesn’t require a contract. It also offers unlimited data. Among cell phone users, about 2% use this carrier.

Xfinity Mobile

XFINITY BY COMCAST retail store brand logo sign at entrance
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This carrier uses the Verizon 5G network for its service. It has many low-cost plans as well as an unlimited data plan. About 1.7% of cell customers use service from Xfinity Mobile.

Consumer Cellular

Smartphone charging with pink power bank with solar battery on wood background, selective focus and soft focus
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Consumer Cellular has released a couple of phones that are perfect for seniors, but it can be used with other phones as well. It does use 5G, but it has gotten complaints about its coverage. About 1.6% of people use this carrier.

Ting Mobile

Paper card with TING mobile sim card against white backdrop.
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Dish Wireless owns this cell phone carrier. The service from Ting can be bundled to get a very low price on cell service. Among U.S. customers, about 0.8% of people use this company.

Twigby

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It may not be as well-known as many of these other carriers, but it offers steep discounts on cell service. It runs on Verizon’s cellular network and is perfect for people on a very tight budget. In the U.S., 0.8% of people use it.

Reach Mobile

Envy Concept. Jealous Girl Looking At Friend's Phone Walking Together Outdoors At Park.
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Reach Mobile offers no-contract cell service and has flexible plans, including unlimited talk and text. It uses 5G and has pre-paid plans. It’s used by 0.7% of the American cell service market.

Mint Mobile

A new Mint Mobile sim card isolated on a white background. Mint, like most prepaid carriers, is what's considered an MVNO, or mobile virtual network operator.
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This newer, smaller company is building a name for itself by offering low-cost service plans. The service is available online only. It’s known for providing 5G service for a small price. It currently has a market share of about 0.7%.

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