5 Affordable “MVNO” Cell Phone Plan Providers

I will be comparing the plans of 5 affordable “Mobile Virtual Network Operators”: Ting, Consumer Cellular, Mint, TPO Mobile, and Republic Wireless. I am not receiving any compensation or sponsorship for doing this comparison, I just wanted to share what I have learned in my research as I recently changed cell phone providers.

The most interesting thing about these pricing schemes, is that none of them are directly comparable, because each is based on a unique pricing idea.

Each Provider’s Cheapest Plans

Because each plan is so different, I’m only doing a head to head comparison of the cheapest plans for each service, both with and without data(if they have that option). After that, I explore the pros, and cons for each provider’s plans in detail.

• Ting: $12/mo for 100 minutes, 100 texts, and no data. $15/mo for 100 minutes, 100 texts, and 100mb. Data and minutes cost more than other plans, but you are only charged for what you use, you don’t have to guess your future usage.
• Mint SIM: $15/mo for unlimited talk + text + 2gb. New users must prepay 3 months in advance for this rate, returning users must prepay a year in advance for this rate.
• Consumer Cellular: $15/mo talk only, $20/mo unlimited talk+text+250mb.
• Republic Wireless: $15/mo + $5/gb, but you need one of their special phones.
• TPO Mobile: $10/mo for 500 minutes + 500 texts + 250mb. If you use up your allotment, you can’t upgrade for that period, you must start a new pay period to get more service. This rate requires autopay to be enabled.

Ting: Usage Tiers

Unlike most of the other plans here, ting is not technically prepaid, though it is still “no contract”, you can cancel at anytime without having to pay for future use or incurring penalties.

Ting has usage tiers. This means you don’t have to try to guess before hand how much you actually use and buy a corresponding plan.

Ting’s prices aren’t as low as some of the other affordable plans, especially for data use, but it is nice because you don’t have to guess what you will use, or change your plan if you use more. If you just want an easy to use plan that costs much less than the established carriers, ting is a good option.

Mint SIM: Bulk Prepaid

Mint has the best data prices of any providers here, but to get the best rates, you have to prepay up to a year in advance, and commit to a fixed amount of data each month. Mint offers bulk prepaid for periods of 3, 6, or 12 months, with 12 months of prepaid offering the best price.

If you use data often and consistently, mint’s pricing system can save you a lot, but if your data usage varies, you can end up paying for data you won’t use, or having to buy data add-ons(which cost about $10/gb). All mint plans let you have an unlimited low-speed data connection, after you have used up your allocated high speed data.

Mint has special 3 month introductory prices, which are equivalent to the price you get normally when you prepay for a year in advance.

If you want to cancel, it doesn’t sound like you can get any money back, unless it’s in your first 7 days of using their service.

Mint was the hardest plan for me to understand. I had to read over their site several times before I understood all the details.

Consumer Cellular: Simple Prepaid, Texting Available With Data Plans

Consumer cellular is obviously marketed for seniors, but they offer decent overall prepaid rates, including for data use.

Their basic plans don’t offer any text messages, which is a good option for someone who wants unlimited calling but doesn’t text.

Their connect plans offer unlimited texts and a different amount of data for each tier.

Republic Wireless: Limited WIFI Enabled Phone Selection, But Good Rates

Republic wireless has good all around rates, but you will probably have to buy a phone from them, unless you have one of the few models they support.

The premise of their affordable plans is that their phones use wifi whenever possible, which allows them to offer good rates. Apparently you can start a call on wifi, but if you move out of range it will seamlessly switch to the cell network. I haven’t tried it so I don’t know how well this works.

TPO Mobile: Prepaid Month-Long Use Periods, Start A New Period For More

TPO is prepaid, they have good rates, though not the most competitive rates for high data users.

If you use up your available minutes or texts, instead of upgrading your service for that pay period, you have to start a new pay period. The new pay period starts immediately and lasts the full amount of time. This will change the time each month your new pay period starts.

TPO offers a $5 discount for enabling autopay.

TPO is affordable, and it sounds easy enough to start a new pay period if you use more than your allotted amount. Their plan tiers are more generous than other prepaid options, but having to reset your plan or change plan levels can be a hassle if your usage varies.