Prepaid Phone Plan Price Compared: Five Carriers From $20 to $65 a Month

Five prepaid brands owned by the big carriers and Walmart’s partner sell unlimited lines for less than the carriers charge, and the cheapest of them is a third of the price of the most expensive. As of October 29, 2026, Boost Mobile’s Unlimited plan is $25 a month ($10 for a new customer’s first six months), Cricket runs $30 to $55, Metro by T-Mobile $40 to $55, Straight Talk $35 to $65 and Total Wireless $20 to $60 with Auto Pay. Each brand prices the first month differently, caps hotspot or data in its own way, and only two of the five say taxes and fees are inside the price. This guide puts every plan on one table, quotes each carrier’s own conditions, adds up a first year for one line, and notes where the brands’ pages leave gaps. The national carriers and the other value brands are in our cell phone plan comparison, and Mint, Visible and US Mobile have their own guides.

The quick answer

Boost Mobile: Unlimited at “$25/mo Forever” with “30GB of Premium Data,” and for new customers “$10/mo” “for the first 6 months, then $25 forever”; Global Connection “$40/mo”; Unlimited+ “$50/mo”
Cricket: “Price with Auto Pay”: Sensible 10GB “$30/mo,” Select Unlimited “$35/mo,” Smart Unlimited “$45/mo,” Supreme Unlimited “$55/mo,” each $5 more for the first month; “Nationwide 5G on the AT&T network”
Metro by T-Mobile: “$40/mo. Period.” online, “$50/mo.” “with AutoPay” (“$55 for the first month.”), and Unlimited Premium 5G at $55 with AutoPay (“$60 for the first month.”); “Taxes and fees included”; “5-year price guarantee”
Straight Talk: Bronze 10 GB “$35 /mo,” Silver Unlimited “$45 /mo,” Gold Unlimited “$55 /mo,” Platinum Unlimited “$65 /mo,” each discounted for the first three months with Auto Pay; Gold and Platinum include a Walmart+ membership
Total Wireless: with Auto Pay, Starter “$35/mo,” MAX 5G BYO “$25/mo,” MAX 5G “$50/mo,” ALL ACCESS “$60/mo” for one line, with a new-customer offer on MAX 5G BYO of “First month $30, then $20/mo after”; “All taxes and fees are included with your plan prices”
Cheapest standing unlimited: Total MAX 5G BYO at $20 on the offer, or Boost at $25

Key facts at a glance: one line

Carrier	Plans and monthly price	First month or intro	Taxes and fees	Notable caps
Boost Mobile	Unlimited $25; Global Connection $40; Unlimited+ $50	$10 a month for 6 months on Unlimited, new customers	Not stated on the page	30 GB or 40 GB of premium data
Cricket	Sensible 10GB $30; Select $35; Smart $45; Supreme $55	First month $5 higher on each	Not stated on the page	Select may slow when busy, SD video; Supreme is unlimited high-speed with 50 GB hotspot
Metro by T-Mobile	$40 web plan; $50; $55 Unlimited Premium	First month $55 and $60 on the AutoPay plans	Included	Slows after 35 GB ($40) or 50 GB ($50); 8 GB or 25 GB hotspot
Straight Talk	Bronze 10 GB $35; Silver $45; Gold $55; Platinum $65	$34, $42.50, $50, $60 for the first 3 months with Auto Pay	Not stated on the page	Bronze drops to 2G after 10 GB; hotspot 15 GB on Silver, unlimited on Platinum
Total Wireless	Starter $35; MAX 5G BYO $25; MAX 5G $50; ALL ACCESS $60	MAX 5G BYO: $30 first month, then $20 for new BYO customers	Included	Hotspot speed capped at 5 Mbps, 10 Mbps on ALL ACCESS

Prices from each carrier’s plans page, read October 10, 2026, US, for one line with Auto Pay where the carrier prices that way.

Boost Mobile: $25 unlimited, $10 to start

Boost’s plans page frames its lineup as “Save money with the latest Boost Mobile Unlimited prepaid plans & bundles. No contracts or credit checks required.” The base Unlimited plan is “$25/mo Forever” with “30GB of Premium Data,” and the new-customer offer cuts it to $10 “for the first 6 months, then $25 forever. New customers only.” Global Connection is “$40/mo” with “Global Talk & Text,” “Global Roaming - 1GB included” and “40GB of Premium Data.” Unlimited+ is “$50/mo” with “Buy 2 Lines, Get $20 Off” or “Or Buy 3 Lines, Get $40 Off.” The page text we read does not state whether taxes are included.

Cricket: four tiers on AT&T’s network

Cricket’s plans page labels every figure “Price with Auto Pay” and charges more for the first month. Sensible 10GB is “$30/mo” with “$35 for the first month,” “10 GB of high-speed data” and “Speeds reduced to 128 Kbps after data allowance is used.” Select Unlimited is “$35/mo” with “$40 for the first month,” unlimited data on “Nationwide 5G on the AT&T network,” “Hotspot add-on available,” “Video limited to SD,” “Usage in Mexico and Canada unavailable,” and the warning that “Cricket may temporarily slow data speeds if network is busy.” Smart Unlimited is “$45/mo” with “$50 for the first month,” “15 GB Hotspot Data” and “100 GB Cloud Storage.” Supreme Unlimited is “$55/mo” with “$60 for the first month,” “Unlimited high-speed data,” “50 GB Hotspot Data,” “HBO Max Basic with Ads” and “150 GB Cloud Storage.” Cricket also offers a trial: “Try Cricket for 14 days for FREE!” through its tryCricket app.

Metro by T-Mobile: $40 online, $50 and $55 with AutoPay, taxes in

Metro’s plans page carries a “WEB EXCLUSIVE” plan at “$40/mo. Period.” with unlimited 5G data and “Get a new number or bring yours.” The $50 plan is “with AutoPay” and “$55 for the first month,” with “8GB of hotspot data” and a “100GB Google One membership.” The top plan, “UNLIMITED PREMIUM 5G DATA,” is $55 “with AutoPay $60 for the first month,” with “Unlimited premium 5G data that won’t slow you down,” “25GB of hotspot data,” HD video and “Watch & tablet lines for only $5/month when you bring a device.” Every card lists “Taxes and fees included” and a “5-year price guarantee.” The footnote sets the slowing points for the two cheaper plans: “If you use a lot of data, more than 35GB/mo. ($40 Period) or more than 50GB/mo. ($50/mo. with AutoPay), you may temporarily notice slower speeds for the rest of the billing cycle when our network is busy,” and “Video streams in SD.” Metro advertises “free shipping and no activation fees” for online sign-ups.

Straight Talk: four tiers, Walmart+ on the top two

Straight Talk’s plans page sells Bronze 10 GB at “$35 /mo” (“$34/mo for the first 3 months with Auto Pay,” “First 10GB of data at high speed then 2G”), Silver Unlimited at “$45 /mo” (“$42.50/mo for the first 3 months with Auto Pay,” marked “Same price since 2009,” with “15 GB hotspot data”), Gold Unlimited at “$55 /mo” (“$50/mo for the first 3 months with Auto Pay,” “100 GB Cloud Storage,” “Roaming in Canada & Mexico with unlimited text, 300 min talk and 10 GB data”) and Platinum Unlimited at “$65 /mo” (“$60/mo for the first 3 months with Auto Pay,” “Unlimited hotspot data,” “500 GB cloud storage,” “Unlimited International calling to 200+ destinations,” and “Tablet plan included: Get a Tablet Unlimited plan at no extra cost with Platinum Unlimited.”). Gold and Platinum carry “Membership on us” for Walmart+ and a “Choose Paramount+ or Peacock” streaming pick.

One disclaimer matters: “Some plan features are only available to customers on the Verizon network.” Straight Talk lists reduced versions for other customers, including 10 GB of hotspot on Silver and 20 GB on Platinum, so the hotspot figures depend on which network your line is provisioned on.

Total Wireless: $20 to $60 with Auto Pay, taxes in, five-year guarantee

Total Wireless’s plans page prices four plans for one to five lines. For one line with Auto Pay: Starter “$35/mo,” MAX 5G BYO “$25/mo,” MAX 5G “$50/mo” and ALL ACCESS “$60/mo.” The bring-your-own-phone plan has a new-customer offer: “On the Total MAX 5G BYO plan with Auto Pay. First month $30, then $20/mo after,” and its card lists “Unlimited 5G Ultra Wideband,” unlimited hotspot, “Roaming in 140+ countries,” “Unlimited calling and texting to 200+ countries,” “100 GB Cloud Storage” and “Western Union money transfer included on us.” Two lines run $75, $55, $80 and $90 across the four plans; five lines run $125, $135, $135 and $145.

Total’s FAQ makes two promises. On fees: “All taxes and fees are included with your plan prices. One-time activation fees, transactional fees, and equipment charges may apply.” On price: “When you sign up with Total Wireless, your price is the price for five (5) years. Guaranteed.” The hotspot catch is speed, not volume: “Hotspot on the Starter, MAX 5G, and MAX 5G BYO plans have a 5 Mbps cap. The ALL ACCESS plan has a 10 Mbps cap.”

A first year for one unlimited line, by our math

Plan	First-year total	Basis
Boost Unlimited	$210	$10 for 6 months, then $25
Total MAX 5G BYO	$250	$30 first month, then $20, new BYO customers
Cricket Select Unlimited	$425	$40 first month, then $35
Metro $40 web plan	$480	$40 flat, taxes and fees included
Straight Talk Silver	$532.50	$42.50 for 3 months, then $45
Metro Unlimited Premium	$665	$60 first month, then $55, taxes and fees included
Cricket Supreme	$665	$60 first month, then $55, includes HBO Max Basic with Ads
Straight Talk Platinum	$765	$60 for 3 months, then $65, includes Walmart+

Only the Metro and Total totals already include taxes and fees; the others may add them at checkout.

Where the pages differ or need a second look

Total’s $20 is an offer; the table says $25. The MAX 5G BYO card advertises “$20/mo after” a $30 first month for new bring-your-own-phone customers; the standard one-line table shows $25 with Auto Pay.

First months cost more at Cricket ($5), Metro ($5 on AutoPay plans) and Total ($10 on the BYO offer); Straight Talk and Boost go the other way with introductory discounts.

Unlimited has caps. Boost’s 30 GB and 40 GB of premium data, Metro’s 35 GB and 50 GB slowing points, Cricket’s network-busy slowing and SD video below Supreme, Total’s hotspot speed caps.

Straight Talk’s features depend on the network. Hotspot and international features are reduced for lines not on the Verizon network.

Taxes are stated at Metro and Total only. Boost, Cricket and Straight Talk’s plan text we read does not say.

Perks differ in kind. HBO Max Basic with Ads at Cricket Supreme, Google One at Metro, Walmart+ and a streaming choice at Straight Talk Gold and Platinum, Western Union at Total.

Before you choose

This is a list of things to check, not a recommendation:

Which network? Cricket is AT&T’s; Metro is T-Mobile’s; Straight Talk’s features assume Verizon’s; Boost and Total state their own coverage on their pages
Count the first month. Higher at Cricket, Metro and Total; lower at Boost and Straight Talk
Need hotspot? From none on Cricket Select to unlimited on Straight Talk Platinum, with Total capping speed rather than volume
Want taxes inside the price? Metro and Total say so
Buying a perk anyway? HBO Max, Google One or Walmart+ can offset part of a higher tier
Planning to stay? Metro and Total promise five-year price guarantees on their plan prices

Quick answers to what people search

What is the cheapest prepaid unlimited plan? Total Wireless MAX 5G BYO at $20 a month after a $30 first month for new bring-your-own-phone customers, or Boost Mobile Unlimited at $25 ($10 for a new customer’s first six months), per the carriers’ pages read October 10, 2026.

How much is Cricket Wireless? $30 for 10 GB, $35 for Select Unlimited, $45 for Smart Unlimited and $55 for Supreme Unlimited with Auto Pay, each $5 more for the first month.

How much is Metro by T-Mobile? $40 a month on its web-only plan, $50 or $55 with AutoPay ($55 and $60 for the first month), taxes and fees included.

How much is Straight Talk? $35 for 10 GB, $45 for Silver, $55 for Gold and $65 for Platinum, with lower prices for the first three months on Auto Pay.

How much is Boost Mobile? $25 for Unlimited, $40 for Global Connection and $50 for Unlimited+, with Unlimited at $10 a month for a new customer’s first six months.

Which prepaid plans include taxes and fees? Metro by T-Mobile and Total Wireless say their prices include them.

Which prepaid plan includes HBO Max? Cricket Supreme Unlimited includes HBO Max Basic with Ads.

Which prepaid plan includes Walmart+? Straight Talk Gold and Platinum list a Walmart+ membership on us.

Bottom line

As of October 29, 2026, one prepaid unlimited line runs from $20 or $25 at Total Wireless and Boost to $65 at Straight Talk Platinum, with Cricket and Metro in the $35 to $55 band. Boost’s six-month $10 offer and Total’s $20 bring-your-own-phone offer make the cheapest first years, Metro and Total include taxes and fees and guarantee prices for five years, and the perks, from HBO Max to Walmart+, are what the higher tiers buy.

Prices, plan features, offer terms and quotations from the plans pages of Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless, Metro by T-Mobile, Straight Talk and Total Wireless, read October 10, 2026 and rechecked October 29, 2026, US, for one line with Auto Pay where applicable. First-year totals are our own arithmetic. Each carrier’s page is the authority and may change. This is general information, not financial advice.