2017 RANKING & REVIEWS
TOP RANKING BEST MOBILE PHONE DEALS
Cheap Mobile Phone Deals Guide
In today’s world, it is virtually impossible to function without a cellphone tucked into your pocket. According to findings from Pew Research Center, almost 95% of all Americans own some type of mobile device. We’re constantly plugged in and on the go, which means we need a way for our friends and family to contact us while we’re out and about.
If your budget is a little tight, what can you do to find cheap mobile phone deals?
Award Emblem: Top 6 Best Mobile Phone Deals
The best deals on mobile phones are certainly available on today’s market. Top cellphone providers are constantly developing new plans and pricing structures to help consumers better afford the technology they need in their daily lives.
AdvisoryHQ knows how quickly your mobile phone bill can rack up when you start adding unlimited talk, text, and data. We wanted to help you compare mobile deals in a smart and savvy way to trim down your monthly expenses.
Where can you go for the best mobile phone deals? Find out in our detailed review section below.
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AdvisoryHQ’s List of the Top 6 Best Mobile Phone Deals
List is sorted alphabetically (click any of the mobile plans below to go directly to the detailed review section for that phone deal):
- AT&T Unlimited Talk & Text
- Boost Mobile with Auto Re-Boost
- Cricket Wireless 1GB
- MetroPCS Talk & Text
- Sprint Better Choices Plan
- Virgin Mobile Data Love
Top 6 Best Mobile Phone Deals | Brief Comparison & Ranking
Best Deals on Mobile Phones | Price | Specifications |
| AT&T Unlimited Talk & Text | $40 per month with auto-pay | Unlimited talk and text 4GB of high-speed data Rollover for one billing period on unused high-speed data |
| Boost Mobile with Auto Re-Boost | $30 per month with Auto Re-BoostSM | Unlimited talk and text 2GB 4G LTE high-speed data Unlimited music streaming |
| Cricket Wireless 1GB | $30 | Unlimited nationwide talk and text 1GB of 4G LTE high-speed data |
| MetroPCS Talk & Text | $25 | Unlimited talk and text Wi-Fi connectivity |
| Sprint Better Choices Plan | $20-$30 | Unlimited talk and text Unlimited streaming for music, videos, and gaming Choose from a 1GB or 3GB high-speed data plan |
| Virgin Mobile Data Love | $35 | Unlimited talk and text 5GB of 4G LTE high-speed data Unlimited music streaming |
Table: Top 6 Best Deals on Mobile Phones | Above list is sorted alphabetically
Key Things to Look for in the Best Mobile Phone Deals
Searching for the right phone deals can feel a lot like selecting an insurance plan or a new bank. There are a lot of tedious details to wade through before you can find out if a provider is truly offering one of the best mobile phone deals for your needs.
Before you get started on your search for the best deals on mobile phones, consider what you really hope to get out of a monthly plan. Research is demonstrating that the usage of smartphones is really on the rise, with 77% of all Americans making use of one.
Image source: Pexels
If you fall into this category, chances are you’ll be looking for some of the best mobile phone deals that include data plans. Spend a few days on your current plan, surveying how often you use your data to more accurately compare mobile phone deals.
Fortunately, your phone or current service provider should be able to provide this information for you without having to keep track yourself.
According to NerdWallet, the average smartphone user typically uses between 2GB and 3GB of data each month.
You may also want to pay close attention to which apps you utilize the most while you’re on the go. Many cellphone providers are now offering some of the best deals on mobile phones with unlimited music streaming.
Streaming that doesn’t count toward your data allows you to enjoy all of the features of these programs without any contribution toward your monthly limit.
Some plans will give specific apps that can be used toward your unlimited streaming (like Pandora or Netflix), while others will provide a whole category (music apps, for example). Pay attention to the distinctions you’ll find with these cheap mobile phone deals to help you save money on your monthly data costs.
If you manage to fall into the small percentage of people who don’t need a smartphone, you may be able to find the absolute cheapest mobile phone deals. There are still many companies that offer unlimited talk and text without any data at all. Unlike the pay-as-you-go plans of the past, these come with low monthly fees that don’t require you to track your usage.
Decide which features will play the biggest role when you’re shopping for cheap mobile phone deals. Knowing what’s important to you upfront can help you to make a wiser financial decision on your monthly commitment with the best deals on mobile phones.
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Detailed Review – Top Ranking Best Mobile Phone Deals
Below, please find the detailed review of each deal on our list of cheap mobile phone deals. We have highlighted some of the factors that allowed these best phone deals to score so highly in our selection ranking.
AT&T Unlimited Talk & Text Review
The best mobile phone deals from AT&T include very basic features and a couple of nice perks for consumers who need more. If you plan to take advantage of phone deals that will allow you to enroll in auto-pay for an additional monthly discount, this AT&T Unlimited Talk and Text plan may be the right fit for you.
Key Factors That Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Deals on Mobile Phones
Details regarding how the AT&T Unlimited Talk and Text qualified as one of our top cheap mobile phone deals are in the sections below.
Plan Details
Unlike some of the prepaid options that are often included in a mobile phone deals comparison, the AT&T plan allows for unlimited texts and minutes within the United States. Their cheap phone deals include picture messaging and video messaging as well.
Not only does the unlimited texting include stateside messaging, but their best deals on mobile phones also allow this to extend internationally. Canada, Mexico, and approximately 100 other countries can all send and receive messages with this plan at no additional fee.
During the month, consumers can also use up to 4GB of high-speed data with their cheap phone deals. A key benefit to this is their roll-over policy that allows any unused high-speed data to carry over for one thirty-day billing cycle.
Pricing
Ordinarily, the cost for the best mobile deals from AT&T will come in around $45 per line when you pay month-to-month. However, enrolling in auto-pay brings your total down by $5 each month for a grand total of $40.
One major advantage to the AT&T Unlimited Talk & Text plan is their multi-line discount that qualifies them as one of the best mobile phone deals. When you are purchasing multiple lines, you receive a $5 per month discount for the second line, $10 off the third line, $15 off the fourth line, and $20 off the fifth line.
Boost Mobile with Auto Re-Boost Review
The Boost Mobile with Auto Re-Boost phone deals offer some of the same features included in higher-end plans at a fraction of the cost. Users who enjoy music streaming and having access to high-speed data will definitely want to consider these cheap mobile deals and their upgraded options.
Key Factors That Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Deals on Mobile Phones
See the specifics on why we called the Boost Mobile single line plan one of hottest cheap mobile deals on the market.
Plan Details
One of the first features that should be noted about these cheap mobile deals is their usage of your monthly data. While you do receive up to 2GB of 4G LTE high-speed data, you won’t be using much of it to access the apps you love the most. The top music stations have unlimited streaming on a monthly basis without using your allotted data.
Your 2GB of data is enough to allow you to do the following activities each month on their best deals on mobile phones:
- Open 600 emails
- Browse 300 websites
- Post 300 photos
- Stream 100 minutes of video
Other features on these best mobile phone deals include unlimited talk and text. While this isn’t a significant feature in and of itself (it’s included in most plans when you compare mobile phone deals), it is still a significant difference from prepaid options.
Pricing
Much like the AT&T plan on our mobile phone deals comparison, the Boost Mobile single line costs $35 per month. An additional discount of $5 per month is available when you enroll in Auto Re-BoostSM each month.
For consumers who believe they will use more data than what the Boost Mobile cheap phone deals allow for, they can add additional data for an upcharge. Each extra GB of data costs $5 per month up to 2 extra GBs.
You can also opt for unlimited data at $50 per month.
Image Source: Boost Mobile
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Cricket Wireless 1GB Review
Consumers who find that they don’t use much data can certainly benefit from the extra-affordable Cricket Wireless 1GB plan. This is one of the best deals on mobile phones because of the rock-bottom pricing and super-basic features included within their cheap mobile deals.
Key Factors That Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Deals on Mobile Phones
For the details that allowed us to rank the Cricket Wireless 1GB plan as one of the best mobile phone deals, see the breakdown below.
Plan Details
If you were looking for upgraded plans and lots of features on your cheap mobile deals, the Cricket Wireless 1GB plan isn’t going to be the plan for you. This is one of the most basic cheap mobile phone deals included in our comparison, and the plan details reflects that low pricing.
You can enjoy unlimited nationwide talk and text messaging, including picture and video messaging. Unlike the AT&T plan that included international texting in their basic plan, the Cricket Wireless 1GB plan does charge extra for access to this feature.
The one perk that is offered from these cheap mobile phone deals is access to 1GB of high-speed 4G LTE data. After you exceed your 1GB of data for the month, you’ll experience reduced speeds until a new billing cycle begins.
Pricing
While some of their upgraded plans offer a monthly credit for enrolling in autopay, the 1GB plan does not. You’ll pay a straight $30 each month regardless of how you choose to cover the bill.
Enrolling in auto-pay could save you some money if you think that you will use more than 1GB of high-speed data each month. With this enrollment, you could upgrade to their Basic Plan for just $35 per month and receive a total of 3GB of 4G LTE data each month in addition to the other plan details on the 1GB plan.
MetroPCS Talk & Text Review
Don’t need any data to make your daily life easier or to check your email while you’re on the go? Chances are you’ve been searching for the most basic deals on mobile phones to satisfy your budget, and the MetroPCS Talk & Text plan has a lot to offer. Consider all of money you could save when you compare mobile deals to this one from MetroPCS.
Image Source: MetroPCS
Key Factors That Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Deals on Mobile Phones
See key details that allowed us to rank the MetroPCS Talk & Text so highly on our mobile phone deals comparison.
Plan Details
If you don’t need a smartphone, you may find that you could be easily satisfied with the flip phone recommended for the MetroPCS Talk & Text plan.
The LG 450 will take you back a few years to the days before smartphones dominated the market. You’ll be punching keys again without the use of a full QWERTY keyboard to take advantage of the features on these cheap mobile phone deals:
- Unlimited talk and text
- Voicemail
- Caller ID
- Call waiting
- 3-way calling
- Wi-Fi connectivity
Pricing
For something as simple as these deals on mobile phones from MetroPCS, you wouldn’t expect to pay much. Lucky for you, this is certainly one of the best deals on mobile phones available on today’s market. The phone itself costs just $29 through the manufacturer’s website with free shipping and a 30-day guarantee.
The plan will cost an additional $25 every month with no monthly contract.
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Sprint Better Choice Plan Review
With two separate phone deals in this category, Sprint’s new Better Choice plans give consumers the option to upgrade from just basic talk and text. When you compare mobile deals, you’ll find that they offer some of the most competitive rates and plan details on today’s market for deals on mobile phones.
Key Factors That Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Deals on Mobile Phones
What allowed us to consider Sprint’s Better Choice plans for our list of cheap mobile phone deals? Find out in the sections below.
Plan Details
As with all of the cheap mobile phone deals included on our ranking, both of the Sprint Better Choice plans come with unlimited nationwide talk and text. As long as you remain on the Sprint network, you can enjoy these perks without counting every minute and message.
The real advantage to their Better Choice plans is their data option. This is truly what allowed us to rank them as one of the best mobile phone deals on the market.
First, you enjoy unlimited freedom with your data when it comes to streaming videos, games, and music. You won’t have to carefully choose which apps matter the most to you each month. From there, you will receive 4G LTE high-speed data on all of your other internet needs.
When you compare mobile phone deals, you’ll find that the two Better Choice Plans are ideal because you can choose how much data you will use each month. Select from either a 1GB plan or a 3GB plan.
Pricing
Sprint does offer a discount for enrolling in auto-pay each month. This is a large part of what allowed us to qualify it as one of the best mobile phone deals on today’s market. With the monthly savings, you can choose between the two very affordable Sprint Better Choice plans:
- 1GB of data: $20 per month
- 3GB of data: $30 per month
You also have the option to lease or finance phones through Sprint at the time when you sign up for your plan.
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Virgin Mobile Data Love Review
The Virgin Mobile Data Love plan packs the largest punch when it comes to the best mobile phone deals for data. For consumers who know they use more data than the average user, Virgin Mobile is now offering an affordable solution that is one of the best deals on mobile phones.
Key Factors That Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Deals on Mobile Phones
See more details about how we ranked the Virgin Mobile Data Love phone deals in our review below.
Plan Details
Virgin Mobile has long been known for its prepaid phone deals, which have been a great choice for consumers who wanted to save money in the past. While they still offer this type of mobile phone, they have since moved on to offer some of the best phone deals on the market with unlimited plans.
Their new best phone deals include unlimited talk and text while on the Virgin Mobile network. However, their data plan is really what allowed us to consider Virgin Mobile as one of the best mobile phone deals.
Their cheap mobile phone deals on the Data Love plan include 5GB of 4G LTE data, which is more than any of the other plans on our mobile phone deals comparison. Once you reach your threshold, your internet speed will reduce to 2GB speed until a new billing cycle begins again. Fortunately, you do enjoy free music streaming with these plans.
Pricing
The total monthly cost for the Data Love plan falls solidly in the middle of many of the other cheap mobile phone deals on our ranking. You will pay just $35 per month for these best mobile deals.
If you feel like 5GB of data may not be enough for you, you can choose to upgrade to 10GB of data for more cheap mobile phone deals. With the Data Love+ plan, you’ll pay just $45 per month to double the amount of data and enjoy all of the same perks.
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Conclusion—Top 6 Best Mobile Phone Deals
When it comes to finding the best mobile deals, almost all of the major cell phone companies have something to offer. Cheap mobile phone deals abound today, if you know which features are key to look for when you are trying to compare mobile deals.
Keep in mind that not every provider will have excellent service within your area. Be sure to check their coverage maps prior to signing up for any of these best deals on mobile phones. You wouldn’t want to end up with a plan and phone under the best mobile phone deals that is rendered unusable because of the area you live in.
Bear in mind that you may also have the additional cost of purchasing a phone on a new network.
Which of these cheap mobile phone deals is going to work the best for you or your family? Only you can decide which plan details are going to be the most important in our mobile phone deals comparison.
AdvisoryHQ (AHQ) Disclaimer:
Reasonable efforts have been made by AdvisoryHQ to present accurate information, however all info is presented without warranty. Review AdvisoryHQ’s Terms for details. Also review each firm’s site for the most updated data, rates and info.
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