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Phone Plans

The Best Bring Your Own Phone Plans to Save You Money

By
Sara Nuss
June 7, 2023

No one talks about how expensive cell phone plans can be. No matter if you have a plan through a large carrier, such as Verizon Wireless, AT&T, or T-Mobile, or even through a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), they can be pricey. Everything from unlimited talk, text, and data, can drive the price up on your monthly cell phone bill.

There are a few different options that you can consider if you want to lower your cell phone plan, but one of the biggest ones is to find a plan that allows you to bring your own phone. By adding your preexisting cell phone to your plan, you can save money to avoid device financing, and paying an arm and a leg for a brand new smartphone when you one you currently have works fine. 

Consider looking into a plan that allows you to bring your own cell phone to further save money on your monthly bill!

If you want to switch cell phone carriers, then consider looking into Really to help you with all of your phone services needs! At Really, you can compare phone plans to get more bang for your buck, and you can see what carriers and plans are in your area, sort by price, best value and more, and even click on the plan you wish to learn more about in an instant. 

How Bringing Your Own Cell Phone Can Save You Money and More

Saving money on your cell phone plan is easy to do and one of the best ways to do so is skipping the purchase of a new phone!

Cell phones are known to be extremely expensive, and by not upgrading to the newest one, you can save more money on your plan. Image courtesy of State Farm.

Smartphone companies are constantly coming out with newer versions of the phones that they create, and with each technological advancement, more people are spending money to purchase them. 

Bringing your own cell phone when switching to a new plan can save you a ton of money, among many other benefits, so let’s investigate why that is!

The Most Important Part is Saving More Money

Finding a new cell phone plan to switch to is already difficult, and learning how to budget the price of your plan can be tough too. There are a few different ways that you can save more on your cell phone plan, but one of the best and most efficient ways is to bring your current phone to your new plan.

New smartphones that are coming out are extremely expensive and can cost up to $1,000. Bringing your own phone can help you to save hundreds of dollars every year, and it's unnecessary to do so if your current phone is still in good working condition. Just make sure that it is unlocked by your previous carrier and paid off before switching to a carrier that accepts it. 

Usually Costs Little to Nothing to BYOP

If you want to switch your phone over to a large carrier, or MVNO, the best part is that it costs little to nothing to do so. Keeping your current cell phone will cost you nothing, especially if it’s already paid off, and when switching it to a new plan, you will barely have to pay a dollar, if anything, to sign up for a new one.

Since many carriers support the bring your own phone feature, oftentimes you won’t have to pay much to switch the SIM card in it either. Most plans offer free SIM activation kits, others require you to just pay $1, or many others ask you to pay the shipping to send the kit to your home. Either way, it is more affordable than purchasing a brand new cell phone. 

Activating a New Phone is Simple

It may seem  easier to purchase a new cell phone when starting a new contract or prepaid plan with another carrier, but it can cost you a ton more money per year. By activating your preexisting cell phone on your new plan, it  costs you less, and you can activate it in less than five minutes.

The instructions always come right on the SIM card itself, and all you’ll need to do is remove your current SIM card and replace it with the new card from your new carrier. Then, you’ll need to contact the customer service number in order to get further steps on what information they’ll need from you and follow the instructions they give you.

Can Keep Same Phone Number Too

You can not only bring your own cell phone to a new carrier, but you can almost always keep your current phone number too. This is important for many people, more so than the phone, because of all of the people who know your current phone number.

Many cell phone carriers  allow you to bring your own cell phone, and they also allow you to keep your current phone number too, but how? It's important to keep in mind that companies may initially charge you to port your number, but you can always inquire if they can be waived or negotiated. Just make sure that your bill is paid off at your last carrier, and you are good to go!

Will Be More Worth It When You Can Upgrade

Knowing how good your current cell phone runs can help you to determine if you need a new one before signing up and switching to another plan. There are a ton of cell phone carriers, especially MVNOs that will give you access when bringing your own cell phone to their carrier at little to know cost. 

While you may want a new cell phone,  if you have had it for two to three years, chances are it is still in good condition. As long as it’s able to upgrade to the latest factory settings, has a decently long battery life, and it’s not slowing down, you can keep your phone for a long time—and it’ll make it even more worth it when you do upgrade to the newest version.

The Best Bring Your Own Cell Phone Plans to Take Advantage Of

It is important to find the best cell phone plan that is affordable, so make sure to check out these bring your own cell phone plans!

Getting a new cell phone is overrated. Why not bring your current one to a new plan in order to save money? Image courtesy of Better Team.

It is important to consider your options whenever you’re signing up for a new cell phone plan. Whether you’re looking for a large carrier plan, or one through an MVNO, there are plenty of options that allow you to bring your own phone.

Mint Mobile

One of the best MVNOs that is currently out there is through Mint Mobile, which is owned and operated by the Deadpool actor himself, Ryan Reynolds. His mobile carrier wants to make sure that everyone can afford their cell phone plan with prepaid rates as low as $15 per month on T-Mobile’s incredibly reliable service and fast 5G coverage.

Mint Mobile cell phone plans all come with some of the best features that are out there compared to a lot of their competitors:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • Set data allotment plans or unlimited plans offered
  • Three-month, six-month, or year-long plans available
  • T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G coverage
  • High-speed 5G data 
  • Free calling to Mexico and Canada
  • Free 3-in-1 SIM card included when you sign up
  • Free mobile hotspot included in all plans
  • Wi-Fi calling and texting
  • Keep your current phone or buy a new one
  • Keep your current phone number or get a new one
  • Keep your contacts, photos, and apps when you switch plans
  • Mint Mobile app available to make payments and more

Whether you want your plan for three months, six months, or for a full year, there are a few options you can choose from:

  • $15 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 4GB of data
  • $20 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 10GB of data
  • $25 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 15GB of data
  • $30 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and data

Tello

If you’re looking for some of the most affordable MVNOs out there, one that you have to put on your list to check out is Tello. This carrier allows you to get a plan for as little as $5 per month and you have full access to customize your plan according to what you need on T-Mobile’s network.

Tello is a popular MVNO with some great options when it comes to choosing a plan:

  • T-Mobile’s fast high-speed 5G nationwide service and coverage
  • 4G LTE and 5G speeds available depending on your cell phone
  • Unlimited texting available on all plans
  • Free mobile hotspot included on all data plans
  • Can use minutes in over 60+ international countries
  • Plans automatically renew every thirty days
  • No contract prepaid plans
  • Can cancel at any time with no early termination fees
  • Can upgrade or downgrade plan at any time with no extra fees
  • Wi-Fi calling available
  • Bring your own cell phone and number
  • Buy smartphone if needed through online store
  • Incredible customer service

Consider one of the following Tello plans so you and even your whole family can be covered on their exceptional service:

  • $10 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 1GB of data
  • $14 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of data
  • $19 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of data
  • $24 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 10GB of data
  • $29 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and data

Visible

Verizon Wireless is a large carrier that is known for having some of the best service and coverage nationwide, but their plans tend to run on the expensive side. If you are looking for an alternative, one of the best choices that you can take advantage of is through Visible, their very own MVNO. 

The best part about Visible is that they offer a ton of different features on both of their plans that you can take advantage of:

  • Unlimited talk, text, and data
  • 4G LTE or 5G nationwide coverage
  • Unlimited mobile hotspot
  • Spam protection
  • Unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada
  • 5G ultra wideband on their most expensive plan
  • Unlimited roaming in Mexico and Canada on most expensive plan
  • International calling and texting to 30+ countries
  • International texting to 200+ countries
  • 24/7 access to customer service
  • Add a smartwatch for an extra $5 per month
  • No hidden fees 

Visible makes it easy to choose a cell phone plan because they have two options you can choose from:

  • Visible Plan - $30 per month for unlimited talk, text, data, mobile hotspot, and 4G LTE and 5G nationwide coverage
  • Visible+ Plan - $45 per month for unlimited talk, text, data, mobile hotspot, 4G LTE and 5G nationwide coverage, 5G ultra wideband, and premium network experience

Boost Mobile

Whether you are looking for an individual cell phone plan, or  one for your family, there are plenty of options out there, but there isn’t one quite like Boost Mobile. Known for using T-Mobile’s very fast and reliable service and coverage, people rave about their data allotment plans.

Boost Mobile offers a bunch of features on each of their cell phone plans, including the fact you can bring your own phone:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • Set data allotment plans or unlimited data plans
  • Mobile hotspot available
  • New customer only deals
  • T-Mobile’s 4G LTE or 5G nationwide coverage
  • No contract plans
  • Data pack available
  • Phone insurance available to add onto plans
  • International calling to Mexico, Canada, and more
  • Boost call screener to protect against spam calls

Look through one of Boost Mobile’s cell phone plans to see if one catches your eye in order to help you save money:

  • $15 per month for unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of data
  • $25 per month for unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of data
  • $35 per month for unlimited talk, text, and 10GB of data
  • $50 per month for unlimited talk, text, and 25GB of data
  • $60 per month for unlimited talk, text, and 35GB of data

US Mobile

There are so many MVNOs out there whose main goal is to help their customers save money on the best phone plans with service and coverage that works. US Mobile is one of those and they wish to make all of their customers satisfied with either Verizon Wireless or T-Mobile’s service and coverage, depending on where you live.

When choosing a cell phone plan through US Mobile, make sure to consider all of the features that they offer, and choose a plan accordingly:

  • Uses Verizon Wireless or T-Mobile’s 5G nationwide coverage
  • Unlimited talk and text plans
  • Set data allotment plans and unlimited data plans available
  • Free SIM card with phone purchase
  • 30-day risk-free trial
  • Mobile hotspot available on most plans
  • 24/7 customer service available
  • Entertainment perks for video streaming, music, and gaming
  • Discounts on more than two-line plans

US Mobile offers so many plans that it can be hard to narrow it down which one is best for you, so here are some of their most popular ones:

  • $10 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of data
  • $15 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 15GB of data
  • $20 per line per month for for unlimited talk, text, and 25GB of data
  • $35 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and data
  • $45 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and high-speed 5G data

Considering your options when it comes to choosing a cell phone plan can be difficult since there are so many plans to choose from. Whether you want to save money by choosing a set data plan, adding people to your plan to lower the monthly payment, or even by bringing your own phone, there is plenty to consider.

Almost every phone plan out there can help you to further save money by allowing you to bring your own cell phone, so make sure to consider the best plans we mentioned!

compare phone plans and save up to 80%

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Sara Nuss
Sara Nuss is a journalist from Pittsburgh, PA that specializes in wireless, dewi, phone plan advice & blockchain.
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How much hotspot data do you get on the unlimited plan?

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