The Best Time of Year to Buy a Cell Phone Plan: When That is and How to Get One

There are plenty of cell phone plans out there that it can be difficult to choose the one that best suits your needs. With so many carriers and cell phone plans, it can be tough to narrow down your choices, but have you thought about whether purchasing a plan during a certain time of year makes a difference?

You may not have ever thought about it, but purchasing a new cell phone during a specific time of year could get you a better price, and even determine which smartphone you get with your plan. 

There is a specific time of year that is best to purchase a new cell phone plan, so let’s learn a little more about why that is!

If you are looking 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. 

When is the Best Time of Year to Get a New Cell Phone Plan?

If there is a good time of year to get a cell phone plan and knowing when is essential to save money!

If you’re thinking about some other cell phone plan options, it’s important to consider a couple things before deciding if it's worth the switch. There are a ton of plans and carriers that you can check out, but it’s also interesting to think about one thing, if a certain time of year is better to switch than others.

When the Best Time of Year to Purchase a New Cell Phone Plan is

You may have never thought about this, but getting cell phone plans during a specific time of year can have many more benefits than others, but when is that time? There are a few different occasions when you should consider getting a new cell phone plan and most of these rely on if you wish to get a new cell phone or not. 

The following official and unofficial holidays make for the best times to get a new cell phone plan and more!

• During the pre-order period
• A month before a new smartphone comes out
• Black Friday
• Amazon Prime Day
• After Boxing Day

A Breakdown of the Days Perfect For Getting a New Cell Phone Plan

Now that you have an idea of the days that are great for getting a new cell phone plan, it’s important to break down exactly why they may be the best in terms of switching to a new plan.

During the Pre-Order Period

If you are looking to get the latest smartphone when it comes out, one of the best times to get a new cell phone plan is when you purchase the new smartphone. Ordering the new smartphone whenever it’s in pre-order means that you can be one of the first people to get it. 

A Month Before a New Smartphone Comes Out

Another great time to hop to a different cell phone carrier is whenever the latest version of a smartphone is coming out, but you may be wondering why. If you don’t care about getting the brand new version of an iPhone, Samsung, or Google phone, you can get an older version when they go on sale.

Everybody will be going wild over getting the latest generation of cell phones, so many cell phone carriers will do sales on their older phones for almost half of the original price. Get a new cell phone and sign up for a new cell phone plan right around this time. 

Black Friday

One of the best times to get anything, especially cell phones is when Black Friday rolls around after the Thanksgiving holiday. There are always tons of sales on electronics, appliances, cars, and so much more, and cell phones are always included in this list.

Not only can you get a great deal on a brand new cell phone, but since the holidays are slowly rolling around, a lot of carriers will also offer specials on their plans for a discount. 

Amazon Prime Day

A great day for everyone who is an Amazon Prime member is the annual Amazon Prime Day, which usually takes place in the middle of July. If you are a Prime member, you get two days of exclusive offers on anything on Amazon including electronics, skin care products, furniture, exercise gear, everyday necessities, and almost anything else you can think of.

Amazon Prime Day is a great opportunity to see the cell phone deals that they offer at a fraction of the cost of what they were originally priced at. Once you get your new cell phone on Amazon Prime Day, you can sign up for a new cell phone plan with a new phone and a better plan that will fit your budget.

After Boxing Day

The day after Christmas is considered Boxing Day and it is typically celebrated in countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. 

Boxing Day is when people return Christmas gifts that they don’t want or need to get their money back, and it’s also just another great day for some of the best sales before the year ends. You can easily get a brand new cell phone at a discounted price during this time, or you can also sign up for a new cell phone plan through another carrier. 

Great Cell Phone Plans That Are Currently On Sale

Getting a new cell phone plan shouldn’t be difficult or expensive, so let’s talk about some of the best ones to check out now!

There is nothing better than signing up for a cell phone plan where you get a long-term discounted deal, a new customer discount, or even a discount mid-way through your current plan. Luckily, there are many times during the year where carriers will offer plans to both new and existing customers to save more money and get great service and coverage.

While it may not be the peak holiday season, it is the start to a new year, so let’s take a moment to look at a couple different cell phone plans from carriers that care about their customers and want them to save money on reliable service!

Mint Mobile

A great cell phone carrier, which is also an MVNO who uses T-Mobile’s incredible 5G high-speed data is Mint Mobile. Mint Mobile is known for their affordable three-month, six-month, or year-long cell phone plans that have everything from unlimited talk, text, and even data on some plans. 

Mint Mobile offers both new customer deals and also deals for pre-existing customers:

• $45 for three months of service including unlimited talk, text, and 4GB of data
• $60 for three months of service including unlimited talk, text, and 10GB of data
• $75 for three months of service including unlimited talk, text, and 15GB of data
• $90 for three months of service including unlimited talk, text, and data
• Six months of free service when you buy a new phone and a six-month plan

There are also plenty of reasons to sign up for a cell phone plan through Mint Mobile because of the many features that they offer on their plans that can range from:

• 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

Visible By Verizon

Another great cell phone carrier to take advantage of is Visible by Verizon. Visible is Verizon Wireless’ very own MVNO that offers their incredible nationwide fast 5G coverage and also some of the best service in the country.

There is a great discount that they have going on if you are thinking about signing up with Visible since they offer deals on their plans periodically. The main discount that they have going on right now is the following:

• Get a year of Visible for $15 per month with unlimited talk, text, data, and a mobile hotspot which amounts to 50% off of Visible for a year

• 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

A Visible cell phone plan also comes with its extra perks and features that are important to note as well:

• 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 and extra $5 per month
• No hidden fees 

US Mobile

Another incredible MVNO that is known for offering its customers flexibility is US Mobile. US Mobile has their own selection of discounted deals on top of their great prices for both new and existing customers that you just need to see to believe. 

Here are some of the plans that you can take advantage of with $5 off of a six-month plan:

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

It’s also essential to go over the features of getting a cell phone plan through US Mobile and what you can look forward to with one of their plans:

• 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

Boost Mobile

A great MVNO that aims towards helping their new and existing customers save big on their cell phone plan is Boost Mobile. This is an MVNO that runs on T-Mobile high-speed 5G nationwide service and coverage and has plenty of set data allotment plans, unlimited plans, and much more.

There are plenty of reasons why you should consider getting a cell phone plan through Boost Mobile and one reason is because you can take advantage of their amazing offer that includes the following:

• $25 per month for unlimited talk, text, and data, a free SIM card kit, and free two-day shipping for new and existing customers

Some of the features that they offer on their plans include:

• Unlimited talk and text
• Set data allotment plans and unlimited plans available
• Bring your own cell phone
• Mobile hotspot available
• No-contract plans
• 99% nationwide coverage through T-Mobile
• International calling and texting to Mexico and Canada
• Data packs available
• Phone insurance add-ons available
• Boost call screen to protect from spam callers

There are plenty of cell phone plans out there and just finding the right time of year to get one is essential. After big holidays, Amazon Prime Day, or even whenever the latest smartphones are coming out make for great times to take advantage of  deals.

Consider when and where you want to get a new cell phone plan and wait for the holidays, or big events in the tech industry to save on your plan and cell phone too!