5 Of The Best $50 Unlimited Phone Plans You Can Find

If you want to save money but still have an unlimited phone plan for your device, you can find several options for $50 or less per month. Unlike in the past, when you had to spend a fortune each month to get limitless service, you can now find that option at more reasonable prices. Smaller carriers made this possible, as they started offering services for less and created healthy competition for consumers.

However, even though several unlimited cell phone plans up to $50 exist, you need to do some research to decide which one best fits your profile. The price companies advertise may not be the final one, either, since taxes, fees, and other conditions can change the amount charged at the end of the month. Also, many advertise unlimited service but reduce data speed after you use it for a certain time.

Below, we have selected some of the best phone plan options you can find if you want unlimited service at a reasonable price. By considering factors such as the most reliable phone carriers and what each carrier offers beyond the basics, you can find the perfect alternative for your smartphone and enjoy the internet in a way that fits your life ... and budget.

One of the best $50 unlimited phone plans you can find in this price range is Cricket Wireless. It offers unlimited data when you use AT&T's 5G network, plus 15 gigabytes (GB) of hotspot data, as well as internet access in countries such as Mexico and Canada. When you subscribe to this service, you also get international text messaging and 100 GB of cloud storage.

Also, if more than one person wants to subscribe to the plan, Cricket Wireless offers discounts for multiple devices, which makes it a great deal to share. However, even with a package of useful features, it has some issues. Videos watched on the mobile network are limited to 480p resolution, and AT&T postpaid customers may get priority over you during network peak times. So consider whether these tradeoffs make sense for what it offers, especially if you are also weighing other cheap phone carriers that use AT&T's network.

T-Mobile's network ranks among the fastest in the United States for people who use 5G internet, so the Metro Flex Starter plan works well for a cell phone. For this price, you get unlimited data, eight GB of hotspot data, and phone upgrades included. This way, after 12 months with trade-in, you can replace your device under the same conditions they offer to new customers.

Metro is one of the most popular cheap phone carriers on T-Mobile's network, and the price becomes even more attractive when more people subscribe — with four lines, each person would pay around $30. Another interesting point is the five-year rate guarantee on talk, text, and data, which adds extra security for anyone who dislikes a carrier changing the bill after a few months.

However, Metro offers the $50 plan only if you keep AutoPay active — without it, you pay $55. The eight-gigabyte hotspot is also smaller than what other carriers offer, so if you rely on sharing internet with other devices, you may miss that extra data.

Total Wireless Total MAX 5G is one of the most complete unlimited phone plans under $50, especially for anyone who wants to use Verizon's network without paying postpaid prices. For this price (requiring auto pay), the plan includes unlimited 5G Ultra Wideband, unlimited talk and text, and unlimited hotspot usage, though its speeds stay capped at 5 Mbps. That makes it a strong option for users who want a stable and good mobile connection.

The plan also adds useful benefits beyond basic internet access, including roaming in more than 140 countries, international calling and texting to more than 200 countries, 100 GB of cloud storage, and spam protection. On the downside, the cost rises to $55 per month if you don't want to use auto pay, and the hotspot cap can limit heavier use on laptops or tablets. Even so, Total MAX 5G deserves attention among cheap phone carriers because it combines Verizon coverage with perks many rivals reserve for more expensive plans.

For those looking for an even more affordable phone plan with no internet limitations, Visible Plus might be the best option you will find. Visible Plus is one of the best cheap phone carriers that use Verizon's network, especially for users who prioritize consistent speeds without paying postpaid prices. For only $35 per month, it offers unlimited premium data on 4G and 5G with no deprioritization during peak hours.

If you are willing to pay a little more, Visible Plus Pro costs $45 and lets you watch videos in 4K UHD. The hotspot is also unlimited, but its speed stays capped at 15 Mbps, which usually works fine for browsing and even watching online streaming.

However, that hotspot speed is also one of the biggest problems with Visible Plus — connecting several devices at the same time may not work very well. Also, because it is a prepaid plan on Verizon, the experience in congested areas can vary compared with the carrier's postpaid customers, even though Verizon does not systematically deprioritize the Visible service. It's more a matter of the core Verizon customers getting priority when traffic is high.

US Mobile Unlimited Premium is another plan with excellent value for anyone who wants cell phone service but also needs to pay attention to a few conditions. For $32.50 per month, with taxes and fees already included, you get unlimited data with no data cap or deprioritization, unlimited hotspot, and 20 GB of international roaming data in more than 125 countries, perfect for anyone who wants to travel but does not want to get an eSIM just for that purpose.

US Mobile also gives you a lot of freedom when choosing the network you want to use. You do not need to stay tied to a single carrier, but instead can select between Warp (Verizon), Light Speed (T-Mobile), or Dark Star (AT&T), and you can switch whenever you want via eSIM at no extra cost on the Premium plan.  Without an eSIM, you get two free swaps, then incur a fee every time you switch (or switch back). The amount of data you get for hotspot use also changes based on the selected network.

The only point to watch is that reaching these more aggressive US Mobile prices depends on its payment model. The $32.50 price applies to an annual contract paid all at once. If you subscribe monthly, it sits around $44. So, if you do not want to pay the full amount at once, it's not quite as good a deal on a month-to-month basis.

It's worth noting that, even though these plans are marketed as unlimited, the vast majority of them reduce data speeds after a certain cap is reached. With that in mind, we based our picks on the plans that offer the best conditions within those limitations, such as a higher data limit for users or some useful perks like roaming and cloud storage. We also considered cheaper alternatives within the same carrier when the value was hard to ignore.

Network reliability was another key factor, as we preferred plans running on Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T networks with nationwide 5G coverage. Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) running on their own infrastructure were excluded from this list since their networks aren't as well tested and may not be as reliable as those running virtually across one of the three major carriers. Finally, we prioritized plans that cater to different user profiles, since not everyone is signing up solo — the availability of multi-line discounts and family-friendly options was also part of our evaluation.