The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →To lower your phone bill, start comparing plans before you need to switch: match the number of lines and the service you actually use, then compare the full cost over the same period—not just the advertised monthly price. The available official guidance does not verify a specific $100 saving, so any personal savings figure should be backed by the old and new bills, dates, and calculation.
How to compare phone plans fairly
A low introductory price can hide costs or conditions that change the value of an offer. Compare the same number of lines, data needs, and features, and use a defined time period. The FCC’s mobile-plan pricing analysis accounts for promotional prices, recurring and non-recurring costs, rebates, line count, and data allowance: FCC 24-136.
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- Monthly price and promotion length: Record the price during the promotion and the standard price afterward.
- All charges: Include recurring charges, taxes and fees where stated, activation or other one-time fees, and any credits or rebates. Note when credits arrive and what qualifies.
- Data and speed: Check the plan’s terms for what happens at a usage threshold. The FCC describes possible reduced speeds, overage charges, or service stopping after an allowance, depending on the plan. “Unlimited” alone does not tell you which applies.
- Useful features and coverage: Compare hotspot, roaming, and other features you use, and check service where you live, work, and travel. Coverage and plan terms are not interchangeable.
- Devices and balances: Account for installment payments and promotional credits on your current phones, as well as any payoff or reimbursement offer on the new plan.
For a savings claim, calculate each option over the same stated period: add service charges and applicable fees, subtract credits only when they apply, and include one-time costs. Show the old and new totals and the arithmetic. A reimbursement with eligibility rules or delayed payment is not necessarily cash off the first bill.
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Shop ahead with a step-by-step checklist
- Gather a recent bill. List each line, recurring charge, add-on, device installment balance, and promotional credit, including when each credit ends.
- Identify what each line needs. Estimate data use and note features that matter. Compare plans for the same household and usage, not a smaller plan against a larger one.
- Check coverage, unlocking, and compatibility. Verify coverage in the places you use service. If you want to keep your phone, check that it is unlocked and compatible with the prospective provider’s network. The FCC consumer portal covers unlocking, compatibility, and number porting.
- Read the live offer terms. Check the required plan tier, number of lines or new lines, number-porting rules, proof requirements, offer duration, credit timing, and what happens to any remaining device balance if you leave early.
- Compare the full cost. Use the same time span for both options. Include the post-promotion price, applicable recurring and one-time charges, and credits only as allowed by their terms.
- Transfer your number through the new provider. In the U.S., you can generally keep your number when changing providers in the same geographic area through number porting. Follow the new provider’s current transfer instructions; procedures differ.
- Review the final old-provider bill. After the transfer, check for remaining device balances and other charges, and confirm the old account is properly closed.
Can you keep your number and phone?
In the U.S., number porting can let you keep your number when you change providers in the same geographic area. Start the transfer using the new provider’s current instructions rather than assuming every carrier uses the same process. Also check whether your existing phone is unlocked and compatible with the new provider before committing; keeping a number does not by itself establish that a handset will work.
#1 Best Overall
- WHAT YOU GET: Three (3) months of unlimited talk, text, and data delivered on the nation's largest 5G network. Data speeds may slow after 50GB when network is busy but data is unlimited. Videos stream at 480p.
- OH, YOU GET THIS TOO: 5G for Free + free mobile hotspot + Wi-Fi calling and text + free international calls to Mexico and Canada
- HOW YOU GET IT: The SIM Kit comes with a 3-in-1 SIM card that includes standard/micro/nano sizes, insert the SIM into your device, and activate on the Mint Mobile website or app. You can activate service on your own unlocked device with our Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) program. Check your coverage and phone compatibility on the Mint Mobile website.
- WHO SHOULD GET IT: Anyone who hates their phone bill
- WHY YOU SHOULD GET IT: Mint Mobile took what’s wrong with wireless and made it right. We re-imagined the wireless shopping experience and made it easy and online.
What switcher offers can—and cannot—tell you
Carrier promotions can reduce a bill or help with a device balance, but their conditions matter as much as the headline offer. For example, Verizon’s Switch & Save FAQs describe a per-line discount for eligible number transfers on a qualifying plan, with limits and combination rules. T-Mobile’s Keep and Switch terms describe potential reimbursement of an eligible remaining device payment balance, subject to requirements including activating a new voice line, porting the number, and providing proof of eligible financing.
These are examples, not proof that you qualify or that either option costs less. Check the live terms and compare the full service cost over the period that matters to you. Treat a device reimbursement according to its cap, eligibility, and timing rather than as an immediate discount on the monthly service price.
Rank #2
- We recently increased high-speed data allotments on every plan (but kept the same low pricing)! You may see a 20GB sticker on the front of your 23GB SIM Kit, rest assured your plan will have all 23GB of data loaded each month.
- WHAT YOU GET: Three (3) months of unlimited talk and text + 23GB of 5G-4G LTE data each month delivered on the nation's largest 5G network.
- OH, YOU GET THIS TOO: 5G for Free + free mobile hotspot + Wi-Fi calling and text + free international calls to Mexico and Canada
- HOW YOU GET IT: The SIM Kit comes with a 3-in-1 SIM card that includes standard/micro/nano sizes, insert the SIM into your device, and activate on the Mint Mobile website or app. You can activate service on your own unlocked device with our Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) program. Check your coverage and phone compatibility on the Mint Mobile website.
- WHO SHOULD GET IT: Anyone who hates their phone bill
Switching outside the United States
Number-transfer procedures vary by country. In Canada, the CRTC advises customers not to cancel their service before transferring the number to a new provider; see its number-transfer guidance. In the United Kingdom, Ofcom describes a different Text to Switch/PAC process and notes that early termination charges may apply when a customer is still in contract; see its mobile switching guide. Do not apply these country-specific steps to a U.S. transfer.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- NO CONTRACT: Pay $5 - $25/month for a fully customizable phone plan - choose your talk, text, and data with no strings attached; upgrade, downgrade or cancel your plan anytime with no penalties
- UNIVERSAL SIM CARD INCLUDED: The kit contains one three-in-one SIM card (nano, micro, and standard sizes) to fit most unlocked GSM-compatible smartphones
- NATIONWIDE 5G COVERAGE: Stay connected coast to coast with nationwide coverage on America's largest 5G network
- INTERNATIONAL CALLS TO 60+ COUNTRIES: All Tello plans include international calling to over 60 countries
- EASY ACTIVATION: Bring your own phone and activate your SIM on the Tello website; check your phone compatibility and coverage maps before purchasing to confirm service in your area
Rank #4
- STAY CONNECTED WORLDWIDE: Unlimited calling from the U.S. to 90+ international destinations including India, Mexico, Canada, China, the U.K. and more.
- RELIABLE NATIONWIDE COVERAGE: Enjoy 8GB of high-speed 5G/4G LTE data on the T-Mobile 5G Network.
- TRAVEL ACROSS NORTH AMERICA: Unlimited talk and text in Mexico and Canada plus international roaming credit.
- BRING YOUR OWN PHONE: Activate your compatible unlocked phone with the included 3-in-1 SIM card or eSIM. Keep your number or get a new one.
- NO CONTRACTS: Prepaid wireless with no annual contracts, no credit checks, and no hidden fees.
Rank #3
- We recently increased high-speed data allotments on every plan (but kept the same low pricing)! You may see a 15GB sticker on the front of your 17GB SIM Kit, rest assured your plan will have all 17GB of data loaded each month.
- WHAT YOU GET: Three (3) months of unlimited talk and text + 17GB of 5G-4G LTE data each month delivered on the nation's largest 5G network.
- OH, YOU GET THIS TOO: 5G for Free + free mobile hotspot + Wi-Fi calling and text + free international calls to Mexico and Canada
- HOW YOU GET IT: The SIM Kit comes with a 3-in-1 SIM card that includes standard/micro/nano sizes, insert the SIM into your device, and activate on the Mint Mobile website or app. You can activate service on your own unlocked device with our Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) program. Check your coverage and phone compatibility on the Mint Mobile website.
- WHO SHOULD GET IT: Anyone who hates their phone bill
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
