Cheap US Cell Phone Plans

Since I keep getting asked, here are some of the current one for light use and NO contracts. They’re for light use. If you’re cruising the internet a lot, they’re not for you due to speed and restrictions.

You always want to start your search at clark.com  Clark Howard is the foremost consumer expert –  period. Search there under “cell phones” and you’ll learn more than you could ever imagine.

I used ting. I travel to the US occasionally and want a cheap plan with a US phone number. Ting charges me a flat $6 a month when I’m not using it. When I make one call, it triggers a $3 charge that month (for 1 to 100 calls) including those to Canada and Mexico at no added charge. When I send the first text, it’s an additional $3 that month – again, for 1 to 100 text message incoming or sending. So at most I’ll have 1 gb of data (I need it/use it just to get an Uber ordered, look up a hotel address, a hockey score, the weather, etc.) So when I’m in the US, the most I’ll pay is the base $6 and $3 for texts and $3 for calls = $12.

The alternatives are: Tello at a flat $10 a month with talk, text and 1 gb data on the Sprint network or Unrealmobile at a similar rate and also on Sprint. So both will need an unlocked phone (if you have one already) and a Sprint CDMA SIM card. You can get them at Target (I think they’re $3) or Best Buy. With all three (including Ting) you can go to their website and enter your phone information to see if your phone is compatible and enter your SIM card number.

One more thing: You may want to just get it set up from scratch with a new telephone number. Porting (taking your number with you) may be quick or may take a while. Unless you have a ton of people who have your number, it may be simpler to start from scratch. That’s your decision….

Whatever you decide, this may be WAY cheaper than paying the big Canadian cell carriers their $5 a DAY for roaming in the US or their monthly flat rate.

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