SAVE MONEY WITH A PREPAID PHONE PLAN

These plans come without surprises—and they’re often budget-friendly.

- BY PHILIP MICHAELS

A PREPAID PHONE plan helps you keep your wireless bill under control. Instead of waiting until the end of the month to find out what you owe, you pay a fixed amount ahead of time for a pool of data. A number of prepaid carriers provide a lot of data—in some cases, it’s unlimited—for a price that won’t bust your budget. The trick is to consider mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs. These companies use the networks of other carriers for their service, which allows them to charge less for coverage. (But MVNOs may also cut back on perks to keep costs down.)

As you review the options among prepaid plans, evaluate how much data you get in exchange for the monthly rate, as well as what happens when you use up all your data in a given month: Do data speeds slow down, or do you have to buy additional data? Also consider the strength of a carrier’s network coverage at your home and workplace.

Here, the editors of tech-review site Tom’s Guide highlight plans that offer the best mix of low costs and ample data. All of them include unlimited calls and text messaging.