With unlimited plans continually getting cheaper, phone carriers have landed on another way to make their offerings even more competitive: yearly phone plans.
Yearly phone plans are prepaid plans offering a full year of wireless service for a one-time payment. Also known as annual or 12-month phone plans, these options are typically cheaper for a year of service than their monthly counterparts.
MVNOs like Mint Mobile, US Mobile, and Visible are leading the charge on annual phone plan savings—in fact, we think the Visible+ annual plan is the best option on the market. If you like your coverage and plan features, annual plans offer a great way to lock in a low price for up to a year.
Read on to learn more about yearly phone plans, if they’re right for you, and the best annual plans currently available.
What is a yearly phone plan?
A yearly phone plan is a prepaid wireless plan that offers a full year of service for a one-time upfront cost. Carriers can offer annual plans as an extension of their regular plan lineup, or they may offer them as a special plan you can only purchase in a 12-month block.
The biggest advantage of an annual phone plan is that they are typically cheaper than monthly options. They’re how carriers like Mint Mobile keep their prices so low. Carriers are willing to offer slightly better pricing because these plans lock customers in for an entire year of service.
How much do yearly phone plans cost?
The pricing of yearly phone plans varies quite a bit. Mint Mobile’s 5GB Plan is one of the cheapest phone plans on the market at $180 ($15/month). One of the most expensive options is US Mobile’s perk-filled Unlimited plan for $360 ($30.00/month).
While that may sound expensive to pay all at once, remember that Mint's Unlimited plan costs significantly less than unlimited plans on any of the big 3 carriers. Mint's annual plan saves you upwards of $400/year compared to similar plans from Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile.
Major carriers can also offer prepaid annual plans, though they’re rarer. For example, AT&T’s Prepaid Unlimited Data + 10GB Hotspot annual plan is $300 overall. That’s a great deal compared to its cheapest postpaid plan—Value 2.0—which costs $50/month ($600 for a year).
In most cases, purchasing a year of service will save you money overall, even if it does require a large upfront payment.
Check out how the pricing of some popular annual prepaid phone plans works below:
Monthly vs. annual phone plan prices
| Year of monthly pricing |
Annual plan pricing |
Total savings |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| US Mobile Unlimited Starter |
$300 ($25/mo.) |
$270 | $30 |
| US Mobile Unlimited Premium |
$528 ($44/mo.) |
$390 | $138 |
| Visible | $300 ($25/mo.) |
$275 | $25 |
| Visible+ | $420 ($45/mo.) |
$375 | $45 |
| Visible+ Pro | $540 ($45/mo.) |
$450 | $90 |
| Mint 20GB plan |
$300 ($25/mo.)* |
$300 | $0** |
| Mint Unlimited | $360 ($30/mo.)* |
$360 | $0** |
*Three-month cost. Mint Mobile does not offer monthly phone plans.
**There are no cost savings because Mint Mobile does not offer monthly phone plans.
Pros & cons of annual phone plans
Pros:
- Cheaper pricing overall
- Convenient billing
- No surprise price increases
Cons:
- Large upfront payment
- More difficult to change carriers
Annual phone plans have several benefits. The biggest is that they can score you a lower price on your phone plan. They also make paying your phone bill more convenient, as you only have to worry about being charged once a year. Plus, you’ll secure the cheapest pricing for the entire plan period, so surprise price increases won’t impact your bill.
On the other hand, annual phone plans do require a much larger upfront payment than monthly phone plans. That means they can be prohibitively expensive for customers on a budget, especially if they want a family plan. If the upfront cost is the main barrier, using your tax refund to cover an annual plan is one of the smartest money moves you can make. Annual plans also lock you into a carrier for an entire year of service. You can still change carriers if you need to, but you’ll forfeit the remaining time on your plan with no refund in most cases.
2 for 1 unlimited plans with US Mobile
Get two annual unlimited data plans for the price of one with US Mobile's BOGO promotion. Their current deal includes an additional full year of unlimited when you sign up for 12 months of Unlimited Starter or Unlimited Premium.
Make sure you choose US Mobile's Dark Star network with AT&T coverage to snag your second plan for free. New customers have to bring their old phone number, so be prepared to port in as well. Don't wait too long since this offer ends August 15.
|
US Mobile
Unlimited Starter Plan (Dark Star)
$25.00/mo
$20/mo. for 6 months; $25/mo. thereafter
|
|
US Mobile
Unlimited Premium Plan (Dark Star)
$39.00/mo
|
Who should choose a yearly phone plan?
If you like your wireless plan and can afford the upfront payment, choosing an annual plan is a great way to save money on a service you were already planning to buy. That said, if you're changing carriers and see an annual plan as an option, we recommend testing your new network or purchasing a monthly plan when you initially switch. That way, you can ensure you’ll have excellent coverage without locking yourself into a year of service.
Who should avoid a yearly phone plan?
If you like to change carriers frequently or can’t afford the upfront payment, we recommend staying with a monthly plan. Some customers like switching carriers often to take advantage of deals, device offers, or things like cheap international service when traveling. If the annual plan carrier doesn’t have those features, you may want to stick to a monthly plan.
Additionally, while annual plans save money in the long run, they are expensive upfront. You should avoid annual plans if the cost would leave you struggling with your other monthly bills after purchase.
Annual plans are also not the best choice for customers who need features included in postpaid plans, like phone installment plans or streaming service subscriptions. If that sounds like you, there are still other ways to lower your cell phone bill, like using your tax refund. Learn more about the differences between prepaid and postpaid plans in our guide.
The best annual cell phone plans
Some of the most popular MVNOs on the market offer annual plans.
Best annual plan overall: Visible+
Visible+ is our pick for the best overall annual plan for $375 per year. It offers unlimited premium data on Verizon’s 5G network and an unlimited mobile hotspot with speeds capped at 10Mbps.
Visible is one of our favorite carriers, and this is one of the best prepaid unlimited plans on the market. During our Visible test and review, we saw download speeds consistently over 100Mbps and robust coverage everywhere we tested. Picking this plan as an annual option will save you $45 compared to a year of the monthly cost.
|
Visible
$375 Visible+ Annual Plan
$375.00
Regular rate at $420/year<br>Taxes & Fees included
|
Cheapest annual plan: US Mobile Unlimited Starter
The cheapest unlimited yearly phone plan is US Mobile’s Unlimited Starter plan at $270 per year, or $22.50 per month. It offers 70GB of premium data and a 10GB mobile hotspot. If you use up the 70GB allotment, you’ll still stay connected—just at a slower speed.
One of US Mobile’s unique features is that you can pick coverage from AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile. When we tested US Mobile, we saw the fastest speeds on the Dark Star network (AT&T) at around 488Mbps.
|
US Mobile
Unlimited Starter Annual Plan
$199.00
Pay $199 for the first year or $16.60/month<br>(Regular rate is $270 for 12 months or $22.50/month)
|
Best annual family plan: Mint Unlimited
The best annual plan for families is Mint Mobile’s Unlimited plan. With 50GB of premium data and a 20GB mobile hotspot, it’s an excellent value for $360. Plus, if you build a Mint Modern Family Plan, you can get annual pricing no matter the length of your plan.
Why is this a standout feature? Mint typically sells its plans in 3-, 6-, and 12-month blocks, with the 3- and 6-month pricing costing more after an introductory promotional price. If you’re worried that paying for an annual family plan upfront would be too expensive, Mint’s family plan offers a way to get the cheapest annual pricing while paying every three months instead.
Any of Mint’s plans are eligible for the Modern Family Plan, so check out our Mint Mobile deals page to score some savings and switch.
|
Mint Mobile
Unlimited Data Plan
$25.00/mo
$75.00 upfront payment for 3 months (equals to $25.00/month). Intro pricing for new customers only.
|
How to pick the right 12-month phone plan
Picking the right annual phone plan is just like picking a regular phone plan. The main difference is that they come with a higher upfront cost.
Here are some things to keep in mind and watch out for:
- Price: While a carrier may show you a monthly cost, the entire bill for an annual plan is due up front. Make sure you can afford that payment before signing up.
- Coverage: Each network has strengths and weaknesses. Make sure the carrier you want offers solid coverage in your area by using our coverage guide.
- Data allotment: Find out how much data you need in a phone plan. The average customer only uses 10-15GB per month. Our mobile data guide can help you determine your monthly usage.
- Mobile hotspot: If you need mobile hotspot data, make sure the plan you pick offers an allotment. You may also need to choose between a high-speed hotspot with limited data or an unlimited hotspot with slower data.
- Perks and extras: Some phone plans come with perks like streaming subscriptions or international data. These perks are useful but will also drive up the cost of your plan. If you don’t need perks, you can probably find a cheaper plan without them.
We have a full guide to picking the right cell phone plan to help you break down the different features and benefits, and assess which ones are most important to you.
Max McCaskill
Sr. Staff Writer
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