Best prepaid phone deals: Android, iPhone, flip phone

While some of the best cell phone plan deals often come bundled with a phone, many of the best phone deals out there are on prepaid phones. Prepaid phones are great for students and kids, as they allow you to pay for only what you use instead of being locked into an expensive carrier plan that may be way more than some people need. We’ve rounded up all of the best prepaid phone deals below and among them you’ll find the likes of Samsung, Motorola, and even Apple. Read onward for all of the details, and if you’d like to compare these prepaid phone deals to the savings available on phones bound to a monthly plan you can check out the best iPhone deals, best Samsung Galaxy S24 deals, and best Google Pixel 8 deals. There are even some more affordable options among the best refurbished iPhone deals, best iPhone SE deals, and best Samsung Galaxy S23 deals.

Straight Talk Samsung Galaxy A03s — $40 $60 33% off

Samsung

Samsung makes some of the best phones on the market, and while the Galaxy A03s might not fall under that banner, it is a great budget phone. It has a 6.5-inch HD+ with a 60Hz refresh rate, which is pretty solid, and the 3GB of RAM is not too bad either. That said, it only has 32GB of internal storage, although that can be upgraded with a MicroSD card, so it’s not so bad. The phone comes paired with a Straight Talk plan, which you can get for as low as $15 a month.

Lively Jitterbug Flip2 Cell Phone — $40 $80 50% off

Jitterbug

If you’re taking care of an elder who has an issue interfacing with technology, the Jitterbug Flip2 is an excellent option and one of our favorite flip phones. It has big buttons that are easier to press, plus an emergency button at the bottom that can call for help quickly. There is also a Lively Link app where family members can get alerts with emergencies, while the Nurse On-Call feature lets them ask medical questions any time of the week, even during the weekend. It also comes with a solid camera and a reading magnifier, which are nice options, and you can even grab a Lively plan starting at $20/month

Straight Talk Motorola Moto G 5G (2024) — $60 $80 25% off

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

The Motorola Moto G 5G is a more powerful alternative to the Moto G Stylus, and it’s also a super affordable prepaid phone. It has a lot of great perks, such as a 6.5-inch, 120Hz screen that will give you a smooth experience. This model clocks in with 64GB of storage capacity and 4GB of RAM. The Moto G 5G is locked to Straight Talk with this deal.

AT&T Samsung Galaxy A14 5G — $70 $180 71% off

Samsung / Samsung

If you like the Samsung ecosystem and want a budget-friendly option that is a bit more powerful, the Galaxy A14 5G is the way to go. It has a 6.6-inch screen that runs an FHD resolution that you don’t find on some other budget phones, while the 4GB is really good for the price bracket. That said, the internal storage is only 64GB, although it can be upgraded with a MicroSD, but it would have been nice if it was a bit more. Even so, you get three rear-facing cameras to work with while the 5,000 mAh battery should last you around two days.

AT&T Samsung Galaxy A15 5G — $100 $139 28% off

Samsung

It can sometimes be difficult to track down popular phones with a prepaid option, but the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G does come with a prepaid option at AT&T. It has an impressive 6.5-inch display yet maintains a slim footprint. Samsung also manages to keep this phone from getting too heavy. It has 4GB of RAM and an octa-core processor that combine to power through games, photos, and browsing social media, as well as 5G connectivity to ensure you’re getting optimal data speeds.

What is a prepaid phone?

The way that most phone plans tend to work is that you lock yourself into a contract, usually between six to 12 months, or potentially more, and that gives you a set bill every month. Sometimes that bill can increase if you use additional services, but for the most part, you’re going to be getting roughly the same bill every month. On the other hand, a prepaid plan means that you buy a set amount of credit in the form of minutes or data plans, and once you run out, the plan stops working.

A pre-paid plan can be very useful for those who are living on a budget and want to have tighter control of their plan, especially since you can usually change what “plan” you have from month to month, so you have more freedom. On the flip side, if you finish your plan’s credit and are stuck at work or in the middle of nowhere, then you’re left without a usable data/phone line until you recharge. Similarly, prepaid plans may pay more for the same features/calls/etc. as you would with a postpaid plan, so you are losing out a bit in the process.