Updated September 30, 2026 · TariffCue Editorial Team
Top prepaid phone plans compared
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| # | Provider | Score | Key facts | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 |  Virgin Mobile Mexico | 9.5/10 |
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| 52 |  Yas Tanzania | 9.5/10 |
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| 53 | Yas Tanzania | 9.5/10 |
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| 53 |  Alfa | 9.4/10 |
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| 54 |  Bouygues Telecom | 9.4/10 |
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| 55 |  cellcard | 9.4/10 |
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| 56 |  congstar | 9.4/10 |
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| 57 |  golistelecom | 9.4/10 |
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| 58 | Instabridge | 9.4/10 |
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| 59 |  Melita | 9.4/10 |
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About Top prepaid phone plans compared
Prepaid plans split buying into stages: the price you pay to start and the price you pay when a bundle renews. A provider can look cheap on one and heavy on the other, so both sit side by side here. This ranking covers 353 brands that sell without a long commitment, and it weighs entry price against what a plan actually includes: data allowances, texts, roaming reach and the support on hand when a bundle runs out early. The median entry price is €6.02, the cheapest listed is €0 and the priciest is €99.49. Unlimited data is another lever, and its median price is €21.70. Each entry below gives the reason that brand sits at that spot and sets it against the brand ranked next.
How we picked
Scores combine separate inputs. Cost carries 40% and reads the entry price, plus the unlimited price where a provider sells one. Offer carries 40% and covers the data allowance, texts, hotspot and rollover features, contract length, roaming reach and the support channels on offer. Trust carries 20% and reflects who sells the plan, the legal entity behind it and how readily help can be reached. Prices and plan details are drawn from each provider's published tariff and product pages plus the structured records held for this category, so every figure here matches what the provider lists. Prepaid billing applies across the members listed, and contract length, roaming and support channels are compared the same way for each. Partners are listed first where any exist, and the remaining brands follow in score order, so a position reflects the ranking rather than a paid placement.
How we rankWhat to look for
- Entry price
- Start with what a plan costs when you join. The median entry price in this ranking is €6.02, the lower quartile is €3 and the upper quartile is €13.15. A small starting figure matters less if the bundle it buys is tiny.
- Unlimited data
- Unlimited plans settle the question of running out of data mid month. The median unlimited price here is €21.70, the lower quartile is €13.15 and the cheapest listed is €0.88. Always read the plan name attached to that figure.
- Commitment length
- Most plans in this category are sold on a single month term, at 81.9%, with longer terms at 28.5% and 33.5% also present. The longer the term, the more the price after it deserves reading.
- Roaming and market reach
- Paid roaming is the most common setup, at 37.8%, ahead of included roaming at 30.6% and fair use at 31.6%. Readers who cross borders should settle which of these applies before they buy.
- What the bundle carries
- Data rollover applies to 73.4% of the plans here and hotspot sharing to 98.7%. A credit check is required on 59.5% of plans, which can slow a sign-up in some markets.
- Network and device support
- 5G reaches 94.1% of the plans in this ranking and eSIM is listed on 100%. Median download speed is 1,000 Mbps, with an upper quartile of 5,000 Mbps, which matters for anyone streaming on a phone.
Frequently asked questions
How is the entry price different from the renewal price on a prepaid plan?+
Prepaid plans are bought as bundles, so the entry price covers the first bundle and the renewal price covers the bundles that follow. Read the plan name next to every figure, because a daily pack and a monthly pack can sit under the same provider at very different prices. Where a provider sells unlimited data, that price is listed separately from the entry price, and both appear in the entries below. Most plans here run on a single month, so a renewal is a normal repurchase.
How low do entry prices go in this ranking?+
GETESA opens the list with a COMBI bundle at XAF 300 and an unlimited plan at XAF 33,000. Lonestar Cell MTN starts at $0.20 on a social bundle and Orange Liberia at $0.50 on Daily Turbo, while yesss! lists SIMpure as free. Prices are quoted in the currency of each market, so the figures are not directly comparable across countries.
Does any of these plans include European roaming?+
yesss! is the one that describes European roaming as fair-use, at fair use, and it runs on the A1 network in Austria. Movistar El Salvador, Smart Axiata, Yas Tanzania and Yas Tigo Tanzania all describe theirs as paid, as Alfa does at paid. Travellers should read the terms before signing up, since a fair-use arrangement works differently from a paid add-on abroad.
What does contract length mean on a prepaid plan here?+
On prepaid plans it describes how long a bundle runs before it has to be bought again, not a minimum term with an exit charge. Most of the plans listed run on a single month, at 81.9%. Movistar El Salvador is the long one here, with a 24 month term, and yesss! also offers commitments of 1 and 12 months. Longer terms often carry a different monthly price.
Which providers sell unlimited data?+
GETESA lists an unlimited bundle at XAF 33,000 next to a smaller monthly data bundle, and Movistar El Salvador sells unlimited Ilimitado options at $1.50 on a longer term. yesss! caps mobile data at a set allowance, and the Orange Liberia monthly packs stop at a large fixed allowance, so readers who never want to ration data should read the plan names closely.
How much does support vary across these providers?+
Phone support reaches 81.6% of plans in this ranking and a help centre 88%. GETESA, Lonestar Cell MTN, yesss!, Movistar El Salvador, Virgin Mobile Mexico, Yas Tanzania, Yas Tigo Tanzania and Alfa all offer the fuller set. Orange Liberia is the narrowest, running on email and help centre only, and Smart Axiata reaches customers on phone, email and help centre.
Top prepaid phone plans compared by country
Providers compared head to head
Related by the facts
Reviews
The data behind this ranking
| Metric | Value | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Seller type: network | 78.4 % | 338 |
| Seller type: mvno | 19.5 % | 338 |
| Seller type: reseller | 2.1 % | 338 |
| Sim only: true | 99.4 % | 324 |
| Sim only: false | 0.6 % | 324 |
| Billing: contract | 60.9 % | 353 |
| Billing: rolling | 30 % | 353 |
| Billing: prepaid | 100 % | 353 |
| Median price from | 6.02 EUR | 181 |
| Lower quartile price from | 3 EUR | 181 |
