Most prepaid carriers will sell you the same plan for less if you pay for a year in advance. The discount is rarely on the first screen — it is behind a tab marked Annual, or a term selector, or buried in a footnote — and it ranges from eight percent to roughly half. We checked the annual rate against the monthly rate on every carrier we track that offers one. Here is what a year upfront is actually worth.
The annual rates, against the monthly ones
| Carrier and plan | Monthly | Paid annually | Effective/mo | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cricket Unlimited (12-month) | $50 | $300 | $25 | 50% |
| Lycamobile $19 plan (5GB) | $19 | $120 | $10 | 47% |
| AT&T Prepaid 12-month | $35 | $240 | $20 | 43% |
| Ultra Mobile 12GB | $29 | $240 | $20 | 31% |
| Ultra Mobile Unlimited (12-month intro) | $49 | $300 | $25 | 49% |
| Kroger Wireless Unlimited | $45 | $432 | $36 | 20% |
| Kroger Wireless 10GB | $35 | $336 | $28 | 20% |
| Visible+ Pro | $45 | $450 | $37.50 | 17% |
| Visible+ | $35 | $375 | $31.25 | 11% |
| Visible (base) | $25 | $275 | $22.92 | 8% |
Prices exclude taxes and fees except on Visible, which quotes all-in. Ultra Mobile's annual tiers carry an additional introductory rate for new customers that drops them further for the first year.
Where the discount is worth taking
The three carriers cutting more than 40 percent are doing something different from the rest. Cricket, AT&T Prepaid and Lycamobile are not offering a loyalty discount so much as pricing a different product: a plan you cannot leave, sold to a customer they do not have to bill or retain for a year. Cricket's 12-month unlimited at $300 is half the price of the same service bought monthly, and AT&T's 12-month plan at $240 costs less than either of the monthly unlimited tiers above it while including priority data and a 10GB hotspot that neither of them has.
At the other end, Visible's base plan saves $25 over a year. That is real money but it is not worth locking up $275 for, particularly when the monthly plan has no contract and Visible frequently runs promotional rates that beat the annual price outright.
The trap in the headline number
Several carriers advertise an annual price that is itself introductory. Ultra Mobile's 12-month 4GB plan is $10 a month for the first year and $13 after. Mint sells 3, 6 and 12-month terms at $15 a month for new customers, then full price on renewal. The saving is real for the first term and smaller for every one after it, so the number worth comparing is the renewal rate, not the joining rate.
The reverse trap also exists. Because annual pricing sits on a separate tab, plan comparisons — including most published ones — tend to quote the monthly rate and treat it as the plan's price. If you are comparing a carrier's annual rate against a rival's monthly rate, you are not comparing like with like.
Who should pay a year upfront
- You have tested the coverage where you live and work, ideally on a free trial or a single monthly cycle first.
- You are on a network you are unlikely to leave — annual plans remove your ability to switch cheaply if service disappoints.
- The discount is meaningful. Below about 15 percent, the flexibility is usually worth more than the money.
- You can absorb the upfront cost without financing it.
Which carriers let you try the service free, and for how long.
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Jean Gilles has researched personal finance, consumer technology, and wireless pricing for over a decade. He founded ShopCellPlans in 2019 and writes every review on the site.
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