2016 - Best No-Contract Mobile Phone Plans

After years of suffering through the major carriers' complicated (and expensive) multi-year contracts which included subsidized cellphones, 2016 appears to be a banner year for users as the last of the major carriers abandons subsidies.

Users may be paying suggested retail for their shiny new phones, but they will be benefitting from paying off the balance over a pre-determined period, or by paying in full upfront. And if buying an unlocked no-contract device, users can choose from a variety of lower cost prepaid plans. Some of the more popular ones are listed below:

• Boost and Virgin Mobile - subsidiaries operate on Sprint's network
• Cricket Wireless - subsidiary on AT&T's network
• Go Smart and MetroPCS on T-Mobile
• Straight Talk (with WalMart) on T-Mobile or AT&T, and Simple Mobile (on T-Mobile)
• TracFone with multiple brands operating on major carrier networks
• FreedomPop - plans range from free to discounted rates over Sprint
• Republic Wireless - low monthly rates on WiFi and Sprint
• TextNow - WiFi calling and Sprint network
• Scratch, Ting, Ultra, H2O, and others offering low monthly rates; some with international calling and unlimited international texts

Perform a quick search on the above-listed brands and choose a plan which fits your needs. If you don't like it, change providers at the end of each monthly billing cycle.

Some of these providers (carriers and MVNOs) offer no-contract phones, while others only sell SIM cards. Prior to purchasing a mobile phone, check to see who has the best coverage in the area you plan to use it, and which operating system (GSM, CDMA) it utilizes. Also, if a 4G/LTE phone is important to you, be sure that it uses those frequency bands of your chosen carrier.

Some of the top-tier cellphone manufacturers have unlocked versions available, and these devices can be purchased from Amazon, Newegg, and warehouse clubs. Google and Motorola also sell direct, and have solid devices with outstanding reviews.

Good luck!