Best No-Data Plans

A no-data plan is a cell phone plan that offers texts and minutes for calls but no cellular data. This is a good option for minimalists out there who use their phones primarily to text or call and want to save money by cutting out data. You can still connect to the internet, but instead of connecting with your cellular service, you connect using Wi-Fi. You also can use Wi-Fi calling for when you don’t have great coverage for regular calls.

A no-data plan works best for you if:

✅You want an affordable plan with the ability to text and call

✅You primarily use home or work Wi-Fi to access the internet

✅You don’t need to use data for apps, map navigation, or work

✅You don’t own a smartphone

✅You want a back-up plan for emergencies

When selecting a plan with no data, keep in mind that your phone can’t connect to 5G internet and you won’t be able to use some apps while you’re out and about, unless you have a Wi-Fi connection. You also can’t send or receive any MMS texts that contain pictures, links, videos, audio, reactions, or emojis. You can only send SMS texts, i.e. plain text messages.

For that reason, it’s wise to have a low-data plan instead, with one or two gigabytes to get you through the month.

Tello’s No Data Plan is the best no-data plan you can get (ahem, potentially the only no-data plan out there). The plan costs just $8 monthly for unlimited texts, calls, and zero gigabytes of data. Zilch. Nada.

Even though the Tello No Data Plan is cheap and simple, it actually includes free calls to 60+ countries. Tello is also a T-Mobile MVNO, so you get access to consistent quality and reliability, according to OpenSignal’s Mobile Network Experience Report. This makes it easy to call and text without losing signal.

The US Mobile By the Gig plan is flexible, affordable, and packed full of perks. The plan costs only $10 for unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of high-speed data. It’s just enough to browse the internet occasionally over a 5G connection, but not so much that your gigabytes go wasted when you use Wi-Fi.

Here are a few nifty features of the plan:

• Shareable data across multiple lines
• Additional lines for $8 each
• Included hotspot capability with your data cap allotment
• International calls and text
• Choice of top mobile networks (T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T)

If you run out of data, your data service comes to a complete halt unless you top up for $2 per gig.

Red Pocket Mobile’s Essentials plan is another good option if you want a cheap plan with just 1GB of data and unlimited talk and text. It’s for people who just want a plan they can set and forget—especially because after you run out of high-speed data, you can still use unlimited data at slower speeds.

The Red Pocket Essentials comes with extra perks:

• Calling to 20+ countries
• Free roaming in Mexico and Canada (10 minutes of calls, 10 texts, and 10MBs of data)
• Ability to switch between top mobile networks with CoverageGenius (T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T)

Alternatively, seniors could opt for a low-data Basic plan with 50MB from Lively, which we go into more detail on in our Best Cell Phone Plans guide.

T-Mobile’s Unlimited Talk and Text Only Plan is a souped-up dataless plan that costs $20 per month. We give it the title of “Best coverage” because, unlike the other no-data plans we mentioned above, T-Mobile directly provides mobile service on its own network. This means you get the added benefit of being able to access domestic roaming agreements. So if you enter an area where T-Mobile has spotty coverage, your services jump to another network like Verizon or AT&T at no extra cost.

The Unlimited Talk and Text Only Plan includes the following extra features:

• Unlimited texts in over 215+ countries and destinations
• MMS texts (Multimedia Messaging Service) so you can still send and receive group text messages, emojis, pictures, and other rich-text
• All-inclusive prices, as in no additional taxes or fees

Yes, you can use your phone without data by adjusting a few settings on your phone and connecting to Wi-Fi to get internet access. This is an easy way to ensure you don’t use any data or limit your usage throughout the month.

Android users

1. Open Settings
2. Select Network and Internet or similar
3. Select SIMs
4. Toggle off mobile data

iPhone users

1. Open Settings
2. Select Cellular or Mobile Data
3. Toggle off mobile data (grey switch)

You can also search your phone for a “Low Data Mode” or “Data Saver” setting which can restrict background data use.

We chose our best no-data plans based on affordability and reliable coverage throughout the country. Our top pick, Tello, uses T-Mobile’s network, so it offers widespread coverage and availability. Tello is one of the few options available for people who truly don’t want any data at all, and its low $8 price point reflects this.

Since customers with no-data plans rely on text and calls, we looked into coverage for the parent networks of our best no-data plans using the OpenSignal Mobile Experience Award report. The report analyzes performance for AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, with T-Mobile sweeping most of the awards because of its great overall experience, coverage, and consistency.

Even though Tello takes first place, we highly recommend also checking out low-data plans because most people benefit from having a little bit of data, even if Wi-Fi is available round the clock. Learn more about how we review on our Methodology page.