The Best Prepaid Phones for Seniors in 2024

Overview

Device cost: $99.99 when purchased from Lively

If you’re looking for an affordable phone with flexible monthly contracting, the Jitterbug Flip2 is the phone for you. It’s the only phone on this list to offer medical services for seniors, like an on-call nurse, emergency alerts sent to friends and family, and even a care advocate who can help you meet your health goals.

Features

Of the phones we tested for this article, the Flip2 is the only flip phone aside from the Iris Flip, which means it is super easy to use. It has those things you may remember as buttons, meaning you don’t have to type on a hard-to-read smartphone, ideal for people with vision issues. But just because it’s a flip phone doesn’t mean it was lacking in modern features. Take Alexa, for example, Amazon’s voice assistant. We used Alexa with the Flip2 to make calls for us, send and write text messages, and even check our battery level.

The last feature we want to point out is the dedicated “urgent response” button at the bottom of the keyboard — red with a white star and exclamation point. If we need help, all we have to do is push that button, which is much quicker than dialing 911. Lively, the company behind the Flip2, uses our phone’s location data to see where we are and send emergency responders or our family and friends — whatever we need. This phone is designed for seniors, keeping safety foremost in mind.

Prepaid Plans

With a Jitterbug plan, you can pay anywhere from $19.99 to $49.99 for unlimited talk and texting. There is no additional charge for data, which isn’t the case with other Lively products like the Jitterbug Smart4 or Smart3 smartphones. There are no long-term contracts or cancellation fees. Note that the plans below include a $5-per-month discount for enrolling in automatic and paperless billing, which we prefer, as it meant we didn’t have to remember to pay the bill each month. Since there is no high-speed data, there are no overage charges, and we didn’t pay an activation fee.

Technically, Lively is not a prepaid carrier; however, it requires no long-term contract, meaning you can cancel at any time without penalty.

Jitterbug Flip2 Plans

Plan	Basic	Premium	Preferred
Monthly cost	$19.99	$39.99	$49.99
Unlimited talk and text	Yes	Yes	Yes
Urgent response	No	Yes	Yes
Lively app	No	Yes	Yes
Nurse on call	No	No	Yes

Drawbacks

Because the Flip2 is a flip phone and not a smartphone, it lacks some modern features, like video chatting, music and video streaming, and internet usage. Essentially, we used this phone just to make calls and texts, which may not be enough functionality for some people. If you want to use the internet on your phone, all of the other phones on this list allow for it.

Our Verdict

If you want a phone that lets you talk and text while protecting you medically in case of an emergency, there’s no better option than the Jitterbug Flip2. Even though its plans are not technically prepaid, they have many of the advantages of prepaid plans, like no long-term contract and low prices.

To learn more about this phone, read our full Jitterbug Flip2 review.

Overview

Device cost: $69 when purchased from Consumer Cellular

If affordability is top of mind, you’ll love the price tag on the Iris Flip. The flip phone costs $69, or only $2 per month if you finance for 24 months, and data plans start at only $20 per month.

Features

Like the Jitterbug Flip2, the Iris Flip had a simple design that was completely intuitive for us to use. As a regular flip phone, it has that physical keyboard that makes it much easier to send calls and texts, with large buttons ideal for someone with visual impairment. But what the Iris Flip has that the Flip2 lacks are apps and internet access, just like a smartphone. We loved using it to check our email and surf the web in waiting rooms. Plus, like the Flip2, the Iris Flip allowed us to command it with our voice. Without touching the keyboard, we told the Iris Flip to open apps. We also used it to dictate texts, which is much easier than typing on that old-school T9 keyboard.

Prepaid Plans

The Iris Flip is available from Consumer Cellular, which uses the AT&T network. Per month, you can expect to pay $20 to $50 for 1 GB of unlimited data. These prices are a lot less than AT&T’s typical plans, which start at $50 per month and go all the way up to $85. All plans include unlimited talk and text. Plus, there’s a 5 percent discount for AARP members, bringing prices down to $19 per month. Paperless billing and automatic payments are included in all plans along with mobile hotspots and 5G access, the fastest speeds around.

>>Read more: Consumer Cellular Plans for Seniors

One major difference between the Flip2 and the Iris Flip is overage charges. With the Iris Flip, if you go over your monthly data cap, you’ll be upgraded automatically to the next tier of plan. While this does mean you’ll have to pay more, it circumvents the potentially costly issue of overage charges.

Iris Flip Plans

Amount of data per month in GB	1	5	10	Unlimited
Cost per month	$20	$25	$35	$50
Unlimited talk/text	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
5G access	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Discounts	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Nationwide coverage	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Drawbacks

If you want to use your phone to take high-quality photos, the Iris Flip probably isn’t the best option. It lacks a front-facing camera — i.e., a “selfie” camera — and its rear-facing camera is grainy and washed out at best. If you want a high-quality camera, we’d recommend the iPhone SE, the Iris Connect, or the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G.

Our Verdict

Despite its subpar camera, the Iris Flip gave us the best of both worlds: smartphone capabilities for a flip phone price.

To learn more about this phone, read our full Iris Flip review.

Overview

Device cost: $379.99 when purchased from Cricket Wireless

If you want a high-quality phone with multiple cameras, Siri, and video chat, the iPhone SE is a higher-end option. Plus, if you get it through Cricket Wireless, you can avoid overage charges completely while still getting some of the perks of a postpaid plan, like streaming through Max.

>>Read more: Cricket Wireless Senior Plans

Features

The iPhone SE from Apple has endless apps, which we missed with a flip phone like the Jitterbug Flip2. From streaming music on Spotify to listening to podcasts on Apple Podcasts to checking our banking app multiple times each day — like that’ll make the balance go up — there are millions of apps available on the App Store.

We also enjoyed using Siri to command our phone without having to press a button. For getting the weather or asking Siri questions, this voice assistant is useful for someone with a visual impairment. Finally, the SE has a 12 MP main camera, which means high-quality photos with portrait lighting, making even simple snapshots look professional.

Prepaid Plans

We could’ve used the iPhone SE with AT&T, T-Mobile, Total by Verizon, Boost Mobile, Straight Talk, among others, but we chose (and recommend) Cricket Wireless. We paid for the service at the beginning of the month, not the end like with the previous two phones. Prices start at $30 per month, and all plans include unlimited talk and text. The top-tier plan also includes a mobile hotspot, meaning you can use your data to connect other devices to the internet, as well as a few other perks:

• Subscription to Max with ads
• 150 GB of cloud storage
• International calls to Mexico and Canada, unlimited texting from the U.S. to 37 countries

Because Cricket Wireless is prepaid, there were no overage charges. If we went over our monthly data cap, our service was cut off. Note that we paid no activation fee because we bought the iPhone SE online, but if you buy it in a store, you’ll have to pay $25 to activate it. There is also a $5-per-month discount for enrolling in automatic payments, although this option isn’t available with the 5-GB-per-month plan.

iPhone SE Plans With Cricket

Amount of data per month in GB	5	10	Unlimited	Unlimited with 15 GB mobile hotspot
Cost per month	$30	$40	$55	$60
Unlimited talk/text	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
5G access	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Discounts	None	$5 off with autopay	$5 off with autopay	$5 off with autopay
Nationwide coverage	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Drawbacks

Currently priced at $379.99, the iPhone SE is by far the most expensive phone on this list. Apple products tend to come with high costs, as they’re packed with features and are super easy to use. If budget is top of mind, we recommend avoiding Apple products unless they’re refurbished, which brings costs down slightly.

Our Verdict

Although the iPhone SE is pricey, using it with Cricket Wireless will keep your monthly costs low, and there’s no way you’ll have to pay more than what you paid at the beginning of the month. While other phones may be cheaper, you may end up paying more for them in terms of overage charges, activation charges, and cancellation fees.

To learn more about this phone, read our guide to the best iPhones for seniors.

Overview

Device cost: $169 when purchased from Mint Mobile

With the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G, you’ll get all of the features you want from a smartphone, like a large screen, 64 GB of memory, and Google Play, with an incredibly affordable prepaid plan. Mint Mobile plans start at $15 per month, and there are no overage charges whatsoever.

Features

The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G is most similar to the iPhone SE, but instead of being part of the Apple ecosystem, it’s part of the Android ecosystem. That means that we had all of the apps from Google Play, which is as expansive as the App Store. And since we organize our entire lives with Google’s apps, like Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs, it was easy to find everything we needed straight from the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G.

Being designed by one of the largest companies on this list, the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G worked smoothly, with no glitches or slow download speeds. Finally, the cameras were of great quality, with a 5 MP selfie camera, and in the back, three cameras: one 50 MP, one 2 MP for wider shots, and one 2 MP for depth. We were amazed at how good our photos looked on the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G, and we’re not even good at photography!

Prepaid Plans

Although the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G works with T-Mobile, Ultra Mobile, Assurance Wireless, TracFone, and Total by Verizon, among other providers, we chose Mint Mobile because it has the lowest prices on the market. We paid at the beginning of the month for our phone service: only $15 with a three-month commitment for 5G of data, or only $30 for unlimited data. But if you buy the phone itself from Mint Mobile and get a six-month plan, the first six months of service are free. You can’t get any cheaper than that!

Although Mint Mobile’s plans are prepaid, if you go over your limit, service won’t end, unlike Cricket Wireless. Rather, the company will just give you slower data, and there’s the ability to upgrade. There’s also no activation fee and a seven-day money-back guarantee, minus the cost of shipping. However, the company doesn’t give refunds beyond this period, so there’s no way to get rid of any unused data. Once you buy it, it’s yours for the keeping!

To learn more about these plans, read our guide to Mint Mobile senior plans.

Mint Mobile Plans

Amount of data per month in GB	5	15	20	Unlimited
Cost per month	3 months: $15 6 months: $20 12 months: $15	3 months: $20 6 months: $25 12 months: 20	3 months: $25 6 months: $35 12 months: $25	3 months: $30 6 months: $35 12 months: $30
Unlimited talk/text	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
5G access	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Discounts	6 months of free service with a phone purchase	6 months of free service with a phone purchase	6 months of free service with a phone purchase	6 months of free service with a phone purchase
Nationwide coverage	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Drawbacks

People with arthritis may want a phone that works with a wireless charging dock, like the Jitterbug Flip2. Unfortunately, this isn’t an option with the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G. Additionally, while it’s not quite as pricey as the iPhone SE, it’s the second-most-expensive phone on this list, costing $169 from Mint Mobile. If you want a more affordable smartphone, keep reading about the Iris Connect, which costs $89.

Our Verdict

With the breadth of Google Play, professional-grade cameras, and up to 38 hours of talk time, the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G is at the top of the market in terms of features. Mint Mobile is a great prepaid provider for this phone, offering six months of service for free with a phone purchase.

Overview

Device cost: $89 when purchased from Consumer Cellular

If you’re one of the 14 percent of U.S. adults age 50 and older with hearing loss, you may need a phone that works with your hearing aids. The Iris Connect is a smartphone compatible with M3/T3 hearing aids, and it costs only $89.

>>Read more: Consumer Cellular Review

Features

Aside from its compatibility with hearing aids, we love that the Iris Connect uses the Android 13 operating system, meaning we had access to Google Play, just like we did with the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G. From getting directions from Google Maps as we drove to giving commands to Google Assistant, the Android version of Siri, this phone gave us the features we love with a smaller price tag. But it still had a smooth performance, displaying our most frequently used apps on the home screen so we could navigate with little friction. Plus, we love how the home screen has the Google search bar at the top, because when are we not Googling something?

Prepaid Plans

The Iris Connect, like the Iris Flip, uses Consumer Cellular, which, again, is not technically a prepaid plan. That means we paid at the end of the month, not the beginning, and that there were overage charges in the form of an upgrade. Say we signed up for 1 GB of data per month for $20 and ended up using 3 GB instead. Automatically, Consumer Cellular would upgrade us to the next level, which is 5 GB for $25. It’s not terrible, but it’s something to keep in mind if you are trying to stick to a strict monthly budget.

However, all of Consumer Cellular’s plans are monthly, so there are no cancellation fees, and we didn’t pay a fee to activate the Iris Connect, either. Note that Consumer Cellular bills paperlessly and automatically, so there’s no additional discount. However, if you’re one of AARP’s 38 million members, you can save 5 percent monthly.

Iris Connect Plans

Amount of data per month in GB	1	5	10	Unlimited
Cost per month	$20	$25	$35	$50
Unlimited talk/text	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
5G access	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Discounts	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Nationwide coverage	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Drawbacks

Since Consumer Cellular is only monthly, not prepaid, you may end up paying more than you initially bargained for if you go over your monthly data limit. What’s more, since all billing is automatic and electronic, you may not even realize you’re paying more for cell service until you’ve already been charged. To avoid this, we recommend turning on usage alerts so you can get emailed and texted when you’ve reached 50 and 75 percent of your monthly data.

Our Verdict

With hearing aid compatibility and an $89 price tag, the Iris Connect is an affordable Android phone with low monthly fees from Consumer Cellular.

To learn more about this phone, read our full Iris Connect review.