Top Prepaid Internet Providers for 2024: People who like having options with their internet plans, like students and adults, can benefit from prepaid internet services. Find out about the best prepaid home internet service providers (ISPs) and plans below. We’ll also talk about the pros and cons of each and show you how to find cheap month-to-month internet plans near you.

Best home internet plans with no contract

• Best for having more than one plan: Get AT&T Prepaid
• Best for guaranteeing a price for a long time: Cox StraightUp Internet
• The best for general web use: Shentel Internet Service with Prepaid Cards
• Best for pre-paid internet with endless use: Straight Talk Home Internet
• Best for getting online for a short time: Get Xfinity Prepaid

Check out the best prepaid internet deals.

All of these cable companies and 5G home internet options let you pay ahead of time for service.

Review of prepaid internet service providers

When you sign up for a prepaid internet plan, there are no contracts and no credit checks. Some things, like cost, data limits, extra fees, and availability, may be different, though. Find out what the best pay-as-you-go internet deals are and what they’re not.

AT&T Prepaid: Several plan choices

A lot of other prepaid companies only give one plan, but AT&T Prepaid has four. For $25 a month, you can get 15, 20, 50, or 100 GB of data. AT&T Prepaid internet has 5G speeds that range from 40 to 140 Mbps based on where you live. Not so great things about AT&T Prepaid are that all of the plans have data limits and you need a wifi device to get service. AT&T’s 5G hotspot devices can cost anywhere from $210 to over $460, so this is an expensive investment up front.

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Cox StraightUp Internet: Price Guarantee for a Long Time

The price of $50/mo for Cox StraightUp Internet will stay the same for three years as long as you pay your bill every month. As a bonus, Cox’s prepaid plans come with free equipment, self-installation, and access to nearby Wi-Fi hotspots. The best way to sign up for service is in person or online at most Boost Mobile shops. That’s how much data you can get with a Cox prepaid plan. For most people, that’s plenty, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Shentel Prepaid Internet Service – Best for basic use

The fixed plan from Shentel is easy to understand. The price for thirty days of service is $45, which includes the router, Ethernet cable, and power cord. Shentel does, however, only serve a small area. It’s mostly offered in Virginia, but West Virginia, Maryland, and Kentucky are also covered.

Straight Talk Home Internet – Unlimited data plans

For $45 a month, you can get Straight Talk Home Internet at Walmart, either in-store or online. This is the only prepaid service on this list that gives you endless internet access over Wi-Fi. It works with Verizon cell networks. One problem with Straight Talk plans is that speeds vary a lot from place to place. In 5G and LTE places, you can get speeds of up to 100 Mbps for downloading and 10 Mbps for uploading.

Xfinity Prepaid: Internet for a short time

Xfinity is the only prepaid internet service that lets you pay over time instead of all at once. If you only need internet for a short time, Xfinity has prepaid deals for $15 that last for 7 days. The paid plan for 30 days costs $45 a month. With Xfinity Prepaid, you get a free gateway, which is a modem and Wi-Fi router in one. There is a 1 TB data cap on prepaid plans, though, and you can’t get Xfinity Prepaid if you already have Xfinity Postpaid at your home.

How to pick the best cheap internet plan

Follow these simple steps to find the best deals on prepaid internet service in your area.

• Think about what a fast internet connection is for the things you want to do online. For reading or emailing, at least 25 Mbps is enough. You should look for speeds of around 100 Mbps if you want to stream, game, work from home (WFH), or connect more than five devices.
• Find out what pay-as-you-go internet options are close to you. Some prepaid Wi-Fi choices that cover a lot of space are AT&T Prepaid, Cox StraightUp Internet, and Xfinity Prepaid.
• Pay between $50 and $100 up front for the first month of service and any start-up costs. You won’t have to pay a deposit for prepaid internet services because they don’t need a credit check or a contract like regular plans do.
• Get ready to wait a short time before you can use your cheap home internet. Most of the time, cable or fixed wireless connections are used by prepaid providers to connect your house to the internet. For example, new Xfinity Prepaid users have to wait 48 hours before they can start using the service. This is so that a technician has time to set up the service.
• After following the directions, connect your modem and computer to get online. Find out what to do if your internet is too slow or your Wi-Fi doesn’t work if you need to. Then have fun with your new internet service at home.