The 10 Best Data-Only Sim Plans in 2024

Do you have a device that often finds itself out in the wild with no WiFi in sight? Whether that’s a tablet, laptop, or even your car, a data-only SIM plan can get you exactly what you need. Between major wireless networks, MVNOs, and Really’s new service, there are lots of options for just about every data-only device you may have. 

A conventional mobile SIM card lets users make phone calls, send text messages, and use mobile data for internet connectivity, whereas the data-only SIM card provides only internet data. This means that with a data-only SIM, you cannot make regular phone calls and send messages to any phone number, but you have full internet access. 

If you’re interested in a data-only SIM card, you need look no further than Really Wireless! You can join the waitlist and get the first look at Really Clutch, a data-only SIM operating on Really’s service. Really’s SIM is a great option, and in this article we will highlight the 10 best data-only SIM plans in the United States. Let’s get right to it.

1. Really Clutch data-Only SIM

To start out our list we have the Really Clutch data-only SIM. This cell phone plan starts at $40 a month and gives you access to Really’s network on any device you desire. Really Mobile utilizes T-Mobile’s 5G and 4G LTE nationwide networks, providing their customers with fantastic coverage in almost every state.

Alongside a partnership with T-Mobile, Really Mobile is creating its own decentralized network utilizing nodes owned by people all over the country. Right now, Really’s network is only live in Austin, but that will change as it expands its scope and grows over more areas throughout the country. One of the big benefits of a DeWi network is that it doesn’t rely on a huge company to designate areas where the network will grow. Rather, anyone anywhere can set up a node to start building the network in their area. 

What is a Decentralized Network? 

Perhaps the best way to explain a decentralized wireless network is to start with a traditional communications network, like the above example with Verizon. A decentralized wireless network is the opposite. DeWi networks function by selling their network antennas to customers in order to create a network where the consumers act as the nodes, much like cell towers and rooftop antennas are the nodes of the current technology. You may ask: what would make someone buy into that system when there is no network to start with? 
In one way or another, Decentralized Networks reward everyone who has a stake in the network. They receive compensation every time a device uses their node. For instance, if you have an antenna on your house and someone walks by and loads a song on Spotify, you receive some compensation. 

2. Verizon Prepaid High-Data SIM Plans

Verizon offers many data-only SIM plans for tablets, mobile hotspots, and routers. Two of these plans offer huge data allocations. You do need a Verizon cell phone line to access these plans, but they are an excellent addition to your phone plan. Let’s break down Verizon’s data-only SIM plans to see how they compare to the competition. 

• 150 GB for $100 a month
• 100 GB for $80 a month

Paying $80-$100 for a data-only plan is a big price tag, but that colossal data allocation opens up a ton of doors for your SIM card. One awesome use for data-only SIM plans is to create a WiFi hotspot in your vehicle, a perfect play if you have kids who love being on their devices and don’t have cell phones. This in-car hotspot lets tablets and laptops connect so your kids can play video games, watch TV, or do anything they want! This is great for long car rides where, otherwise, your kids might get cranky. 

Alas! Gone are the days when cars had DVD players in the back, and all family vehicles had stacks of movies and TV shows for their kids. A high-data SIM card from Verizon gives your device a tremendous buffer of high-speed data. For reference, full HD streaming (1080p) uses around 3 GB per hour. That means you have either 33 or 50 hours of full HD streaming before your data allocation is used up. 2:00

3. Verizon Prepaid Low-Data SIM Plans

Now, a 150 GB in-car hotspot is not the only way to ensure your passengers have stuff to do during the ride! There are lots of ways to prep in advance of a long trip if you don’t have over 100 GB of high-speed data to use. You can download videos and games beforehand, so they are stored locally. 

Rounding out Verizon’s data-only SIM plans are two low-data plans. These won’t give you heaps of data but are still great options for data-only SIMs in certain situations. 

• 25 GB for $60 a month
• 5 GB for $40 a month

Many Internet of Things devices use a small amount of data throughout the month, and selecting a low-data SIM lets you keep that device connected to the Internet throughout the month. Exterior trail cameras and many other devices rely on an internet connection to broadcast data back to you, be it on an app or to your home computer. 

4. AT&T Prepaid High-Data SIM Plan

AT&T offers a SIM plan that gives you 100 GB of high-speed data for $90 a month. This is a huge data allocation! It is also a big price to pay, adding a lot to your cell phone bill. Another excellent use for 100 GB of high-speed data is for a dedicated hotspot. AT&T’s nationwide network covers huge swaths of the country, ensuring that your hotspot has a solid connection when you boot it up. This lets you create a small WiFi network just about anywhere. 

AT&T’s hotspot devices allow you to connect to AT&T’s 5G network and provide up to 100 Mbps of internet. This is a lot of bandwidth! You can play a game, stream full HD, or join a video call. This is a great way to leverage your AT&T account and get extra data for a hotspot to create a network for other devices. Similar to Verizon’s high-data SIM plans, you can turn your car into a hotspot with AT&T’s 100 GB data-only SIM plan. 

5. AT&T Prepaid Low-Data SIM Plan

The other data-only SIM plan from AT&T is their 50 GB plan for $50 a month. Fifty gigabytes is still a lot of data! It is difficult to determine exactly how much data you need with a data-only SIM, but you can always work with different data allocations to decide, for instance, how much data your car hotspot needs each month. 

The three major wireless networks all have data-only SIM plans, but you need an account with their service to select a phone plan. This makes these plans super flexible and valuable as long as you already have an account with them. 

6. T-Mobile Prepaid Data-Only SIM Plans

• 50 GB for $50 a month
• 30 GB for $40 a month
• 10 GB for $30 a month
• 5 GB for $20 a month
• 2 GB for $10 a month

Rounding out our trio of major wireless networks are the data-only SIM plans from T-Mobile. T-Mobile does not offer nearly as much data as the competition, with its highest plan offering only 50 GBs monthly. That is still a lot of data, keeping many options open, but it does not compare to AT&T’s 100 GB data-only SIM or Verizon’s 150 GB data-only SIM. You can use these high-data plans as a great addition to the plan you currently have. T-Mobile offers cell phone plans with unlimited high-speed data, so these high-data SIMs give you the most value when you have a separate use for them, and already use up your hotspot allocation that comes with your T-Mobile plan. 

T-Mobile offers a pair of high-data SIM plans with 50 and 30 GB, respectively. These are great for people who want a bit of extra hotspot data on their plans or have a device, like a laptop or tablet, that they would like to hook up to their mobile network without needing their phone on hand. 

Hooking up a non-phone device to your mobile network makes it much more flexible for working on the move. T-Mobile offers three SIM plans that only offer low-data, data-only SIMs. Having a few GBs of data is best for devices that don’t need much data each month but always use a little. Devices like trail cameras or laptops and tablets that are usually always on WiFi ensure you always have the flexibility to rely on T-Mobile’s nationwide network if you can’t connect to WiFi. Even 10 GBs will pass quickly, however, so ensure you don’t need any more data when you pick out one of these plans! As long as it is relatively low stakes, you can always start with a small data allocation and upgrade your plan if you ever run out. 

7. Tello Mobile Prepaid High-Data Data-Only SIM Plans

Tello Mobile is our first MVNO, and one that provides a fantastic set of data-only SIM plans, including high-data and low-data plans. The scale of these is much smaller than what we’ve seen at major wireless networks, as their biggest plan only offers 35 GB of high-speed data. One huge upside of these data-only SIM plans is that you don’t need to already be a Tello Mobile customer to purchase one of these plans. The data allocation on this plan relative to its cost is amazing, giving you 35 GB of data for $25 a month. 

Now, this SIM card is technically a mobile SIM with a number, but Tello offers incredibly flexible cell phone plans where you can choose the talk, text, and data allocation. In this configuration, you can choose any of Tello’s data options with no text and no minutes. Tello mobile is cheap. Their high-data plans include the 35 GB data-only SIM plan for $25 and a 15 GB plan for $20 a month. 

Tello Mobile operates on T-Mobile’s network. T-Mobile’s 5G and 4G LTE networks are available for Tello Mobile users, and that allows them to enjoy pretty significant coverage, which is available on Tello’s coverage map. You will receive great coverage no matter where you are in the United States, meaning your data-only SIM plan will function fantastically nationwide. 

8. Tello Mobile Prepaid Low-Data Data-Only SIM Plans

Tello Mobile offers four low-data SIM plans, including:

• 10 GB for $15 a month
• 5 GB for $10 a month
• 2 GB for $6 a month
• 1 GB for $5 a month

Tello Mobile offers one kind of plan, and it’s a customizable one. When you only purchase data from Tello Mobile, you can find some low-data SIM plans for incredibly affordable price points. This is an amazing choice if you only want a few GBs of data or are not a member of a major wireless network. Even a 1 GB SIM card can be very handy in a pinch! One of the downsides to data-only SIM cards through a major wireless network is that they all have a serious price tag attached to them. These low-data SIM plans are an amazing way to get another SIM card for a device without having to pay an arm and a leg for it. 

Tello Mobile’s data is extremely affordable. They operate with no contracts, making it easy to switch between data allocations as you decide how much data you need on your data-only SIM plan. 

9. Google Fi Prepaid Data-Only SIM Plans

Google Fi offers a data-only SIM plan, which is an additional SIM you can purchase along with your cell phone plan. This SIM utilizes your plan’s data, so the amount you can use it is directly related to how much data you have on your plan. Google Fi does not offer any cell phone plans with unlimited high-speed data, so these data-only SIMs are best for devices that don’t need a ton of high-speed data each month. 

Google Fi offers three cell phone plans, including: 

• Flexible: 1 GB plus $10 per GB
• Simply Unlimited: 35 GB for $50
• Unlimited Plus: 50 GB for $65

All of these plans come with multi-line savings, giving every line its own data allocation. Google Fi offers multi-line savings up to an account with four cell phone lines. The prices are as follows:

Google Fi is an MVNO that operates on T-Mobile’s and US Mobile’s networks. You can use four data-only SIMs per cellular line, with the caveat that they pull from the same data pool that your cell phone uses. While Google Fi’s Unlimited Plus plan comes with a lot of high-speed data, you can quickly run through that if you pull too much onto your laptop or tablet. 

10. EIOT Club Prepaid Data-Only SIM Plans

The EIOT Club provides fantastic data-only SIM cards for Internet of Things devices worldwide. Their 24 GB dual-network SIM card operates on both T-Mobile and AT&T’s networks, providing fantastic nationwide coverage. This plan offers 24 GB of high-speed data, costs $109, and lasts for one year. 

This kind of data plan is not meant as a primary form of data, especially for high-data cell phone users. The average cell phone user in the United States uses around 30 GBs of high-speed data a month, making that data allocation not worthwhile for the price you pay. Their SIM cards are designed for IoT devices, especially ones that are outside of your home. Cameras, trackers, industrial devices, and more work exceptionally well with these cards. If this SIM card and data allocation lasts all year long, it comes out to around $9 a month, which is a great price! 

This kind of SIM card is not meant as a primary source of data; rather, it functions perfectly for devices you don’t have to micromanage and don’t use data at the same rate that your cell phone does. This SIM card shines for devices that can operate year-round using less than 24 GB of high-speed data.

The top 10 data-only SIM plans in 2024

How do you plan on using your data-only SIM this year? These plans are an excellent way to add to your mobile service when connecting another device to the internet. If you have any questions about Really’s data-only SIM, please read some of our frequently asked questions! We also have an amazing customer service department for further inquiries.