Free phone plan trials you can get right now

A free trial lets you test a carrier on your own phone before you move your number. Most run as a second line over eSIM, so your current plan keeps working while you compare signal where you live.

We opened every carrier trial page we could find on October 19, 2026. Everything below comes from those pages. Where a carrier does not say something, we say “not stated.” For plans that cost nothing every month, not just for a trial, see genuinely free mobile plans.

The trials at a glance

Every trial here needs an eSIM-capable phone. If your phone only takes a physical SIM, none of these will work.

Visible: 15 days, no card

Visible’s trial runs 15 days on Verizon 5G and 4G LTE with unlimited data, talk, text, and hotspot. Visible says “No credit card, no contract, no auto-renewal.” You get a trial number on your phone and keep your existing one.

The catches are in the eligibility list. You cannot be a current Visible member or have been one in the last 12 months. You cannot have taken the trial in the last 12 months. When the 15 days end, the trial stops. To keep going, you pick a Visible or Visible+ plan in the app. For how those paid plans compare, see Mint Mobile vs Visible vs US Mobile.

US Mobile: 30 days, but read the fine print twice

US Mobile gives 30 days with 30 GB of premium 5G data, 5 GB of hotspot, and unlimited talk and text. Data slows after 30 GB rather than stopping. You pick Warp or Dark Star, two of US Mobile’s three networks.

Two conditions matter. The trial is only for people who port a number in. US Mobile’s FAQ says you must be “transferring one phone number” to qualify, so you cannot keep your old carrier during the test. And a payment method is required, though the blog says you are not charged during the 30 days.

Here is the conflict. The blog says nothing is charged automatically and the eSIM simply stops working if you do not upgrade. The FAQ on the plans page says the line “will automatically renew on the monthly Unlimited Premium plan” unless you change it first. Treat the FAQ as binding. Set a reminder for day 25 and change or cancel before day 30. Unlimited Premium is US Mobile’s most expensive plan.

T-Mobile Trial: 30 days, unlimited and not slowed

T-Mobile renamed Network Pass to T-Mobile Trial. It runs 30 days through the T-Life app. The page says “No credit card. No credit check. And no commitment.” Data is unlimited and the FAQ says it “won’t slow down based on how much data you use.” That is the most generous allowance of any trial here.

Calls and texts stay on your current carrier while data moves to T-Mobile. You also get a temporary T-Mobile number as a second voice line. The trial ends on its own at 30 days.

Eligibility is strict. You need an unlocked, eligible eSIM phone in the US or Puerto Rico. You cannot have been a T-Mobile or Metro customer, or a customer of any carrier using T-Mobile’s network, in the past 90 days. That rules out many people on budget carriers. You cannot have taken T-Mobile Trial or Network Pass in the past 12 months. One trial per user.

Verizon: 30 days, up to 100 GB, no card

Verizon’s trial is 30 days with unlimited talk and text and “up to 100 GB of 4G/5G data on Verizon’s premium network.” Video streams at 480p on 4G and nationwide 5G, and up to 4K on 5G Ultra Wideband. The page says “No credit card required” and “It’s truly $0.”

You check your IMEI to confirm the phone is unlocked and eSIM capable, then get a text to download the eSIM. Phones without 5G still get the trial on LTE. At the end, the trial “will end automatically after 30 days” with no automatic billing. The page lists no waiting period before a repeat trial, so that is not stated.

AT&T: 30 days, 100 GB, some gaps

AT&T’s trial gives 30 days with 100 GB of data, 25 GB of hotspot, and unlimited talk and text in and between the US, Canada, and Mexico. A compatible iPhone or Android is required. You activate an eSIM in the AT&T app and keep your current number and service.

Two things are not stated. The page does not say whether a card is required. It does not say what happens if you do nothing at the end. It only says to “switch to AT&T Wireless” once the 30 days are over. A footnote also warns that “Data speeds may temporarily slow if the network is busy.”

Google Fi: 7 days, and it auto-renews

Google Fi’s trial is the shortest and the only one that bills you by default. You get 7 days on one line with unlimited data, calls, texts, and hotspot. High-speed data is capped at 10 GB, then slowed.

You need a Google account, a credit card, and an unlocked eSIM phone. Google may place a temporary hold on the card. Each phone can take the trial once. You are not eligible if you were a Fi customer or trialed Fi in the past 18 months.

The big catch: “If you don’t cancel, you’ll automatically renew at $50/month when the trial ends.” You can opt out in the Fi app at any point and still use the full 7 days.

Carriers with no trial right now

Mint Mobile’s free trial URL redirected to its plans page. That page lists a “7-Day Money Back Guarantee,” which is a refund, not a trial. Boost Mobile lists no trial and offers a “30-day money-back guarantee” instead. Both make you pay first.

Cricket’s tryCricket page returned an error both times we opened it, so its terms are not stated. We found no trial page on Metro’s site, and Metro customers are blocked from T-Mobile Trial anyway.

How to test coverage before you switch

A trial only helps if you test the places that matter.

Turn off Wi-Fi first. Otherwise your phone will hand video and messages to your home network and hide a weak signal.

Set the trial line as your default for data. On iPhone that is Settings, then Cellular, then Cellular Data. On Android it is under SIMs or Network. Leave calls and texts on your old number so nothing is missed.

Check the four spots that cause complaints: your bedroom, your desk at work, your commute, and the one place that always drops calls. Run a speed test in each at a busy hour, around 5 p.m. on a weekday. Make a two-minute call from each spot. Then switch data back to your current carrier and repeat. Compare the numbers side by side, not from memory.

Keep the trial line only as long as you need it. Fi will bill you. US Mobile may move you to its priciest plan. The others say the line stops on its own, but confirm in your cellular settings that the eSIM is gone.

When the test passes, move your number the clean way with how to switch carriers and keep your number. If the phone is the problem rather than the network, see free phones. If you lean on public hotspots, read Wi-Fi safety first. The full list of cheap and free options is on the plans hub.