Here are the prepaid carriers that support your cellular smartwatch

Smartwatches have been around in some form for a little over a decade, and while Wi-Fi-only models remain the most common, there is growing interest in cellular watches as well. Typically, cellular smartwatches target postpaid customers of Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T. But can you use a cellular smartwatch with your prepaid plan? The answer isn’t simply yes or no.

While more than a dozen carriers technically support cellular watches, compatibility varies greatly by provider. Although Samsung, Apple, and Google dominate the cellular watch market, smartwatch compatibility often depends on specific brands and even models. Some prepaid carriers only support Apple Watch, while others exclusively cater to certain Google Pixel Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch models.

Below, we explore all prepaid providers currently offering smartwatch support. If you don’t see a particular carrier listed, it’s likely because they don’t offer formal support — I meticulously checked through dozens of companies to ensure accuracy, but as I’m human, there’s always a chance some smaller providers were missed.

As it turns out, Verizon is the only one of the big three carriers that offers smartwatch service to its prepaid customers as well.

Verizon provides a standalone prepaid smartwatch plan for $10 per month, offering unlimited 5G and 4G LTE with 15GB of high-speed data. Supported devices include:

• Apple Watch Series 9 or newer
• Apple Watch Ultra 2 or newer
• Apple Watch SE 2 or newer
• Google Pixel Watch or newer
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 or newer
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and 6 Classic
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
• Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

Bottom line, Verizon Prepaid has the broadest smartwatch compatibility but tends to be pricier.

US Mobile provides cellular watch support as a $6.50 monthly add-on or as a free perk with its Unlimited Premium plan. However, this support requires the Warp (Verizon) network; neither Light Speed (T-Mobile) nor Dark Star (AT&T) packages offer smartwatch connectivity. Supported watches include:

• Apple Watch Series 4 or later
• Pixel Watch

Although US Mobile doesn’t officially list Apple Watch Ultra or SE models, several user comments on Reddit confirm that these models should play nicely as well.

Google Fi Wireless includes smartwatch support as a free perk on all unlimited plans. It offers robust Samsung Galaxy Watch support, rivaling Verizon prepaid, though Galaxy Watch Classic models aren’t supported. Compatible watches include:

• Original Pixel Watch or newer
• Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra or newer
• Galaxy Watch 5 or newer (excluding Classic models)

As you might have noticed, Google Fi doesn’t officially support Apple Watches. This isn’t surprising since it doesn’t directly sell Apple products at all. Of course, there are workarounds for the iPhone, so what about the Apple Watch? While it might be possible to do this by side-loading an eSIM profile, you’re much more likely to run into issues when you try to run a device that’s not officially supported like this.

Visible gives you the same great network as Verizon and is even owned by Big Red. Although you won’t find as wide of device support, Visible is a great alternative to Verizon and even offers the feature for free on its $40 Visible Plus Pro. Basic and Visible Plus users can also get support for an additional $10 per month.

The list of compatible watches are:

• Google Pixel Watch 2 or newer
• Apple Watch Series 4 or later

Visible initially supported only Apple Watches, but introduced compatibility with Pixel Watches earlier this month. Currently, Samsung watches aren’t officially supported, though this might change given Verizon’s gradual expansion of watch support to several MVNO partners, including US Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, and Xfinity Mobile.

Just like Cricket Wireless, Metro by T-Mobile doesn’t offer smartwatch connectivity for free, but does give you the ability to connect the Apple Watch or the Galaxy Watch FE for $10 a month. Although Metro only sells and officially supports the Galaxy Watch FE, it is worth noting that some people have had success bringing other unlocked Galaxy Watch models over to the network, but there’s no guarantee it will work, and I’d recommend contacting Metro customer service before adding the plan.

Officially, the following models should work:

• Apple Watch Series 3 and later
• Samsung Galaxy Watch FE

While Metro isn’t for everyone, in-store support and brand-new plans make it much more compelling than it once was.

Boost Mobile is technically a postpaid carrier, but it offers limited smartwatch support via a $10 monthly plan that is eligible for both postpaid and prepaid accounts. The following devices are officially supported:

• Apple Watch Series 10 or newer
• Apple Watch SE 2 or newer
• Apple Watch Ultra 2 or newer

Although it may be possible to get older models to work if you bring them yourself, from what I could dig up, Boost Mobile only officially supports the latest Apple Watch products.

Spectrum Mobile

Spectrum Mobile is an extra service offered to Spectrum subscribers, and while there are a variety of plans, none of them directly include watch support. Thankfully, you can add on support for just $10 a month. You’ll be able to pick up the following devices:

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 or newer, Ultra or newer
• Apple Watch SE, Watch Series 9 or newer

Xfinity Mobile

Xfinity subscribers have the option of Xfinity Mobile, which, just like Spectrum, runs on Verizon’s network. Just like nearly everyone else who charges to add on cellular watch support, you’ll pay $10 per month for the privilege.  Here are the models supported:

• Google Pixel Watch 3 or newer
• Samsung Watch 7 and Watch Ultra
• Apple Watch SE, Watch Series 9, Watch Ultra 2 or newer

Cricket offers smartwatch connectivity for an additional $10 monthly but only supports Apple Watch Series 4 or later. If you are a Google or Samsung fan, you’ll have to stick to a Wi-Fi watch if Cricket is your network of choice. Honestly, this is pretty disappointing when you consider that there are no other AT&T-based MVNOs that offer watch support. If you live in an area with AT&T is the strongest choice and you want a wider array of models and brand support, you really have no choice but to stick with postpaid here.

If you don’t already own a cellular smartwatch, buying directly from your prepaid carrier is often advisable. Here’s why:

• Cellular watches typically aren’t carrier-locked, ensuring flexibility as long as your network supports your model.
• Buying directly reduces compatibility risks and technical headaches.
• Prepaid carriers sometimes offer cellular watches below retail prices without requiring long-term commitments.

If you do want to bring your own cellular smartwatch, I highly recommend contacting the carrier, as it should be able to do an IMEI lookup to determine if your exact watch will work or not.

The best is sort of subjective here and depends on a variety of factors, including brand and model preference, network preference, and the list goes on. Still, if I could only recommend three, it would be Verizon Prepaid, Google Fi, or Visible.

If you care about having the widest possible device compatibility? You can’t go wrong with Verizon Prepaid. While Verizon Prepaid’s phone plans might be more expensive than most of the competition, the good news is Verizon’s watch support is stand-alone and priced similarly to most of its competitors.

If you care about value but also want a wide range of support, I’d recommend Google Fi Wireless for Galaxy Watch fans looking for great service and solid pricing, and Visible is perfect for Apple Watch fans. You’ll find that either carrier also offers Google Pixel Watch support as well, and Galaxy fans just have to decide whether they prefer the T-Mobile or Verizon network for service.