Prepaid traffic
Prepaid traffic is bandwidth bought up front with no renewal date. 17 of the 545 plans Proxy Compare prices are sold that way, read 5 Oct 2026. The rate per gigabyte is usually higher, and whether it is cheaper depends on how much of a monthly allowance you would have burned.
Why it costs you money
It removes the risk of paying for an allowance you do not reach, and replaces it with a different question: whether the balance expires, and whether topping up resets the clock on what you already hold. A non-expiring balance you cannot access after cancelling has expired under another name.
See it in the data
Related terms
- Pay as you goBuying bandwidth in top-ups instead of a monthly plan. Cheaper for bursty work, dearer per gigabyte.
- Traffic rolloverWhether gigabytes you paid for but did not use survive into the next billing period. Most providers do not say.
- Minimum commitmentThe smallest spend or term a provider will sell, which decides whether an advertised rate is reachable by you at all.
- Per-GB pricingBilling by the gigabyte you move, the dominant model for residential proxies and the one most comparisons assume.
- Every term we define
Questions
How is this different from pay as you go?
Prepaid normally means you buy a block up front and draw it down; pay as you go can also mean billed after the fact. Providers use both names for both things, so read what the plan does rather than what it is called. 17 of the 545 plans priced here carry no monthly commitment, read 5 Oct 2026.
Does a prepaid balance expire?
Sometimes, and it is rarely stated on the pricing page. That single question decides whether buying a large block is a discount or a deadline, so it is worth asking in writing before you buy one.
Can I get a refund on traffic I never used?
Rarely once the balance is drawn, and refund terms are separate from expiry and usually stricter. Where a provider publishes a refund window this site records it, and that window is also the only honest trial you get.