May I suggest a "prepaid" no contract smartphone cell service, specifically MetroPCS (they are owned by T-mobile, and are on the T-mobile network).

I think you will get a smart phone free as they always have such promotions.

Their "UNLIMITED" plan is $60 monthly.

The reason that I mention METRO PCS specifically is because they have the best WIFI-Hotspot useage of I think any provider............what I mean here is that you can simply the phone to provide a WIFI-Hotspot for your Laptop.....
...........You just go hit APPS and then hit SETTINGS and then within settings, you scroll to MOBILE HOTSPOT......................turn on mobile hotspot.....
..................that is all you have to do once you set your phone up to recognize your computer and the password JUST ONE TIME, and then it will recognize it immediately and you won't need to do anything else for that computer...........
...........................You'll need to turn ON the MobileHotSpot...................hit APPS, then hit SETTINGS then within settings see MOBILE HOTSPOT and change it from OFF to ON........................................you do that before you turn on your LAPTOP Computer and your Computer will automatically recognize the PHONE's WIFI HOTSPOT and you'll get all green bars on your Laptop......and the phone's wifi name will show up as the name of the wifi network.

You can use your phone to make and receive calls while visiting most websites and surfing.
It does use a lot of your phone's battery power. I RECOMMEND THAT YOU PLUG THE PHONE IN WHILE USING Mobile Hotspot, IF YOU HAVE AN AC OUTLET NEARBY.

Now, METRO PCS is one of the few, No Contract, PrePay, cell providers that ALLOW USING THE PHONE AS A MOBILE HOTSPOT.
Okay, how does it work?
You sign up at one of their stores , or maybe you can do it online too, see metropcs.com..............but I think the store is only where you'll find out about the Included FREE Phone, etc...... Typically they have given a free Android , most often a SAMSUNG smart phone with their medium $40 and $50 and $60unlimited plans.
Now, don't think that you can get the brand new SAMSUNG or perhaps other late model NEW phone by just signing up and using METRO for a month or two and then just keeping the phone to use with somebody else..............Yes, the phone is yours....no strings attached but they won't unlock it such that it won't be useful as a phone except with METRO........unless you're a tech geek that knows how to overcome that with parts changes, etc.
The UNLIMITED $60 plan offers the MOST GIGYBYTES if you'll do any video.............. The lower cost plans have WIFI HOTSPOT at the $40 and $50 plans but only the $50 plan has any useful GIG capacity and you may find that may not be enough....and you'll run out......................$60 unlimited plan would be the way I would go.....................................You can change, either upgrade to Unlimited or Downgrade to cheaper rate at the beginning of any new period, or you can cease the service at any time......................but doing so would cause you to lose that telephone number...
..........of course like any, you can either bring a number from an existing cell provider over, -OR- just begin service with a brand new cell number...

The way the PREPAY works with METRO is after you sign up and prepay for the first month,
You'll have the SAME DUE DATE each month............................you can ask them for whatever number day like the 21st or 12th or whatever you want, but if you don't do that, well then the number day that you signed on becomes your due date.....or maybe the day before........example if you began service on April 6th, then your PREPAYMENT for the following month WILL BE DUE ON OR BEFORE May 5th, or your service will Temporarily Suspended until payment is received and posted..............Wait too long and the Account and number will be de-activated.
-----You have several methods of PAYING your PREPAYMENT in advance....................unlike many carriers, you can even MAIL your payment by personal check to an address in Illinois......but unless you intend to mail it at least a week prior, being that Weather is bad in winter there and holidays and weekends will impact your Number day of the month that is the "due date". Like any utility, they recognize the payment when posted, as if received on Fri after 5 pm and Monday is in this example a federal holiday............your payment may not be posted until Tuesday afternoon or Wed in the AM...........if this is on or beyond the "due" date, you may not have useable cell service............................THOUGH THIS WOULD NEVER BE AN ISSUE IF YOU WERE TO MAIL IT IN WITH ENOUGH TIME TO SPARE.....................
You can also Pay at any METRO PCS location but they all charge an additional $3 convenience charge for doing so.
You can pay online direct and not incur any additional charge.

There are no taxes or regulatory fees or anything added to the Monthly $ plan that you select. The $60 unlimited plan is exactly $60 every month unless you pay your bill in person at a Metro PCS store and if you do that, there is the added $3 convenience charge.........

Because METRO PCS is the 2nd class citizen to T-MOBILE, if you're in a high use area like at the Masters in the parking lots outside the ANGC gate, you'll have fifty thousand people on cell phones at one time, because the Masters Tournament does not allow cell phones within the gates of ANGC at any time. You get the world's most important business executives who suddenly need to get back in touch......................in extreme cases such as this, METRO PCS will take perhaps longer to get a call that you dial to begin ringing.....as the T-Mobile customer will get priority.......................that type of condition is the only issue.
Like most all commodity providers expect customer service to be awful or worse so you won't be disappointed.
Other than that, expect the phone service to be equal to everyone else, assuming you don't have dead zones with lack of T-Mobile towers in your specific location.


That is how I would approach it simply because I'm old and I prefer the large screen of a Laptop to either a Tablet or a SMARTPHONE SCREEN.
If you're happy with your current cell service or you have a non-smartphone cell service that is good for you, then DON'T carry over your number........Just Consider Signing Up and Get A NEW NUMBER and Android smart phone for FREE TO USE WHILE YOU NEED A WIFI hotspot.
*** I would NOT consider signing up or changing to METRO PCS unless they did have an ongoing promotion where they are Offering the Android(SAMSUNG) phone for FREE with the medium and UNLIMITED plan.
I've been told by someone that METRO was offering a free phone and offering free Amazon Prime to everyone with the $60 Unlimited Plan.
The way the free Amazon Prime works is that you have it as long as you keep pre-paying the $60 each month for continued Metro PCS unlimited service.
If you drop back to a less expensive MetroPCS plan, the Amazon Prime goes away.

Many public places today offer free WIFI but as you know that can be a double edged sword if anti-virus/security concerns aren't attended to.
Wherever you go, you'll want to take note of where useable AC outlets may be.
For example inside a McDonalds in a booth near the windows, you might get lucky and find an AC outlet as they typically have them to vaccuum and polish the tiles, power the tv that is tuned to CNBC or CNN etc....but for liability reasons....children poking their fingers into the sockets.....most have moved or placed them in inaccessable locations. Sometimes if you ask, they might accomodate you, with an outlet for maybe 35 minutes while you're there.

Keeping your smartphone charged and your Laptop (or Tablet) charged will become a difficult task, as you begin to use them for lengthy periods without access to any AC outlet. You'll need to explore what can lessen that problem.
Carrying the bulk of a modern laptop on a bicycle today is a very minimal problem compared to how you'll keep those rechargeable batteries charged so that you can keep them operational. I don't have an answer for you about that.