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11.15.24
A smartphone is only smart if you give it some brain food – AKA data. As of 2023, the average monthly data usage in the U.S is estimated to be around 15 to 20GB/month. That is mostly being driven by streaming, from your favorite shows on Netflix, to helpful how-tos on YouTube, to baby hippos on TikTok.
For that kind of usage, you’re going to want to find an unlimited data plan that can support all that activity– without digging too deep into your wallet (Some unlimited plans can run you $100/month for one line!) That usually means staying away from the “Big 3” – AT&T, Verizon, and TMobile – so we’ve compiled a list of the best phone data plans at any budget, giving you a clear comparison between the different unlimited options.
Summary: Best unlimited data plans
| Category | Provider | Price per Month |
|---|---|---|
| Best Overall | TextNow | $39.99 |
| Best for Multiple Lines | Total Wireless | $27.5/line |
| Best for Seniors | Tello | $25 /line |
| Best for New Customer | Mint Mobile | $45 |
| Best for Perks | Verizon | $65 |
| Best for Big 3 Carriers | T-Mobile | $60 |
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Best Overall Unlimited Data Plan
TextNow
Price $39.99
Network Nation's largest 5G network
Phone Plan TextNow App
Text & Talk Unlimited
Data Option Unlimited Data for $39.99 (Free 1GB of data to access essential apps like email, maps, and rideshare)
Our Take This is a reliable and affordable option if you average less than 10GB/month on data, or if your data usage doesn’t include heavy streaming without Wi-Fi. The best part is that TextNow’s flexibility allows you to run out of your monthly service, and still stay connected with its Essential Data plan – for free– if you’re unable to pay for another month’s service. If you’re someone with an inconsistent income or have bigger expenses coming up and need more breathing room – this service is for you.
Pros & Cons Pros:
- Flexible service that won’t cut your service off if you’re unable to make payment (or charge you extra for it)
- No contracts or commitments
- Roaming in Canada & Mexico included
- Unlimited calling and texting to Canada & Mexico also included (plus hundreds of other affordable international calling options that also start at $0)
- Offers exclusive deals and discounts from popular brands in-app
- No eSIM support
Best Unlimited Data Plan for Multiple Lines
Total Wireless
Price $27.50 per line (Based on 4 lines)
Network Verizon
Phone Plan Total 5G Unlimited
Text & Talk Unlimited
Data Option Unlimited
Perk
- Get $200 on your next 5G phone after 12 monthly plan payments with Total Rewards
- 15 GB hotspot
Our Take If you need 4+ lines, this is a packed plan that will give each line exactly what they need. If you need less than 4 lines, however, we’d recommend looking elsewhere for something more affordable.
Pros & Cons Pros:
- No monthly arguments over data overages or top-ups, as these plans are truly unlimited, without slower speeds during times of congestion, or high-speed data limits. Roaming to Canada & Mexico, plus 15+ other countries included (up to 10GB)
- 15GB hotspot included
- Roaming in Canada & Mexico included, plus 15+ other countries
- 50% off promotion is only applicable if you bring your own compatible phone, which not all may qualify for
- 50% off promotion is only applicable if you apply for AutoPay, which would lock you in to a guaranteed monthly payment
- Most reviews note that its customer service is not great
Best Unlimited Data Plan for Seniors
Tello
Price $25
Network T-Mobile
Phone Plan Data Plan
Text & Talk Unlimited
Data Option Unlimited
Perk N/A
Our Take This plan is a great for seniors who are just figuring out their data needs. The high-speed data included is 35GB, but you won't deal with any scary overage fees past that, they will simply be throttled (experience slower speeds). This can help them manage their screen time and usage to stay under that limit monthly.
Pros & Cons Pros:
- T-Mobile is currently the fastest wireless provider in North America, so you’d experience faster
- Price is not dependent on contract or AutoPay enrollment.
- Free international call to 60+ countries
- Only includes 5G of hotspot data
- While 35GB of high speed data is plenty for regular use, it may not be enough for streaming-heavy uses.
Best Unlimited Data Plan for New Customer
Mint Mobile
Price $15 ($45 upfront payment required)
Network T-Mobile
Phone Plan 3 Month Plans
Text & Talk Unlimited
Data Option Unlimited (Slow Down After 40GB)
Perk N/A
Our Take This is a decent plan for new customers for the first 3 months, and/or if you are confident this service works for you and are able to pay for 12 months’ worth of service at a time to maintain the discounted monthly price. Otherwise, there aren’t enough additional perks or benefits to justify the 3-12 month incremental pricing, which isn’t flexible enough for most people’s incomes.
Pros & Cons Pros:
- As a new customer, you can pay for 3 months at a time upfront and get a deep 50% discount ($15/month) for the first 3 months.
- Mobile hotspot included up to 10GB
- eSIM compatible
- You can only renew in 3-month increments (minimum), which isn’t as flexible
Best Unlimited Data Plan for Perks
Verizon
Price $65
Network Verizon
Phone Plan Unlimited Plus or Unlimited Welcomes
Text & Talk Unlimited
Data Option Unlimited
Perk Take your pick between various subscriptions (Disney+, Apple, Walmart+, Netflix), cloud storage, or additional mobile hotspot. Saving $46.00 per line from the perks.
Our Take Most perks are only going to be available with higher priced plans, but the flexibility of the perks addition with Verzion's Welcome Unlimited is great as it allows you to truly get the phone experience that will benefit you the most.
Pros & Cons Pros:
- Allow to pick your own perks
- Mobile hotspot included up to 10GB
- Roaming in Canada & Mexico included
- the "Unlimited Welcome" has no priority data, so you may find yourself with slower speeds.
Best Unlimited Data Plan for Big 3 Carriers
T-Mobile
Price $60
Network T-Mobile
Phone Plan Essential Savers
Text & Talk Unlimited
Data Option 50GB of Premium Data
Perk N/A
Our Take This entry unlimited plan is a great way to enjoy service from one of the "big 3" without paying over $100/month.
If you're looking for the other perks you'd typically get from a big provider like free subscriptions, know that you'll be opting in for a more expensive monthly bill as well.
Pros & Cons Pros:
- T-Mobile is the current largest and fastest 5G network, so you can expect great coverage and superior speeds.
- 50GB of high speed is more than enough for regular users
- No additional perks (like a streaming subscription) with this base unlimited plan
- After 50GB, customers' data is deprioritized
- No mobile hotspot included
Methodology: How to best evaluate the best unlimited data plans
Most unlimited data plans are going to give you exactly what you need: unlimited high-speed data for streaming, posting, scrolling, and everything else in between. But to pick out the best from the overwhelming pack, we look specifically at network (speed + coverage), real user reviews, and the best value – we want your money to work for you.
Beginner's guide to unlimited data plans
What is a data plan?
Phone service used to be simple – you pay for minutes and texts, and use it as an actual phone, to stay connected to the rest of the world. Nowadays, that connection also means liking your coworker's pregnancy announcement on Instagram, or cringing at your great aunt's Facebook posts.
A data plan is what allows you to connect to the rest of the apps and services on your phone that require internet (which is basically every app). It's like Wi-Fi for your phone that you can use when you don't have access to your home internet.
Types of data plans
Typically there are 3 types of data plan: Limited , Unlimited, and Prepaid.
Limited Data Plan: You purchase a specific amount of data every month and would need to pay extra more once you use more than you buy.
Unlimited Data Plan: You can use the data unlimitedly by paying a flat rate. However, most providers have a fair usage policy restricting high-speed data when you reach a certain threshold; the cap will vary based on their regulations, such as 30GB, 50GB, etc.
Prepaid Data Plan: You pay an amount of data upfront and won't be able to purchase more once all the data is used.
How does a data plan work?
A data plan is only able to connect to your phone via a SIM card. The SIM card connects to your provider's network through signals (that connect to the carriers' towers) to be able to pass on that data (internet) access back to your phone.
How do I know how much data I need?
Know how much data you used.
The average smartphone owner used 26.44 of data per month, according to a study by communication technology company Ericsson.
Understand what are your most used apps.
As you already know, some apps consume more data than others. For example, streaming apps consume more data than music apps.
Calculate the average mobile data you need from your most used apps.
Once you better understand your most used apps, you can calculate the average data consumption from these apps over the past six months to one year to define the total monthly gigabytes required.
Revisit your plan regularly.
After knowing how much mobile data you need monthly, we need to ensure that we monitor and revisit our calculation and adjust the plan based on our changing behaviors.
> Read More : How much data do I need
Which carrier has the best data coverage?
Every big network (AT&T, Verizon, TMobile) has a clever tagline about their coverage superiority, and to be honest, all of them do have some decent coverage.
According to Allconnect, If you’re looking for the best all-purpose LTE coverage in the U.S, that would be Verizon with its 4G LTE service available to 70% of the nation. For 5G coverage, however, Verizon has the least amount of coverage. Instead, TMobile has the best with 54% of national coverage, the most out of any providers.
Which carrier has the best data coverage in my area?
Regardless of the stats above, you should first determine how any of these providers’ coverage looks in your area. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) put together a mobile map that allows you to see all the carriers’ coverage in your area so you can easily compare.
Capped vs. Uncapped unlimited data
The main difference between capped and uncapped unlimited data plans is whether there is a data limit for the usage. Technically, an uncapped data plan doesn't have a usage limit, and you don't need to worry if you are overusing your data. However, most carriers still have a restricted policy for high-speed data in uncapped data plans. They will slow down your internet speeds once you reach the threshold.
| Capped Data Plans | Uncapped Data Plans | |
|---|---|---|
| Data limit | Yes | No |
| Cost (monthly) | $15 - $35 | $30 - $90 |
| Contention Ratio | Low | High |
| Coverage | Same | Same |
Contention Ratio
Speaking of slower data speeds, you might come across the term contention ratio when looking up network bandwidth.
Contention ratio is the ratio of the maximum number of users sharing the same bandwidth to the available bandwidth. So, a high ratio would mean that more users are sharing the same bandwidth. What that means for you is that the higher the ratio is (the more users on the same bandwidth), the more likely it is that the connection you're experiencing will be slower during peak usage times.
Data Cost
If you’re wondering how a prepaid carrier is able to provide an unlimited data plan for half the price of someone like Verizon or AT&T, it’s because not all unlimited data is the same, and it's not all truly unlimited.
The FCC recently mandated that all carriers provide broadband fact sheets, which you’ll find under each provider’s plans page (they look like the nutritional values tables you'd see on the back of packaged food). If you look closely at those broadband fact sheets, you’ll notice that each plan stipulates exactly how much high-speed data is provided with that plan, whether any additional charges apply to going over that data limit, and what the download and upload speeds are. A lot of those “unlimited” data plans actually do have a high-speed limit. We’ve seen it range from 10GB to 50GB. All that means is that once you reach that cap, you will continue with “unlimited” data, but it will be at slower speeds for the duration of the service month.
And while some prepaid carriers do actually offer unlimited without a high-speed cap, they also proclaim that during times of congestion, their speeds will be slowed down temporarily (how long is another question entirely). So to find truly unlimited data, without experiencing slower speeds, your best bet is to sign up for an unlimited plan with AT&T, TMobile, Verizon, or Total Wireless.
How to pick out the best unlimited data plan
The best unlimited data plan really depends on what a data plan means to you. Follow this simple checklist to find the right one:
Price
Set a budget that makes sense for your monthly expenses. Do not go above it, and make sure that the price you see includes any other additional fees and taxes. Also confirm that any promotional prices you’re getting as a new customer do not expire after a month.Speed
If you’re using an unlimited data plan for streaming and/or gaming, data speed is going to be very important to you. Make sure that you’re finding a plan that doesn’t slow down during times of congestion and has a large enough high-speed data cap to satisfy your phone needs. Bonus if the plan offers HD streaming (as some will only offer SD).Coverage
You can get the best, most affordable data plan there is, but if the coverage in your area (specifically 5G coverage if you’re looking for speed) isn’t great, you’re never going to be able to get your money’s worth. Look up the coverage first, then decide on a plan based on the network that’s available in your area.High Speed Data
Lastly – and I know I probably beat this to death by now – but look at the high speed data you’re getting with each unlimited plan. Find out how much data you actually need, and based on that, how much is enough for you, and where that fits in your budget!
How to activate an unlimited data plan
All you need is a SIM card – whether physical or eSIM – from the provider you choose your plan from.
To get that SIM, head over to the provider's website (or go in store where applicable) to purchase your desired plan and the subsequent SIM for activation.
Frequently asked questions about unlimited data
