With 5G coverage now stretching across the entire United States, now may be a better time than ever to get yourself a 5G cell phone plan and phone. Before you do so, it’s important to know which plans come with 5G access and how much they cost. In this article we will cover:
AT&T 5G plans
Although AT&T’s 5G coverage leaves much to be desired, if you do happen to live in a city where the carrier’s 5G network is available, you’ll need one of the following cell phone plans to get access:
- Unlimited Starter (5G available with this plan from August 7, 2020)
- Unlimited Extra
- Unlimited Elite
- Prepaid Unlimited Plus
AT&T isn’t currently charging any extra for 5G access through any of these plans—you’ll pay the regular monthly price of the plan but have access to the lightning-fast network.
Sprint 5G plans
There’s great news for Sprint customers—with the merger with T-Mobile finally getting approved Sprint’s 5G network is now combined with T-Mobile’s, giving it the largest 5G coverage in the U.S. With T-Mobile’s 5G network covering all 50 states, getting access to 5G via a Sprint plan is easy! Any of Sprint’s plans can be activated on 5G, as long as you have a compatible 5G phone. You will pay the same monthly price for the plan—Sprint is not charging any extra for 5G coverage.
T-Mobile 5G plans
With the biggest 5G network in the country, it’s easy to get 5G coverage with T-Mobile. All of T-Mobile’s plans can access the carrier’s 5G network as long as you have a compatible 5G phone. These 5G plans will not cost any extra, at least for now.
Verizon 5G plans
While Verizon's 5G coverage isn't quite as wide-stretched as T-Mobile and Sprint's, its speeds are the fastest of the four 5G networks. If you're lucky enough to live in one of these select areas, you'll need one of the following Verizon 5G plans to get access:- Play More Unlimited
- Do More Unlimited
- Get More Unlimited
Prepaid/MVNO 5G plans
Although the rollout of 5G to smaller prepaid carriers is going a bit slower than we’d hoped, there are some MVNOs that offer access to 5G via the major networks.
Metro by T-Mobile 5G plans
Metro was the first prepaid carrier in the U.S. to offer 5G, thanks to its parent company, T-Mobile. You can access T-Mobile’s 5G network from any of Metro’s plans (for no extra cost) as long as you have a 5G-compatible phone. The only caveat to Metro’s 5G plans is that your speeds may be deprioritized (in favor of T-Mobile customers) if you use more than 35GB of data in a month.
Google Fi 5G plans
Google Fi also offers 5G speeds via T-Mobile’s 5G network if you have a compatible phone. You’ll pay the same price you would pay for a regular Google Fi plan, but have access to faster speeds.
5G coverage
5G coverage in the U.S. differs greatly from carrier to carrier. This is one of the first things you need to check before you go out and buy a 5G phone and plan. Currently, T-Mobile and Sprint have the most 5G coverage in the country, followed by Verizon, then AT&T.
However, it’s important to note that 5G speed also differs from carrier to carrier, with Verizon taking the prize in this category. In a nutshell:
- Most coverage = T-Mobile/Sprint
- Fastest speeds = Verizon