If you’re shopping around for the best cell phone plans, we’ve got you covered. Here at Let’s Talk, we’ve put together a list of the best cell phone plans available in the U.S—from unlimited data with all the bells and whistles to affordable options.

Let’s Talk Editor’s Picks: Best Phone Plans

 

There are several things you’ll want to consider when choosing the best cell phone plan for you or your family, such as budget, data allowance, coverage, travel and entertainment perks, and more. The right plan for you may not be the right plan for someone else. Read on to discover the best cell phone plans available right now. If you’d prefer to customize your search, hop on over to our cell phone plan comparison tool, where you can find all the best plans in your region from over 30 U.S. phone carriers.


Best overall phone plan: T-Mobile Magenta

Value for Money: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Coverage: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Features & Perks: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

We’ve chosen the T-Mobile Magenta Plan as the best overall unlimited plan that has a nice balance of price and features. For $70/month, you get unlimited everything, including unlimited international texting and 2G data in 210+ countries, Mexico and Canada privileges, 3GB of 4G LTE hotspot then unlimited 3G once you’ve used the high-speed hotspot allowance. Plus, T-Mobile has excellent 4G LTE coverage as well as the largest 5G network, so your 5G access won’t be in vain. One of the major bummers about this single-line plan through T-Mobile is that you don’t get a free Netflix subscription (you need 2 or more lines to get Netflix).

T-Mobile Magenta pros:

  • Affordable unlimited plan (all-in pricing)
  • Nice travel perks
  • Great coverage
  • 5G access

T-Mobile Magenta cons:


Best family plan: T-Mobile Magenta Family (4 lines)

Value for Money: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Coverage: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Features & Perks: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The T-Mobile Magenta 4-line family plan is a great option for families who want it all—unlimited everything so no one has to share or fight over data, free international texting and 2G data for the world travelers, roaming in Mexico and Canada, Netflix or Quibi, 5G access, and more. Why pay between $70/month and $100/month for unlimited data on a single line when you can get unlimited data on this 4-line plan for just $35/month per line?

Magenta Family plan pros:

  • Affordable price (all-in pricing)
  • Great international features
  • Netflix subscription
  • Excellent coverage
  • 5G access

Magenta Family plan cons:

  • Can’t mix and match family plans
  • Small hotspot data allowance

Best cheap family plan: Mint Mobile 10GB 

Value for Money: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Coverage: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Features & Perks: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Bundle up to four of Mint Mobile’s 10GB plans together to create one of the most affordable family plans around! At $80/month total, this Mint Mobile family plan is one of the cheapest family plans available today, but it doesn’t sacrifice performance. Across 4 lines, the family gets 40GB of 4G LTE data, or 10GB/line, as well as free calls to Mexico and Canada and hotspot. Not to mention, your phone automatically connects to T-Mobile’s 4G or 5G network, whichever is strongest in your area.

If you aren’t familiar with Mint Mobile, it’s a prepaid MVNO that offers 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month bundles you must pay for upfront. This particular family plan is a 3-month intro plan, costing $240 total. While it can be a tough cost to swallow to pay for 3 months in advance, consider the fact that when you break it down per month, you’re getting a huge steal.

Keep in mind, at the end of your 3-month family plan, your $80/month price will go up, but don’t worry—if you want to keep that same low cost, you can. All you need to do is renew your same plan on the 12-month option.

Mint Mobile Family Plan pros:

  • Unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada
  • Hotspot
  • No credit check
  • Access to T-Mobile’s 4G and 5G networks
  • Major savings

Mint Mobile Family Plan cons:

  • No travel or entertainment perks
  • No 1-month plan options
  • Plan prices increase after intro period

Best cheap unlimited plan: Visible Unlimited

Value for Money: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Coverage: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Features & Perks: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Visible, an MVNO that runs on Verizon’s powerful network, offers just one phone plan—the $40 Visible Unlimited Plan. And really, with an unlimited plan that cheap, does Visible need to offer another plan? Like T-Mobile, Visible offers all-in pricing, meaning taxes and fees are included in this incredibly low price. With the Visible Unlimited Plan, you get unlimited talk, text, and data, plus mobile hotspot. And for a limited time, new customers pay just $25 for the first month when switching to Visible. There’s no way around it—this is a great deal.

Visible Unlimited pros:

  • Unlimited everything
  • One of the cheapest unlimited plans on the market
  • Incredible coverage aboard Verizon’s network
  • Multi-line discounts
  • No credit check

Visible Unlimited cons:

  • No additional travel or entertainment features
  • Data speeds can be slowed at any time

Best plan for streaming perks: Verizon Play More Unlimited

Value for Money: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Coverage: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Features & Perks: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The $80 Verizon Play More Unlimited Plan is the ultimate unlimited plan for an entertainment-lover. Although the price tag is a bit higher than other unlimited plans on this list, you get enough streaming subscriptions to justify the price. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have service aboard the top network in the country. The Verizon Play More Unlimited Plan includes HD-quality streaming so you can enjoy your movies, TV shows, and sports as they were meant to be enjoyed. And you can even take those streaming benefits abroad with .5GB/day of 4G LTE data in Mexico and Canada.

The great thing about Verizon unlimited plans is that you can mix and match them so that everyone in the family can get the plan that’s best for them. And Verizon gives you the opportunity to add on a Just Kids plan, which includes unlimited data, unlimited talk and text to 20 approved contacts, and a variety of parental controls to keep your child safe.

Verizon Play More pros:

  • Excellent coverage
  • Plenty of streaming perks
  • HD-quality streaming
  • Mexico and Canada talk, text, and roaming
  • Mix and match family plans
  • 5G access

Verizon Play More cons:

  • More expensive than other unlimited plans on our list

Best limited high-speed data plan: Simple Mobile $25 Plan

Value for Money: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Coverage: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Features & Perks: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Simple Mobile $25 Unlimited Plan is the best limited data plan on the market because of its incredible value, great coverage on T-Mobile’s network, and nice features. You get unlimited talk and text plus 5GB of high-speed data, and once you use your data allowance, your speeds will be slowed for the rest of the billing cycle. This is helpful if you don’t pay close attention to your data usage. While many limited data plans are bare-bones, this Simple Mobile plan includes roaming in Mexico and select other Latin American countries as well as unlimited international calls to over 60 countries.

Simple Mobile $25 Plan pros:

  • Super-low cost
  • No overage charges
  • Great coverage on T-Mobile’s network
  • Nice international perks
  • 5G access
  • No credit check

Simple Mobile $25 Plan cons:


Best prepaid unlimited plan: Metro by T-Mobile $60 Unlimited

Value for Money: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Coverage: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Features & Perks: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

The Metro by T-Mobile $60 Unlimited plan is the best prepaid unlimited plan for customers who want a great unlimited data plan while avoiding a credit check. This unlimited plan operates on T-Mobile’s robust 4G LTE network, plus you get 5G access. Metro doesn’t skimp you on features either—you get 100GB of Google One cloud storage, 15GB of 4G LTE hotspot, and a free Amazon Prime subscription, granting you access to thousands of movies and TV shows, as well as free shipping on 2-day, 1-day, and even same-day orders.

Metro Unlimited Plan pros:

  • Great coverage
  • 5G access
  • Skip the credit check
  • Amazon Prime
  • Nice hotspot allowance
  • Multi-line discount

Metro Unlimited Plan cons:

  • No international features
  • Data speeds may be deprioritized in favor of T-Mobile customers

Best international plan: Google Fi Unlimited

Value for Money: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Coverage: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Features & Perks: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

The $70 Google Fi Unlimited Plan includes unlimited international texts and data in over 200 countries, making it the best plan for international travel. Unlike other plans, which may include 2G data abroad, this Google Fi plan lets you use your high-speed data abroad for free. Other great features include free calls to 50 countries, mobile hotspot, and 100GB of Google Cloud storage. Lastly, if you have a Google Fi phone, your phone will automatically connect to whichever network is fastest where you are. Otherwise, your service will be on T-Mobile’s network, which is still great.

Google Fi Unlimited pros:

  • Unparalleled travel perks
  • Mobile hotspot
  • Great coverage on multiple networks
  • No credit check

Google Fi Unlimited cons:

  • Only 22GB of data before your data could be potentially slowed

Best mix-and-match plan: AT&T Prepaid Multi-line Monthly Plan

Value for Money: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Coverage: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Features & Perks: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

If everyone in the family has different data needs, then the AT&T Prepaid Multi-Line Monthly Plan is the best mix and match family plan for you. Family members can choose between 1GB, 8GB, unlimited, and unlimited + 10GB hotspot. Everyone gets free texting to Mexico, Canada, and 100 other countries and unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada. Additionally, all of the plans except for the 1GB line allow you to use your high-speed data over the border.

AT&T Prepaid Multi-Line pros:

  • Versatile data allowances
  • Great coverage aboard AT&T’s network
  • Mexico and Canada privileges
  • Skip the credit check

AT&T Prepaid Multi-Line cons:

  • No streaming subscriptions
  • Could be expensive
  • No 5G access

Which phone plans are the best?

The best cell phone plans depend on your wireless needs and priorities. With so many plans to choose from, the search can be overwhelming. You can always narrow down your search by category: the best prepaid phone plans, the best unlimited data plans, the best family plans. This page will cover all of the best phone plans available during Black Friday, including the 1-line and 4-line T-Mobile Magenta Plan, which offers more for your money than Verizon and AT&T. Visible’s Unlimited Plan is the best cheap unlimited plan and it runs on Verizon’s powerful network. For streamers out there, we’ve chosen the Verizon Play More Unlimited Plan as the best plan for entertainment features—you get Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+, and more.

If you don’t need unlimited data, the Simple Mobile $25 Unlimited Plan includes 5GB of high-speed data and no overage charges and the Mint Mobile family plan gives every line 8GB of 4G LTE data. Both of those plans are prepaid, meaning you aren’t subject to a credit check, which is always nice. Speaking of prepaid plans, the best prepaid unlimited plan is Metro by T-Mobile’s $60 Unlimited Plan, which includes great features like Amazon Prime and Google One cloud storage. If you frequently travel abroad, Google Fi’s unlimited plan includes free international roaming and texting. For families that need a wide range of data allowances, the AT&T Prepaid Multi-Line Monthly Plan has your name written all over it.


How to choose the best cell phone plan

When choosing the best phone plan for you, you’ll want to consider a few things, such as:

Once you decide what you’re looking for in a plan, you can use those preferences to guide your decision. For example, if you don’t want to spend more than $60/month on single-line plan, then you know the T-Mobile and Verizon unlimited plans on this list are out of the question. You may want to compare plans from Metro by T-Mobile, Visible, Simple Mobile, and other MVNOs, as well as limited data plans through the major carriers. Conversely, if you want the best unlimited plan with all the bells and whistles, then you’ll want to compare flagship unlimited plans from T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T.

But of course, plan price is just a starting point—there’s no point in getting a carrier’s phone plan if that carrier doesn’t have good coverage where you live and travel. Check out the coverage guides below to compare coverage between Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile:

Once you’ve figured out which carrier has the best coverage in your area, then you can compare plans that run on that network. For example, if you get excellent AT&T coverage near you, then you can compare plans offered by AT&T and AT&T MVNOs (small carriers that run on AT&T’s network), such as Cricket Wireless, Straight Talk, and FreeUp.
Once you’ve narrowed down the network you want, you can compare plan features, such as data allowance, data speeds (some MVNOs offer 3G speeds), international calling and texting, global roaming, and streaming subscriptions.

If you’re thinking of switching carriers and bringing your own phone, you’ll want to check that your phone is compatible with that carrier’s network. If you’re interested in buying a new phone, you’ll want to stay up-to-date on all the current cell phone deals, since most carriers offer phone deals for new customers who switch.

Now that 5G is available through all the major carriers, you may be wondering how you can get access to a carrier’s 5G network. First, you’ll need a 5G phone to connect to 5G. While 5G phones were extremely expensive when they first hit the market, there are plenty of affordable 5G phones available now. You can compare all 5G phones here and find the one that’s best for you and your phone habits. Of the plans on our list, the T-Mobile and Metro plans include 5G access, as well as the Verizon, Simple Mobile, and Mint Mobile plans.