August 2020: Best Unlimited Data Plans

This guide will walk you through the best unlimited data plans for your needs, whether you want the most perks or you want the cheapest unlimited data plan.

• Best Cheap Unlimited Plan: Visible $40 Unlimited Plan, $40/month
• Best Unlimited Plan with Best Coverage: Verizon Get More Unlimited Plan, $90/month
• Best Unlimited Plan with Extra Perks: T-Mobile Magenta Plus, $85/month
• Fastest and Slowest Speeds by State

Best Cheap Unlimited Plan: Visible Unlimited Plan

Generally, if you’re looking for a cheap unlimited plan, you’ll want to go with Visible, the Verizon-owned prepaid carrier.

Visible’s $40 Unlimited Plan, the only plan the carrier offers, includes mobile hotspot data (at 5Mbps speeds only), the best coverage on Verizon’s network, and for a limited time, new customers will pay just $25 for the first month.

So while this plan may not be the cheapest, it’s our pick for the best unlimited data plan when it comes to value for money.

Best Unlimited Data Plan with the Best Coverage

If coverage is the most important thing to you, then Verizon is the way to go. With the most nationwide coverage, Verizon’s unlimited plans are sure to give you everything you need when traveling from coast to coast.

Verizon has 5 core unlimited plans to choose from—1 prepaid, and 4 postpaid. On top of that, there are discounted options starting at just $60/month for:

• Military and veterans
• Nurses
• First responders
• Teachers

If you want the cheapest option, then Verizon’s prepaid unlimited plan is the way to go. At just $65/month, you’ll get a basic unlimited data plan that also includes unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada.

If you’re wanting the best unlimited data plan that Verizon has to offer, then go for Verizon’s Get More Unlimited Plan. It not only comes with mobile hotspot data and 75GB of guaranteed high-speed data before your speeds could be slowed, but you also get a year of Disney+ for free! Note that this is one of the most expensive unlimited data plans on the market, but if it’s premium you want, it’s premium that you’re going to get!

Best Unlimited Data Plan with Perks: T-Mobile Magenta Plus

With Sprint plans no longer available for new customers, we’ve picked a new favorite for the best unlimited data plan for perks. T-Mobile, Sprint’s new home, is now the winner of this category thanks to the travel and entertainment perks included.

Get Free Entertainment Subscriptions with Your Plan!

At $85/month, this plan is great for those who love traveling overseas and love to binge-watch Netflix.

T-Mobile Magenta Plus Plan Pros

• Includes unlimited calling to and from Mexico and Canada
• Unlimited data (slower) in more than 200 countries
• 5GB of 4G LTE data in Mexico and Canada
• Unlimited HD video streaming
• Unlimited in-flight WiFi on eligible flights
• Includes a 2-screen Netflix subscription for free (with 2 or more lines)
• 20GB of 4G LTE mobile hotspot data (then slowed to 3G speeds)
• Discounts for multiple lines

T-Mobile Magenta Plus Plan Cons

• Netflix perk requires at least 2 lines on your account
• International data (excluding Mexico and Canada) is at 256Kbps only

How We Choose the Best Unlimited Data Plans

Each month we take a look at all of the unlimited data plans offered across carriers in the U.S., including prepaid and postpaid plans. We look at what we think are the most important factors when choosing a cell phone plan, including:

• Amount of high-speed data (as well as deprioritization thresholds)
• High-speed mobile hotspot data allowance
• Entertainment perks
• Monthly price
• Coverage

Taking all of these factors into account, we handpick the unlimited data plans that provide the most value depending on what your needs are when it comes to a cell phone plan.

Which States Offer the Fastest (and Slowest) Mobile Data Speeds?

It’s good to live in the northeast if you rely heavily on your phone for browsing, streaming, shopping, and other internet-related activities. Test results indicate that New Hampshire has the fastest cellular data speeds in the country, followed by Rhode Island and Connecticut. Iowa, West Virginia and Arkansas are home to the slowest speeds (respectively).

New Hampshire’s 28.9 megabits-per-second average download speeds are a full 3.5 megabits faster than Rhode Island’s. Rhode Island (25.4), Connecticut (25.1) and New Jersey (24.4), meanwhile, are far closer to one another. South Dakota is the only non-northeastern city to make the top five.

States with the Fastest Mobile Data

States with the Slowest Mobile Data

How Let’s Talk Collected the Data

The Let’s Talk team analyzed data from ~100k mobile speed test results taken on HighSpeedInternet.com and ranked the states according to that data. Vermont and North Dakota were excluded from the ranking because of insufficient data.

Download vs Upload Speed

Uploading constitutes a relatively small fraction of our overall internet activities; downloading is what we’re mostly doing when we load a web page, stream a video, or play a game. That’s why download speeds are important to consider when analyzing cellular data, and why we’ve highlighted them in our report.

About Let’s Talk

Let’s Talk simplifies the search for the perfect cell phone plan—say goodbye to reading fine print, comparing dozens of plans side by side, and interpreting confusing language. Our experienced team of writers take a fine-tooth comb to all of the phone plans and phone deals out there to discern what the best cell phone plans are. We compile the top results in highly-organized and easy-to-read articles that we update on a regular basis according to market changes. When you land on one of our pages you can rest assured that you’re getting timely information.