Android Central: The best unlimited data plan in the U.S. right now

Unlimited plans are back, but which one is the best?

All four major U.S. carriers offer an unlimited data plan again. After years of hearing how they were unable to provide unlimited data to every customer and maintain the quality of service they wanted, new technology and a more competitive market means a 180-degree turnaround was in order and here we are.

We've previously written about how most people just don't need unlimited data, and you should have a look if you have any questions about how much you should spend or how much data you need. But if you're sure you need all the data you can get each and every month, let's look at which company you should give your business to. We'll start with a quick look at what each company has to offer and what it will cost you.

AT&T

First on the list, we have AT&T. AT&T currently offers two unlimited plans to choose from, including Unlimited &More and Unlimited &More Premium.

Terrible naming aside, both plans bring a respectable amount to the table. Here's a breakdown of the pricing and features you can expect.

Feature	Cost
Price for single line	$70 for Unlimited &More $80 for Unlimited &More Premium
Price for two lines	$125 for Unlimited &More $150 for Unlimited &More Premium
Price for three lines	$145 for Unlimited &More $170 for Unlimited &More Premium
Price for four lines	$160 for Unlimited &More $190 for Unlimited &More Premium

Unlimited &More

Unlimited talk, text, and data (speeds may be slowed after 22GB during network congestion)
Unlimited talk, text to Canada and Mexico
Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico with free Roam North America Feature (if more than 50% of use is outside the U.S. the plan can be terminated)
SD video streaming (480p DVD quality)
Free subscription to AT&T WatchTV (30+ live channels, $15/month value)

Unlimited &More Premium

Unlimited talk, text, and data (speeds may be slowed after 22GB during network congestion)
Unlimited talk and text to Canada and Mexico
Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico with free Roam North America Feature (if more than 50% of use is outside the U.S. the plan can be terminated)
HD video streaming (1080p quality)
15GB of 4G LTE mobile hotspot (after 15GB, speeds limited to 128Kbps)
Free subscription to AT&T WatchTV (30+ live channels, $15/month value)
Get one premium subscription for free (HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, STARZ, VRV, Amazon Music, or Pandora Premium)

Like most carriers, the monthly fees don't include tax or regulatory fees and you may have other costs if you get your phone from AT&T.

Sprint

Moving along to Sprint, things get a bit more complicated with three different unlimited plans being offered.

Unlimited Basic is definitely the cheapest unlimited plan on this entire list, but it comes with a few notable drawbacks that could make it a dealbreaker for potential customers. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, you have Unlimited Premium which bundles just about everything you could ask for. Then, somewhere in the middle between the two, is Unlimited Plus.

Here's a closer look at all of them.

Feature	Cost
Price for single line	$60/month for Unlimited Basic $70/month for Unlimited Plus $90/month for Unlimited Premium
Price for two lines	$100/month for Unlimited Basic $120/month for Unlimited Plus $120/month for Unlimited Premium
Price for three lines	$100/month for Unlimited Basic $130/month for Unlimited Plus $150/month for Unlimited Premium
Price for four lines	$100/month for Unlimited Basic $140/month for Unlimited Plus $180/month for Unlimited Premium
Price for five lines	$100/month for Unlimited Basic $150/month for Unlimited Plus $210/month for Unlimited Premium

Sprint Unlimited Basic

Unlimited talk, text, and data (speeds may be slowed after 50GB during network congestion)
Unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of 4G LTE data in Canada and Mexico
Text and data in 200+ worldwide destinations
SD video streaming (480p DVD quality)
500MB of 4G LTE hotspot
Hulu subscription included for free ($7.99/month value)

Sprint Unlimited Plus

Unlimited talk, text, and data (speeds may be slowed after 50GB during network congestion)
Unlimited talk, text, and 10GB of 4G LTE data in Canada and Mexico
Text and data in 200+ worldwide destinations
HD video streaming (1080p quality)
50GB of 4G LTE hotspot
Hulu subscription included for free ($7.99/month value)
Tidal Premium subscription included for free ($9.99/month value)

Sprint Unlimited Premium

Unlimited talk, text, and data (speeds may be slowed after 50GB during network congestion)
Unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data in Canada and Mexico
Text and data in 200+ worldwide destinations
Full HD video streaming
100GB of 4G LTE hotspot
Hulu subscription included for free ($7.99/month value)
Tidal Premium subscription included for free ($9.99/month value)
Lookout Premium Plus subscription included for free ($99.99/year value)
Amazon Prime subscription included for free ($119/year value)
Up to $20 in monthly Uber credits
Everything you neeed to know about Sprint's Unlimited Freedom Plan
See plans at Sprint

T-Mobile

Going back to something a bit more simple, T-Mobile technically offers one unlimited plan — T-Mobile ONE — and then an optional add-on to it in the form of T-Mobile ONE Plus.

T-Mobile's unlimited offering is one of the best in the business. Have a look below to see why for yourself.

Feature	Cost
Price for single line	$70/month with T-Mobile ONE $85/month with T-Mobile ONE Plus
Price for two lines	$120/month with T-Mobile ONE $150/month with T-Mobile ONE Plus
Price for three lines	$140/month with T-Mobile ONE $185/month with T-Mobile ONE Plus
Price for four lines	$160/month with T-Mobile ONE $220/month with T-Mobile ONE Plus

Unlike all of the other plans on this list, T-Mobile's prices have taxes and fees included. In other words, if you sign up for a single line of T-Mobile ONE for $70/month, you'll only pay $70/month. That's how things should be.

T-Mobile ONE

Unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data (possible slowdowns after 50GB during network congestion)
Unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of 4G LTE data in Mexico and Canada
Text and data in 210+ countries
SD video streaming (480p DVD quality)
Unlimited 3G mobile hotspot
Netflix Standard subscription included for free ($12.99/month value)
Free in-flight texting + 1 hour of data on Gogo-enabled flights to, from, or within the U.S.

T-Mobile ONE Plus

Unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data (possible slowdowns after 50GB during network congestion)
Unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of 4G LTE data in Mexico and Canada
Text and data in 210+ countries (data is 2x faster)
HD video streaming
20GB of 4G LTE hotspot (then down to 3G speeds after 20GB)
Netflix Standard subscription included for free ($12.99/month value)
Unlimited in-flight data on all Gogo-enabled flights
T-Mobile Visual Voicemail
T-Mobile Name ID
Everything you need to know about T-Mobile's unlimited plans
See plans at T-Mobile

Verizon

Last but not least, we have Verizon. Similar to Sprint, Verizon offers a total of three unlimited plans that customers can mix and match to their heart's content.

On the surface, Verizon's plans look like a great deal. However, when you start adding on things like having to pay extra for 1080p video streaming, data slowdowns on unlimited plans, and more, it pales a bit in comparison to some of the other options out there.

Feature	Cost
Price for single line	$75/month with Go Unlimited $85/month with Beyond Unlimited $95/month with Above Unlimited
Price for two lines	$130/month with Go Unlimited $160/month with Beyond Unlimited $180/month with Above Unlimited
Price for three lines	$150/month with Go Unlimited $180/month with Beyond Unlimited $210/month with Above Unlimited
Price for four lines	$160/month with Go Unlimited $200/month with Beyond Unlimited $240/month with Above Unlimited

Go Unlimited

Unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data (data may be slowed during network congestion)
Unlimited talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada
SD video streaming (480p DVD quality)
Unlimited 600Kbps mobile hotspot
Free 6-month trial of Apple Music

Beyond Unlimited

Unlimited talk, text, and 22GB of Premium 4G LTE data (after 22GB, data may be slowed during network congestion)
Unlimited talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada
HD video streaming (720p quality) with optional $10/month extra to stream in 1080p
15GB of 4G LTE hotspot (down to 600Kbps after 15GB)
Apple Music subscription included for free ($9.99/month value)

Above Unlimited

Unlimited talk, text, and 75GB of Premium 4G LTE data (after 75GB, data may be slowed during network congestion)
Unlimited talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada
5 free TravelPasses per month that can be used in 130 countries
HD video streaming (720p quality) with optional $10/month extra to stream in 1080p
20GB of 4G LTE hotspot (down to 600Kbps after 20GB)
Apple Music subscription included for free ($9.99/month value)
500GB of free Verizon Cloud storage
Everything you need to know about Verizon's unlimited plan
See plans at Verizon

The best unlimited wireless plan

There are a few things in common with all four carriers: The listed prices in all advertisements are for customers who use autopay for their monthly bill. Each carrier can slow down your data speeds down once you've used a certain amount, and that number varies from carrier-to-carrier as we've outlined above. Furthermore, while coverage maps do a good job at reflecting a network's performance in an area, no carrier actually guarantees strong service where you live. Do your due diligence, understand what a coverage map is telling you, and make your decision from there.

T-Mobile offers the best unlimited plan in the U.S.

Overall, T-Mobile has the best unlimited plan you can buy. We considered price, coverage, and features equally and while we can't say T-Mobile will work for everyone, it's where you should look first. Here's how we reached the decision.

Which companies offer the coverage you need? Having a cheap cell phone bill isn't so great if your phone doesn't work where you need it to work. There are still some areas of the U.S. where T-Mobile has no coverage at all, but we have to give the Un-Carrier credit for really building up its network across the U.S. over the years. Particularly rural areas still have less coverage by T-Mobile compared to Verizon, but from 2015 to 2019, T-Mobile's improved a lot in these parts of the country.
How much are your monthly taxes and fees going to be? In some places, these extra fees will add up. When you add upwards of $30 (or more) to each month's bill, T-Mobile bundling them into the plan price might make a difference. Sprint still has the lowest list price, but by the time you add all the regulatory fees and taxes, it'll likely be about the same (if not more) compared to T-Mobile's comparable plans.
What other features come with the service? In addition to your unlimited talk, text, and data with T-Mobile ONE, your plan also comes with text and data in over 210+ countries, unlimited mobile hotspot, free in-flight texting + 1 hour of data on most U.S. flights, and a free Netflix subscription (some of these can be upgraded even further with T-Mobile ONE Plus). All U.S. carriers bundle in features like this, with Sprint being one of the leaders in this area by including Hulu, Amazon Prime, and up to a whopping 100GB of 4G LTE hotspot use. However, when stacked up with everything else that T-Mobile offers (and the fact that a TV streaming service of some sort is scheduled for release later this year), we think most people will be quite happy with what's on the table.

The best news is that everything here is subject to change at any time! Because the market has become so competitive for unlimited data, companies will constantly be adjusting prices and features. When one company makes a move the rest will soon follow with their own new pricing or other offers.

See at T-Mobile

Carriers

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Friday, January 25, 2019

The best unlimited data plan in the U.S. right now