When it comes to finding the most affordable unlimited phone plans, you have plenty of options. As one of the most competitive industries, telecommunications providers are always competing on price. The good news is that almost every phone plan available today is unlimited. Of course, by unlimited, we’re talking about unlimited data as the days of not having unlimited voice and text are long behind us. The real question is what you might want on top of unlimited data, as that is where the real competition is.
Whether it’s a larger hotspot allotment, international rates, or family plans, there can be some important differences between different providers. To help determine our list, we looked across the wireless provider market and evaluated all available unlimited plans to help determine which are the most affordable.
One quick reminder about affordability as it isn’t just a dollar amount as the perceived value based on benefits also plays a factor.
Mint Mobile
Source: Steven Ferdman / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Hilarious Ryan Reynolds commercials aside, Mint Mobile offers one of the most competitive unlimited plans available today. For just $15 a month, you get unlimited 5G and 4G LTE data plus unlimited talk and text. What makes this plan even more attractive is that you can lock in pricing for 3 months at a time. This means $45 nets you unlimited for 90 days, or you can opt for 6 and 12-month plans as well.
One of the most attractive benefits of Mint’s plan is that it doesn’t invoke a small limit on unlimited data. Some wireless providers will throttle you after 10 or 20GB of “unlimited” data. Instead, Mint lets you go all the way up to 40GB of data before limiting your speeds.
Mint’s promotional unlimited plan at $15 a month is the same price as its 15 and 20GB plan, so it’s a no-brainer.
Spectrum Mobile
While Spectrum Mobile requires you to be a Spectrum Internet user to sign up, the unlimited plan is very affordable. The one caveat is that Spectrum Mobile prices its plans to be for two lines, so two lines are available for $30 in total. This pricing is good for 12 months when you get two lines and you have unlimited data.
With this plan, you have unlimited high-speed data up to 30GB and then down to 3G speeds once you hit this mark. You also get a high-speed mobile hotspot of up to 5GB for each line. Plus, you can add additional lines for another $29.99 per line, each month.
If you jump up to the Unlimited Plus plan for $25 a month per line on Spectrum Mobile, you get up to 50GB of high-speed data, 10GB of hotspot, and free roaming in both Mexico and Canada.
Visible
Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
When it comes to having one of the most affordable unlimited plans around, Visible is a great solution. As a Verizon-owned prepaid provider, you get the benefit of one of the nation’s best networks for coverage. For only $20 per month with taxes and fees included, this is a hard price to beat in the U.S.
For the $20 price point, Visible customers receive unlimited talk, text, and data on Verizon’s 5G and 4G LTE networks. You also have the unlimited ability to use your phone as a hotspot, which is a big perk. Finally, you get unlimited calls and texts to both Mexico and Canada.
Upgrading to $35 a month gets you data on Verizon’s premium 5G Ultra Wideband network and international calling to over 30 countries.
Tello
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While Tello might not have the name recognition of Visible or Mint Mobile, it offers a competitive plan all the same. For only $25 a month, Tello offers you unlimited data along with unlimited talk and text. You can get this price every month without any contract so you can leave Tello anytime.
As a bonus, the unlimited plan comes with 5GB of hotspot data every month. Where Tello shines over Visible is that it allows free international calls to over 60 countries. Locations like Canada, Mexico, India, France, and Japan are all included.
Tello runs on T-Mobile’s nationwide network, so you have every advantage of the fastest 5G network available today.
Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile has gone through a bit of a hard time after the Sprint/T-Mobile merger, but it’s hard to argue with its $25 unlimited plan. What you get with this plan is a strong combination of both price and value.
For $25, you get unlimited data up to 30GB of 4G LTE/5G data and then 3G speeds. Of course, you receive unlimited talk and text, while your hotspot data allotment uses your unlimited data plan. As an extra, Boost Mobile provides its customers with unlimited DVD-quality streaming on apps like Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube.
As part of the T-Mobile and Sprint merger, Boost can take full advantage of T-Mobile’s full nationwide 5G network.
Metro by T-Mobile
If you want to step up your benefits game a little, Metro by T-Mobile is the way to go. With an unlimited plan costing only $40 a month, you get great coverage and perks with Metro. Better yet, Metro doesn’t require any extra costs to take full advantage of T-Mobile’s fastest 5G network speeds.
Where Metro shines is with the benefits, like the T-Mobile Tuesday app. Every Tuesday, you have a different set of restaurant and gas discounts available. One popular perk is 20 cents off a gallon (up to 20 gallons) at Shell gas stations every week. There is no question the savings can add up.
With Metro, you also get perks like ScamShield free to help stop those annoying spam callers. You can spend $80 for two lines, $90 for 3 lines, and $100 for 4 lines of unlimited data.
Cricket Wireless
While its commercials aren’t quite Ryan Reynolds fun, Cricket Wireless has been heavily pushing its unlimited plan. Powered by the AT&T network, $40 a month on Cricket gets you unlimited data if you commit for 3 months at a time. This means you prepay $120 for 3 months or, if you commit to Cricket for 12 months, you can discount your pricing to $30 a month.
Regardless of which timeframe you commit to, with Cricket you have unlimited nationwide 5G. Of course, you also get unlimited talk and text along with HD voice, which does require a compatible phone. Additionally, you have Cricket Call Defense, which is similar to Metro by T-Mobile’s efforts to help stop spam callers.
Cricket also includes unlimited text in up to 37 countries alongside 2GB of cloud storage for photos and video.
Straight Talk
One of the stronger unlimited plans comes from Verizon-owned prepaid carrier Straight Talk. Available for $45 a month, you get unlimited data along with international calls to Canada and Mexico. The good news is that as a prepaid carrier, you can drop the price to $42.50 a month if you grab a 3-month auto-refill plan. Better yet, if you jump to two lines, you get discounted pricing to $75 for two lines, which is a $15 savings.
Along with this discount opportunity, Straight Talk also offers a 10GB mobile hotspot data plan. Plus, Straight Talk runs on the Verizon network, which ensures you have access to premium 5G service without any contracts.
If you make the move up to the $55 unlimited plan with Straight Talk, you get a discount bonus with auto-refill to $50. You also get a Walmart+ membership included at no extra charge.
Consumer Cellular
If you are looking for the best-unlimited plan that caters more to an older demographic, Consumer Cellular is the way to go. For $50 a month, you get unlimited data, talk, and text. In addition, you get access to AT&T’s 5G nationwide network.
What sets Consumer Cellular apart is its award-winning customer service. Among all prepaid wireless providers in the U.S., Consumer Cellular is consistently ranked as the best customer service. When you add this to hotspot benefits and automatic bill payments, Consumer Cellular is an easy choice.
You can even go for two lines with your price moving up slightly to $65 a month for unlimited.
Xfinity Mobile
Source: Xfinity / Wikimedia Commons
Xfinity Mobile is carving out a foothold in the prepaid wireless space and for good reason. With an unlimited plan starting at $45 for one line, you have the full coverage of Verizon’s 5G network. The only downside to Xfinity Mobile is the plan lowers you to 3G speeds once you use 20GB of high-speed data. However, you get unlimited mobile hotspot data at 3G speeds, so that’s something.
Where things get interesting with Xfinity is that the unlimited price drops to $30 per line for 2 lines. Alternatively, you can up your price to $55 a month for one line and have your throttle point go up to 30GB. At this price, you also get 720p video streaming and 5GB of 5G mobile hotspot data.
Xfinity Mobile is growing fast and for all the right reasons as its customer service has broken away from the Xfinity cable stigma. The one caveat is that you have to be an Xfinity internet user to have Xfinity Mobile.
Total by Verizon
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Last but not least of the most affordable unlimited phone plans, Total by Verizon offers you unlimited for $50 per line. You even get an additional $5 discount if you sign up for auto-pay every month. Another Verizon-owned property, Total by Verizon has access to Verizon’s premium 5G network.
Where Total by Verizon differentiates itself is the addition of Disney+ Premium (no ads) for the first 6 months. Add a strong spam filter to block inbound spam calls and Total by Verizon looks like a good choice.
Finally, Total by Verizon offers a 10GB hotspot allotment every month along with international talk and text to 5 countries of your choice.
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