What's the cheapest unlimited phone plan once the promo ends?
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The cheapest unlimited plan at its regular price, without a cap on full-speed data, is Visible at $22.92 a month with tax, paid yearly: $275 upfront, with no priority data, so it can be slowed first on a busy tower. Paying month to month, it's Visible and Total Wireless MAX 5G (bring your own phone), both at $25, and Total Wireless offers new customers $20 a month on that plan with no end date given, after a higher first month. The cheapest that states unlimited priority data is Visible+ at $31.25. If 10 GB at full speed a month is enough, US Mobile Unlimited Flex is $17.50, paid yearly: $210 upfront. US Mobile is my own carrier; its plans are placed by the same rule as every row.
"Cheapest" here means the price you pay once any introductory offer is over, because that's the one you keep paying. Intro prices are shown beside it, not used to rank. Plans that require the same company's home internet are listed but left out of the sentences above.
Every unlimited plan, cheapest regular price first
| Plan | Regular | Intro | Priority data | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VisibleSee Visible plans | $22.92 paid yearly: $275 upfront; $25 month to month | $19 for 12 months | none | Verizon |
| Cricket Wireless 12-Month Unlimited single line only, new accountsSee Cricket Wireless plans | $25 prepaid 12 months: $300 upfront | none | none; may be slowed when busy | AT&T |
| Total Wireless MAX 5G (bring your own phone)See Total Wireless plans | $25 month to month | $20 ongoing offer | not stated | Verizon |
| Visible+See Visible plans | $31.25 paid yearly: $375 upfront; $35 month to month | $29 for 12 months | unlimited | Verizon |
| US Mobile Unlimited PremiumSee US Mobile plans | $32.50 paid yearly: $390 upfront; $44 month to month | $24.92 for 12 months | unlimited | Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T (Warp / Light Speed / Dark Star) |
| Cricket Wireless Select UnlimitedSee Cricket Wireless plans | $35 month to month | first month $40, before Auto Pay applies; not an intro price | none; may be slowed when busy | AT&T |
| Total Wireless STARTERSee Total Wireless plans | $35 month to month | none | not stated | Verizon |
| Mint Mobile UnlimitedSee Mint Mobile plans | $35.40 prepaid 12 months: about $424.80 upfront with estimated tax | $17.70 for 12 months | 50 GB | T-Mobile |
| Spectrum Mobile Unlimited requires home internet | $35.40 month to month | $0 for 12 months | 30 GB | Verizon |
| Xfinity Mobile Select requires home internet | $35.40 month to month | $0 for 12 months | 50 GB | Verizon |
| Visible+ ProSee Visible plans | $37.50 paid yearly: $450 upfront; $45 month to month | $18.75 for 12 months | unlimited | Verizon |
| Cricket Wireless 3-Month Unlimited single line only, new accountsSee Cricket Wireless plans | $40 prepaid 3 months: $120 upfront | $15 for 3 months | none; may be slowed when busy | AT&T |
| Cricket Wireless Smart UnlimitedSee Cricket Wireless plans | $45 month to month | first month $50, before Auto Pay applies; not an intro price | none; may be slowed when busy | AT&T |
| Spectrum Mobile Unlimited Plus requires home internet | $47.20 month to month | $11.80 for 12 months | 50 GB | Verizon |
| Total Wireless MAX 5GSee Total Wireless plans | $50 month to month | none | not stated | Verizon |
| Xfinity Mobile Plus requires home internet | $53.10 month to month | $17.70 for 12 months | not stated | Verizon |
| Cricket Wireless Supreme UnlimitedSee Cricket Wireless plans | $55 month to month | first month $60, before Auto Pay applies; not an intro price | none; may be slowed when busy | AT&T |
| Spectrum Mobile Unlimited Plus Premium requires home internet | $59 month to month | $23.60 for 12 months | not stated | Verizon |
| Total Wireless ALL ACCESSSee Total Wireless plans | $60 month to month | none | not stated | Verizon |
| US Mobile Unlimited FlexSee US Mobile plans | $17.50 paid yearly: $210 upfront | none | not stated 10 GB at full speed, then slower | Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T (Warp / Light Speed / Dark Star) |
| US Mobile Unlimited StarterSee US Mobile plans | $22.50 paid yearly: $270 upfront; $25 month to month | $16.58 for 12 months | 70 GB 70 GB at full speed, then slower (on Warp and Light Speed; unlimited on Dark Star) | Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T (Warp / Light Speed / Dark Star) |
| Tello Max (Unlimited)See Tello plans | $29.50 month to month | none | not stated 50 GB at full speed, then slower | T-Mobile |
"Priority data" is the amount the plan says gets priority, or runs at full speed, before it can be slowed; carriers word this differently. Where a plan states a full-speed amount separately, it's shown under the figure. "Not stated" means the plan page gives no figure, which isn't the same as none. US Mobile's lines can run on Verizon's, T-Mobile's or AT&T's network (it calls them Warp, Light Speed and Dark Star).
Is "unlimited" the same on every plan?
No. Every plan above lets you keep using data, but they differ in what happens on a busy tower (the priority column), how much of it you can share as a hotspot (the hotspot comparison), and whether video is held to standard definition. A plan that states it has no priority data, like Visible's base plan, can be slowed first whenever the network is congested, from the first megabyte. A plan that doesn't state a figure may or may not be treated that way; its page doesn't say.
Why not rank by the intro price?
Because it ends. An intro price is the number in the advert, and the regular price is the one on month 13's bill. The price cliff table shows how far each plan jumps, and the calculator ranks every plan against what you pay now, for your number of lines.