What every phone plan on file costs after the intro price ends
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14 of the 29 plans on file cost more once their intro price ends. 5 plans share the biggest jump, $35.40 a month with estimated tax, and every one of them requires buying the same company's home internet. They're first in the table below.
On those plans, the advertised number is an introductory rate; the regular rate sits further down the carrier's page. This table is the moment the two swap over, for every plan on file, read from the carriers' own pages on September 21 to 22, 2026.
Ranked by the size of the jump
intro priceafter the intro ends
| Plan | Intro | Regular | The jump | Two years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Mobile Unlimited Plus Premium advertised before tax, +18% est. | $23.60 for 12 months | $59 | +$35.40/mo $424.80 a year | $991.20 $424.80 above the headline |
| Xfinity Mobile Plus advertised before tax, +18% est. | $17.70 for 12 months | $53.10 | +$35.40/mo $424.80 a year | $849.60 $424.80 above the headline |
| Spectrum Mobile Unlimited Plus advertised before tax, +18% est. | $11.80 for 12 months | $47.20 | +$35.40/mo $424.80 a year | $708 $424.80 above the headline |
| Spectrum Mobile Unlimited advertised before tax, +18% est. | $0 for 12 months | $35.40 | +$35.40/mo $424.80 a year | $424.80 $424.80 above the headline |
| Xfinity Mobile Select advertised before tax, +18% est. | $0 for 12 months | $35.40 | +$35.40/mo $424.80 a year | $424.80 $424.80 above the headline |
| Cricket Wireless 3-Month Unlimited single line only, new accounts; taxes includedSee Cricket Wireless plans | $15 for 3 months | $40 | +$25/mo $300 a year | $885 $525 above the headline |
| Visible+ Pro taxes includedSee Visible plans | $18.75 for 12 months | $37.50 | +$18.75/mo $225 a year | $675 $225 above the headline |
| Mint Mobile Unlimited advertised before tax, +18% est.See Mint Mobile plans | $17.70 for 12 months | $35.40 | +$17.70/mo $212.40 a year | $637.20 $212.40 above the headline |
| Mint Mobile 23GB advertised before tax, +18% est.See Mint Mobile plans | $17.70 for 12 months | $29.50 | +$11.80/mo $141.60 a year | $566.40 $141.60 above the headline |
| US Mobile Unlimited Premium taxes includedSee US Mobile plans | $24.92 for 12 months | $32.50 | +$7.58/mo $91 a year | $689 $91 above the headline |
| Visible+ taxes includedSee Visible plans | $29 for 12 months | $35 | +$6/mo $72 a year | $768 $72 above the headline |
| Visible taxes includedSee Visible plans | $19 for 12 months | $25 | +$6/mo $72 a year | $528 $72 above the headline |
| US Mobile Unlimited Starter taxes includedSee US Mobile plans | $16.58 for 12 months | $22.50 | +$5.92/mo $71 a year | $469 $71 above the headline |
| Mint Mobile 17GB advertised before tax, +18% est.See Mint Mobile plans | $17.70 for 12 months | $23.60 | +$5.90/mo $70.80 a year | $495.60 $70.80 above the headline |
Carriers that advertise before tax are grossed up by an assumed 18%, so tax-inclusive and pre-tax plans can be read against each other. That rate is an estimate and is the one number on this page not read off a carrier's page; your state's actual rate may be higher or lower. The intro and regular prices in each row are on the same billing term: a monthly intro is compared with the monthly regular price, an annual one with the annual price. Two years is the intro months at the intro price plus the rest at the regular price.
How much does the advertised price leave out?
Take Cricket Wireless 3-Month Unlimited's intro price (it's sold for a single line to new accounts) and multiply by 24, and two years looks like $360. The published terms make it $885. The difference, $525, isn't hidden; it's on the carrier's own page, a scroll below the number in the advert.
That gap is why this site quotes regular prices everywhere and keeps intro pricing in its own column. A comparison ranked on intro prices ranks carriers by how long they can defer the real number.
Which plans cost the same in month 13?
The honest half of the table. These plans charge one price and keep charging it, which makes them boring to advertise and easy to budget for.
| Plan | Every month | Two years |
|---|---|---|
| Tello Starter (2GB) advertised before tax, +18% est.See Tello plans | $11.80 | $283.20 |
| US Mobile Unlimited Flex taxes includedSee US Mobile plans | $17.50 | $420 |
| Mint Mobile 6GB advertised before tax, +18% est.See Mint Mobile plans | $17.70 | $424.80 |
| Tello Everyday (10GB) advertised before tax, +18% est.See Tello plans | $17.70 | $424.80 |
| Tello 20GB advertised before tax, +18% est.See Tello plans | $23.60 | $566.40 |
| Cricket Wireless 12-Month Unlimited taxes includedSee Cricket Wireless plans | $25 | $600 |
| Tello Max (Unlimited) advertised before tax, +18% est.See Tello plans | $29.50 | $708 |
| Total Wireless STARTER taxes includedSee Total Wireless plans | $35 | $840 |
| Total Wireless MAX 5G taxes includedSee Total Wireless plans | $50 | $1,200 |
| Total Wireless ALL ACCESS taxes includedSee Total Wireless plans | $60 | $1,440 |
What about offers that don't expire?
Total Wireless MAX 5G (bring your own phone) is listed at $25 a month, but currently offered at $20 with no end date published. With no end date there's no month 13 to fall off, so it isn't counted above. An offer like that can still be withdrawn, and it's usually tied to AutoPay.
Cricket Wireless charges more in the first month than after it, because the AutoPay discount starts with the second bill. That's the opposite of a cliff and isn't counted either.
How should you use this?
- A big jump isn't automatically bad. A plan with a cliff can still cost less in month 13 than a flat plan does. The jump tells you what to budget from month 13, not which plan to reject.
- A cliff you leave before is a discount. If you switch carriers every year, the intro year is the product. Most people don't, which is what the pricing relies on.
- Check the end date, not only the price. Put a reminder a month before it.
To put your own bill against these numbers, the switch calculator ranks every budget plan on its regular price with the intro alongside. For roaming, see costs by trip length; for one row per carrier, carriers at a glance.
Prices read from each carrier's own plan page and re-read daily by a script whose readings are published in the price log, and as open data. How this site checks prices.