How to Choose an Unlimited Cell Phone Plan | AT&T Wireless
Unlimited cell phone plans: All you need to know
Learn about unlimited cell phone plans, available options, benefits when choosing a plan and more.
Choosing the right unlimited data cell phone plan for you and your family can be confusing, and it’s common to wonder, "What does an unlimited mobile plan actually offer?" We're here to make things clearer.
The differences between plans offered by selected providers
- Unlimited cell phone plans are considered postpaid plans with unlimited data, talk, and text services.
- Capped/tiered plans are also considered postpaid plans. However, here, each month you pay a plan charge for a specific amount of calls, texts, and data usage. So, if you go over your data allotment for the month, you'll either have overage charges or experience data usage limitations for the rest of that bill cycle.
- Pay-as-you-go (also known as prepaid) plans enable you to pay upfront only for a set amount of service (minutes, texts, and data) you use. You pay every month or every few months, and you're only committed to it for the amount of service you purchase ahead of time. And if you miss a payment, your phone service is suspended.
Different mobile providers offer a variety of unlimited cell phone plans. Researching the market is essential to avoid surprises and high costs. But, luckily, unlimited plans are usually reasonably priced. And the premium plans offer great perks that deliver serious value, so the cheapest unlimited data plan may not always be your best option.
The main benefits of unlimited cell phone plans
With unlimited cell phone plans, you get unlimited talk and text in addition to unlimited data. This means you pay a fixed price each month to access as much data as needed. There's no worrying about overages or tallying up a high bill that could surprise you at the end of the month.
AT&T offers an additional benefit with its unlimited phone plans. With AT&T Unlimited Your Way, you can mix and match unlimited plans and choose one that fits each family member. This helps reduce costs and maximize utilization.
A great added value with unlimited phone plans is the ability to control your entire family’s mobile phone expenses through streamlined billing and budgeting.
You’ll find that the best perks and features are reserved for premium unlimited cell phone plans, offering good bang for your buck. With AT&T, these include 4K UHD streaming, additional call and roaming destinations, special discounts through your work and organization, hotspot data (from up to 50GB for the Extra plan per line per month), premium data allotments, and advanced security features.
You also have add-on services available with the unlimited phone plans. These services offer you options to enhance your wireless experience. For instance, you can choose one of the international calls, text, and data usage plans for when you travel abroad, or a device protection plan for your phone.
What factors should I consider when choosing an unlimited plan?
Providers offer multiple unlimited phone plan tiers. Those plans with top features, perks, and speeds are reserved for higher-priced options.
That's why it matters which unlimited plan you choose and should research the market in advance. When you research, you'll want to consider the following factors:
- Your data usage habits
- Hotspot data (AT&T offers up to 100GB for the Premium plan, 50GB for the Extra plan, and 3GB for the Value plan)
- Network coverage
- Device compatibility (such as 5G)
- International calling and roaming features
- Security features (basic or advanced)
- Streaming quality (UHD and HD vs. SD)
Here’s a breakdown of AT&T's unlimited plans
The best AT&T plans with unlimited data fall under the AT&T Unlimited Your Way umbrella. They include AT&T Value 2.0SM, Extra 2.0SM, and Premium 2.0SM. With AT&T Unlimited Your Way® plans, you can mix and match any of our best eligible unlimited plans on any line, starting at $30 per line per month. The choice is yours.
Top features included with every AT&T unlimited plan
No matter which unlimited plan you pick, every line gets:
- High-speed data
- Access to AT&T 5G1
- Access to the basic tier of AT&T ActiveArmor mobile security1 with no additional charge, and the option to upgrade to the advanced tier
- Access to hotspot2
- Unlimited texting from the U.S. to 200+ countries
AT&T may temporarily slow data speeds if the network is busy.
And with SplitPay,3 we make it easy to share your wireless account with family, friends, roommates, whomever.
Learn more about each AT&T unlimited plan
In addition to the features included in all unlimited plans, you’ll also get specifications and additional features based on the plan tier you select.
- AT&T Value 2.0: With this plan, you’ll get unlimited talk, text, and data in and between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico,4 plus 5GB of high-speed data, and 3GB2 of hotspot data.
After 5GB, AT&T may temporarily slow data speeds if the network is busy.
- AT&T Extra 2.0: The next tier in line offers you everything in Value 2.0, plus 100GB of high-speed data, 50GB2 of hotspot data, and your choice of our best smartphone deals.5
After 100GB, AT&T may temporarily slow data speeds if the network is busy.
- AT&T Premium 2.0: The third unlimited plan tier provides even more of what you need to stay connected. It also includes unlimited high-speed data that can’t slow down based on how much you use, 100GB2 of hotspot data, and unlimited talk, text, and high-speed data in 20 Latin American countries6 at no extra cost.
1Compatible device for 5G and AT&T ActiveArmor app access. Download of app req’d. Some mobile security features are not avail. while roaming internationally. 5G coverage not available everywhere. Learn more at att.com/5Gforyou.
2After 3GB/50GB/100GB/250GB, speeds slowed to max 128kbps.
3Select postpaid wireless plans only. Not available for customers enrolled in AutoPay with credit card.
42G off-net data speeds may apply.
5Offers vary by device. Restr’s. apply.
6Coverage and data speeds vary. International usage should not exceed domestic.
7Req. compatible plan and device. Coverage not available everywhere. Visit att.com/turbo to learn more.
8After 20GB of international data, speeds may be reduced to a max of 512Kbps.
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