Unlimited cell phone plans: All you need to know
Learn about unlimited cell phone plans, available options, benefits when choosing a plan and more.
When it comes to deciding which cell phone plans with unlimited data are best for you and your family, people often get confused with the different terminology and ask, "What is an unlimited mobile plan?" So, we are here to help clarify things.
Let's first discuss the differences between the types of plans offered today by the selected carriers:
- Unlimited cell phone plans are phone plans with unlimited data, talk, and text services.
- 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. With this type of plan, 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.
- Capped/tiered plans are, similar to unlimited plans, considered postpaid plans. However, unlike the unlimited plans, here, you pay a monthly 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.
Different mobile carriers offer a variety of unlimited cell phone plans, and researching the market for phone plans with unlimited data, text, and calls is essential to avoid surprising and high monthly costs. But you'll be happy to know that unlimited plans are usually reasonably priced, and those at a premium price offer great perks that ultimately provide you with serious value—so the cheapest unlimited data plan may not always be your best option.
Let's review 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 monthly price 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 plans and choose a plan to fit each family member to save costs and utilize it to the fullest.
A great added value with unlimited phone plans is streamlined billing and budgeting, allowing you to control your—and your family's—mobile phone expenses.
The best perks and features are reserved for the more premium unlimited cell phone plans—something many consider a good bang for the buck. With AT&T, these include things such as 4K UHD streaming, additional call and roam destinations, special discounts through your work and organization, 50GB hotspot data per line per month, premium data allotments, and advanced security features.
Add-on services can be added to unlimited phone plans to enhance your wireless experience; for instance, added charges for international calls, text, and data usage packages for when you travel abroad, or a device protection plan for your phone.
What factors should I consider when choosing an unlimited plan?
Carriers offer different tiers of unlimited phone plans—each tier includes a set of features—reserving the most valuable features, additional perks, and the best speeds for the more expensive tiers.
That's why it matters which unlimited plan you choose and why you should research the unlimited phone plans market in advance. When you research, you'll want to consider the following factors:
- Your data usage habits
- Hotspots data (basic or increased amount)
- Network coverage
- Device compatibility (such as 5G)
- International calling and roaming features
- Security features (basic or advanced)
- Streaming quality (HD vs. SD)
Here is a breakdown of AT&T Unlimited plans
The best AT&T plans with unlimited data are AT&T Unlimited Starter® SL, Unlimited Extra® EL, and Unlimited Premium® PL. With AT&T Unlimited Your Way you can choose a plan to fit each family member. This means the choice is yours, guaranteed. Mix and match any of our best unlimited* plans,2 starting at $3599/mo. per line (for four lines).1
All our best unlimited* plans2 include AT&T 5G, ActiveArmorSM security3, and hotspot data. Also, with our unlimited plans, new and existing customers get our best deals on every smartphone.
*AT&T may temporarily slow data speeds if the network is busy
Let's dive a bit deeper into each of these plans:
- AT&T Unlimited Starter® SL plan: Comes with unlimited talk, text & data in and between the U.S., Canada & Mexico4, 5G access, AT&T ActiveArmorSM advanced security, a free app to monitor the dark web for your personal information and help block harmful URLs, and more.3 Plus, 5GB of hotspot data.5
- AT&T Unlimited Extra® EL plan: This plan includes everything offered in the Unlimited Starter SL plan, combined with AT&T ActiveArmorSM advanced security.
- AT&T Unlimited Premium® PL plan: This plan offers the best of everything, including unlimited high-speed data that can't slow down based on how much you use and 60GB of hotspot data.5**
**After 75GB, AT&T may temporarily slow data speeds if the network is busy
AT&T Unlimited Premium® PL, AT&T Unlimited Extra® EL, & AT&T Unlimited Starter® SL.
2AT&T Unlimited Premium® PL, AT&T Unlimited Extra® EL, & AT&T Unlimited Starter® SL.
3Compatible device for 5G, & AT&T ActiveArmor app access. Download of app req'd. Some mobile security features not avail. while roaming internationally. 5G coverage not avail. everywhere. Learn more at att.com/5Gforyou.
42G off net data speeds may apply.
5After 5GB/30GB/60GB speeds slowed to max. 128Kbps.
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