“Unlimited” is funny name. Unlimited mobile plans often come with a long list of restrictions, terms, conditions, and exceptions. Mercifully, all of the Big Three cell companies have, for now, stopped shaking up their premium models, and are including 5G data access in all of their unlimited plans. However there is still a lot of variation in the services they provide, and from category to category within each company.
Cheaper “unlimited” plans offer unlimited talk and text. But they still have rules about how much unlimited data you get before they start throttling your speed, and some “unlimited” plans may throttle your data at any time. Data throttling is the practice of reducing your data speed after reaching a certain limit of data used per month or during peak periods. It has been integrating mobile service plans for many years.
Below, I’ve highlighted what each major carrier offers for individual and family “unlimited” plans to help you figure out which unlimited plan is right for you and your budget.
The Best Unlimited Plan Right Now: IT-Mobile Experience More
Mobile Essentials, Learn More, and Experience Beyond Apps
Priority Plan (with automatic payment, taxes/fees not included): 1 line for $60/month | 2 Rows $90 | 3 Lines $90 | 4 Rows $100 | 5 Lines $125
Learn More (by automatic payment, taxes/fees not included): 1 line for $85/month | 2 Rows $140 | 3 Rows $140 | 4 Rows $170 | 5 Lines $200
Experience Beyond (by automatic payment, taxes/fees not included): 1 line for $100/month | 2 Rows $170 | 3 Rows $170 | 4 Rows $215 | 5 Lines $260
IT-Mobile has the best 5G coverage among the big three, the highest 5G speeds, the fastest downloads and the best overall reliability, according to analyzes from OpenSignal and Ookla. The carrier also claims to win on value, when you consider benefits that include entertainment bundles, in-flight WiFi, and access to satellite data in emergencies.
IT-Mobile has regenerated its unlimited offering this year but still offers three unlimited plans for talking and texting: Essential, Hear More, and Experience Passing. The only two Experience plans that offer true unlimited 5G data without throttling or throttling (that is, making your phone stand in the data queue behind other, more important, phones during peak demand.)
If costs are more important to you than benefits, and you don’t travel too much internationally, the Important program that’s what we recommend for people with large families. It’s not just entertainment, it’s just a call, mom, with no subscription fees to streaming services or carrier fees. Your hotspot is limited to 3G speeds if you’re a laptop hero, an important consideration for many, and video streaming is 480p. But at its price point, Essentials is the only plan to offer premium data (up to 50 GB) that won’t be capped. If you have home WiFi, that 50GB should be enough for most people. Besides, it will teach your teen how to budget, and how to ask for a WiFi password instead of using their data. But be careful: Data in Canada and Mexico will be slower if you have an old flip phone.
