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Finding the best cell phone plan for your family can save you money on your monthly wireless bill, reason enough to compare your current plan with an existing plan. You may find a lower monthly price than what you are paying now.
Best Phone Plans For Families
But a good phone plan isn't just about dollars and cents. You also need to consider the value-added benefits and coverage offered by each carrier. There is also the question of which carrier offers a higher discount as you add more lines.
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We've researched all of this for you, so we can definitely show you the best home cell phone plan with multiple budget levels.
Families should switch to unlimited data plans which are best in most cases, so you don't have to worry about which family member is using all the data on your plan. For this reason, many of our top home cell phone plans choose to focus on unlimited data, although there are a few cheaper options available that we've highlighted.
Families of four can expect to pay between $120 and $220 a month for four lines from the major wireless carriers—in fact, four lines for $120 a month seem attractive point for today's plans. As a general rule, the more expensive the plan, the better the benefits. (We also compare the cheapest unlimited data plans from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon if you're on a tight budget.)
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Best Prepaid Phone Plans Under $20
T Mobile Magenta | 4-line family package | $140/month - Best Value Family Plan (Opens in a new tab) T-Mobile offers the best value family plan overall, especially as it continues to eliminate costs of the third row of data. Normally, a family of four would pay $160 a month for T-Mobile's Magenta plan, but without charging that third line, your monthly cost drops to $140. That rate reflects the discount for using Autopay, and it also includes taxes and fees, so you know exactly what you'll pay each month. Besides the price, you also get many extra features, notably unlimited 5G data. For multi-stream plans, T-Mobile will cover the $9 Netflix subscription cost and offer a free year of Paramount Plus plus six months of Apple TV Plus.(Apple's streaming service is included as follows: part of the pricey Magenta Max Plus plan from T-Mobile, currently priced at $170 a month for four lines, thanks to current discounts.)
Verizon 5G Play more | 4-line family package | $180/month - Best Family Plan (Opens in a new tab) It's not the least expensive plan Verizon has to offer — we'll talk more about that later — but the Play More 5G plan is easy have the best benefits. Play More subscribers get access to Disney's streaming services as part of their package, along with a subscription to online games from Apple or Google. There's also a six-month trial of Apple Music. Even better, you get 5G coverage, including access to Verizon's fastest Ultra Wideband service, which now reaches more customers than ever before. Verizon reserves the right to limit your data if you exceed 50GB on this plan, so if that limit is too much, sign up for 5G Get More, which offers truly unlimited data, plus with other perks for a higher price. Verizon's 5G Beginner Plan reduces that total to $140 a month for 4 lines, but with far fewer benefits. All of these unlimited plans on Verizon are eligible for the when you bring your phone discount, but this is a limited-time offer.
Mint mobile phone | Package 4 lines 4GB | $60/month - Cheapest family plan with deals (opens in a new tab)
Mint doesn't offer ever-increasing discounts as you add data lines to your plan, setting it apart from most of the other best home cell phone plan options. Instead, each row of data is discounted equally. So a household choosing Mint's 4GB plan could expect to pay $15 per line. It's $60 a month, with $180 upfront to cover the first three months of service at a discounted rate. To keep that price after the three-month trial period, you need to commit to (and pay for) a year of service. Mint also allows families to mix and match different plans so that one row of data can include 4GB for $15 a month, while another row can opt for Mint's $30 unlimited plan .
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Xfinity Mobile | 4-line plan | $120/month - Great offer for Comcast customers (opens in a new tab)
Xfinity Mobile has established itself as an attractive option for families, with discounts on unlimited data plans that kick in as you add additional lines. Multiple lines of unlimited data costs $30 per month, so a two-line plan is currently $60 while a family of four pays $120. (Xfinity also has Plus and Premium tiers for its unlimited plan when you need more. You prefer higher-resolution video streaming.) Xfinity uses Verizon's network, including its expanding 5G network. that carrier, so you can expect fast coverage.
AT&T | Unlimited Pack Add 4 lines | $160/month - AT&T's Best Family Plan (Opens in a new tab) AT&T Unlimited Extras offer the best balance of price and benefits for carrier unlimited plans. Families save $40 a month from the more expensive Unlimited Elite plan, but also enjoy perks like 15GB of hotspot data and the promise that your speeds won't slow unless you use it more than 50GB of data in a month. AT&T's cheapest family plan -- Unlimited Starter, which costs a family of four at $140 a month -- slows down your pace at any time. Pros: 15GB hotspot data, unlimited data while traveling in Mexico and Canada Cons: No streaming benefits, speeds may slow down after using 50GB
Wireless Cricket | Unlimited Mobile Hotspot + 15GB | $130/month - Unlimited data for less on AT&T network (opens in a new tab)
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Cricket Wireless is a prepaid subsidiary of AT&T, which means it uses the same network, including 5G coverage. But the Cricket plans cost much less, as you can see with this unlimited offer where four rows of data will cost you $33 each. This plan also comes with benefits, which are rare, even among the best prepaid phone plans. You get 15GB of hotspot data, and unlike AT&T, Cricket's plan still includes HBO Max among its benefits. (Note that it's the ad-supported level of the streaming service.) Cricket is a great way to enjoy AT&T benefits, but without paying for a more expensive carrier plan. there.
Verizon Welcome Unlimited | 4-line family package | $120/month - Cheapest Verizon Family Plan (Opens in a new tab)
While we like the 5G Play More plan, it's pretty pricey at $180 for a family of four. Verizon has reduced the cost of unlimited data, especially for families, with its Welcome Unlimited plan. That costs $120 a month for four data lines, or $60 less than the same household would pay for 5G Play More. With an ongoing promotion, you can save an extra $5 a month per data line by bringing your phone with you. Welcome Unlimited has some perks: No hotspot data or streaming subscriptions with this plan, but you do get access to Verizon's nationwide 5G service, so it's an option. choose good essentials.
Metro has stopped offering Amazon Prime memberships to new customers who sign up for the more expensive unlimited plan, which removes one of the best perks for a prepaid carrier. But still worth it for families who choose the cheaper unlimited plan. Thanks to the multi-line discount, four unlimited data lines now total $100—typically a $160 monthly fee. The benefits are limited to 5G coverage and Tuesday's freebies, but it's great overall value available when you switch to another carrier.
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Choosing the right cell phone plan depends on balancing the cost of multiple data lines with the benefits each carrier offers. For example, if you stream a lot of video, you'll want to choose a plan that not only offers streaming as perks (Netflix with T-Mobile, more streaming with Verizon) but also doesn't slow down your data if you consume a lot of data in a given month.
Because the benefit of unlimited data is that, except for one plan, it's not really unlimited. AT&T's Unlimited Extra customers will enjoy the 50GB limit, the same as three of Verizon's four unlimited plans. T-Mobile has doubled the limit on its Magenta plan to 100GB, while the more expensive Magenta Max plan drops the limit entirely for a truly unlimited plan; AT&T follows in the footsteps of Magenta Max with its Unlimited Elite plan.
The cheapest Verizon (Welcome Unlimited) and AT&T (Unlimited Starter) plans allow your data speeds
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