Best Unlimited Data Plans for June 2023

T-Mobile recently reshuffled its plans, getting rid of what was our previous pick in this spot, the Base Essentials plan that offered a single line for $45 per month. It replaced that option with an Essentials Savings plan, a “limited time” offer of $50 a month for a single line. 

The data remains unlimited, and you now get 50GB of high-speed data as opposed to the 20GB that Base Essentials offered. T-Mobile hasn’t said how long the Essentials Savings option will hang around, but we break down how it compares to the carrier’s plans here. 

As before, perks like free Netflix or the bundling of taxes and fees into the sticker price aren’t included. You do get unlimited hotspot at “3G speeds,” along with unlimited talk, text and 2G data in Mexico and Canada. 

At $50 for a single line, the Essentials Savings plan is now the same price for a single line as AT&T’s Value Plus plan, and both could be solid options for those looking for a single line without frills. 

While the prices between AT&T and T-Mobile are now the same, we give T-Mobile the edge here, mainly because it includes hotspot access. Even at “3G speeds,” the option could be a useful feature in a pinch. 

It also is worth mentioning that T-Mobile allows for multiple lines on this plan, with two lines running $80 a month. (If you need three or more, you may want to look at one of T-Mobile’s other plans, which could be cheaper, thanks to various promotions that the carrier regularly runs.)

You may need to click “see more plans” on T-Mobile’s site to get this option to appear. 

If you only need one line, AT&T’s new Value Plus plan could be the way to go. You get unlimited talk, text and data and 5G access. There are no perks like a free streaming service subscription or hotspot data and you will need to stick to one line. 

But if all you need is a simple unlimited plan from your phone, this is $10 less than T-Mobile’s regular Essentials pricing, $15 cheaper than AT&T’s Unlimited Starter (with this plan including 3GB of hotspot data) not to mention $15 cheaper than Verizon’s Welcome Unlimited and $20 cheaper than Verizon’s 5G Start. 

Those looking to save the most on unlimited service from the major carriers may be best with T-Mobile’s Essentials Savings. Unlimited talk, text and data are included for all of the carrier’s base unlimited plans. In this price-focused comparison, T-Mobile’s new “limited time” option comes in at $50 for a single line, $5 a month cheaper than AT&T’s Unlimited Starter and $10 less than Verizon’s 5G Start or T-Mobile’s own regular Essentials pricing. 

In addition to being $5 less than AT&T’s option, T-Mobile’s Essentials includes unlimited mobile hotspot (albeit at slower “3G speeds”), giving you a little more flexibility. All three carriers offer 5G access with their base plans. We should note that Verizon’s 5G Start doesn’t support its fastest forms of 5G.

You can always reevaluate your options as the three major carriers roll out the latest updates to their respective 5G networks over the next couple of years. 

The savings of T-Mobile’s plan also become more pronounced the more lines you add. Two lines of Essentials Savings is $80 a month, while a similar offering from AT&T or Verizon runs $120 a month. Three lines will also run $90 at T-Mobile thanks to a promotion, compared to $135 monthly at AT&T or Verizon. The four-line option is $100 at T-Mobile, compared to $140 at the other carriers. 

These prices do come with a couple of caveats: Unlike T-Mobile’s Magenta, Magenta Max, Go5G or Go5G Plus plans, taxes and fees are not included in any of these prices, making the actual total a little higher. All the deals also require that you set up AutoPay and paperless billing.

Verizon’s updated plans have replaced the carrier’s previous Welcome Unlimited offer with… one named Unlimited Welcome. While the names are flipped, the core offer is still largely the same: There are no streaming perks like the Disney Bundle with this plan, no hotspot data and you can’t hop on Verizon’s fastest 5G networks (which it calls Ultra Wideband). You do, however, get Verizon’s network for $120 a month for four lines, assuming you have automatic payments set up. 

If you switch to Verizon and bring your own phone the carrier will give you $180 back over 36 months. This amounts to a $5 monthly savings and is why the carrier’s website may show you different pricing. 

Compared with the competition, the Verizon plan is still $15 a month pricier than T-Mobile’s Essentials Savings plan for a single line, but it’s $20 a month cheaper than AT&T’s most affordable Unlimited Starter plan for a family of four. Those looking to save even more can combine the Welcome plan with Verizon’s other discounts for teachers, nurses, military and first responders. 

This is a bit more complicated. Verizon used to be our pick with its Play More plan that bundled in the Disney Bundle (ad-free Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu with ads) and services like Google Play Pass or Apple Arcade into the plan’s sticker price. 

Now the carrier has updated its wireless plans to remove perks like the Disney Bundle or Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass from being automatically included with its service. Even with its new plans it’s still our pick for best perks, but this will require a bit more explanation. 

Instead of automatically putting services in, it now offers a variety of perks at $10 per month per perk, allowing users to pick and choose what they want. It also now allows its lower-cost plan, known as Unlimited Welcome, to participate. 

Unlimited Welcome runs $65 per month for one line or $120 per month for four lines. You get unlimited talk, text and data but you don’t get access to Verizon’s fastest 5G networks (what it calls “5G Ultra Wideband”) or hotspot data. For that, you will need to step up to its pricier Unlimited Plus plan ($80 for one line, $180 for four lines). 

Both the Welcome and Plus plans include the ability to add perks at that $10 per month rate. This includes the Disney Bundle (normally $15 per month), Apple One individual (normally around $17 per month), Apple Music Family (which can be shared with five people and normally runs $17 per month) and Walmart Plus (normally $13 per month but also includes Paramount Plus Essential). 

There are also other perks including an additional 100GB of hotspot data (normally $45 per month), 2TB of Verizon’s cloud storage (normally $15 per month), three days of international data (what the carrier calls TravelPass, normally $10 per day). 

All perks can be turned on or off at will, and you could forgo them entirely. You can even go with multiple perks on a single line if you wanted. 

Whether this makes sense for your situation, however, may require some time with a spreadsheet going through what services work for you and what you’re willing to pay for them. The savings could add up if you’re paying for some of these services directly, but it also could be more expensive than your existing plan.

It is also worth mentioning that Verizon allows you to “mix and match” lines, so if not everyone needs the faster 5G connectivity they could be on Unlimited Welcome while the one who does can go on Unlimited Plus. 

AT&T allows something similar with its unlimited plans, but at the moment no longer offers any streaming perks. To get T-Mobile’s perks everyone has to be on the same plan. 

But if you wanted a cheaper way to save on one or two services like the Disney Bundle, you could have four lines for $120 per month, add the Disney perk for $10 and be paying $130 per month for the whole package. 

Oh, and you can also combine these plans with Verizon’s other discounts for teachers, nurses, military and first responders to save a bit more.