Our goal here at BestPhonePlans is to un-complicate the world of cell phone plans.
We want to help inform consumers so they can pick the best (and most affordable) cell phone plan that fits their needs.
Picking the right plan for you can make sure you’re getting the coverage you need, the data speeds you need, and the features you need all while paying a price that fits your budget.
Our Top 10 Best Cell Phone Plans for 2022
Now that you have identified
- How much you are currently paying
- How much data you need
- What network you want for coverage
- What features you want in a cell phone plan
It is now time to pick out the perfect cell phone plan that meets your needs.
Here are our top 10 picks for 2022.
We do extensive research on cell phone plans (we compare over 310+ plans on this website), and these 10 plans stood out to us as providing exceptional value and plenty of features.
US Mobile’s 5GB plan comes in at just $15 per month, making it a great option for lighter data users looking for an affordable option on the Verizon network.
With US Mobile, you get full support for visual voicemail, VoLTE, and 5G access on Verizon’s Nationwide 5G and Ultra Wideband 5G networks.
You can also enable the hotspot for a simple $5 add-on.
We also love how US Mobile has a clean application for managing your plan, and a detailed data usage analytics tool for monitoring your usage.
Unfortunately, Wi-Fi calling isn’t supported on the Verizon network just yet, and your cellular data shuts off when your limit is reached. This is in contrast to other plans which switch you to unlimited 2G data after your high-speed allotment.
Thankfully, you can always purchase more data with US Mobile’s a-la-carte data add-ons called “top-ups.”
If you’re looking for an affordable option on the T-Mobile network, then look no further than Mint Mobile’s 4GB plan.
This plan comes out to just $15 per month, and it still includes all of the features you’d expect from a more premium wireless plan.
Mint Mobile includes visual voicemail, VoLTE, Wi-Fi calling, the mobile hotspot, international calling and data roaming add-ons, and 5G access on T-Mobile’s fast 5G network.
How can Mint offer premium service at such low prices?
The main reason is that Mint Mobile sells their plans in bulk 3-, 6-, or 12-month packages.
When you first sign up for the 5GB plan, you get 3 months of service for $45 (which breaks down to $15 per month).
After your first 3 months, you have two options. You can choose to renew the plan for another 3 months for $75, which breaks down to $25 per month, OR you can renew the plan for 12 months for $180, which breaks down to the $15 per month you were paying before.
Going with Mint Mobile’s 12-month options will help ensure you get the best price possible on your cell phone bill.
Plus, it’s kinda nice not having to worry about your cell phone bill for an entire year.
If you’re someone who doesn’t want to pay upfront for your service and prefers to pay monthly, then we suggest you check out Tello’s 4GB plan for $19 instead.
Red Pocket’s 10GB annual plan comes out to just $22.50 per month on the AT&T network.
You get 10GB of priority data, 720p video streaming, the mobile hotspot included, and even 5G access on AT&T’s 5G network. Considering not even AT&T’s own prepaid plans have 5G access yet, it’s definitely a nice perk to be getting 5G on Red Pocket.
The other huge perk with this plan is the free international calling. Red Pocket includes international calling to over 80 countries for free with all of their plans. This makes it easy to stay in touch with friends and family who live abroad.
Red Pocket also has a reasonably nice website for managing your account and features.
The downsides to this plan are that you need to pay upfront for 12 months of service, and getting visual voicemail is an extra $1 per month add-on.
It may be worth trying Red Pocket’s 3GB monthly plan for $20 with a new number before committing to the 12-month option.
Still, if Red Pocket works for you, then it’s one of the most affordable options to get AT&T coverage.
Best affordable Verizon unlimited plan: Visible
Visible’s unlimited data plan is one of the best-value plans in the business.
Normally the plan is $40 per month, but thanks to Visible’s Party Pay group discount you can get this plan for just $25 per month.
And that’s $25 FLAT, all taxes and fees included.
Included with Visible’s plan is unlimited data on the Verizon network, unlimited hotspot data with speeds up to 5Mbps, free international calling to Canada, Mexico, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, visual voicemail, VoLTE, Wi-Fi calling, and eSIM.
Visible is owned by Verizon, which is basically the reason they can offer all of these features at such an affordable price.
The biggest downside to Visible is that the data is deprioritized. This means that when the network is busy, Visible may temporarily have slower speeds than postpaid Verizon customers (who, mind you, are also likely spending $80/month on the Play More or Do More plans). Once the network is not busy, you’ll get full speeds on Visible.
Another thing to note is that customer service can be more hit-or-miss with Visible. Users on Reddit have shared their frustrations and successes dealing with the service.
Visible recently launched a new free trial where you can test the service for 15 days for free before you sign up. It may be worth taking advantage of the free trial to make sure the service works before you switch.
The bottom line is that if Visible works for you, it’s one of the most affordable unlimited plans you can get.
Best affordable T-Mobile unlimited plan: Mint Mobile 35GB
Now, I know what you are thinking: Stetson, how can you recommend a 35GB plan as unlimited?!
First, great question. And you’re absolutely right, this plan is not unlimited. It’s a 35GB plan.
But let me explain.
The average smartphone data use in the United States is at about 12GB per month right now. Mint Mobile’s 35GB plan includes almost 3x that.
And at just $30 per month, it’s one heck of a deal.
Sure, you need to pay upfront for 12-months of service to get that $30/month price (so $360 for a year of service), but the cost savings are huge here.
Compare Mint Mobile’s 35GB plan to T-Mobile Magenta, a $70 plan, and you’ll save over $480 per year.
That’s 53 burritos or 120 Big Macs! And after two years, you would have saved $960, which would likely be enough to buy that new smartphone you’ve been eying.
Mint Mobile still includes many of the features you’d expect from a more premium wireless plan, too.
You get visual voicemail, VoLTE, Wi-Fi calling, 5GB of mobile hotspot data, 5G access, and eSIM. Plus Mint has options for international calling and data roaming add-ons.
The biggest downsides are that yes, you need to pay $360 upfront for a year of service, video streams at 480p (which is the same as on T-Mobile Magenta, by the way), and that the hotspot data isn’t as much as it could be.
Still, we feel Mint Mobile’s 35GB plan offers a tremendous value for consumers, and 35GB is likely to meet the needs of a majority of people out there. If you checked your personal usage and found it to be under 35GB, we easily recommend this plan.
Xfinity Mobile is a wireless service that is available to existing Xfinity customers, and their unlimited plan is surprisingly good.
$45 per month gets you unlimited data on Xfinity Mobile. The first 20GB is at full speed, and then you get unlimited data at 1.5Mbps download and 750Kbps upload.
The speed cap definitely isn’t ideal, but thankfully most people won’t go over the 20GB of fast data, and 1.5Mbps is still easily fast enough for Google Maps, streaming music on Spotify, and even watching 480p video content.
Xfinity also includes free access to their over 30 million Wi-Fi hotspots with their mobile service.
This means if you’re at your local McDonalds or Chipotle, your gym, or your favorite coffee shop, odds are you’ll get free Wi-Fi on Xfinity.
I found this to be a surprisingly nice perk from my Xfinity Mobile review.
Plus, Xfinity Mobile gets access to Verizon’s Ultra Wideband 5G network, and anytime you’re connected to Ultra Wideband 5G it doesn’t count against your high-speed data allowance.
So with the Wi-Fi hotspots and Verizon Ultra Wideband 5G, it’s totally possible to get by with 20GB at full speeds.
The big perk to Xfinity Mobile, and one of the big reasons we recommend it, is that it includes priority data on the Verizon network when you activate the service on a 5G phone.
Priority data means that you will get slightly faster speeds than Visible, US Mobile, and Verizon Prepaid customers, who are all deprioritized, during times when the network is busy.
Typically we don’t think people are too likely to notice slower speeds from being deprioritized, but it is certainly true that in crowded areas like at an airport, a football stadium, or a concert, having priority data can make a big difference.
Another advantage perk to Xfinity Mobile is that you are getting premium cell phone service.
Xfinity supports all the features here, including VoLTE, Wi-Fi calling, visual voicemail, access to Verizon’s nationwide 5G and Ultra Wideband 5G networks, the ability to add a smartwatch or tablet to your plan, and options for international roaming add-ons.
Considering Xfinity Mobile is well under the cost of a plan from Verizon directly ($45 on Xfinity vs $80 on Verizon for a single line, and $120 on Xfinity vs $180 on Verizon for a family of four), we think Xfinity Mobile is definitely an option to consider if you’re an existing Xfinity customer.
AT&T Prepaid Unlimited Plus plan is easily the best value option for truly unlimited data on the AT&T network right now.
There is a special promotion going on right now where you can get the $75 plan for just $50 per month, and you can even get the discount on your first month of service.
This plan includes 22GB of priority data before you are deprioritized, 10GB of hotspot data, 5G access (something AT&T’s other prepaid plans are missing), HD video streaming, and unlimited use in Canada and Mexico.
The only other plan that may come close to this is Cricket’s Unlimited More plan. Cricket’s plan includes unlimited priority data, which is a step up from 22GB on AT&T prepaid, and 15GB of hotspot data, again a step up from the 10GB on AT&T prepaid, but it limits video streaming to 480p and it comes in at $5 more expensive at $55 per month.
Both plans are going to be great options, but as long as the $25 discount is going on, AT&T Prepaid Unlimited Plus gets my vote.
Unlike Mint Mobile, T-Mobile Prepaid gives you truly unlimited data on the T-Mobile network, and at $50 per month, we think it’s the best value unlimited plan available on T-Mobile.
The T-Mobile Prepaid Unlimited plan includes 50GB of priority data, so you’ll get the exact same data speeds and performance as Magenta and Magenta MAX customers.
You also get all the premium features you’d expect: visual voicemail, Wi-Fi calling, VoLTE, 100MB of domestic roaming data, add-ons for international calls, and eSIM.
The biggest downside to the T-Mobile Prepaid Unlimited plan is that hotspot speeds are capped at 600Kbps. That’s like, not fast, at all.
Content will load, but it will load slowly, and it’s basically guaranteed to provide a frustrating hotspot experience.
If you do need hotspot data, then we recommend upgrading to the T-Mobile Prepaid Unlimited Plus plan. It’s $10 extra at $60 per month and adds on 10GB of high-speed hotspot data.
The reason we chose the regular Prepaid Unlimited plan for this article is that most people don’t need hotspot data, and if they do 600Kbps will work in a pinch.
Plus you can always upgrade later, right?
Out of all of Verizon’s postpaid plans, we feel Verizon’s Play More Unlimited plan is the best option for consumers looking for a more premium experience.
We feel it provides a good balance between price, features, and included perks.
Play More Unlimited is $80 per month for a single line and $180 per month for a family of four.
It includes 50GB of priority data, 25GB of high-speed hotspot data, 720p video streaming, and of course all of the features you’d expect.
The reason we recommend the Play More plan over Verizon’s other plans is because 1) it is $10 cheaper than Get More Unlimited and 2) we feel it offers better perks than Do More Unlimited.
Play More customers get Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ included for free, Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass included for free, 50% off Verizon Home LTE or 5G home Internet, and 6 months of Apple Music for free.
For comparison, Do More Unlimited basically swaps the Disney+, Hulu ESPN+ bundle for 1 free TravelPass per month, 50% off a connected device plan, and 600GB of Verizon Cloud storage.
The question to decide which plan is right for you, Play More or Do More, is simply to ask how frequently you will travel outside the United States this year vs how frequently will you watch a show on Disney+, Hulu, or ESPN+?
We felt most people would prefer the streaming service bundle, so that’s why we went with the Play More plan.
That said, if you want the best-of-the-best of what Verizon has to offer and you want to get both the streaming perks and the international TravelPass perks, then the Get More plan is for you.
Get More upgrades the priority data from 50GB to unlimited (so it will never be slowed down based on how busy the network is), doubles the hotspot from 25GB to 50GB, and includes every perk under the sun all for just $10 more per month.
But, we’re about helping people save money here, so overall we feel the Play More plan is the best balance between price and features.
When it comes to the AT&T network, the best premium plan is their top-tier Unlimited Elite plan.
Unlimited Elite is $85 per month and includes unlimited priority data, 40GB of hotspot data, 4K video streaming, unlimited data roaming in Canada and Mexico, 5G access, and of course all of the features you would expect like visual voicemail, VoLTE, Wi-Fi calling, and more.
As a nice bonus, AT&T Elite customers will also enjoy a free subscription to HBO Max, which offers a great selection of TV shows and movies to enjoy.
The best premium plan on the T-Mobile network is, of course, their T-Mobile Magenta MAX plan.
Magenta MAX is $85 per month FLAT with all taxes and fees included, and it packs some excellent features.
You get unlimited priority data, 40GB of high-speed hotspot data, 4K video streaming, 5GB of high-speed data in Canada and Mexico, visual voicemail, Wi-Fi calling, VoLTE, domestic roaming, free international data roaming at 256Kbps, eSIM, and 5G access.
Considering Magenta MAX includes free international data, it’s easily the best option here for frequent international travelers.
Also included is a free subscription to Netflix Basic with one line, or a free subscription to Netflix Standard with two or more lines.
This is hands-down the best premium plan available on the T-Mobile network.
