Best Cell Phone Plans of 2020

Cell phone providers constantly jockey for position to offer the most reliable coverage, highest-value prepaid plan, or most budget-friendly cell phone plans. Here’s how it stands in June 2020 for best cell phone providers:

1. Verizon offers the most reliable coverage out of all the wireless providers.
2. Visible Wireless kills the prepaid wireless game with an unlimited plan that costs $40 a month. You also get an awesome discount for additional lines you add as a family plan.
3. Metro by T-Mobile currently offers the best value for family prepaid plans.

There’s lots of nuance between cell phone carriers and cell phone plans, and we’re going to dive into the details. Let’s make sure you’re getting the best cell phone plan for your wireless needs.

^{*As of 7/22/2020, not including upfront costs, taxes, or fees.}

If you’re ready to switch cell phone companies but want to avoid the head-spinning blast of information, this guide is for you. It includes recommendations for cell phone plans based on price, data limits, coverage, and speed—and perks. Don’t forget the perks.

Oh, and you get unlimited talk with all of these data plans as well.

Verizon Do More Unlimited: Best overall coverage and speeds

The best coverage in the country along with fast data speeds. 

Verizon Do More Unlimited plan features

What we like

Verizon has the most reliable coverage in the country. It’s your best bet for getting calls and texts through wherever you roam.

Top-rated performance

Check out any well-known wireless performance ratings, and you’ll see Verizon at or near the top for coverage (offering 70% 4G coverage across the country), speed, and overall performance.^{1, 2}

Case in point: my friend’s Verizon phone was the only one with a signal out in the Utah desert. My AT&T signal showing zero bars might as well have been replaced by skull and cross bones symbol. As a rule of thumb, if you’re traveling, you’d be wise to bring along a Verizon user, just in case.

Check out the Verizon coverage map below to get an idea of what the best coverage in the country looks like.

Verizon coverage map

HD streaming

In this modern age of technology, you deserve HD streaming. No more SD-quality streaming like you’re watching season one of Survivor. Thankfully, with the Beyond Unlimited Plan, you can stream all the HD content you want.

If you’re fine with lower-quality streaming (480p), you could go with Verizon’s cheaper Go Unlimited plan. (We wouldn’t recommend it, but we love us some bright, crisp 1080p.)

For those of you who can’t stop streaming YouTube (guilty) or are currently binge-watching Tiger King on Netflix (also guilty), the More Unlimited is worth the extra money each month for HD streaming at 720p.

Good amount of 4G LTE data

Another downside to many cheaper unlimited data plans like Verizon’s Go Unlimited (and AT&T’s Unlimited & More℠) is that Verizon is allowed to slow, or throttle, your speed at any time if you use too much data.

The Do More Unlimited plan lets you avoid those slower speeds with 22 GB of unthrottled data each month. (Above that cap, though, you’re on your own.) That means you can go (a little) wild with live Twitch streams or uploading photos to Instagram.

It also comes with 15 GB of unthrottled mobile hotspot data that zooms along at 4G LTE speeds. So if your internet goes down in the middle of a work project, you can just hop onto your Wi-Fi hotspot and pick up where you left off.

Sadly, the old “Sorry boss, can’t work today, my internet is down” won’t really work anymore. (It was nice while it lasted.)

What we don’t like

Verizon’s amazing coverage and speed come at a price. If you’re looking for a cheap unlimited cell phone plan, you might have to do a trade-off. Here’s how the price of the Verizon Do More plan compares to other unlimited plans.

Verizon Do More Unlimited price comparison

Want a higher data cap? Get an upgrade.

If you’re maxing out every month and don’t feel like you can cut back, don’t worry. You can upgrade to Verizon’s new Get More Unlimited plan and get a mind-boggling 75 GB of unthrottled data each month instead of 22 GB of 4G LTE data. Somewhere, all the old flip phones are crying.

Of course, you’ll pay a little extra each month for Get More Unlimited compared to Do More Unlimited. But if waiting for your favorite Hulu shows to buffer makes you want to throw your device across the room, it just might be worth it.

Alternative picks

Not sure the Verizon Beyond Unlimited plan is the one for you? Check out some of our other top picks for cell phone plans.

Yes, they’re cheaper, but don’t forget that price isn’t everything with wireless plans. Unless you like not being able to tell what the score is while streaming an NBA game (we’ve been there).

Four more unlimited cell phone plans

Visible Wireless: Best prepaid plan

Unlimited Data+Great Network+Affordable Price=Success

What we like

You almost always get a cheaper deal with a prepaid plan, and Visible Wireless is the best of the bunch. You get unlimited data, unlimited talk, and unlimited text, all on a reliable network, for $40 a month.

Affordable price for unlimited data

Visible wireless only offers one plan and it comes with unlimited data, unlimited talk, unlimited hot spot data (capped at 5 Mbps) and unlimited text. That’s a lot of unlimited stuff. The fact it all costs $40 a month makes the deal that much sweeter.

Just for fun, let’s see how Visible compares to other prepaid unlimited plans.

Best network

Visible uses Verizon’s network to provide coverage. It’s a good thing too because Verizon just so happens to be the best network in the country. As it stands right now, Verizon covers 70% of the country with 4G coverage, leading all other wireless providers.¹

Good coverage really comes in handy when you’re trying to get enough bars to call a Lyft. Just throwing this out there—some beaches in Los Angeles have terrible service on AT&T’s network.

Visible/Verizon network coverage

What we don’t like

Okay, so how does Visible wireless get to use Verizon’s super-reliable network? Visible operates as an MVNO, which is a fancy acronym for a wireless provider that uses another provider’s network. The catch with an MVNO is that it can be deprioritized on the network it shares.

Let’s say you’re at a college football game and Visible wireless user. Usually you get consistent service, but for whatever reason, you can barely get a text out while in the arena. Meanwhile, your friend who’s a Verizon user has no problem posting on their Instagram story. If you’re both on the Verizon network, shouldn’t you have the same exact coverage? Unfortunately not. Visible wireless users can experience poorer service in crowded areas because Verizon is favoring its own customers.

Alternative pick

The second best prepaid deal out there is Mint Mobile’s Medium data plan. You don’t get unlimited data on Verizon’s network like Visible Wireless, but you do get 8 GB of data every month for $20 a month—half the price of what you pay with Visible. Mint Mobile operates on T-Mobile’s network, which covers 62% of the country with 4G coverage. The Mint Mobile Medium plan is a more budget-friendly prepaid alternative that still gets you plenty of data every month.

Verizon Get More Unlimited: Best unlimited plan

The name is confusing, but the unlimited coverage is amazing.

Verizon Get More Unlimited Plan

High unthrottled data cap

Okay, we know what you’re thinking: “Didn’t you just say that Verizon Do More Unlimited is the best overall deal?”

Yes, we did say that. And we stand by it. But if you’re willing to pay the price, the Verizon Wireless Get More Unlimited plan is essentially as good as it gets. At least until a 5G network finally becomes available nationwide.

You get 75 GB of unthrottled data. We’ll say that again: 75 GB of super fast data and excellent coverage every month. You’re paying a premium for it, but you’ll have a better unlimited plan than all your friends. That’ll teach ‘em.

Lots o’ perks

Verizon offers some nice perks that sweeten the deal. First of all, you get 20 GB of mobile hotspot data. We wish we had 20 GB of mobile hotspot data so we could use that instead of this awful train Wi-Fi on our commute.

On top of the Mobile Hotspot data, you also get a subscription to Apple Music. What would all that data be good for if you couldn’t listen to every song ever?

What we don’t like

Sadly, all that wonderful data and coverage certainly comes at a price. Plan on paying upwards of $20 more a month for a Verizon plan than you would with other unlimited carriers.

The Verizon Get More Unlimited plan certainly isn’t for everybody, but if you use your phone for everything and you gotta have that data, it’s worth every penny.

Alternative picks

Want to have a look at all your choices? Here are some other unlimited plans worth checking out.

Other unlimited cell phone plans

Visible $25/line: Best family plan

Families who save together stay together.

Visible Unlimited

What we like

You can get down to $25 a line for unlimited data on an awesome network. You really can’t beat that.

Affordable pricing for the whole family

Honestly, if you’re not on a family cell phone plan, you’re kinda doing it wrong. You can dramatically decrease your bill by bundling plans together—you don’t even need a family to do this! You can make a family plan with your roommates, your friends, your coworkers, whoever. If you can get at least four folks to go in with you, your unlimited plan with Visible Wireless will go down to $25 a month instead of the usual $40 a month.

Awesome network

Visible Wireless is owned by Verizon, which just so happens to offer the best network in the country. Verizon’s network especially shines when it comes to rural coverage, so you can rely on your cell phone likely working while camping and hiking.

What we don’t like

Since Visible Wireless is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) it can be subject to slow downs during peak-usage periods. In other words, your signal could drop when tons of people are using the Verizon network at the same time. It’s possible, for example, for your signal to drop commuting home during rush hour or walking around a crowded amusement park.

Alternative picks

Want to see what’s behind door number two (and three and four)? We’ve got a few other family plans you might like.

Alternative top family plans

Metro by T-Mobile $50 Unlimited Plan: Best prepaid family plan

With unlimited data, Metro is a budget-friendly pick with good coverage.

$50 Unlimited Plan

What we like

You can get your entire family sharing an unlimited data plan and save some money every month while doing it.

Unlimited data

Have you ever gotten that ominous text from your carrier saying you’ve nearly reached your data limit? Well, you know what happens next. It becomes the family blame game to find out who used all the data. Not a problem with unlimited data.

There’s probably no statistic to back this up, but it feels like unlimited data plans reduce family stress and build togetherness. This is especially true if you have teenagers.

$30 a month for each additional line

The base price for Metro by T-Mobile’s unlimited plan isn’t anything super special at $50 a month, but the value comes in when you add extra lines. Every line you add to your family plan costs $30 a month instead of $50 a month. Those additional lines get all the same perks as if they were paying full price for the $50 plan.

What we don’t like

Metro by T-Mobile is technically a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) and will suffer from deprioritization from time to time. In other words, you may notice your data speeds throttling in congested areas or during peak-usage periods (like when driving home from work). But on the bright side, since Metro is owned by T-Mobile, you probably won’t be as deprioritized as you would be on an MVNO that isn’t owned by the network.

Alternative picks

If Metro by T-Mobile doesn’t check all your boxes, here are some alternative prepaid family plans we recommend.

Recap

• • • Best overall mobile plan: The Verizon Do More Unlimited plan has us hyped. With top-rated coverage and speed plus HD streaming and 22 GB of unthrottled 4G LTE data each month, it was an easy pick for best cell phone plan overall.
    • Best prepaid plan: Visible wireless offers unlimited everything on the best network for $40 a month. All of it combines for some serious value. You just need to watch out for your data slowing down from time to time due to deprioritization.
    • Best unlimited plan: The Verizon Get More unlimited plan offers 75 GB of unthrottled data and comes with 5G data access and HD streaming. It’s expensive, but it’s awesome.
    • Best family plan: We recommend Visible wireless once again for family plans because of its multi-line discount. You can get down to $25 a line for unlimited data on an awesome network.
  • • Best prepaid family plan: Metro by T-Mobile unlimited plan costs $50 a month, but it costs $30 a month for every additional line you add. The bigger the family, the more value you get.

The best cell phone plans are always changing with new data plans and features. Check back here to get the latest updates on the best cell phone plans.

Industry news

New and improved Verizon pricing

Verizon recently dropped a surprise on us and announced new cell phone plans that make the awesome coverage more affordable. The old Above and Beyond unlimited Verizon plans are long gone, and the Start Unlimited, Play More Unlimited, Do More Unlimited, and Get More Unlimited plans have arrived.

Here’s what you need to know—all the plans, on average, cost you $5 less a month than comparable plans did before. That might not sound like much, but over a couple of years, $5 a month can certainly add up. The best cell phone carrier just got cheaper and we’re thrilled about it.

Sources

1. WhistleOut, “Guide to Finding the Best Cell Phone Coverage.”
2. RootMetrics, “USA Mobile Network Experience Report January 2020”

^{Additional contributors}

^{Catherine McNally}