Best cell phone plans in 2020: The best options for your monthly smartphone service

If you’re ending the year by getting a new phone, make sure you also grab one of the best cell phone plans. You certainly have plenty of new phones to switch to these days, whether it’s Apple’s latest iPhone 12 models, the Galaxy Note 20 or some other handset.

But even if you’re sticking with your current phone, you should review what you’re paying for wireless coverage. Phone carriers are constantly reshuffling their offerings, and a better plan may already be available from the company that provides service to your smartphone.

A lot of criteria goes into finding the best cell phone plan to fit your needs. Beyond just dollars and cents, you need to consider which phones are supported by which wireless carriers and what coverage and data speeds are like in the area where you’ll use your phone the most. With Sprint now completely absorbed by T-Mobile, there’s been a further shake-up of cell phone plan prices.

To make the decision easier, we’ve gone through each carriers’ plans to figure out which one is the best cell phone plan for your particular needs.

What are the best cell phone plans?

As you’ll see, there’s no one-size-fits-all for cell phone plans. All the different wireless providers have different options for both individual users and families, and there’s different tiers of data as well (though these days, the Big Four carriers are emphasizing unlimited data plans). We take a deeper look at the different options for the best family cell phone plan, best unlimited data plan for individuals and best prepaid phone plans elsewhere, but here’s our summary of the best cell phone plans overall.

T-Mobile’s Magenta unlimited data plan is the best family plan, offering better value than what you’ll find at AT&T and Verizon. T-Mobile’s $70 plan is also the best unlimited data plan for individuals, though you can get a bare-bones unlimited data plan from T-Mobile for $10 less. 

If you don’t find yourself using much data these days, T-Mobile’s new T-Mobile Connect plan lets you spend just $15 a month for 2GB of data. But if you’d prefer a plan without as many restrictions, Verizon offers a more compelling individual cell phone plan, costing $55 a month for 5GB. 

Prepaid customers should take advantage of Verizon’s supersized prepaid plans, which deliver 15GB of data for $45 a month and include loyalty discounts the longer you stick with the carrier. Visible’s discounts on multiple lines of unlimited data should appeal to families looking for a low-cost plan. And Metro by T-Mobile offers the best unlimited plan for individual prepaid customers.

The T-Mobile-Sprint merger was finalized earlier this year, and Sprint’s plans are no longer available to new customers. So far, the elimination of one of the major carriers hasn’t adversely affected pricing, as T-Mobile launched its low-cost Connect plan and Boost Mobile has introduced new plans to mark its spin-off from Sprint.

The best cell phone plans

Even as carriers offer multiple tiers of unlimited data plans, T-Mobile Magenta is still the best choice for families. It gives a family of four unlimited data for $160 a month, though occasional discounts to additional lines sometimes lower that cost. As of this writing, T-Mobile is waiving the $20 monthly cost of a third line of data, bringing the total bill for a family of four down to $140.

We wish T-Mobile let you stream HD video as part of its Magenta plan, but for most users, 480p video on a smartphone-sized screen will be good enough. (Families can pay an extra $10 per month per line for Magenta Plus if they really want HD streaming.) T-Mobile’s Magenta plan includes other nice perks like LTE hotspot data and a free Netflix subscription if you have two lines or more on your plan.

T-Mobile’s network delivers comparable performance to Verizon, which charges more for its best unlimited plan. Verizon does let you mix and match its different unlimited offerings, though, and its best option — the Play More plan — now bundles in Disney Plus, Hulu (with ads) and ESPN Plus on top of your wireless services.

All four major carriers offer different tiers of unlimited data plans. We think T-Mobile’s $70 option provides the best mix of value and performance. 

AT&T’s entry-level unlimited plan costs $5 less each month, but carries too many restrictions, though it now includes 5G access. (If you don’t mind restrictions, T-Mobile Essentials is cheaper still at $60 a month/) 

T-Mobile Magenta features a good price on a strong network, and if you want to upgrade from 480p video streaming to HD, it’s just $15 more per month for individuals; if HD streaming is what you prize, though, consider Verizon’s $80-a-month Play More plan, which also includes an Apple Music subscription along with 720p video support.

While wireless carriers are pushing unlimited data plans these days, not everyone needs to pay for that much data. If you don’t do a lot of video streaming, 5GB of LTE data is more than enough to get you through each month, while keeping your monthly cell phone bill down.

Verizon is one of the few wireless carriers to still offer tiered data, and its Verizon 5 plan offers the most data at a discount from one of its pricier unlimited plans. AT&T offers more data with its 9GB Mobile Share plan, but that plan will set you back $60 a month; Verizon’s plan costs $55 after a $5 autopay discount. If you need to double your data at Verizon, the 10GB tiered plan costs $65, though that’s bumping up against the cost of one of Verizon’s unlimited plans.

If you’re worried about data overages, Verizon offers a Safety Mode, which lets you slow down data speeds after you use up your 5GB allotment, without incurring any charges. Unused data gets carried over to the next month under Verizon’s tiered data plan. 

Verizon’s regular $45-a-month prepaid plan used to get you a decent amount of LTE data — 8GB. But now that’s swelled to 15GB, which is a tremendous amount of data. (Alas, you used to get 16GB with this plan, but Verizon adjusted it downward.)

The $45 rate reflects a $5 autopay discount, but Verizon’s prepaid discounts don’t stop there. Hold onto your Verizon prepaid plan for three months and you’ll save another $5. At nine months, Verizon takes off an additional $5. That means in 10 months, you’re paying $35 a month for the same 15GB of data.

The advantage to going with Verizon’s prepaid service is you benefit from the carrier’s extensive LTE network, which outperformed others in our last round of testing to see who had the fastest wireless network. Prepaid customers will see their speeds slowed down if Verizon’s network gets congested, though.

Should Verizon tinker further with the size of its data allotment, AT&T just came out with a prepaid plan that matches the 15GB Verizon offers but for $5 less each month. As nice a price as AT&T’s $40 plan is, though, you won’t receive the discounts that Verizon offers over time.

With AT&T ending a special discount on its best prepaid plan with unlimited data, Metro by T-Mobile regains its spot as our pick for prepaid customers who want the most data possible. Metro’s plan costs $50, and in addition to unlimited data, you get 5GB of hotspot data and 100GB of cloud storage via Google. What’s more, since Metro uses T-Mobile’s network, you have access to 5G coverage at no additional cost, provided you’re using a 5G-ready phone.

Visible and Mint offer better priced unlimited plans, though Visible lacks Metro’s perks and Mint requires you to commit to a year of service for its best price. We think that makes Metro the more appealing option if you want unlimited data without any long-term commitments.

We won’t really know the true impact of the T-Mobile-Sprint merger for years. But one short-term effect has already seen T-Mobile introduce one of the best cell phone plans for under $30. The T-Mobile Connect plan, launched right before T-Mobile completed its merger with Sprint, gives you 2GB of data each month for just $15.

Need more data than 2GB? Upgrade to the 5GB T-Mobile Connect option for $25 a month.

There’s a big limitation to T-Mobile Connect plan, as you might imagine. Once you use up your 2GB (or your 5GB), you’re out of data for the rest of the billing cycle. Many rival plans simply slow your speeds when you hit your monthly limit.

At least your data pool gets larger over time. T-Mobile says it will add 500MB every year for five years while keeping that $15 price the same.

Some rival carriers have tried to challenge T-Mobile with special promotions. The latest is Boost, which is charging just $10 a month for 2GB of data. But that plan is a temporary offer, while the T-Mobile Connect plan is here to stay.

Visible, the Verizon-owned prepaid service, beats Metro by T-Mobile and Boost Mobile at their own game by offering very attractive discounts when you add multiple lines. 

Visible has just one option — an unlimited data plan for $40 a month — and adding a second line reduces the per-line cost to $35 each. Four lines of unlimited data cost $25 each for a total of $100 a month — $40 less than what four lines of unlimited data cost at Metro and Boost. Best of all, Visible doesn’t cap data speeds at present, so you get the full benefit of Verizon’s top-performing network. (Your speeds may be slowed if Verizon’s network is congested, but that’s common to all prepaid networks that use another carrier’s service.) There’s no 5G service yet, but Visible says that will soon change, with iPhone users getting access to faster speeds first.

Visible offers a wide range of phones — both iPhone and leading Android models. But if you’re happy with the phone you have, you always bring it over to Visible, provided that the phone’s compatible with the company’s service. (That applies to the iPhone 6 or later, plus a number of recent phones from Samsung, Google, LG, OnePlus and Motorola.)

Sign up for Google Fi, the wireless service from Google, and you need never worry about running out of data when you’re overseas. The carrier offers a $70 unlimited plan that covers all of your talk, text and data needs and compares favorably to T-Mobile’s best plan, at least for individuals. (Families should look beyond Google Fi for coverage; the multiline discounts aren’t as generous.) Don’t need all that data? Google Fi’s tiered plans cost $20 a month for talk and text, plus $10 for each gigabyte of data you use (or, in other words, $1 for every 100MB).

When you travel, Google Fi lets you draw from your regular high-speed data in more than 200 countries with no roaming charges. Unlimited international texting comes with every plan and calls cost just 20 cents a minute — unless they’re over WiFi, in which case they’re free. Google Fi used to be limited to a handful of select Android devices, but now you can use it with just about any phone, including iPhones. (Fi-certified devices such as the Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 still enjoy some advantages, though, like the ability to switch seamlessly between T-Mobile/Sprint and US Cellular towers for the best signal at any given time.) 

If you’d prefer a different carrier, T-Mobile remains a strong contender for the best international phone plan, letting T-Mobile One subscribers use data in more than 210 countries, though at 2G speeds. You can talk and text for free in Canada and Mexico, though T-Mobile limits you to 5GB of LTE data in those countries. (Be aware that the carrier’s lower cost T-Mobile Essentials unlimited plan doesn’t include these international perks.) 

How to choose the best cell phone plan for you

Price is a big consideration when looking for the best cell phone plans, especially if you’re getting more than one line for other members of your family. Most carriers offer escalating discounts as you add lines, so you’ll want to compare the total cost of your plan based on the number of lines that require service.

Cell phone plans are about more than just the amount on your bill each month, though. You also need to consider who offers the best coverage in your area and whether they support the phone you’ll want to use. Our guide to the best phone carriers can answer some of those questions, but you’ll also want to ask friends, neighbors and co-workers about how a specific carrier’s coverage is at your home and office, if you’re looking to switch wireless providers.

Speaking of switching carriers, the major carriers are all willing to pick up some of the cost to get you to switch. These promotions can vary over time, so we’d suggest keeping an eye on the best wireless carrier deals when you’re mulling a switch, as you could find extra ways to save money.

Wireless carriers have the better part of two years building out their 5G coverage, and if you’ve got the right 5G phone, you can benefit from faster speeds if a carrier offers 5G service in your area. T-Mobile includes 5G coverage with its Magenta Plan, and Metro By T-Mobile customers with unlimited plans can also access T-Mobile’s 5G towers with a compatible smartphone. AT&T had required you to sign up for its most expensive unlimited data plan options for 5G, but now any unlimited plan qualifies for coverage. Verizon includes 5G coverage in three of its four unlimited plans currently, but the cheapest plan, Start Unlimited, costs an extra $10 per month on top of the regular $70 rate if you also want 5G coverage.