Add Category
It's that time of year. The flowers are blooming, snow is melting and new smartphones are being announced. The first major release comes March 29 from Samsung, which is expected to announce the Galaxy S8. Follow our live coverage of Samsung's event to get down to the nitty-gritty.
But whether you get a Galaxy S8 or one of those swanky red iPhones, you need to consider your carrier plan. Which plan is the most affordable? How much are extra lines? Should I get a prepaid plan or a postpaid plan? We are here to help with answers to those questions and more.
Which carrier has the cheapest plans?
All of the carriers offer unlimited talk and texting, so your decision will likely come down to the cost of data. Unfortunately, there are no apples-to-apples here. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon's data plans are all slightly different.
This handy chart I made below should help. It compares the total cost over two years on each carrier except T-Mobile -- more on the "uncarrier" later. To make things as easy as possible, I added up the costs of carrier activation fees, monthly line access charges, financing a new $649 phone (the price of a 32GB Google Pixel or iPhone 7) and a monthly data plan over 24 months -- this does not compare taxes, surcharges or other regulatory fees (and my sanity hopes you'll understand).
Total cost for a single line and a new phone over 2 years
| Carrier | One-time activation fee | Monthly cost of $649 phone | Monthly access charge | Monthly data plan | Total cost over two years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Next Every Year Plan | $25 | $27/month | $20/month | 3GB for $40/month | $2,115 ($88/month) |
| Verizon Plan | $30 | $27/month | $20/month | 5GB for $35/month* | $1,998* ($83/month) |
| Sprint Installment Plan | $25 | $27/month | $25/month | 3GB for $25/month* | $1,880* ($78/month) |
| Sprint 18 Month Lease | $25 | $27/month | $25/month | 3GB/month for $25/month* | $1,418* (18 months at $79/month) |
* includes $5/month autopay discount
What about T-Mobile and unlimited data plans?
As of today, all four major carriers offer unlimited data plans.
Josh Miller/CNETI didn't include T-Mobile in the previous section because the carrier only has an unlimited data plan. But as of today all of the major carriers have unlimited data plans. A single line of unlimited data on Sprint is $50/month, T-Mobile is $70/month and Verizon is $80/month. AT&T offers two unlimited plans: Choice at $60/month and Plus at $90/month.
The Choice plan limits people to standard definition video, data speeds capped at 3 megabits per second and has no hotspot data allowance. The Plus plan does away with the Choice plan's limitations (just turn off their Stream Saver to get HD video), and includes 10GB of hotspot data before its speed gets slowed down.
Here's a chart comparing the total cost between carriers of a new phone and a single line on an unlimited data plan.
Single line unlimited data plans and cost of new phone over 2 years
| Carrier | Data throttled after | One-time activation fee | Monthly cost of $649 phone | Unlimited data monthly cost | Total cost for single line over 2 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Plus | 22GB/month | $25 | $27/month | $90/month* | $2,834 ($118/month) |
| Verizon | 22GB/month | $30 | $27/month | $80/month* | $2,599 ($108/month) |
| T-Mobile One | 30GB/month | $20 SIM starter kit | $26 upfront, $26/month | $70/month* | $2,350 ($98/month) |
| AT&T Choice | 22GB/month | $25 | $27/month | $60/month* | $2,114 ($88/month) |
| Sprint | 23GB/month | $30 | $27/month | $50/month* through March 2018, then $60/month* | $1,999 ($83/month) |
* includes $5/month autopay discount
A warning: There's definitely some fine print here.
- AT&T, Sprint and Verizon plans do not include taxes, surcharges or additional fees which depending on where you live can be a significant cost
- At the time of this writing, Sprint's $50/month promotion expires March 31, 2018 at which point a single line will increase to $60/month.
- All plans include a $5 per month discount for setting up automatic payments.
- Verizon and AT&T limit data speed and priority access after 22GB, Sprint after 23GB and T-Mobile after 30GB.
Verizon, T-Mobile One, Sprint and AT&T include high-definition video streaming with their plans. AT&T Choice limits you to standard definition (think DVD quality).
All of the carriers include a mobile hotspot allowance with their unlimited plans. Sprint, T-Mobile One, AT&T Plus and Verizon allow up to 10GB of hotspot data a month. AT&T Choice does not include hotspot data.
Additional line costs for unlimited plans are all over the place. Both AT&T Plus and Choice offer a second line for $55/month and additional lines up to 10 for $20/month (unless it's for a wearable then the cost is $10/month). Sprint gives you a third, fourth and fifth extra line for free until March 31, 2018, after which Sprint's unlimited plan reverts back to regular pricing: $60/month for first line, $40/month for second line and $30/month for lines three through five.
Below is a chart comparing the various prices of adding extra lines to your unlimited plan.
Comparison of carrier additional line costs for unlimited plans
| Carrier | First line cost | Second line cost | Third line cost | Fourth line cost | Total monthly cost for four lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Plus | $90/month* | $55/month | $20/month | $20/month | $185/month |
| Verizon | $80/month* | $60/month | $22/month | $18/month | $180/month* |
| T-Mobile | $70/month* | $30/month | $41/month | $19/month | $160/month* |
| AT&T Choice | $60/month* | $55/month | $20/month | $20/month | $155/month |
| Sprint pre-March 31, 2018 | $50/month* | $40/month | $0/month | $0/month | $90/month* |
| Sprint post-March 31, 2018 | $60/month* | $40/month | View More