Best Cellphone Plans of 2024: Our Top Picks for March – CNET
Best phone plan for a family of four: $80 per month
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We’re going to try to fix that. We’ve been covering the latest in wireless plans, from breaking down how to switch carriers, to picking the top unlimited and prepaid plans. We also explain which network the smaller carriers use, as well as T-Mobile’s and Verizon’s plan revamps and AT&T’s plan rebranding and price increase.
After covering the wireless industry for over a decade, here’s CNET’s guide for sorting through the madness along with some of our picks for what we think are the best unlimited and prepaid plans available right now.
Factors to consider: Know your area
As we covered in our other wireless guides, to get the best deal you need to make sure you have the coverage that you need. This makes it hard to give a blanket recommendation of any one carrier. T-Mobile’s service in New York may be excellent, but if you’re in rural Iowa, Verizon is more reliable.
While your mileage may vary, the good news is that these networks are growing and improving all the time, particularly as the three major players race to blanket the US with 5G. It’s quite possible that you left a network complaining about its sparse service a decade ago, but now it’s beefed itself up because of that race to acquire customers.
If you know any friends or family in your area that already use the carrier you’re considering, ask about their experience. You could also go to a carrier’s store and see if they offer any free ways to try out the service before switching over, such as T-Mobile’s Network Pass. Verizon offers a similar 30-day “Test Drive” program, while the Cricket prepaid service has its own trial program that lets you sample parent AT&T’s network.
Best phone plans of 2024
Postpaid phone plans
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T-Mobile reshuffled its plans last year and got rid of our previous pick in this spot, the Base Essentials plan that offered a single line for $45 a month. It replaced that option with an Essentials Savings plan, a "limited time" offer of $50 a month for a single line.
It has since been renamed the plan to Essentials Saver, and although the plan is largely the same, there are some notable tweaks.
The data remains unlimited, and you now get 50GB of high-speed data, instead of the 20GB that Base Essentials offers. T-Mobile hasn’t said how long the Essentials Saver 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 hotspots at "3G speeds" and unlimited talk, text and 2G data in Mexico and Canada.
At $50 for a single line, the Essentials Saver 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.
Although the price of the AT&T and T-Mobile plans 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’s also worth mentioning that T-Mobile allows for multiple lines on this plan, with two lines running for $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 the carrier regularly runs.)
You may need to click "see more plans" and then "explore Essentials Saver plan" on T-Mobile’s site to get this option to appear, though lately, the carrier has been showing it alongside its other offerings.
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T-Mobile reshuffled its plans last year and got rid of our previous pick in this spot, the Base Essentials plan that offered a single line for $45 a month. It replaced that option with an Essentials Savings plan, a “limited time” offer of $50 a month for a single line.
It has since been renamed the plan to Essentials Saver, and although the plan is largely the same, there are some notable tweaks.
The data remains unlimited, and you now get 50GB of high-speed data, instead of the 20GB that Base Essentials offers. T-Mobile hasn’t said how long the Essentials Saver 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 hotspots at “3G speeds” and unlimited talk, text and 2G data in Mexico and Canada.
At $50 for a single line, the Essentials Saver 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.
Although the price of the AT&T and T-Mobile plans 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’s also worth mentioning that T-Mobile allows for multiple lines on this plan, with two lines running for $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 the carrier regularly runs.)
You may need to click “see more plans” and then “explore Essentials Saver plan” on T-Mobile’s site to get this option to appear, though lately, the carrier has been showing it alongside its other offerings.
