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Picking a family plan isn’t as easy as it should be. There are multiple carriers, each with their own variety of plans that have a host of pros, cons and fine print. Then there are upgrades and device deals to consider, as well as what features everyone needs or if the perks dangled by providers like free Netflix, hotspot data or international roaming make sense for you.
Having covered the wireless industry for over a decade, this is my guide to figuring out the best family plans for three or more lines, what you should consider and CNET’s picks for the best deals available today from the three major providers.
If you’re considering a prepaid provider, see our prepaid guide here on how to navigate that.
Best family phone plans
Because of T-Mobile’s restructuring of its cheapest plans, this has gotten a bit more complicated. As mentioned above, both T-Mobile Essentials and Essentials Saver include unlimited talk, text and data for all the carrier’s base unlimited plans, including 5G access.
In short, if you need two lines, Essentials Saver is your best pick, while those looking for three or more lines may want to go with regular Essentials.
Two lines of Essentials Saver runs $80 a month, while a similar offering from Verizon costs $110 a month, and a similar deal from AT&T runs $120 a month. Three lines will also run $90 at T-Mobile for its regular Essentials thanks to a promotion, compared with $120 at Verizon (for Unlimited Welcome) and $135 at AT&T (for Unlimited Starter). The four-line option is now back to $100 at T-Mobile thanks a to new promotion, compared with $120 at Verizon and $140 at AT&T.
If you’re comparing prices on multiple carriers’ websites, it’s worth keeping in mind that Verizon’s pricing by default factors in a switching promotional discount of $180 over three years for Unlimited Welcome or $540 if you’re getting Unlimited Plus. In both cases it’s also assuming you aren’t also getting a new phone when you switch.
To get the real numbers of Verizon’s plans make sure to add $5 a line to its Welcome prices and $15 a line for Plus. Our pricing above removes the BYOD device credit. Our pricing here also assumes no perks from Verizon.
As for T-Mobile, its prices also come with a couple of caveats: Unlike the carrier’s Go5G or Magenta plans, taxes and fees aren’t included in any of these Essentials prices, making the final total a little higher. All the deals also require that you set up AutoPay and paperless billing.
And as mentioned, 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.
Best family plan for switchers
T-Mobile Essentials iPhone 15 offer
Note: You need to switch to T-Mobile and have an eligible trade-in.
T-Mobile’s switcher offer is tempting if you’re looking to switch to the carrier and need new devices. You get four lines of its Essentials plan and four new iPhone 15 models for $100 a month. Here is the fine print.
Like other carriers, you need to commit to being with T-Mobile for 24 months (which is actually better than AT&T and Verizon’s respective 36-month installment plans). Leaving early loses you the credits and leaves you on the hook for the balance owed. You also need to have at least four lines and trade in an iPhone 11 or newer to get the full value for the deal. Older phones, like an iPhone 7, will only get you partial credit off an iPhone 15.
T-Mobile’s Essentials plan also doesn’t include perks like Netflix or bundling in of taxes and fees. You also will be on the hook for $35 a line “device connection” charges, which are one-time charges the carrier puts as part of activation (and is also fairly standard across the major carriers).
All that said, this is still a good deal, particularly if you have three- or four-year-old iPhones and were already considering switching. Each iPhone 15 retails for $830 per device most providers won’t give that type of credit for an iPhone 11.
Verizon has its own, similar free iPhone offer, but that deal gives you iPhone 14 Pluses instead of iPhone 15s. AT&T has no four-line deal that bundles in free iPhones.
Best plan for perks
Verizon Unlimited Welcome
This is a bit more complicated. Verizon used to be our pick with its Play More plan that bundled in the Disney bundle (ad-free Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu with ads) and services like Google Play Pass or Apple Arcade into the plan’s sticker price.
Now the carrier has updated its wireless plans to remove perks like the Disney bundle or Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass from being automatically included with its service. Even with its new plans it’s still our pick for best perks, but this will require a bit more explanation.
Instead of automatically putting services in, it now offers a variety of perks at $10 per month per perk, allowing you to pick and choose what you want. It also now allows its lower-cost plan, known as Unlimited Welcome, to participate.
Unlimited Welcome runs $65 a month for one line or $120 a month for four lines. You get unlimited talk, text and data, but you don’t get access to Verizon’s fastest 5G networks (what it calls “5G Ultra Wideband”) or hotspot data. For that, you will need to step up to its pricier Unlimited Plus plan ($80 for one line, $180 for four lines).
Both the Welcome and Plus plans include the ability to add perks at that $10 per month rate. This includes the Disney Bundle (normally $15 a month), Apple One individual (normally around $17 a month), Apple Music Family (which can be shared with five people and normally runs $17 a month) and Walmart Plus (normally $13 a month but also includes Paramount Plus Essential).
There are also other perks including an additional 100GB of hotspot data (normally $45 a month), 2TB of Verizon’s cloud storage (normally $15 a month), three days of international data (what the carrier calls TravelPass, normally $10 a day).
All perks can be turned on or off at will, and you could forgo them entirely. You can even go with multiple perks on a single line.
Whether this makes sense for your situation may require some time with a spreadsheet going through what services work for you and what you’re willing to pay for them. The savings could add up if you’re paying for some of these services directly, but it also could be more expensive than your existing plan.
It’s also worth mentioning that Verizon allows you to “mix and match” lines, so if not everyone needs the faster 5G connectivity, they could be on Unlimited Welcome, while the one who does can go on Unlimited Plus.
AT&T allows something similar with its unlimited plans, but at the moment it no longer offers any streaming perks. To get T-Mobile’s perks, everyone has to be on the same plan.
But if you wanted a cheaper way to save on one or two services like the Disney bundle, you could have four lines for $120 a month, add the Disney perk for $10 and be paying $130 a month for the whole package.
Oh, and you can also combine these plans with Verizon’s other discounts for teachers, nurses, military and first responders to save a bit more.
Runner-up for perks
T-Mobile Go5G and Go5G Plus
T-Mobile’s new plans are also a bit complicated. For most people, T-Mobile’s Magenta and Magenta Max options are the better pick when it comes to looking for perks for one or two lines. They’re cheaper than the new Go5G options and have most of the same features, except with a cheaper monthly rate ($70 for one line on Magenta, $120 for two lines; $85 for one line on Magenta Max, $140 for two lines).
You get less hotspot and international data with a Magenta plan compared to a Go5G option, and Magenta Max users also don’t get the same ability to upgrade to a new device after two years while taking advantage of T-Mobile’s “new customer” deals.
Thanks to T-Mobile offering a free third line on its Go5G options, those plans become cheaper and a better value compared to the Magentas if you need three or more lines.
Among the benefits of Magenta and Go5G ($75 a month for one line, $155 a month for four lines) are unlimited international data (albeit at slow “2G speeds”) when traveling in over 210 countries, an hour of in-flight Wi-Fi on a number of airlines, T-Mobile Tuesdays weekly giveaways, the bundling of Netflix’s Basic plan (which is $10 a month and limited to watching on one screen at a time) and six free months of Apple TV Plus.
Its pricier Magenta Max and Go5G Plus ($90 a month for one line, $185 a month for four lines) plans bump the Netflix subscription to the more popular $15.49-a-month Standard plan (which allows for 1080p HD streaming on up to two screens at once), includes a full subscription to Apple TV Plus, ups the hotspot data from 15GB on Go5G to 50GB per month on Go5G Plus, adds 5GB of high-speed international data and gives you unlimited Wi-Fi on a host of flights including those from American, Alaska Airlines, Delta and United. Go5G Plus also has 15GB of high-speed data in Canada and Mexico, compared to 10GB on Go5G.
Unlike its Essentials plans discussed earlier, T-Mobile also includes taxes and fees with the pricing of both of its Magenta and Go5G plans.
How we test
Picking a wireless plan and carrier is an individualized process. What works for you and your family’s needs may be vastly different from your friends or neighbors. Even geographically, some areas have better AT&T coverage while others work best on Verizon or T-Mobile (and vice versa). The picks we make are based on over a decade of covering and evaluating the wireless carriers, their offerings and their performance.
Since choosing a provider is unique, we focus on larger plans and the value they provide; as well as calling out ways you can test the different networks in your area for yourself so you can make the best pick.
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.