Unlimited cell phone plans: All you need to know

Learn about unlimited cell phone plans, available options, benefits when choosing a plan and more.

When it comes to deciding which cell phone plans with unlimited data are best for you and your family, people often get confused with the different terminology and ask, "What is an unlimited mobile plan?" So, we are here to help clarify things.

Let's first discuss the differences between the types of plans offered today by the selected carriers:

Unlimited cell phone plans are phone plans with unlimited data, talk, and text services.
Pay-as-you-go (also known as prepaid) plans enable you to pay upfront only for a set amount of service (minutes, texts, and data) you use. With this type of plan, you pay every month or every few months, and you're only committed to it for the amount of service you purchase ahead of time. And if you miss a payment, your phone service is suspended.
Capped/tiered plans are, similar to unlimited plans, considered postpaid plans. However, unlike the unlimited plans, here, you pay a monthly plan charge for a specific amount of calls, texts, and data usage. So, if you go over your data allotment for the month, you'll either have overage charges or experience data usage limitations for the rest of that bill cycle.

Different mobile carriers offer a variety of unlimited cell phone plans, and researching the market for phone plans with unlimited data, text, and calls is essential to avoid surprising and high monthly costs. But you'll be happy to know that unlimited plans are usually reasonably priced, and those at a premium price offer great perks that ultimately provide you with serious value—so the cheapest unlimited data plan may not always be your best option.

Let's review the main benefits of unlimited cell phone plans

With unlimited cell phone plans, you get unlimited talk and text in addition to unlimited data. This means you pay a fixed monthly price to access as much data as needed. There's no worrying about overages or tallying up a high bill that could surprise you at the end of the month.

AT&T offers an additional benefit with its unlimited phone plans. With AT&T Unlimited Your Way® you can mix and match plans and choose a plan to fit each family member to save costs and utilize it to the fullest.

A great added value with unlimited phone plans is streamlined billing and budgeting, allowing you to control your—and your family's—mobile phone expenses.

Two young children sitting on stairs viewing a tablet

The best perks and features are reserved for the more premium unlimited cell phone plans—something many consider a good bang for the buck. With AT&T, these include things such as 4K UHD streaming, additional call and roam destinations, special discounts through your work and organization, 50GB hotspot data per line per month, premium data allotments, and advanced security features.

Add-on services can be added to unlimited phone plans to enhance your wireless experience; for instance, added charges for international calls, text, and data usage packages for when you travel abroad, or a device protection plan for your phone.