The best family phone plan is the one that still looks like a deal after the fourth line, the fees and the taxes. So that’s how we priced it: family setups at 13 carriers, read off each carrier’s own plan pages, fine print included. US Mobile took the top slot. US Mobile wrote this comparison; how we did it is at the end.
This is the October 2026 edition of our guide to the best family phone plans. For the version we keep up to date, see the main article.
What’s New in the October 2026 Edition
Every price in this edition was read on the carriers’ own sites and FCC Broadband Facts labels on . Where those pages differ from our August 2026 edition, the figures below replace it.
- Our August edition said four lines of T-Mobile Experience More cost $220/mo; T-Mobile now sells the 2.0 plans, and four lines of Experience More 2.0 are $170/mo with AutoPay (Experience Beyond 2.0 $215/mo, Essentials 2.0 $105/mo), counting “3rd line free” bill credits that stop if you cancel any line.
- Our August edition said Verizon had dropped its activation fee to $0; Verizon now lists a $40 activation fee per line, plus a $3.78-a-line administrative charge that rises to $4.69 on November 15, 2026.
- Our August edition priced four lines of AT&T Premium 2.0 at $220/mo; AT&T now lists $200/mo with AutoPay ($50 a line), and its AutoPay discount is $10 with a bank account but only $5 with a debit card.
- Our August edition used the ONLY199 code, which has ended. New US Mobile lines on a yearly plan now pay $199 for the first year of Unlimited Starter, then $270/yr, and porting in with code FBF10 makes Starter $10/mo for 6 months, then $25/mo (limit 5 per household).
- Our August edition said every US Mobile Premium line unlocks perks worth about $15/mo; three or more monthly Unlimited Premium lines now earn one subscription perk worth up to $15/mo. New this month: shared-data family pricing on Light and By the Gig, from $34/mo for four lines with taxes included.
Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services.
Best Family Phone Plan Awards
Families don’t all want the same thing, so naming one winner and walking away would be a cop-out. Here’s who wins each category at four lines. If you’d rather see the market sorted by how many people are on the plan, our family phone plans page lines up 2 to 5 lines side by side.
| Award | Winner | Why it wins | 4-line price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Family Plan Overall | US Mobile Unlimited Starter BEST VALUE | Taxes and fees included, no AutoPay needed, 20GB of hotspot on every line and access to all three major networks. | $100/mo total |
| Best Premium Family Plan | US Mobile Unlimited Premium | Unlimited priority data and unlimited hotspot on one of its networks. Three or more monthly lines earn one subscription perk worth up to $15/mo. | $176/mo total |
| Best for Light Data Users | US Mobile By the Gig 10GB | Four lines share 10GB, taxes and fees included. Each extra line is $8. | $44/mo total |
| Best Big 3 Family Plan | T-Mobile Experience More 2.0 | Netflix Standard with ads, 60GB of hotspot a line and a 5-Year Price Guarantee. The price counts “3rd line free” bill credits. | $170/mo with AutoPay |
| Best for Bundled Streaming | T-Mobile Experience Beyond 2.0 | Netflix Standard with ads and Hulu, 250GB of hotspot a line, T-Satellite included. | $215/mo with AutoPay |
| Best for Families Who Travel | Google Fi Unlimited Premium | 50GB of high-speed data in 200+ destinations and free calls from the US to 50+, on every line. | $160/mo, taxes extra |
| Cheapest Four Lines, Taxes Included | Total Wireless Total Starter | Four unlimited lines with a 5-year price guarantee. Hotspot is 10GB, then up to 5 Mbps. | $95/mo with AutoPay |
| Lowest Sticker Price | Optimum Mobile Unlimited | $20 a line once you have three or more lines, but taxes are extra, the price assumes good credit and hotspot is 5GB. | $80/mo, taxes extra |
Awards reflect our editorial evaluation against the criteria in the methodology section. The “Best Family Plan Overall” pick is supported by US Mobile’s Consumer Reports Top Rated designation. See the full ratings. Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services. Prices are four-line monthly totals; Big 3, Google Fi and Optimum add taxes and fees on top, while US Mobile and Total Wireless include them.
What Makes a Family Phone Plan “Best” in 2026
A couple whose kids just moved out and a family of five with three teenage data hogs are not shopping for the same plan. Still, the same handful of things end up deciding it for almost everybody. Here’s what we actually weighed.
Total cost across all lines, fees included
The single-line price barely matters on a family plan. What matters is the total for your number of lines, and then whatever the carrier piles on top. Four lines of Verizon Unlimited Welcome are $120/mo with AutoPay, which doesn’t sound far off US Mobile’s $100 for four Starter lines. Then Verizon adds $40 a line to activate, a $3.78-a-line administrative charge (rising to $4.69 on November 15, 2026) and surcharges it says can add 16% to 58% to your monthly charges. US Mobile’s $100 already has taxes and fees in it.
Here’s the first year of four lines on each big carrier’s cheapest unlimited plan, before any taxes we can’t know for your address.
| Cost | T-Mobile Essentials 2.0 | Verizon Unlimited Welcome | AT&T Value 2.0 | US Mobile Starter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan, 12 months | $1,260 ($105 × 12, AutoPay) | $1,440 ($120 × 12, AutoPay) | $1,440 ($120 × 12, AutoPay) | $1,200 monthly, or $1,080 on yearly plans |
| Carrier per-line fee | $263.52 ($5.49 × 4 lines × 12) | $181.44 to $225.12 ($3.78 to $4.69 × 4 lines × 12) | Up to $239.52 ($4.99 × 4 lines × 12) | Included |
| Activation | $140 ($35 × 4, device connection charge) | $160 ($40 × 4) | $140 ($35 × 4) | Carrier does not say |
| Taxes and surcharges | Extra | Extra (Verizon: 16% to 58%) | Extra | Included |
| First year, before taxes | $1,663.52 | $1,781.44 to $1,825.12 | Up to $1,819.52 | $1,080 to $1,200, taxes included |
So the cheapest Big 3 family plans run $1,663.52 to $1,825.12 in year one before taxes, against $1,200 at most for four US Mobile Starter lines with taxes already covered. New US Mobile lines on yearly plans can pay $199 each for the first year ($796 for four), then $270 a year each.
How the per-line price scales
The Big 3, Google Fi, Cricket, Metro and Total Wireless all use step-down pricing, where each extra line costs less. Four lines of AT&T Value 2.0 work out to $30 a line, against $50 for one line on its own. US Mobile’s Unlimited plans are flat: $25 a Starter line whether you have one or five. Step-down pricing rewards a family that stays the same size. Flat pricing doesn’t punish you when a kid leaves for college and you drop a line, because there was never a discount to lose.
The fine print on multi-line deals
Multi-line prices come with conditions, and they’re easy to miss on a busy plan page. T-Mobile’s “3rd line free” is paid as monthly bill credits that stop if you cancel any line. Cricket wants every line on the account on the same plan. Boost only discounts extra lines when all of them are on Unlimited+ or Unlimited Premium. Total Wireless’s $5 AutoPay discount is one per account, not per line. And Verizon’s $10/mo account credit at 3 or more lines needs a new smartphone line and lasts 36 months.
Network access per line
Most carriers put every line on the same network, full stop. US Mobile gives every line access to all three major US wireless networks, and you can move any single line to a different network later from the dashboard. Handy when the people on your plan live, study or work in different places.
Hotspot per line
A work-from-home parent and two students tethering laptops can burn through a hotspot allowance fast, and on most plans each line gets its own. At four lines the spread is wide: none on Verizon Unlimited Welcome or Cricket Select Unlimited, 3GB on AT&T Value 2.0, 20GB on US Mobile Unlimited Starter, 60GB on T-Mobile Experience More 2.0, and unlimited on US Mobile Unlimited Premium on one of its networks.
What’s bundled that you’d actually use
T-Mobile Experience More 2.0 includes Netflix Standard with ads and Apple TV for $3/mo; Experience Beyond 2.0 adds Hulu. Cricket Supreme Unlimited includes HBO Max Basic with Ads, and Google Fi Unlimited Premium comes with 6 months of YouTube Premium and 100GB of Google One storage. On US Mobile, three or more monthly Unlimited Premium lines earn one subscription perk worth up to $15/mo. If your family already pays for one of these, the bundle math is real money. If not, it’s mostly noise.
Family Phone Plan Comparison: 4-Line Pricing
Four lines, monthly total, the way each carrier prices them. Most multi-line prices assume AutoPay, and the table says where they do. Per-line figures appear where the carrier publishes one; US Mobile’s Unlimited lines are flat, so four lines are simply four times the per-line price. Shopping for two? See the best cell phone plans for 2 lines.
| Carrier | Plan | 4 lines, monthly total | Hotspot per line | High-speed data | Taxes included? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Mobile | Unlimited Starter | $100/mo ($25/line) | 20GB | Unlimited on one network; may slow after 70GB on the others | Yes |
| US Mobile | Unlimited Premium | $176/mo ($44/line) | Unlimited on one network | Unlimited priority | Yes |
| T-Mobile | Essentials 2.0 | $105/mo with AutoPay | Unlimited at 3G speeds | 50GB | No |
| T-Mobile | Experience More 2.0 | $170/mo with AutoPay | 60GB | Unlimited | No |
| T-Mobile | Experience Beyond 2.0 | $215/mo with AutoPay | 250GB | Unlimited | No |
| Verizon | Unlimited Welcome | $120/mo with AutoPay ($30/line) | None | Deprioritized | No |
| Verizon | Unlimited Plus | $180/mo with AutoPay ($45/line) | 30GB | Unlimited premium data | No |
| Verizon | Unlimited Ultimate | $240/mo with AutoPay ($60/line) | 200GB at full speed | Unlimited premium data | No |
| AT&T | Value 2.0 | $120/mo with AutoPay ($30/line) | 3GB | 5GB | No |
| AT&T | Extra 2.0 | $160/mo with AutoPay ($40/line) | 50GB | 100GB | No |
| AT&T | Premium 2.0 | $200/mo with AutoPay ($50/line) | 100GB | Unlimited | No |
| AT&T | Elite 2.0 | $280/mo with AutoPay ($70/line) | 250GB | Unlimited | No |
| Google Fi | Unlimited Standard | $100/mo ($25/line) | 25GB | 50GB | No |
| Google Fi | Unlimited Premium | $160/mo ($40/line) | 50GB | 100GB | No |
| Cricket Wireless | Select Unlimited | $100/mo with AutoPay | None (add-on available) | Can slow when busy; SD video | Yes |
| Cricket Wireless | Supreme Unlimited | $130/mo with AutoPay | 50GB | Unlimited high-speed | Yes |
| Metro by T-Mobile | Unlimited 5G Data (web only) | $100/mo ($25/line) | Carrier does not say | 35GB | Yes |
| Metro by T-Mobile | Unlimited Premium 5G Data | $140/mo before AutoPay ($35/line) | 25GB | Unlimited premium 5G | Yes |
| Total Wireless | Total Starter | $95/mo with AutoPay | 10GB, then up to 5 Mbps | Carrier does not say | Yes |
| Total Wireless | Total MAX 5G | $105/mo with AutoPay | Unlimited (up to 5 Mbps) | Carrier does not say | Yes |
| Optimum Mobile | Unlimited | $80/mo ($20/line) | 5GB | 20GB | No |
US Mobile
Consumer Reports Top RatedHere’s the slightly odd thing about our top family pick: US Mobile doesn’t do family discounts at all. Each Unlimited line costs the same whether you have one or five, so four lines of Unlimited Starter are $100/mo ($25 × 4) and five are $125/mo, with taxes and fees included, no AutoPay and no contract. Four lines of Unlimited Premium are $176/mo. The price you see is the bill.
Every line gets access to all three major US wireless networks, branded as Warp 5G, Dark Star, and Light Speed. You pick a network for each line and can move a line to a different network later from your dashboard, which comes in handy when one of the kids heads off to school somewhere new. Want more than one network on the same phone? The Multi-Network add-on is $10/mo per line ($7.50/mo on an annual plan).
Starter covers most families: unlimited high-speed data on one of its networks (it may slow after 70GB a month on the others) and 20GB of hotspot per line. Premium is for the heavy users and the travelers: unlimited priority data, unlimited hotspot on one of its networks, 20GB of roaming in 180+ countries, international calling and texting, and a free smartwatch plan on select networks. Three or more monthly Unlimited Premium lines earn one subscription perk worth up to $15/mo.
Not everyone in the house needs unlimited, honestly. Light and By the Gig plans share one data allowance across the account, and each extra line is $8: four lines sharing 2GB on Light are $34/mo, sharing 10GB on By the Gig $44/mo, and sharing 20GB $59/mo. That’s a sensible setup for a kid’s first phone or a parent who lives on Wi-Fi. Parental controls are in the US Mobile app; our phone plans for kids guide covers the rest.
US Mobile is named a Consumer Reports Top Rated Cell Phone Service Provider. See the full ratings.
Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services.
US Mobile family pricing
| Plan | 1 line | 2 lines | 3 lines | 4 lines | 5 lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light (2GB, shared) | $10/mo | $18/mo | $26/mo | $34/mo | $42/mo |
| By the Gig 10GB (shared) | $20/mo | $28/mo | $36/mo | $44/mo | $52/mo |
| Unlimited Starter POPULAR | $25/mo | $50/mo | $75/mo | $100/mo | $125/mo |
| Unlimited Premium | $44/mo | $88/mo | $132/mo | $176/mo | $220/mo |
Monthly prices with taxes and fees included. Light and By the Gig lines share the data; By the Gig also comes in 5GB ($15/mo for one line, $39/mo for four) and 20GB ($35/mo for one line, $59/mo for four). Unlimited lines get no multi-line discount, so the total is the per-line price times the number of lines.
Paying for the year
Yearly plans are priced per line too, and they’re where the bigger savings hide if you can pay up front. Unlimited Flex is sold yearly only, at $210 a line ($17.50/mo), with 5GB of hotspot. Speeds may slow after 10GB a month, so it suits the lighter users in the house rather than the teenager who streams on the bus.
| Plan | Per line, yearly | Four lines, yearly | First year for four new lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited Flex | $210/yr ($17.50/mo) | $840/yr ($70/mo) | No first-year offer |
| Unlimited Starter | $270/yr ($22.50/mo) | $1,080/yr ($90/mo) | $796 ($199 a line), then $1,080/yr |
| Unlimited Premium | $390/yr ($32.50/mo) | $1,560/yr ($130/mo) | $1,196 ($299 a line), then $1,560/yr |
Yearly prices include taxes and fees. First-year offers are for new lines, first year only, and each line then renews at the regular yearly price. Right now, if you port in your numbers, code FBF10 makes Starter $10/mo a line for the first 6 months (then $25/mo) and code FBF20 makes Premium $20/mo a line for 6 months (then $44/mo), limit 5 per household. For four ported Starter lines, that’s $40/mo for six months, then $100/mo. New customers who transfer one number can also try US Mobile free for 30 days with 30GB on select networks; the line then renews on monthly Unlimited Premium unless you change plans.
Pros
- Taxes and fees included, with no AutoPay or contract needed for the listed price
- Access to all three major US wireless networks, chosen line by line
- Flat per-line pricing, so dropping or adding a line never changes anyone else’s price
- Shared-data Light and By the Gig plans for the lighter users
- Consumer Reports Top Rated Cell Phone Service Provider
Cons
- No multi-line discount, so at four lines some step-down plans get close on sticker price
- Unlimited Flex is sold as a yearly plan only
- Premium’s unlimited hotspot applies on one of its networks
T-Mobile
T-Mobile’s lineup is now the “2.0” plans, and for families the headline is “3rd line free”: two lines and three lines cost the same. Four lines with AutoPay are $105/mo on Essentials 2.0, $170/mo on Experience More 2.0 and $215/mo on Experience Beyond 2.0. The catch is how that free line gets paid for. It arrives as monthly bill credits, which stop if you cancel any line, and the Experience plans need qualifying credit.
Experience More 2.0 includes Netflix Standard with ads, 60GB of hotspot per line, a 5-Year Price Guarantee and Apple TV for $3/mo. Experience Beyond 2.0 adds Hulu, 250GB of hotspot and T-Satellite. Essentials 2.0 is the budget tier: 50GB of premium data, hotspot at 3G speeds, no price guarantee and no streaming. A cheaper Essentials Saver 2.0 ($50/mo for one line, $80 for two, with AutoPay) only shows up at 1 or 2 lines. T-Mobile’s parental controls go by FamilyMode.
On top of every price: taxes, a $5.49-a-line fee and a one-time $35-a-line device connection charge. At four lines, that fee alone is $21.96 a month.
| Plan | 2 lines | 3 lines | 4 lines | 5 lines | Hotspot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials 2.0 | $90/mo | $90/mo | $105/mo | $120/mo | Unlimited at 3G speeds |
| Experience More 2.0 | $140/mo | $140/mo | $170/mo | $200/mo | 60GB, then 3G speeds |
| Experience Beyond 2.0 | $170/mo | $170/mo | $215/mo | $260/mo | 250GB, then 3G speeds |
Monthly totals with AutoPay, before taxes and fees. Prices for three or more lines include “3rd line free” bill credits.
See T-Mobile plans. Weighing the two biggest against each other? See T-Mobile vs Verizon.
Verizon
Verizon’s myPlan tiers step down hard as you add lines. Four lines with AutoPay are $120/mo on Unlimited Welcome ($30 a line), $180/mo on Unlimited Plus ($45 a line) and $240/mo on Unlimited Ultimate ($60 a line). Welcome has no hotspot and deprioritized data. Plus adds 30GB of hotspot, unlimited premium data and 5G Ultra Wideband. Ultimate has 200GB of full-speed hotspot, unlimited premium data and international use built in.
Then come the extras. Verizon charges a $40 activation fee per line, a $3.78-a-line administrative charge that rises to $4.69 on November 15, 2026, and surcharges it says can add 16% to 58% to your monthly charges. Adding a new smartphone line at 3 or more lines can also earn a $10/mo account credit for 36 months, which isn’t counted in the prices here.
| Plan | 2 lines | 3 lines | 4 lines | 5 lines | Hotspot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited Welcome | $110/mo | $120/mo | $120/mo ($30/line) | $150/mo | None |
| Unlimited Plus | $140/mo | $165/mo | $180/mo ($45/line) | $225/mo | 30GB |
| Unlimited Ultimate | $170/mo | $210/mo | $240/mo ($60/line) | $300/mo | 200GB at full speed, then 6 Mbps |
Monthly totals with AutoPay and paper-free billing, before taxes, surcharges and fees.
AT&T
AT&T has four unlimited tiers, and every one gets cheaper per line as the family grows. Four lines with AutoPay: Value 2.0 at $120/mo ($30 a line), Extra 2.0 at $160/mo ($40), Premium 2.0 at $200/mo ($50) and Elite 2.0 at $280/mo ($70). One quirk worth knowing before you set up billing: AutoPay is $10 off with a bank account but only $5 off with a debit card.
Value 2.0 is a trap for families with teenagers, frankly. It has 5GB of high-speed data per line, after which speeds may slow when the network is busy, and 3GB of hotspot. Extra 2.0 raises that to 100GB with 50GB of hotspot; Premium 2.0 and Elite 2.0 don’t cap high-speed data and include 100GB and 250GB of hotspot. Add taxes, a fee of up to $4.99 a line and a $35 activation fee per line. AT&T is also running a limited-time extra $5 off per new line at 4 or more lines, not counted here.
| Plan | 2 lines | 3 lines | 4 lines | 5 lines | Hotspot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value 2.0 | $90/mo | $105/mo | $120/mo ($30/line) | $150/mo | 3GB |
| Extra 2.0 | $120/mo | $150/mo | $160/mo ($40/line) | $200/mo | 50GB |
| Premium 2.0 | $160/mo | $195/mo | $200/mo ($50/line) | $250/mo | 100GB |
| Elite 2.0 | $200/mo | $255/mo | $280/mo ($70/line) | $350/mo | 250GB |
Monthly totals with AutoPay and paperless billing, before taxes and fees.
See AT&T plans. Comparing the two old giants? See AT&T vs Verizon.
Google Fi
Google Fi is the family pick for people who leave the country a lot. Four lines are $100/mo on Unlimited Standard ($25 a line) and $160/mo on Unlimited Premium ($40 a line); three lines are $90 and $135, and two are $80 and $110. Unlimited Essentials is $90/mo for four, with no hotspot. Fi charges no activation fee, but taxes and surcharges are extra, and Fi says they normally run 10 to 20 percent.
Only Premium really travels: 50GB of high-speed data in 200+ destinations, free calls from the US to 50+ destinations, 100GB of high-speed data at home and 50GB of hotspot. Standard covers data, calls and texts in Canada and Mexico, with 50GB of high-speed data and 25GB of hotspot. See Google Fi plans.
Cricket Wireless
Cricket puts taxes and fees inside its prices, which makes its four-line numbers easy to trust: with AutoPay, $100/mo for Select Unlimited, $110/mo for Smart Unlimited and $130/mo for Supreme Unlimited. It runs on AT&T’s network. Two rules to know first: every line on the account has to be on the same plan, and activating in a Cricket store costs $25 a line.
Select Unlimited has no hotspot unless you add it, Smart Unlimited includes 15GB, and Supreme Unlimited 50GB plus HBO Max Basic with Ads and 150GB of cloud storage. Select and Smart limit video to SD and can be slowed when the network is busy. See Cricket plans. Comparing the two directly? See Cricket Wireless vs US Mobile.
Metro by T-Mobile
Metro rebuilt its lineup around three unlimited plans, all with taxes and fees included and a 5-year price guarantee. Four lines, before the AutoPay discount: $100/mo on the web-only Unlimited 5G Data plan ($25 a line), $125/mo on Unlimited 5G Data ($31.25 a line) and $140/mo on Unlimited Premium 5G Data ($35 a line). Metro doesn’t list a five-line price. Activation is free online and $25 a line in a store.
The differences are in the data. The web-only plan may slow after 35GB a month when the network is busy, Unlimited 5G Data after 50GB with 8GB of hotspot, and Premium has unlimited premium 5G data with 25GB of hotspot. See Metro plans.
Spectrum Mobile
Spectrum Mobile only makes sense if Spectrum Internet already comes into your house, because you need it (and AutoPay) to sign up. The pricing is a little muddled: Spectrum’s plan card says Unlimited is $30 a line, but its FAQ puts a single line at $40 a month, and two lines are $60. Unlimited Plus is $40 a line and Unlimited Plus Premium $50 a line. Spectrum doesn’t state a total for three or more lines, so check its site for your line count.
The sweetener is for new customers: the first line is free for a year on Unlimited, $10/mo on Unlimited Plus or $20/mo on Unlimited Plus Premium, then the regular rate. Activation fees are extra and taxes may apply; Spectrum doesn’t list the amounts. See Spectrum Mobile plans.
Other Family Plans Worth Considering
Total Wireless
On Verizon’s network, with taxes and fees included and a 5-year price guarantee. Four lines with AutoPay are $95/mo on Total Starter, $105/mo on Total MAX 5G and $115/mo on Total All Access. Read the AutoPay line twice, though: the $5 discount is one per account, not per line, and it starts in the second month. Total Starter’s hotspot is 10GB, then up to 5 Mbps. Total Wireless plans.
Optimum Mobile
The lowest sticker price for four lines we found. Unlimited is $45 for one line and $60 for two, then $20 a line once you reach three lines: $60/mo for three, $80/mo for four, $100/mo for five. It includes 20GB of premium data and 5GB of hotspot. Unlimited Max is $120/mo for four, with 50GB of premium data and 15GB of hotspot. Taxes are extra and the price is based on good credit. Optimum’s plan page doesn’t say you need Optimum Internet, and it advertises a $20 a month internet credit when you add Mobile. Optimum Mobile plans.
Xfinity Mobile
Needs Xfinity Internet. Mobile Select is $30/mo with 15GB of hotspot (that price includes a $10 internet-customer discount), and Mobile Plus is $45/mo with 50GB. New customers get the first line free for a year on Select, or $15/mo on Plus, then the regular price. Taxes and fees are extra, and activation is $25 a line, covered on a first order through October 30. Xfinity’s four-line total isn’t something we recorded this month, so check Xfinity for your line count. Xfinity Mobile plans.
Straight Talk
Silver Unlimited is $100/mo for four lines ($25 each), but a fifth line takes it to $145. Gold Unlimited is $140/mo for four and Platinum Unlimited $180/mo. Taxes and fees are extra, and the AutoPay price only lasts the first 3 months. Straight Talk plans.
Boost Mobile
Boost discounts extra lines only when every line is on Unlimited+ or Unlimited Premium. With AutoPay, four lines are $120/mo on Unlimited+ ($30 a line, 40GB of premium data) and $160/mo on Unlimited Premium ($40 a line, 50GB). Boost’s plan page says taxes and fees apply. Boost plans.
How Much Your Family Can Save by Switching to US Mobile
Same-tier comparisons only: entry unlimited against entry unlimited, premium against premium. Big 3 prices are their four-line AutoPay totals; US Mobile is the regular monthly rate, no promo code. These gaps are before the Big 3’s taxes and per-line fees, which only widen them. T-Mobile’s $5.49-a-line fee alone adds $21.96 a month at four lines, more than the $5 gap on Essentials 2.0.
| Currently on (4 lines) | Their monthly | Move to | US Mobile (4 lines) | Monthly savings | Yearly savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon Unlimited Welcome | $120/mo | Unlimited Starter | $100/mo | $20/mo | $240/yr |
| AT&T Value 2.0 | $120/mo | Unlimited Starter | $100/mo | $20/mo | $240/yr |
| T-Mobile Essentials 2.0 | $105/mo | Unlimited Starter | $100/mo | $5/mo | $60/yr |
| Verizon Unlimited Ultimate | $240/mo | Unlimited Premium | $176/mo | $64/mo | $768/yr |
| T-Mobile Experience Beyond 2.0 | $215/mo | Unlimited Premium | $176/mo | $39/mo | $468/yr |
| AT&T Elite 2.0 | $280/mo | Unlimited Premium | $176/mo | $104/mo | $1,248/yr |
Porting your numbers in makes the gap even larger at the start: with code FBF10, four Starter lines are $40/mo for the first 6 months, then $100/mo. See US Mobile plans.
Which Family Plan Is Right for You?
- Best for most families: US Mobile Unlimited Starter, $100/mo for four lines with taxes and fees included, 20GB of hotspot a line and access to all three major networks.
- Your family burns through hotspot: US Mobile Unlimited Premium ($176/mo for four, unlimited hotspot on one of its networks), or T-Mobile Experience Beyond 2.0 and AT&T Elite 2.0 with 250GB a line.
- Kids or light users on the plan: US Mobile By the Gig, four lines sharing 10GB for $44/mo, or Light, four lines sharing 2GB for $34/mo. Our guide to giving your kid a cellphone walks through the steps, starting with the phone itself.
- You want streaming bundled in: T-Mobile Experience More 2.0 (Netflix Standard with ads) or Experience Beyond 2.0 (adds Hulu), or Cricket Supreme Unlimited (HBO Max Basic with Ads).
- You travel abroad as a family: Google Fi Unlimited Premium ($160/mo for four, taxes extra) or US Mobile Unlimited Premium with 20GB of roaming in 180+ countries.
- You already pay for home internet: Spectrum Mobile or Xfinity Mobile, which need their internet service, or Optimum Mobile at $80/mo for four lines before taxes.
- It’s just two of you, or just you: see the best cell phone plans for 2 lines or the best phone plans for one.
- Grandparents on the plan: our senior phone plans roundup covers the 55+ plans and Consumer Cellular.
Not set on a family plan at all? The best cell phone plans roundup and our best prepaid phone plans list cover single lines, prepaid and postpaid side by side.
How We Picked the Best Family Phone Plans
US Mobile wrote this comparison, and it’s in it. To keep that honest, every price here was read on the carrier’s own plan pages or FCC Broadband Facts labels on , and we saved screenshots of those pages. Multi-line prices are the totals each carrier shows for that number of lines, with AutoPay where the carrier’s price assumes it; we don’t work out other carriers’ multi-line prices ourselves. US Mobile’s Unlimited plans have no multi-line discount, so their totals are the per-line price times the number of lines. Where a carrier doesn’t publish something, we say “Carrier does not say” rather than guess.
For family picks, we weighted: the total at 2, 4 and 5 lines with fees and taxes counted, hotspot per line, high-speed data before slowdowns, what’s bundled that a family would actually use, the conditions attached to multi-line pricing, and how easily you can add or drop a line. Savings comparisons match tiers (entry with entry, premium with premium) and are labelled where they cross from prepaid to postpaid.
We don’t rate network speed or coverage ourselves. For customer ratings, see Consumer Reports; Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services. For speed and coverage, independent sources include Ookla’s Speedtest reports and Opensignal, and the FCC’s wireless consumer guides explain your rights as a customer.
US Mobile coverage details live on the plans page and the network coverage page. The previous edition is the August 2026 edition, and the main article is updated as prices change.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best family phone plan in 2026?
For most families, US Mobile Unlimited Starter. Four lines are $100/mo total ($25 a line) with taxes and fees included and no AutoPay needed, and every line gets 20GB of hotspot and access to all three major networks. US Mobile is named a Consumer Reports Top Rated Cell Phone Service Provider. See the full ratings. Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services.
What’s the cheapest family phone plan?
With taxes included, Total Wireless Total Starter is $95/mo for four lines with AutoPay, and US Mobile Unlimited Starter, Cricket Select Unlimited (with AutoPay) and Metro’s web-only Unlimited 5G Data are $100/mo. Optimum Unlimited is $80/mo for four, but taxes are extra and the price assumes good credit. Four US Mobile Light lines sharing 2GB are $34/mo.
What’s the best Big 3 family plan?
On price, T-Mobile. Four lines with AutoPay are $105/mo on Essentials 2.0 and $170/mo on Experience More 2.0, which includes Netflix Standard with ads; both prices count “3rd line free” bill credits. Verizon Unlimited Welcome and AT&T Value 2.0 are $120/mo for four. All three add taxes and per-line fees on top.
What’s the best family phone plan for traveling abroad?
Google Fi Unlimited Premium is built for it: $160/mo for four lines before taxes, with 50GB of high-speed data in 200+ destinations and free calls from the US to 50+. US Mobile Unlimited Premium is $176/mo for four lines with taxes included, and comes with 20GB of roaming in 180+ countries plus international calling and texting.
Can my family use different networks on the same plan?
On US Mobile, yes. Every line gets access to all three major US wireless networks, branded as Warp 5G, Dark Star, and Light Speed. You choose a network for each line and can move a line to a different one later from your dashboard. The Multi-Network add-on, $10/mo per line, puts more than one network on the same phone.
What’s the best family plan with home internet bundling?
It depends on who brings the internet into your house. Spectrum Mobile and Xfinity Mobile require their own internet service, and new customers get a first line free for a year on Spectrum Unlimited or Xfinity Mobile Select. Optimum Unlimited is $80/mo for four lines before taxes, and Optimum’s plan page doesn’t say you need Optimum Internet.
Can I add my kid’s phone to my family plan?
Yes. On US Mobile, a kid’s Unlimited Starter line adds $25/mo with taxes included, because every Unlimited line is priced on its own. On Light or By the Gig, each extra line is $8 and shares the account’s data. Parental controls are in the US Mobile app. On step-down carriers, the next line’s price comes from their multi-line table.
Are there family phone plans with free lines?
Sort of. T-Mobile’s “3rd line free” offer means three lines of Experience More 2.0 cost $140/mo with AutoPay, the same as two, but the free line is paid as bill credits that stop if you cancel any line. Spectrum and Xfinity give new internet customers their first line free for a year, then charge the regular rate.
What family phone plan has the best data limits?
Several top tiers don’t cap high-speed data: US Mobile Unlimited Premium ($176/mo for four lines, taxes included), Verizon Unlimited Plus and Ultimate, AT&T Premium 2.0 and Elite 2.0, and T-Mobile’s Experience plans. Cheaper tiers do cap it, at 5GB a line on AT&T Value 2.0 and 50GB on T-Mobile Essentials 2.0. Check the cap before you buy.
What’s the best phone plan for 3 lines with unlimited data?
For most families of three, US Mobile Unlimited Starter: $75/mo total with taxes and fees included. Before taxes and with AutoPay, three lines are $90/mo on T-Mobile Essentials 2.0, $105/mo on AT&T Value 2.0 and $120/mo on Verizon Unlimited Welcome. Google Fi Unlimited Standard is $90/mo for three, before taxes.
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