Cheapest Unlimited Data Plans (October 2026 Edition)

Cheapest Unlimited Data Plans by Category

“Cheapest” depends on how you pay. Month to month, paid for a year, as a new line, or bundled with home internet: each one has a different winner. This page sticks to price. For the wider ranking, with premium tiers, data priority and streaming perks, see our best unlimited data plan roundup.

Awards reflect our editorial evaluation against the criteria in the methodology section, using the prices in the tables below. The “Cheapest Unlimited Overall” pick is also supported by US Mobile’s Consumer Reports Top Rated designation. See the full ratings. Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services.

What “Cheap Unlimited” Really Costs

Here’s the thing about a $25 unlimited plan: at some carriers, $25 is what you pay, and at others it’s where the bill starts. Five things move the number, and most ads only show you one of them.

Taxes and fees: the part the ad leaves off

US Mobile’s Unlimited plans, Visible, Cricket, Metro and Total Wireless put taxes and fees inside the price you see. Tello, Mint, Boost, H2O, TextNow and Straight Talk add them at checkout, and they vary by address. Google Fi says its taxes and surcharges normally run 10 to 20 percent on top. H2O also adds a monthly regulatory fee: $1.99 on its $30 Unlimited plan.

The Big 3 stack their own fees on top of taxes. T-Mobile charges $5.49 a line every month, plus government surcharges it says typically run $0.08 to $4.57 a line. AT&T’s fee is up to $4.99 a line. Verizon’s administrative charge is $3.78 a line, rising to $4.69 on November 15, 2026, and Verizon says its surcharges can add 16% to 58% to your monthly plan charges. That’s real money: 12 months of T-Mobile’s fee alone is $65.88.

AutoPay: a discount with strings

A lot of “from” prices only exist with AutoPay. Boost Unlimited is $25/mo with AutoPay and $30 without. Cricket, Metro and Total Wireless take $5 off. AT&T takes $10 off Value 2.0, but only if you pay from a bank account or AT&T’s own card; with a debit card it’s $5 off, so $55 instead of $50. Some AutoPay deals expire: Straight Talk’s and Simple Mobile’s last only the first 3 months, and Total Wireless’s starts in month two and is one per account, not per line.

US Mobile, Visible, Tello and Mint don’t list a separate AutoPay price. The number on the page is the number.

Paying up front: cheaper per month, all at once

Paying for a year usually knocks the monthly price down; it’s one of the ways prepaid cell phone plans reward commitment. US Mobile Unlimited Starter drops from $25/mo to $270 for the year ($22.50/mo), and Unlimited Flex is sold yearly only at $210. Visible is $275 for a year. H2O’s $30 Unlimited is $288 for 12 months, plus taxes and that monthly fee.

Mint doesn’t sell month to month at all. Its “cheap” price assumes you hand over $360 for 12 months of Unlimited, plus taxes. The catch with any up-front plan is the same: the money’s gone on day one, and you’ve picked your carrier for the term.

First year vs renewal: read the second number

Intro prices are everywhere, and the renewal is where the real cost hides. A new US Mobile Starter line is $199 for its first year, then $270/yr; Premium is $299, then $390/yr. Mint Unlimited on the 6-month plan is $10/mo for the first 6 months ($60), then $35/mo. Lycamobile Unlimited Plus is $18 per 30 days for 9 months, then $49. Ultra Mobile’s $300 12-month Unlimited deal for new customers becomes $34/mo at the regular 12-month rate.

Free trials count too. US Mobile’s 30-day trial with 30GB, for new customers moving one number to two of its three networks, renews on monthly Unlimited Premium at $44/mo unless you change plans. Worth a calendar reminder if Starter is what you meant to buy.

“Unlimited” with a speed limit

A cheap plan that slows you down early isn’t the same deal as one that doesn’t. AT&T Value 2.0 has 5GB of full-speed data. US Mobile Unlimited Flex may slow after 10GB a month. Boost Unlimited gets 30GB of premium data, then speeds can drop to 512 kbps. Mint, Tello and T-Mobile Essentials Saver 2.0 each give you 50GB of high-speed data first. US Mobile Unlimited Starter has unlimited high-speed data on one of its networks and may slow after 70GB a month on the others. And watch the video fine print: Cricket Select Unlimited limits video to SD, and Ultra Mobile streams at about 480p.

First-Year Cost of the Cheapest Unlimited Plans, Plan by Plan

This is the table we wish every carrier printed. It adds a year of the plan to every fee the carrier publishes, so you can see what one line really costs, and what happens to the price after that.

A few things jump out. A new US Mobile Starter line paid yearly is the cheapest first year we found for a standalone line, at $199. Bringing your number with code FBF10 gets you within $11 of that while still paying month to month. And the fees are no rounding error: AT&T’s add up to $94.88 to year one and T-Mobile’s $100.88, before a single cent of tax.

Look two years out and the order shifts a little. Starter paid yearly costs $469 over two years ($199, then $270), against $420 for Flex. So if you really do use under 10GB a month, Flex is the cheaper ride; the extra $49 for Starter buys 20GB of hotspot instead of 5GB and no slowdown at 10GB. Mint’s 6-month route, by contrast, comes to $690 over two years, plus taxes, once the $35/mo renewal kicks in. Verizon’s administrative charge adds another $56.28 a year at the new $4.69 rate.

Unlimited Plans Ranked by Price

The cheapest unlimited plan at each carrier, one line, lowest to highest. Where a price needs AutoPay, it says so, with the price without it in brackets. For every plan type in one place, see cell phone plans compared.

See US Mobile plans.

What the Big 3’s Cheapest Unlimited Plans Really Cost

The big carriers’ entry unlimited plans are $50 to $65 a month for one line with AutoPay. Then the fees arrive.

T-Mobile Essentials Saver 2.0

$50/mo for one line with AutoPay ($55 without), and T-Mobile only shows it at 1 or 2 lines. You get 50GB of premium data and hotspot at 3G speeds. On top: taxes, a $5.49-a-line monthly fee, government surcharges and a one-time $35 device connection charge. The regular Essentials 2.0 is $65/mo for one line ($60 with AutoPay). See T-Mobile plans.

AT&T Value 2.0

$50/mo with AutoPay and paperless billing from a bank account or AT&T’s own card, $55 with a debit card and $60 without AutoPay. Only 5GB of data is full speed; after that it may slow when the network is busy. Hotspot is 3GB. Add taxes, a monthly fee of up to $4.99 a line and a $35 activation fee. See AT&T plans.

Verizon Unlimited Welcome and Simplicity

Unlimited Welcome is $65/mo with Auto Pay and paper-free billing, $75 without, with no hotspot and deprioritized data, which may be temporarily slower than other traffic during congestion. Verizon adds a $40 activation fee per line, waived for Verizon Loyalty enrollees, plus the administrative charge and surcharges.

Verizon’s Simplicity Plan advertises $30 a line, but that’s the best case: it needs Auto Pay and paper-free billing plus a number moved in from another carrier, and Verizon doesn’t print the full price without those discounts. Add taxes and fees. See Verizon plans.

For the whole lineup side by side, see the AT&T vs Verizon vs T-Mobile comparison.

Other Cheap Unlimited Plans Worth Considering

Xfinity Mobile

Needs Xfinity Internet. Mobile Select is $30/mo (that already includes a $10 internet-customer discount) with 15GB of hotspot, and new customers on Xfinity Internet of 300 Mbps or faster get the first line free for the first year. Taxes and fees are extra, and there’s a $25 activation fee per line, waived on a first order through October 30. Xfinity Mobile plans.

H2O Wireless

The $30 Unlimited plan is $30/mo, $27 with AutoPay, or $288 for 12 months up front ($24/mo). It sounds cheaper than $25 plans until you add taxes and the $1.99 monthly regulatory fee. Speeds drop after 30GB; hotspot is 5GB. H2O Wireless plans.

Total Wireless

On Verizon’s network with taxes and fees included and a 5-year price guarantee. Total Starter is $40 for the first month, then $35/mo with AutoPay, with 10GB of premium hotspot, then up to 5 Mbps. Total Wireless plans.

Google Fi

Unlimited Essentials is $35/mo for one line before taxes and fees, which Fi says normally add 10 to 20 percent. High-speed data is 30GB, then 256 kbps, and there’s no hotspot. New Pixel owners can get 50% off for 12 months, an offer that ends October 31, 2026. Google Fi plans.

Consumer Cellular

Unlimited 50+ is $35/mo for one line with AutoPay, and the account holder has to be 50 or older; AARP members get another 5% off. Speeds drop after 35GB on one line. Taxes are extra, plus a $3.99 monthly fee per line and a $10 activation fee. Ages 18 to 49 pay $60/mo with AutoPay on Unlimited 18-49. Consumer Cellular plans.

Ultra Mobile and Lycamobile

Both lean on intro prices. Ultra Unlimited is $49/mo month to month; new customers on the 12-month plan pay $300 ($25/mo), and the regular 12-month rate is $34/mo. It includes unlimited talk to 90+ international destinations, with video at about 480p. Lycamobile Unlimited Plus is $18 per 30 days for the first 9 months, then $49, with unlimited talk and text to 100 countries. Ultra Mobile plans, Lycamobile plans.

TextNow, Optimum, Straight Talk, Simple Mobile and TracFone

All five add taxes at checkout. TextNow Monthly Unlimited is $35.99/mo, and its label lists 20GB of data. Optimum Mobile Unlimited is $45/mo with 20GB of premium data, and Optimum says the price is based on good credit. Straight Talk Silver Unlimited is $45/mo ($42.50 with AutoPay for the first 3 months only). Simple Mobile Unlimited World is $50/mo ($45 with AutoPay for the first 3 months), and TracFone Unlimited is $50 per 30 days ($45 with Auto-Refill). More budget options in our best prepaid phone plans roundup.

How Much You Can Save with Cheap Unlimited on US Mobile

Same tier against same tier: each Big 3 entry unlimited plan against US Mobile Unlimited Starter. Big 3 prices are their single-line AutoPay rates; US Mobile is the regular monthly rate, no promo code. The fee column isn’t counted in the savings, so the real gap is bigger.

Count the fees and the first-year gap widens. AT&T Value 2.0 comes to up to $694.88 in year one before taxes, against $300 for a year of Starter month to month, so up to $394.88 back in your pocket. New lines paying yearly ($199 for the first year) save even more in year one. See US Mobile plans.

Which Cheap Unlimited Plan Is Right for You?

• Best for most people: US Mobile Unlimited Starter at $25/mo for one line, taxes and fees included, no AutoPay, no contract.
• You’re new and can pay for a year: a new Starter line is $199 for the first year, then $270/yr.
• You use under 10GB a month and can pay yearly: US Mobile Unlimited Flex at $210/yr ($17.50/mo), taxes included.
• You’re bringing your number and want to pay monthly: code FBF10 makes Starter $10/mo for 6 months, then $25/mo. Our switching carriers guide covers the move itself.
• You want Verizon’s network for less: Visible at $25/mo with taxes included, or Total Wireless Total Starter from $35/mo with AutoPay.
• You already pay for Xfinity or Spectrum internet: their mobile plans give new customers the first line free for a year; taxes are extra and activation fees can apply.
• You’re 50 or older: Consumer Cellular Unlimited 50+ at $35/mo with AutoPay, plus taxes and fees. More in our senior phone plans guide.
• You don’t really need unlimited: US Mobile Light at $10/mo for 2GB, or see our cheap phone plans and how to build a cheap cell phone plan.
• It’s two lines or a family: see the best cell phone plans for 2 lines or the best family phone plan.

Want the full picture, prepaid and postpaid? Start with our best cell phone plans guide or the best phone plans roundup.

How We Evaluated the Cheapest Unlimited Data Plans

US Mobile wrote this comparison, and it’s in it. Every price, fee and allowance here was read on the carrier’s own plan pages or FCC Broadband Facts labels on October 20, 2026, and we saved screenshots of those pages. Where a carrier doesn’t publish something, we say “Carrier does not say” rather than guess.

For cheapest unlimited specifically, we ranked by what one line actually costs: the plan price, whether that price needs AutoPay, whether taxes and the carrier’s own fees are included, what you pay up front, and what the price becomes after any first-term offer. First-year totals add only published prices and fees, “/mo” on a yearly plan is the yearly price divided by 12, and taxes are left out because they depend on your address. We also noted how much high-speed data and hotspot each plan includes, since a cheap plan that slows at 5GB isn’t the same deal as one that doesn’t.

Savings comparisons match tiers 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.