Which Carrier Has the Best Family Smartphone Plan?

If you have a family, you likely don’t need me to tell you how expensive mobile phone bills can get. It’s not unusual for a family of four to pay $200 or more for service and still find themselves squeezed for data at the end of the month. Streaming video, streaming music, uploading and viewing pictures on Facebook and Instagram – all that data use adds up quickly.

The good news, though, is that your family can get service with a major U.S. carrier at a rate far lower than that if you’re willing to shop around, bring your own device or purchase a new phone without a subsidy. But, which plan is right for you depends on your family’s unique circumstances. Read on, consult our charts and find out for yourself!

But first, before you shop …

Before you start shopping based on price, it’s important to remember that there are other highly important aspects to cell coverage. Not all networks are created equal. This year, T-Mobile surpassed the other major carriers for download speeds and Verizon was found to have the best LTE coverage, according to OpenSignal. We recommend you compare carriers’ coverage at opensignal.com. After all, a cheaper plan won't do you any good if you can't get a signal.

You’ll also want to consider exactly how much data you and your family will use in a month. If you currently have smartphone service, you can sign in to your account online and check your last few months’ of data usage. Otherwise, note that the average American uses 2-3GB of mobile data per month. As a rule of thumb, you should avoid plans that offer significantly less than this per person unless you’re especially price sensitive. High amounts of video calling (720 MB/hour), 4G LTE video streaming (350 MB/hour) and audio streaming (60 MB/hour) could necessitate even larger plans. Thankfully, almost all carriers will let you go back and adjust your data allotment at any time if changes need to be made.

What carrier has the best deal?

Right now, the best family plan wireless deal is being offered by Sprint. The Sprint Unlimited Data, Talk & Text plan offers a family of four unlimited data for just $90 per month. But there's a catch. After 9/30/2018, your bill will jump up to $160. If you're looking for stability in your plan price, consider Metro PCS 6GB plan, with 6GB per line for $115 for a family of four. 

Want to see how all the plans from the top carriers stack up, side-by-side? Check out the comparison charts below.

 – Prices & Data Allowances Valid as of July 19, 2017
*Many video and music streaming services don't count toward cap
** 40+ premium streaming services, including Pandora, iHeartRadio, Apple Music, and Spotify don't count toward data
***Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Napster, Tracks and Slacker Radio don't count toward data

– Prices & Data Allowances Valid as of July 19, 2017
*Includes HBO
** 40+ premium streaming services, including Pandora, iHeartRadio, Apple Music, and Spotify don't count toward data
***Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Napster, Tracks and Slacker Radio don't count toward data

[Image credit: family using smartphones via Shutterstock]