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Choosing Between a Family Plan and a Shared Data Plan
Between our smartphones, tablets and laptops, my family uses a lot of devices that connect to the Internet–inside and outside of our home. So would we be better off with a shared data plan, which gives us a big bucket of data to share between all of our various devices, or getting a separate data allowance for each line, which we would get with a traditional family plan? And which carrier is offering the specific combination of data and talk that best matches our usage?
It would be great if there were a clear answer, but it really comes down to how much time you talk on the phone versus the amount of data you consume. You probably know how many minutes you use, so it should be easy to narrow the choices to a talk-time cap or an unlimited plan, but calculating data is a little trickier.
According to NPD Connected Intelligence, the average Android user consumes about 870MB of their data plan per month. If you plan on using laptops or tablets, though, I would bump your estimate of future usage up to at least 2GB of data per person.
Ready to see which plan is for you? Below you'll find how the four major carriers stack up for a two-person and four-person household:
Carrier | Plan type | Minutes per line | Messages per line | Data per line | Monthly Fee |
AT&T | Family Plan | 550 | Unlimited | 3GB | $150 |
Family Plan | 550 | Unlimited | 5GB with hotspot | $190 | |
Family Plan | Unlimited | Unlimited | 3GB | $210 | |
Family Plan | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB with hotspot | $250 | |
Mobile Share | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB shared | $150 | |
Mobile Share (2 hotspots) | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB shared | $190 | |
Sprint | Family Plan | 1500 | Unlimited | Unlimited | $150 |
Family Plan (2 hotspots) | 1500 | Unlimited | Unlimited, 2GB hotspot per line | $190 | |
Family Plan | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $210 | |
Family Plan (2 hotspots) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited, 2GB hotspot per line | $250 | |
T-Mobile | Unlimited Nationwide 4G | 1000 | Unlimited | Unlimited (5GB high speed) | $150 |
Unlimited - Premium with Smartphone Mobile Hotspot Service | 1000 | Unlimited | Unlimited (5GB high speed) | $160 | |
Unlimited Nationwide 4G | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited (5GB high speed) | $160 | |
Unlimited - Premium with Smartphone Mobile Hotspot Service) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited (5GB high speed) | $170 | |
Verizon | Share Everything | unlimited | unlimited | 4GB shared | $150 |
Share Everything (2 hotspots) | unlimited | unlimited | 4GB shared | $190 |
Carrier | Plan type | Minutes per line | Messages per line | Data per line | Monthly Fee |
AT&T | Family Plan | 700 | Unlimited | 3GB | $240 |
Family Plan | Unlimited | Unlimited | 3GB | $370 | |
Family Plan (2 hotspots) | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB with hotspot | $410 | |
Mobile Share | Unlimited | Unlimited | 10GB shared | $240 | |
Mobile Share (2 hotspots, 2 tablets) | Unlimited | Unlimited | 10GB shared | $300 | |
Sprint | Family Plan | 1500 | Unlimited | Unlimited | $210 |
Family Plan (2 hotspots) | 1500 | Unlimited | Unlimited, 2GB hotspot | $250 | |
Family Plan | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $410 | |
Family Plan (2 hotspots) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited, 2GB hotspot | $450 | |
T-Mobile | Unlimited Nationwide 4G | 1000 | Unlimited | Unlimited (5GB high speed) | $210 |
Unlimited - Premium with Smartphone Mobile Hotspot Service | 1000 | Unlimited | Unlimited (5GB high speed) | $220 | |
Unlimited Nationwide 4G | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited (5GB high speed) | $220 | |
Unlimited - Premium with Smartphone Mobile Hotspot Service | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited (5GB high speed) | $230 | |
Verizon | Share Everything | unlimited | unlimited | 10GB shared | $260 |
Share Everything (2 hotspots, 2 tablets) | unlimited | unlimited | 10GB shared | $320 |
From Cassie on October 22, 2012 :: 8:38 pm
I could never see well any of the plans reasonable - especially when rollover has been eliminated.
Here is why accurately a large portion of users do use talk under 250hrs per month -
since VIOP phone service is an unregistered number - though illegal in the U.S. to tele-market repeatedly a cell number if requested do not call. If cheap VIOP calls are made via outside U.S. jurisdiction any consumer can receive robo-calling and continuous repeat calls - it has to be unlimited even on pay to go systems as there is no way to block non-existent numbers - the same goes with those stupid marketing or rate fee text messages! Or else it prevents loss for consumers to call out for emergency or receive emergency communications. Try blocking a VIOP almost impossible if outside U.S.
My concern about data caps is this mobile browsing is next as far as your data used and abused by marketing - why should a consumer pay any data if they can’t get some mobile sites ad free that consumes data! That’s my issue like owning a fax machine years ago and marketers wasted your paper and toner expense - why a portion of the fees you cell provider gets! well ads use your data!
Till phones come with data/text/call telemarketing reporting/blocking - to remove these charges and reverse then these aren’t reasonable deals…...Why should the average consumer pay for marketing businesses can write it off as an expense we as average users can’t! Marketing and advertising is a legitimate business expense that is deductible - why are the top guys permit their third parties or businesses rob you of minutes, data or text rates for years?????????? technically to date thousands of businesses owe me for my phone bill - for years! No sales call should ever cost anyone! Then you will find out the true data use is much lower!
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