A complete breakdown of Verizon’s mix and match Unlimited plans and what you can add to them
In the United States, there are a lot of companies that can get you and your phone online, but most people use one of the four biggest: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. Let’s take a look at Verizon to see what they can give you and what it will cost. Keep in mind that Verizon lets you mix and you mix and match these different unlimited plans so you can have the right plan on the right phone.
Table of contents
- Plan Comparisons
- Plan Details
- Add-ons
- Frequently Asked Questions
Verizon Unlimited plan comparison
| 5G capable | $10/month | included | included | included |
| Talk and text | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited |
| 4G LTE data | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited |
| Premium data | none | 25 GB | 50 GB | 75 GB |
| 4G streaming | 480p | 720p | 480p | 720p |
| LTE hotspot data | none | 15GB | 15 GB | 30 GB |
| Apple Music | 6 months | included | 6 months | included |
| Cloud Storage | none | none | 500 GB | 500 GB |
Verizon is raising the number of unlimited plans from three to four. Beginning with a basic unlimited plan for people with lighter needs and going up plans that should be more than enough for even the heaviest users.
5G service is offered on all four of the new unlimited plans. The service is a $10 per month add-on and comes with unlimited 5G Ultra Wideband data, 4K video streaming, and unlimited 5G hotspot service. For a limited time, this 5G add-on is included with the Get More, Do More, and Play More unlimited plans. The service is an option for Start Unlimited at $10 per month.
5G on Verizon: Everything you need to know
Which unlimited plans should you buy?
Plan Details
Start Unlimited
Starting with unlimited talk and text on the Verizon network and talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico, this is a social media enthusiast’s dream plan. Unlimited 4G LTE data and 480p video streaming keep you connected without worrying about throttling. Six months of Apple Music service is also included, which is available on Android.
This unlimited data isn’t perfect and if you live in or frequently visit a heavily congested area, you may notice your data running slower than normal. This is designed to keep the connection running consistently for everyone attached, however bumping up to the higher plans allows for Verizon’s “premium data” which isn’t susceptible to intentional slowdown.
This plan is $70 alone and becomes more affordable with more lines on the account. With two lines, the plan comes down to $60, three lines at $45, four at $35, and $30 for five or more lines.
Play More Unlimited
Unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data come standard with 720p video streaming. This plan comes with 25GB of premium data meaning if you’ve used less than 25GB in the month so far, your data will not be artificially slowed in times of congestion. Talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico are also included.
This plan adds 15GB of 4G LTE hotspot data allowing you to easily keep a tablet, computer, or any Wi-Fi device online while away from home. The hotspot will continue to work if 15GB is exceeded but slowed to 600 Kbps.
Verizon is positioning this plan as a solution for the customer that likes to stream a lot of music or video and play games online. With a lot of data and HD video streaming, this plan would be a great fit for the media streaming guru, especially considering Apple Music is included.
This plan starts at $80 per month with one line. The price comes down to $70 with two lines, $55 with three, $45 with four, and $40 with five or more.
Do More Unlimited
The Do More plan is very similar to the Play More plan with the same pricing but a greater focus on general data rather than streaming media. Unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE start things off with 480p video streaming. A massive 50GB of premium data keeps things moving quickly even if you move a lot of data during congested times. Talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico are also included.
15GB of 4G LTE hotspot data help you keep your other devices connected and 500GB of included cloud storage can keep you backed up in case your device fails or gets stolen. Six months of Apple Music is nice to have as well. This plan also includes 50% off a connected tablet or a standalone hotspot.
This plan starts at $80 per month with one line. The price comes down to $70 with two lines, $55 with three, $45 with four, and $40 with five or more.
Get More Unlimited
This plan has the best of everything below it and ups the ante even more with even more premium data. Unlimited talk, text, and data start the show with an impressive 75GB of premium data on the Verizon network and talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico. Video is back up to a crisp 720p.
The 4G LTE hotspot gets a boost with 30GB of data for the rest of your Wi-Fi devices. Apple Music service is included and 500GB of cloud storage will keep you backed up. This plan also includes 50% off a connected tablet or a standalone hotspot.
This plan starts at $90 per month with one line. The price comes down to $80 with two lines, $65 with three, $55 with four, and $50 with five or more.
Business Unlimited
Verizon is also has two unlimited business plans for companies with four or more lines. These plans are called the Business Unlimited and the Business Unlimited Plus plans. They come with 22GB and 25GB of premium data respectively. They also include 480p video streaming and unlimited hotspot service.
Contact a business representative to get these plans.
Verizon Unlimited plan add-ons
Just Kids
This is a plan designed to give you control over what your kids have access to on their phone. This plan must be added on to an existing unlimited plan. You get unlimited talk and text to 20 contacts and 5GB of LTE data. Data is slowed after that amount. The 480p streaming helps keep usage low. Software is included to allow you to track the phone’s location as well as use parental controls.
With one other line, this plan costs $50 per month. The price comes down to $40 with three lines, $35 with four, and $25 with five or more.
International
Verizon’s Unlimited plans let you call, text and use data inside Canada and Mexico back to the U.S. at no additional charge, and call to those countries from within the States as well. Data use is capped at 500MB per day in each country, after which it is throttled to 2G speeds. The company does keep an eye on how much data you’re using, though: if more than 50% of your data in a given month comes from outside the U.S., Verizon will slow down your speeds and holds the right to cut off service.
If you need other international services, Verizon has you covered.
- The free International Messaging add-on lets you send text messages to over 200 countries and multimedia messages to over 100 countries
- The Unlimited Together – North America add-on gives you discounted calling rates to over 230 locations for $5 per month
- The Unlimited Together – world add-on gives you discounted calling rates to over 180 locations for $15 per month
- A daily Travel Pass gives you unlimited data and calling when you’re in one of over 100 countries for $10 per day
- A monthly Travel Pass gives you discounted calling and messaging rates as well as a data allotment based on your needs (prices vary, see Verizon’s International Travel page
- Cruise ship rates are $2.99 per minute for voice calls and $0.50 per message sent / $0.05 per message received for texting.
Verizon also has a program that gives you a prepaid card of up to $650 in value for a trade-in if you switch from another network. The details are on the Switch to Verizon page of its website. It also has a referral program and a rewards program that can put money back in your pockets.
If you’re both a Verizon Wireless and Verizon Fios subscriber, you can use the Fios Mobile App to watch your shows from home without using your data.
It also offers a wide range of its own services, including its RCS messaging app, a personal cloud, and an excellent account management app. You can find them in Google Play.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to stick to one plan for all my phones?
Verizon’s unlimited plans are meant to be mixed and matched so the plan that makes the most sense for each phone can be utilized. They have even gone as far as to create a quiz to help you decide which plan you should get. Save money on the lines that use less data and keep speeds high for the lines that use a lot.
Do I have to switch to the new plans?
You can keep your old plan if it works better for you. You can use the My Verizon app to hop on the new plans if they work better for you. iPhone users can get the app here. After August 5, 2019, all new lines will need to choose from the new plans.
Do they have a military discount?
They do and it has even been improved with the new mix and match plans. A $15 account discount could be applied to the old unlimited accounts but with the new plans, it is $15 for one line, $35 and $40 for 2 and 3 or more lines respectively. A 15% discount is available for other plans.
What is Premium Data?
To keep data connections from dropping when a lot of people are connected to a tower, Verizon may reduce data speeds. This is only temporary and only occurs during congestion. Premium Data means that you will get the fastest connection possible even when a tower is congested.
What happens when I run out of data?
If you run out of Premium Data, you likely won’t notice a difference in your connection quality unless you are in a congested area. This means an area where a lot of people are trying to use their data connections on a single tower. You data will be slowed in these times to keep things moving. The nice thing is that it won’t lead to any overage charges and speeds will be unaffected when the traffic gets back to normal.
Does Apple Music work on Android?
Apple Music service is included in some capacity with all of the unlimited plans. The Apple Music app is available on Android and the huge library of music is nice to have.
How do I get 5G?
5G is included for a limited time with the Play More Unlimited plan and higher. It can be added to the Start Unlimited plan. For access, you need to have a 5G compatible phone such as the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G or the LG V50 ThinQ 5G. Find out more about Verizon 5G over here.
Does HD streaming matter?
This will vary from person to person and according to the size of their phone’s display. Most users won’t notice a difference in the video quality between 480p and 720p unless they put the phone uncomfortably close to their faces. It is worth noting that some sites like YouTube only offer 60 fps video at 720p resolutions so for gamers it may be worth the extra cost.
Verizon Wireless
Unlimited Plans
Plans available at Verizon
Mix and match your unlimited plans
Pick the plan that makes the most sense for each person on your account. Add more lines to bring the cost per line down up to five lines.
Anker Powerline+ C to C 2.0 Cable (6 ft)
$9 at Amazon
Keeping your phone plugged in while traveling is a constant pain, but a nice long USB cable can alleviate some of the stress of using those hard-to-reach outlets. Anker’s cables are robust, and this six-foot example is a great travel companion.
Anker PowerCore 10000 USB-PD battery pack
$46 at Amazon
When you’re traveling you don’t want anything to slow you down, so make sure you have a portable battery back that charges your phone quickly. This Anker 10000mAh pack supports 18W USB PD and it’s incredibly light.
AUKEY CC-Y12 18W PD Car Charger
$17 at Amazon
This is a super-compact USB-C car charger you can plug in and forget it’s there until you need to charge your phone at top speed. Isn’t that handy?
Update: August 2019: This article has been updated to reflect the recent changes made to Verizon’s unlimited plans.