While users get the best deals when they have multiple people on their plan, sometimes you want sole responsibility for your cellphone bill. If you don’t want to rely on roommates or family members to pay on time, you can always get a plan for yourself. There are plenty of prepaid options out there, but post-paid plans from the big cellular networks have competitive offers as well.
Note, all of the plans below offer unlimited talk and text. That’s the standard in wireless plans now, so it should go without saying. The descriptions below will focus primarily on the data plans, as those are the key distinctions between the carrier options.
If you want to see what other options are out there, check out our picks for the best cell phone plans. If you’re looking for the best carrier plan for one person, here are the options for you.
The best phone plans for one person at a glance:
- T-Mobile Magenta MAX
- T-Mobile Essentials
- AT&T Unlimited Elite
- Verizon Play More Unlimited
T-Mobile Magenta MAX
The best overall carrier plan for one person has to be T-Mobile’s Magenta MAX plan. It has the best benefits for the price, and it is the only carrier plan available that doesn’t cap your data.
Users get a lot from Magenta MAX for just $85 per month. T-Mobile brands it as its first plan for the 5G generation, most notably because it offers unlimited data with no data capping on faster speeds. That even includes streaming 4K video, whereas other providers limit video streaming to Full HD at the most.
That’s not all Magenta MAX offers either. Users also get T-Mobile’s Netflix on Us deal, which gives users a free one-screen account. Unfortunately, the quality is capped at standard definition, but HD is available with more people on the account. You also get 40GB of high-speed mobile hot-spotting, which is excellent if you need to connect your laptop while you’re out and about.
While $85 seems like a steep price for a wireless plan, T-Mobile really does make it worthwhile, particularly if you’re a data-hungry user. The price is also what you get. T-Mobile rolls up the fees and taxes into the price, so it really is just $85.
T-Mobile Essentials
If you’re looking for something more affordable, T-Mobile also has the most affordable post-paid carrier plan with T-Mobile Essentials. For $60 per month, you get 50GB of 4G LTE data. You don’t get Netflix, and your hot-spotting is limited to 3G, though. You can also only stream unlimited video in standard definition. However, it does take $25 off the price tag.
This is a great option for users who use a decent amount of data but don’t need anything fancy. That’s doubly true if you haven’t upgraded to a 5G phone yet.
AT&T – Unlimited Elite
AT&T’s Unlimited Elite plan is also a compelling option. We ultimately gave the top place to T-Mobile’s Magenta MAX, but the Unlimited Elite plan may be the better option for some users, especially if you’re a fan of streaming services.
For $85 per month (the same as Magenta MAX), users get 100GB of premium 5G or 4G LTE data. AT&T also flaunts advanced mobile security, which is great if you feel plagued by robocalls and want to filter them out. Users also get 30GB of hot-spot data, which is less than T-Mobile’s offering but still a healthy amount.
The Unlimited Elite plan also includes HBO Max as part of the service, saving you $15 a month. That’s a great way to save some money if you’re already paying for the service (note: you’ll likely need to create a new account to get the free offering). You can think of it as the plan being $70 per month when you factor out the cost of HBO Max, and that’s a pretty great deal, all things considered.
Verizon Play More Unlimited
Verizon typically has higher-priced plans, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have solid savings. However, while you usually get the most bang for your buck in higher tiers, Verizon’s high-end option isn’t overly compelling. The Get More Unlimited option has $600GB of Verizon cloud storage and 50% off connected device hot-spot plans. However, that only appeals to a narrow demographic.
That’s why the $80 Play More Unlimited plan is the best offering. Like the Get More Unlimited option, it includes Hulu, Disney, and ESPN+ in the plan itself (a $13.99/month value). It doesn’t include Apple Music like the top-tier, but a single-person Apple Music plan is $10 per month, so there is effectively no money saved by getting the Get More Unlimited plan. The Play More Unlimited plan offers Apple Music for six months and one year of Discovery+.
Users also still get 50GB of premium 5G and 4G LTE data and 15GB of 5G/4G mobile hot-spot data.
If you spend a lot of time watching Hulu or Disney on your phone, Verizon’s Play More Unlimited plan is a bargain that saves you money overall. That makes it great for younger people or anyone who primarily uses their phone for watching video.
Conclusion
There are a lot of great plans to choose from right now, especially with 5G becoming available to more users. It’s always a great idea to check your carrier frequently to see what plans they have, as they update them pretty often. Of course, you could always just come back to this article because we will update it as changes roll out as well.
If you want to save even more money, a prepaid phone plan may be best for you. You’ll also want to check out the best 5G phones available to get the most out of your network.