The 10 Best Cell Phone Family Plans

In the US, there are many cell phone family plans that people may opt into. Some are known to offer the best options when it comes to data; others are better in unlimited mobile hotspot plans while others are just good in terms of network coverage. However, when we come to the best cell phone family plans, you need to be very keen when choosing your carrier.

The family plans are more costly compared to other cellphone plans; however, you get a wide variety of options. For example, you may get 4 lines with unlimited everything, something you do not expect to cost $20. Also, there are no long-term contracts once you opt for them, and you cannot be charged with fees in case you opt-out — the terms and conditions related to the cheapest phone plans with unlimited everything.

Once you finish reading this article, you will have discovered the 10 best cell phone family plans, how to choose them, and in the overview, the benefit of these plans. So, read ahead for full information.

How to choose the best cell phone family plans

Several factors have to be laid down when selecting the plans. Failure to make some considerations will lead to disappointment when choosing the plans. Below are some of the key points you should consider;

Network coverage

Currently, many carriers offer nationwide coverage, while others are limited to a few states across the country. So before getting a family plans from a carrier, you need to do some research on their network coverage. Here you can use the following options;

Visit a retail store of the carrier of your choice to make an inquiry
Go to the carriers’ website. There you will be required to key-in your zip code, and you will receive info as to whether the carrier offers network coverage in your area.

If the carrier you choose does not offer coverage, you can opt for another carrier.

Cost of the plans

Every carrier has unique pricing to its plans. So you need to make a comparison with other carriers and determine which one offers a fair price and the plans are of the maximum value in terms of talk, text, data and mobile hotspot units

Taxes and extra fees

Currently, carriers have tried to be open on how the taxes and fees are charged. This is unlike the past, whereby they would not display any details on such matters. So it is best you go for a carrier whereby the cost of the family plan is inclusive of taxes and fees.

Customer service

You can research on customer service by reading the reviews of the company. By doing so, you will know how best they will assist you in case you have a problem. Also, the customer care number should be toll-free so that if you lack minutes, you can still contact them. Currently, many companies have the online live chat platform whereby you can talk to an agent or a bot to help when needed

Consumer reviews on the carrier

This is also one of the important and determining factors where you will find questions and answers as to why you should opt for the carrier. Reviews like Qlink wireless reviews and Consumer cellular reviews have helped answer most issues relating to the carrier. So it’s is best you read some reviews to know what you are going for.

Are there specific phones to be used for family plans?

As long as your phone is compatible with the carrier of your choice, you can use the family plans on the phone. There are no limitations to the phone brand or whether the device is a free government phone user. For those who use free government phones and they wish to get family plans, they will be required to opt-out of the lifeline beneficial program for assistance.

1) T-Mobile plan (Magenta)

T-Mobile is our first option due to the prospect of getting unlimited data, and the cost is very affordable. The plan is divided into three options which are the unlimited, signature unlimited and premium unlimited plan. Below are full details on each plan.

Unlimited plan: The plan costs $30 per line, and at four lines, you will pay $120 whereby taxes and extra fees are included. Here is what you get from the unlimited plan;

Unlimited talk, text and data
SD streaming
3G mobile hotspot data
Unlimited texting abroad
2G Mobile data in Mexico and Canada

Unlimited signature plan: This plan costs $40 per line, and at four lines, you pay $160 per month. Here is what you get;

Unlimited talk, text and data in their networks
SD streaming
3GB of LTE Mobile hotspot data
Data & texting abroad
5GB of data in Mexico and Canada
Netflix on US basic plan
Airplane Wi-Fi in flight

Unlimited premium plan: This plan offers 1 line at $50, and four lines cost $200 whereby taxes and extra fees are included. Below is what you get;

Unlimited talk, text and data
HD streaming quality
20GB of LTE mobile hotspot data
Texting and 2* data speed abroad
5GB of 4G data in Mexico and Canada
Netflix in the US, the standard plan
Voicemail to text
Unlimited in-flight-WiFi

You can visit their site here to apply.

2) Cricket wireless

Cricket wireless is known to give you a discount with regards to the number of lines you purchase. You also have the option to have a maximum of 5 lines. They also have their BYOP program; hence, you don’t need a new phone to get the plans.

You get unlimited talk, text and data plus unlimited texting in 40 countries. If you buy one line, you will not get any discount. However, the discount starts after you buy two lines and this is what you get;

$10 off when buying two lines
$20 off when purchasing three lines. This discount also applies as to whether you buy four and five lines.

So in general, you will be paying around $100 for four lines.

3) Sprint mobile family plans

The plans offered are very cheap, just like the free cell phone service for life unlimited everything and are divided into three, the unlimited plus, unlimited basic and unlimited premium. You also get a discount when you purchase three to five lines. Below is what you get depending on the unlimited option you go for

Unlimited plus: This plan cost $60 per month, and you get a $20 discount when you purchase between 3-5 lines. Below is what you get;

Unlimited HD streaming
50GB mobile hotspot data
10GB of data in Mexico and Canada
Hulu and tidal subscriptions

Unlimited basic: This plan costs $60 per month, and you get the third, fourth and fifth line for free. Here is what you get

Free Hulu and Tidal
Unlimited texting across 185 countries
Unlimited talk, text and data
5GB of data in Mexico and Canada

Unlimited premium: This plan cost $70 per month for each line. If you have five lines, the third, fourth and fifth lines will get a $20 discount. Below is what you get;

Unlimited talk text and data
Free Hulu, Tidal and Amazon Prime Promotions
100GB Mobile hotspot

4) Boost Mobile Family plans

Boost mobile offers a well-outlined family plan which is inclusive of taxes and fees. One line costs $25 per month, and four lines cost $100 per month. Here is what you get;

Unlimited talk, text and data per line
Mobile hotspot plan is inclusive in each line
4G LTE connectivity
SD video streaming
Gaming up to 2mbps
No service contracts

You can visit their site here to apply.

5) Metro PCS family plans

Metro is an MVNO which uses T-Mobile transmitters to offer its services to its customers. The Metro PCS family plans are well outlined, and you will not expect any extra fees or taxes to the total monthly billing. However, if the network is congested, they may throttle your speed which is the only downfall of using their services. Currently, the cost of 4 lines is $100 and here is what you get;

Unlimited talk, text and data
Mobile hotspot is offered
Unlimited texting for Canada and Mexico

6) Verizon wireless

Verizon wireless is known to offer the best network coverage, and as for the Verizon family plans, there is no exception. Below is how the family plans divided;

1. Start unlimited plan

This plan offers 4 lines at $140, and you get unlimited talk, text and data per month for each line.

2. Play more plan

At $180 per month, you get four lines with unlimited everything. Also the data cap is set at 35GB

3. Do more unlimited plan

This plan gives you a lot of cool features like Unlimited talk text and data. Also the data cap is set at 50GB which is very reliable compared to play more plan.

4. Get more plan

At only $220 per month, you get four lines of unlimited talk, text and data. Verizon also offers you 500GB of Verizon cloud storage

7) AT&T family plans

At AT&T the family plans are divided into 2; unlimited plans and Unlimited & more plans. Below is what you get in each plan;

Unlimited plans- This plan gives you 30 TV channels for free something not offered by any carrier. You also get unlimited talk, text and data although data is throttled when you exceed a certain limit.

4 lines cost $180 per month
3 lines cost $165 per month
2 line cost $145
1 line cost $80 per month

Unlimited & more- Here you get HD video streaming plus 15GB of mobile hotspot. The cost of lines is as follows;

4 lines cost $210
3 lines costs $190 per month
2 lines cost $170 per month
1 line cost $90 per month

8) Ting family plans

If you are looking to save a lot of money on your family plans, then look no further. Ting is the carrier that allows you to set the price for your talk, text and data units depending on the lines you use. The only downfall is that there are no unlimited data units. However, if you want to save money, then I would advise you to purchase 4 lines at only $84. These lines come with the following;

1000 texts
2GB data
2100 minutes

9) US cellular

US cellular is known to be the best in terms of providing accuracy on the cost of plans. There are no hidden fees and taxes when you join the US cellular. The user gets each line at $30, and the user is also able to customize his or her plans.

If you do not want unlimited data, you can choose each line to use 2GB data
There are also prepaid options you can opt for.
You get unlimited talk and text units

10) FreedomPop family plans

If your main concern is on maximizing the number of lines Freedompop got you covered. You can have a maximum of 10 lines at only $5 for each line. This is the cheapest offer available among the family plans. However, you do not get any unlimited option regarding data units. Below is what is offered;

Unlimited talk and texts
1GB shared data across the number of lines you have

Bottom line

From the information sought above, you can now confidently apply for a family plan. Remember that when applying online, go to the carriers’ official website and not clock on a link that could steal your information and steal your password.

After you have chosen the carrier of your choice and you have received the lines, make sure to take care of them appropriately to avoid replacement cost. Family plans are not any better than individual plans, but if you are looking to save some cash, you should opt for it. Visit the nearest retail store of the carrier of your choice or go to their website for the application.