7 Best Family Cell Phone Plan in 2022

When it comes to family cell phone plans, being the cheapest does not necessarily mean being the best. The best family phone plan should include unlimited services at a reasonable, if not at a dirt-cheap price. Thankfully, you can consider a lot of options with major carriers offering more than just one mobile plan for families.

If you have been looking for a mobile plan for two or more people for a while now, you have come to the right place as we are going to narrow down the choices for you. Whether you are looking for an unlimited mobile data plan for the whole family or just the usual talk and text plan, we’ve got you covered.

Best Family Cell Phone Plans

We have included seven providers in this list. All the prices are calculated based on a four-line plan to better compare the offers, but you can either get less or more than that with significant changes on the monthly bills you pay. The major carriers (T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T) are taking the lead in this list but several mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) have also made it to the cut.

1. Verizon 5G Play More for Family

It has been a tight battle between the biggest mobile networks in the US but Verizon is taking the top spot in our list of the best family cell phone plans for now. Getting their 5G Play More plan for a family of four costs $45 per line or $180 in total in a month. This mobile plan may not seem very pleasing initially, probably because it’s rather costly in comparison to other providers. But in hindsight, Verizon’s 5G Play More is the best-fit mobile plan, regardless of what type of mobile user your family is.

For the inclusions, 5G Play More gives each line unlimited call and text service in the US and an additional talk and text allowance to Mexico and Canada. It also provides 50 GB of premium mobile internet at 5G/ 4G speeds, depending on what’s available. However, data stream may be lowered to 3G after reaching the cap during congestion. Each line also gets 25 GB of premium mobile hotspot data, then unlimited lower-speed data. Lastly, the free access to Disney Plus, Hulu, or ESPN+ for streaming, as well as Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass for gaming is the icing on top of Verizon’s family plan offering.

The question is, are the inclusions worthy enough for you to spend $180 in a month? Let’s try breaking down the mobile plan to answer that question. 5G Play More costs $80/month if you purchase a single-line plan or if you pay for each line individually. Compared to when you purchase multiple lines in bulk, there will be a huge price difference. Add to that the money you’ll save from streaming and gaming services and the answer will be obvious. Yes, Verizon 5G Play More is worth it, and in fact, the best family cell phone plan you can get nowadays!

Get Verizon 5G Play More

Also read: How to Use Verizon Smart Family

2. T-Mobile Essentials

T-Mobile’s Essentials plan closely follows Verizon as the best family cell phone plan right now. There is a stark difference between the two with T-Mobile Essentials falling on the cheaper side. Normally, it will cost you $60 monthly if you purchase the plan for a single line. But purchasing the plan for four users would significantly cut the price to $27 per line.  Consequently, T-Mobile has the most affordable family plan among the top three mobile providers.

Once you have your subscription activated, you’ll have access to unlimited talk in the US, as well as unlimited text to over 200 country destinations. Additionally, T-Mobile Essentials’ 50GB highspeed data allocation is something you should look forward to. Although T-Mobile guarantees a 5G or 4G mobile connection, you may notice a drop in the network speed after you use up the highspeed data allowance. Lastly, the T-Mobile Essentials plan includes an unlimited mobile hotspot at 3G speed.

Of course, T-Mobile did not fall short at second place for no reason. It has its fair share of shortcomings that may discourage you to get this particular plan. First, its unlimited 3G mobile hotspot is both to adore and to hate. Yes, you can use it for as long as you want but at 3G speed, it would barely let you do anything nowadays, aside from reading emails. Its 5GB hotspot offer at 4G may seem promising if you want an extra boost, but that just forces you to spend additional bucks.

Regardless, T-Mobile Essentials remains the best fit for families looking for an affordable and basic mobile plan. Of course, your options don’t stop here — not with other T-Mobile mobile plan offers that, although more expensive, have more perks in them.

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3. AT&T Unlimited Starter

AT&T also has something special for customers who are looking for the best family cell phone plan. While it isn’t exactly for families on a budget, their offer is enticing that can cater to every family member’s connectivity needs. As of the moment, their cheapest offer is the Unlimited Starter, which costs $35/month per line if you purchase the bundle for four. It’s not the cheapest compared to other providers. However, this AT&T plan is worth considering for families switching from another carrier.

The best factors that make AT&T Unlimited Starter attractive are the unlimited call, text, and data it offers, along with unlimited access in Mexico and Canada. It also comes with unlimited text to over 200 country destinations. Each user also has access to a 5G data transfer speed. However, AT&T may deliberately slow it down because of prioritization in times of high traffic on their networks.

AT&T provides also adds a layer of security to its service. Using the AT&T Mobile Security App, the Unlimited Starter subscribers would be given standard protection against spam and fraud calls. AT&T’s Unlimited Starter is punctuated with free access to Stadia Pro for six months.

AT&T Unlimited Starter is, of course, not all rainbows and unicorns. In fact, it lacks a lot that we have seen on T-Mobile and Verizon basic offers. For instance, it doesn’t allow sharing your mobile data connection via a hotspot. Neither has free access to premium services video and music streaming apps. Plus, the sound of data throttling sucks. To address these shortcomings, you may consider other AT&T mobile plans, namely the Unlimited Extra and the Unlimited Elite.

Get AT&T Unlimited Starter Plan

4. Walmart Family Mobile Truly Unlimited

Walmart Family Mobile wouldn’t be called as such if it’s not for its stack of great phone plans for families. Out of its cell phone plan offers, the Truly Unlimited plan is what we find as most value-adding because of its incredible discount offer.

This family cell phone plan costs $49.88/month for the first line. But the real catch is, you just have to pay an additional $24.88/month for every additional line (max of four). This means that you just have to pay less than $75 for two Truly Unlimited lines, $99.64 for three, and so on while getting the same perks for all lines. The Truly Unlimited plan comes with unlimited text and data, as well as unlimited call access to Mexico and Canada. Each line will also get unlimited mobile data and a 30GB data allowance for hotspot tethering.

As you would notice, Truly Unlimited’s inclusions are rather simple and straightforward. For this reason, we recommend this mobile plan for families that are on a budget but need basic access to cellular services. Also, this mobile plan has no lock-in contract, so you could easily move to a new one should you need to.

Get Walmart Family Mobile Truly Unlimited

5. US Mobile Unlimited All

US Mobile also has a good proposition for inclusive family cell phone plans. Out of its tiered offers, the Unlimited All is the best one. Normally, it would cost $45 to get the plan for a single device but thanks to escalating discounts, getting a second line would significantly reduce the price at $30/month for each line. For three or more lines, US Mobile Unlimited All will cost $25/line monthly.

In terms of inclusions, US Mobile also won’t disappoint. As the name of the plan suggests, it got everything unlimited — well, almost. On top of unlimited text and call, it also promises a true unlimited 5G or 4G data, minus the throttling that you would normally experience with other providers. This plan also provides 10GB of LTE data for roaming in over 140+ countries, although it doesn’t quite live up to the “Unlimited All” mantra.

Finally, you can choose one or two additional perks when you purchase a three or four-line family plan from US Mobile, respectively. Your choices include Netflix, Disney PLus- Hulu- ESPN Plus, HBO Max, and Apple TV for video streaming. You may also choose between Slacker, Pandora, Audible, Spotify, and Apple Music if you favor music streaming. But if you are a gamer, you can pick one among PlayStation Plus, Xbox Live Gold, Stadia Pro, and Apple Arcade for gaming.

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6. Visible Party Pay Plan

Visible’s group plan is not just marketed towards families but to friends as well. In fact, you can get it with literally anyone for as long as you pay your monthly mobile plan bill together. Visible aptly call this plan “Party Pay”. As the name suggests, it allows new and existing Visible subscribers to form a group or “party” for the sake of discounts. From paying $40/month for a single line, you can cut it to $35/monthly each for two lines and $30 for three lines. But if you want to avail of the maximum discount, you can form a party of four or more subscribers that would lower the bill at $25 for each line. What’s more, there will be no changes as to what the single-line plan gets.

Each user can still enjoy unlimited minutes and texts within the US, as well as additional calls and texts to Canada and Mexico. It will also come with unlimited data access using Verizon’s 5G networks and unlimited 5 Mbps Wi-FI hotspot. These perks altogether make Visible Wireless worth it to invest in.

Get Visible Party Pay Plan

7. Hello Mobile Unlimited for Four

Taking the last spot, Hello Mobile has all the rights to its claim as the best family cell phone plan. You might not be familiar with this T-Mobile MVNO since it wasn’t yet very long since it was founded. But just because it is the new kid in the block doesn’t mean it can’t go against the more established providers. In fact, we love Hello Mobile for its uncomplicated selection of mobile plans.

Of its mobile plan tiers, however, the unlimited plan for four is what we recommend for families or group customers. For one thing, it is cheap and has all the basics taken into account. Originally, their unlimited plan is worth $25 monthly for a single line plan, but taking the group plan for four would make a huge difference as it would only cost $17.50 monthly for each line or $70 in total. As if that’s not enough to make you switch, your second month with your subscription will be totally free.

For the inclusions, it has everything that a basic mobile user would look for. It has unlimited calls and texts within the US, as well as to select international destinations. In terms of mobile data, Hello Mobile says that customers have unlimited access to a 4G LTE/5G network. But they do also warn that it may be temporarily slowed down at certain times. Since Hello Mobile borrows cell networks from T-Mobile, T-Mobile customers will be prioritized more than Hello Mobile customers during congestions.

It isn’t only the data throttling that may discourage you from getting this plan because its lack of data hotspot may also do. If you want this additional feature, it would also entail additional spending at the tune of $15 monthly.

Get Hello Mobile Unlimited

Also read: Hello Mobile Review

Which Family Cell Phone Plan Should You Pick

There you go with the best family cell phone plans so far. Verizon is the winner in this battle this time, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t pick something else on this list. Each selection we’ve listed here caters to every connectivity need and one family mobile plan may lack something that others have, the same way they would lack something at some point.

Verizon is a great place to start your search for the best family cell phone plan because of its shiny mobile data and free digital streaming offers. But if you need a hotspot allowance without getting a different plan, T-Mobile is the easiest path. On the other hand, if your family is just an average mobile user, then Hello Mobile may perfectly cover that while helping you to save.

Hopefully, this article helps you pick the best family cell phone plans to address your connectivity needs. Let us know when you decide!