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Finding the right cell phone plan for your family is key to keeping costs down. We scoped out the best family cell phone plans in several categories. Prices don't include phones, taxes, fees or other charges, such as insurance.
Our recommendations
Best family plans: family of four
Boost
Plan name: Boost Mobile Unlimited
Price (monthly, four lines): $120
Plan at a glance: Unlimited talk, text and data, plus 30GB of mobile hot spot and HD video streaming
Why we like it: An unbelievable prepaid deal that’s too good to last. This limited time offer from Boost is available for new and existing customers.
T-Mobile
Plan name: T-Mobile Essentials
Price (monthly, four lines): $140; $120 with autopay discount
Plan at a glance: Unlimited data, minutes and text messages
Why we like it: An affordable, entry-level unlimited plan with bonuses like mobile hot spot (at 3G speeds) and unlimited texting from more than 200 countries.
THINGS TO KNOW
Best family plans: two people
Metro by T-Mobile
Plan name: Metro by T-Mobile 10GB
Price (monthly, two lines): $70
Plan at a glance: Unlimited talk and text; 10GB of data per line
Why we like it: Each line gets its own data package, for a total of 20GB, plus unlimited music streaming from select services. Mobile hot spot access is not included.
Sprint
Plan name: Sprint Unlimited Basic
Price (monthly, two lines): $110; $100 with autopay discount
Plan at a glance: Unlimited data, minutes and text messages
Why we like it: An affordable, entry-level unlimited plan with bonuses like Hulu and 500MB of hot spot access per line.
THINGS TO KNOW:
» MORE: Best unlimited data plans
Best family plans: prepaid
Boost
Plan name: Boost Mobile Unlimited
Price (monthly, four lines): $120
Plan at a glance: Unlimited talk, text and data, plus 30GB of mobile hot spot and HD video streaming
Why we like it: An unbelievable prepaid deal that’s too good to last. This limited time offer from Boost is available for new and existing customers.
Cricket
Plan name: Cricket Core Unlimited (with Group Save discount)
Price (monthly, four lines): $100
At a glance: Unlimited talk, text and data
Why we like it: An excellent deal for a family of four that includes texting from the U.S. to nearly 40 other countries.
Things to know:
» MORE: Best prepaid cell phone plans
Best family cell phone plans: summary
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Plan: Boost Mobile Unlimited Best for: Family of four Monthly cost: $120 (four lines) |
Plan: T-Mobile Essentials Best for: Family of four Monthly cost: $140; $120 with autopay discount (four lines) |
Plan: Metro by T-Mobile 10GB Best for: Two people Monthly cost: $70 (two lines) |
Plan: Sprint Unlimited Basic Best for: Two people Monthly cost: $110; $100 with autopay discount (two lines) |
Plan: Boost Mobile Unlimited Best for: Prepaid family plan Monthly cost: $120 (four lines) |
Plan: Cricket Core Unlimited Best for: Prepaid family plan Monthly cost: $100 (4 lines) |
METHODOLOGY
To determine the best plans, we looked at the monthly plan price before taxes and fees, the price per gigabyte and features such as international calling, mobile hot spot and complimentary subscriptions. We considered only national carriers, which ruled out regional providers like U.S. Cellular. For family plans, we looked at plans with at least 6 GB of data and calculated pricing for a family of four.
