Matthew Korfhage Gear May 31, 2026 5:31 AM What’s the Best Unlimited Cell Phone Plan in 2026? Let’s Break It Down I sifted through objective metrics and fine print to score the best deal on all the major carriers. Photo-Illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story “Unlimited” is a funny term. Unlimited cell phone plans often come with a long list of footnotes, terms, conditions, and exceptions. Mercifully, all of the big three cell companies—Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile—have, by now, ditched throttling on their most expensive plans and include 5G data access in all of their unlimited plans. Yet there are still many differences in the services they offer, including differences between each carrier's various tiers. Cheaper “unlimited” tiers do offer unlimited talk and text. But they're not universally unlimited in that they still have rules on how much data you get before the carriers start throttling your speed. Some supposed unlimited plans may throttle your data at any given time. It's been a fixture of cell service plans for years. These details can be overwhelming to sort when trying to pick the best unlimited cell phone plan for your needs. Below, I've highlighted what each of the three major carriers offers for “unlimited” individual and family plans to help you figure out which option is best for you and your budget. If you want to avoid slower data speeds at peak times, you'll likely be choosing among the plans here. But look to our guide to the Best Prepaid Phone Plans for lower costs (at the expense of some other limitations). Also check out WIRED guides to the Best Android Phones , Best iPhones , and Best Cheap Phones . Update May 2026: I took note of Verizon's price increase and additional features for its top plan. I also considered AT&T’s reconfigured Elite, Extra 2.0, Premium 2.0, and Value 2.0 plans. Finally, I updated prices and plan de
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