In this article, I’m covering the top 5 best unlimited data plans on the AT&T network:
- Best cheap AT&T unlimited plan: AT&T Prepaid Unlimited MAX
- Best cheap AT&T unlimited plan (alternate pick): Cricket Unlimited Core
- Best value AT&T unlimited plan: Cricket Unlimited More
- Best postpaid AT&T unlimited plan: AT&T Unlimited Premium
Do You Need Unlimited Data?
First, do you really need unlimited data?
It turns out that people in North America only use about 14.6GB per month on average, according to Ericsson’s 2021 Mobility Report.
And it also turns out that people who are on unlimited plans, even the top-tier AT&T Unlimited Premium plan, are only using about 18GB to 20GB per month on average.
This means people are paying for data they don’t need!
I don’t want this to happen to you because my goal is to help as many people as possible save money on their cell phone bill.
Checking your data usage and getting a cell phone plan that meets your specific needs is one of the best ways to lower your cell phone bill.
If it turns out that you only need 5GB of data per month, why pay $60 or more for an unlimited plan?
Suggested: How Much Cellular Data Do You Need?
Instead of getting an expensive $60+ unlimited plan, you could consider Boost Mobile’s 35GB plan.
35GB is still heaps of data; plenty for a majority of people out there.
You could likely continue using your phone exactly as you normally would, listening to all the music you want, watching all the YouTube you want, playing all the games you want, and binging all the TikToks you want, and still not go over the 35GB limit.
I mean, 35GB is over double what the average person uses in one month!
The most data I’ve ever used has been 18GB.
And the best part?
Boost Mobile’s 35GB plan is just $25/month. You’d save over $480 per year compared to AT&T’s cheapest entry-level unlimited plan.
Checking your data usage and getting a plan that meets your needs is one of the best ways to significantly reduce your cell phone bill.
If you’re using less than 35GB, you can switch to Boost Mobile’s plan and save big.
And if it turns out that you are using over 35GB per month?
Then I’ve got you covered with the best unlimited data plans on the AT&T network:
Best cheap AT&T unlimited plan: AT&T Prepaid Unlimited MAX
The first plan is AT&T’s Prepaid Unlimited MAX plan. This just came out in January 2022, and it’s an awesome plan.
For $50 per month, you get 22GB of premium data, 10GB of hotspot data, 4K video streaming, and free unlimited high-speed data roaming in Canada and Mexico.
You also get 100GB of cloud storage included for free as a perk, and 5G access on AT&T’s 5G network.
Unfortunately, the big downside to this plan is that you can only sign up in-store at Walmart.
I’ve also heard stories of Walmart representatives not knowing about the plan, or not allowing people to sign up.
So the AT&T Prepaid Unlimited MAX plan is the best option out there if you can get it.
Best cheap AT&T unlimited plan (alternate pick): Cricket Unlimited Core
If you want to avoid the hassle of trying to get AT&T Prepaid Unlimited MAX, or maybe you don’t live near a Walmart, this plan is for you.
It’s Cricket’s entry-level Unlimited Core Plan.
It’s just $50 per month with the auto-pay discount. Taxes and fees are included in the price.
The plan comes with truly unlimited data, but the data is deprioritized.
This means when the AT&T network is busy, you may notice slightly slower speeds than customers with premium data, like the 22GB you get on AT&T Prepaid Unlimited MAX.
Having deprioritized speeds likely won’t be noticeable though.
AT&T has excellent network capacity, meaning it can serve a lot of people at the same time, and the moment the network is no longer congested you’ll resume getting the fastest speeds available on Cricket Unlimited Core.
As an entry-level plan, Cricket Core streams video at 480p and doesn’t support the mobile hotspot.
Thankfully, it does offer unlimited high-speed data roaming in Canada and Mexico.
It also supports 5G, but with some limitations. 5G will work on all iPhones, but it will only work on Android phones purchased directly from Cricket.
You can see the full list of compatible devices here.
Best value AT&T unlimited plan: Cricket Unlimited More
Next, I’m recommending Cricket’s top-tier plan, the Unlimited More plan.
This plan is $55 per month with the auto-pay discount. All taxes and fees are included.
Compared to Unlimited Core, this upgrades the data to unlimited premium data. Premium data means you’ll get slightly faster data speeds whenever the AT&T network is busy. You’ll get the exact same speeds and performance as AT&T Unlimited Extra customers.
Unlimited More from Cricket also adds 15GB of high-speed hotspot data, 150GB of free cloud storage, and a free HBO MAX subscription with ads.
High-speed data roaming in Canada and Mexico is also included here, along with 5G access on compatible phones.
Video streams at 480p quality. If you want to stream at 4K quality, you can use a VPN to bypass the 480p limit.
Consider using my partner ExpressVPN. It’s one of the top-rated VPNs for streaming video and Netflix content. Get three months free when you sign up at ExpressVPN.com/Stetson.
Best postpaid AT&T unlimited plan: AT&T Unlimited Premium
For the best postpaid unlimited plan, I was going to recommend AT&T Unlimited Extra. I believe Unlimited Extra is the best balance between price and features from AT&T’s postpaid offerings.
However, when you look at Cricket Unlimited More and AT&T Unlimited Extra side-by-side, you can see AT&T’s plan is not worth it all.
Cricket’s plan has more priority data and perks, and it saves you $240 per year.
Check out the full comparison:
Instead, the best AT&T postpaid plan is the AT&T Unlimited Premium plan.
Compared to Cricket, Unlimited Premium upgrades 5 key things:
- It gives you a higher tier of priority data for potentially faster speeds in crowded areas
- It over doubles your hotspot data to 50GB total
- It includes 4K video streaming, no VPN required
- It gives you free data roaming in 19 Latin American countries and the option for international data roaming at $10 per day
- It upgrades the price
You’ll be paying $85 per month for AT&T Unlimited Premium.
I personally don’t think the $85 price is worth it for a single line. Even with AT&T’s signature discount, which knocks the price down by either $10 per line or 25% off your total bill, the Unlimited Premium plan is still expensive.
I think for most people, Cricket’s Unlimited More plan is a way better value. (Hence, why Cricket’s plan is literally called the “Best Value Unlimited Plan” on AT&T).
The choice is yours, but I’d consider giving Cricket a look before shelling out the big bucks to AT&T.
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