Find the Best Mobile Plan Based on Your Data Usage

While almost 3 in 4 cell phone owners have unlimited data plans, a surprising number of people still don’t understand how unlimited mobile data works. After surveying over 1,000 Americans and gathering information from WhistleOut users, we’re here to help you find the best cell phone plan for your data needs.

What is unlimited data?

Unlimited data is exactly as it sounds: cellular data with no monthly cap. But is it really unlimited? Maybe, but probably not. 

Your unlimited plan will either have a cap or no cap on high-speed data usage: 

• No cap means that you will always be at full 4G LTE (or 5G) speed on your network. 
• If there's a cap, that means the cell phone network can slow your data speed if the network gets busy. In fact, your data speed may drop to 3G or even 2G speeds—which is not what you signed up for!

Did you know about network data slowdowns? Turns out you’re not alone—one in three (33%) of Americans are unaware that on “unlimited data” cell phone plans, carriers can slow down your data speeds if the network gets busy or you use too much data.

• 1 in 3 Americans don’t understand how unlimited data works
• While most people have unlimited phone plans (75% in our survey), 45% still experience slower speeds than they’d like.

How much mobile data do you need?

Unlimited data is not for everyone. You may be using Wi-Fi more than data and are fine with a finite amount of data per month. Or you may be out and about, using Maps and FaceTime without Wi-Fi. Either way, it’s all about how much mobile data you need.

• 4 in 5 (81%) respondents say their plan comes with enough data for their needs. 
• But on the other hand, 37% say their phone plan data is too slow. 
• In a separate survey of WhistleOut users, we found that 43% of people didn’t know how much data they needed, so they chose unlimited because it was a safe choice

There are lower-cost and lower-data plans for people who don’t need unlimited data or spend the majority of their time on Wi-Fi.

• Visible is our editor’s pick and it's $30/mo. for unlimited data. 
• With Mint Mobile, new customers can get three months free, and then it's only $15/mo. for unlimited data. 
• Reach mobile offers $10 off for the first three months and then it's $35/mo. with unlimited data.

If you prefer one of the Big Three networks, rest assured that Visible is on Verizon’s network while Mint and Reach use T-Mobile’s nationwide network.

How to Check Your Mobile Data Usage

You may be wondering if you need unlimited data or if your network is slowing your speeds. There’s an easy way to figure all of that out: check your data usage. Knowing how much data you use on a monthly basis can determine if an unlimited plan is right for you and if you need a network that won’t cap speeds.

Here’s how to check your current data usage if you’re still unsure how much data you really need.

• Do you have AT&T? We have a guide to help you check your data usage with AT&T. 
• Do you have Verizon? We’ll show you how to check your data usage with Verizon. 
• Do you have T-Mobile? Read how you can check your data usage with the T-Mobile app. 

Methodology

Results in this study are post-stratified from a survey of 1,001 American adults. The statistic “43% of people didn’t know how much data they needed, so they went with unlimited because it was a safe choice” is from a separate survey of WhistleOut users.