Looking for the best Verizon plan but are confused by the carrier’s massive range of options? No worries – we’re here to demystify the carrier’s plans and help our readers get the best possible deal. Generally speaking, the best Verizon plan depends massively on your needs and budget but we’ve laid out everything on this page and compared all the options.
(Image credit: Future)
1. Verizon unlimited plans
2. Verizon shared data plans
3. Verizon prepaid plans
FAQ
1. What’s my coverage like?
2. Does Verizon have 5G on all its plans?
3. What’s the best plan for families?
4. What’s the best plan for seniors?
Like most carriers, Verizon plans generally fall under two categories – postpaid and prepaid. We’re covering both in this guide right here, so if you’re not sure how much data you’ll need but have an idea of how much you want to spend then you’ll find tons of handy info here. You’ll also find a handy frequently asked questions section just below, where we’ll tackle topics like coverage, price, and 5G access.
As a carrier, Verizon is generally considered to offer the best nationwide coverage on its service, and, while you’ll find its plans generally on the pricey side, they do offer some rather excellent streaming-focused perks. Going postpaid is definitely pricey, but often worth it – not least because the selection of Verizon phones is particularly good if you go for an unlimited plan. You’ll also find that most of the current Verizon deals are also exclusively available on post-paid unlimited plans, although you shouldn’t let this discourage you from checking out the other plan types also.
If you find this week’s best Verizon plans a little too pricey, we’ve also included some honorable mentions from our best cell phone plans guide at the bottom of the article. There you’ll be able to see how Verizon stacks up against the competition, and also check out some of the best prepaid plans from cheaper services.
The best Verizon plans: current lineup
Verizon unlimited data plans
Verizon’s headline plans are its post-paid unlimited options. They’re plans that require you to sign up for a three-year service term but they come with laden with the best perks, the speediest download speeds, and they also grant you access to superb deals on the latest phones.
Generally speaking, you’re going to be paying anywhere between $25 to $100 per line depending on your plan and how many lines you have. A relatively new addition to Verizon’s post paid unlimited plans is the carrier’s ‘MyPlan’ system, which allows you to mix-and-match the perks that you want for $10/mo per perk. These include things like streaming services, global data passes, and cloud storage. Note, however, that they are optional so it’s perfectly fine to keep your plan as basic as possible.
Verizon Unlimited Welcome: from $25/mo per line
The first tier of Verizon’s new post-paid plan setup is the Unlimited Welcome plan, which is aimed at being the more budget-friendly option. With this plan, you’ll get unlimited data, talk, and texting on the ‘standard’ 5G network, which means your speeds might be a little slower versus the more premium tier when your local area is busy. The Unlimited Welcome plan also has a few restrictions on phone deal eligibility, home internet discounts, and connected device discounts. In short, if you’re looking for just the basics this can be a good option, although you’ll want to factor in things like eligibility for trade-in rebates on flagship devices before you opt for the cheaper plan.
1-line: $60/mo | 2-line: $100/mo | 3-line: $105/mo | 4-line: $100/moView Deal
Verizon Unlimited Plus: from $30/mo per line
The Unlimited Plus tier is a great option for most users since it offers a good level of perks baked in for a relatively reasonable price. These include eligibility for rebates and savings on flagship devices, 30GB of mobile hotspot data, and unlimited data on the quickest 5G wideband network. You’ll also get an additional saving of up to 50% for one accessory line and a fantastic bring-your-own saving of up to $540 (as good as you’ll get at Verizon). If you’re a data-hungry user who doesn’t need a huge amount of mobile hotspot data then the Unlimited Plus plan is a good basis for the various optional perks like Disney+ or Walmart+ membership.
1-line: $65/mo | 2-line: $110/mo | 3-line: $120/mo | 4-line: $120/moView Deal
Verizon Unlimited Ultimate: from $40/mo per line
The latest addition to Verizon’s new ‘myPlan’ system is the Unlimited UItimate plan. As you’ve probably surmised from the name – this tier offers the best Verizon has to offer right now. Included in the price here is a whopping 60GB of mobile hotspot allowance, one of the highest on the market right now, and 10GB of unthrottled international data in over 200 countries. Being on this plan tier will automatically entitle you to the best possible savings on device upgrades and up to 50% off two accessory plans. While pricey, this one is definitely a good option if you’re a power user who wants to use multiple lines.
1-line: $75/mo | 2-line: $130/mo | 3-line: $150/mo | 4-line: $160/moView Deal
Additional perks for postpaid unlimited plans
In addition to the above Verizon myPlan options, customers on either of the new unlimited data plans can add on two perks per plan at a cost of $10 per month per perk. The available perks are as follows:
Disney+ Premium, Hulu, ESPN+ bundle100 GB mobile hotspotApple One bundle (Apple Music, TV+, Arcade, iCloud)Walmart+ membershipApple Music FamilySmartwatch data & safety (discount on a line)+play monthly credit3 TravelPass days 2 TB cloud storage
Those who love their streaming perks will be well served by the Disney+ bundle or the Apple One bundle. If you’re looking for every-day value, then the Walmart+ membership is quite good for getting discounts on delivery, gas, and access to exclusive deals on Black Friday. Also worth considering are the more niche options on the list – such as discounts on connected smartwatch lines and free TravelPass days, which gives unlimited talk, text, and data in 210 countries.
Verizon prepaid plans
Verizon prepaid plans are flexible non-contract plans that you pay for on a renewable monthly basis. In short, they don’t require credit checks and have pretty reasonable prices but don’t feature most of the perks you find on postpaid plans like streaming services. They’re also subject to slower data speeds all around, not being on the Verizon premium network. That said, they’re a viable choice if you’re strictly on a budget and don’t want to be tied down with an annual contract.
Verizon prepaid 5GB plan: from $25 per month
The cheapest Verizon plan on the entire site is the 5GB prepaid plan, which features 5G access and mobile hotspotting for a rather bargain price. The catch? You’ll have to be signed up for over ten months to get the best rate via Verizon’s loyalty program, which offsets that prepaid flexibility and means you’ll have to pay a bit extra for a few months, unfortunately.
Intro price: $40/mo | After 4-mo: $35/mo | After 10-mo: $25/moView Deal
Verizon prepaid 15GB plan: $35 per month
Since Verizon has recently scrapped its 5GB prepaid plan, the next cheapest option is its 15GB plan, which offers a decent amount of data at a reasonable price. Like all the prepaid plans, you’ll get the best rate after 10-months, which is an unfortunate limitation, although Verizon does include free calling to Mexico and Canada when you go for this plan and upwards.
Intro price: $50/mo | After 4-mo: $40/mo | After 10-mo: $35/moView Deal
Verizon prepaid unlimited: $50 per month
The first of Verizon’s unlimited prepaid plans includes 5G access, free call and text to Mexico and Canada, but doesn’t include mobile hotspotting – that’s a $5 upcharge each month. This one’s quite a good option if you’re simply looking for unlimited data on a single line as it’s coming in at a whole lot cheaper than the postpaid options.
Intro price: $65/mo | After 4-mo: $55/mo | After 10-mo: $50/moView Deal
Verizon prepaid Unlimited Plus: $60 per month
And finally, the last Verizon prepaid plan is its Unlimited Plus plan, which is a new high-end prepaid option introduced in late 2022. It’s essentially a re-brand of the prior unlimited wideband plan and aims to give users unlimited access to Verizon’s premium network as well as unlimited mobile hotspotting. In our books, it’s a little on the pricier side – especially since you can get unlimited prepaid plans for half this price at Visible Wireless and other prepaid networks. Still, it’s a decent way to get heaps of speedy data without the need for a contract.
Intro price: $70/mo | After 4-mo: $65/mo | After 10-mo: $60/moView Deal
Verizon connected and accessory plans
In addition to phones, Verizon also has plans for a number of smartwatches, tablets, and any number of cellular gadgets it calls connected devices. In general, you can add these to existing Verizon plans for around $10 each, however, if you want a standalone plan, those are also available, here’s a quick list with prices:
TabletsUnlimited – $20/moUnlimited Plus – $30/moSmartwatchesUnlimited – $10/moLaptopsUnlimited – $20/moUnlimited Plus – $30/mo
Other gadgets you can hook up with a Verizon Connected plan include cars, hotspots, sat navs, and streaming cameras – generally for the same rates as above.
Verizon prepaid data plans
Verizon prepaid data plans are a somewhat newer addition to the carrier’s site and are essentially replacements for the old shared data plans. They’re designed for multiple cellular devices to use (tablets, smartwatches, etc) but don’t feature any of the usual minutes or texts you’d get with a standard phone plan. Unlike the old shared data plans, they’re also prepaid now instead of postpaid, which makes them pretty flexible in regard to contracts.
Note, Verizon prepaid data plans are best used as add-ons to an existing prepaid phone plan. Upfront, these plans are quite pricey but adding them to an existing account means a $30 per month discount per line. Here’s the pricing:
5GB plan –$40/mo ($10 as additional line)25GB plan – $60/mo ($30 as additional line)100GB plan w/ Ultra Wideband 5G – $80/mo ($50 as additional line)150GB plan w/ Ultra Wideband 5G – $100/mo ($70 as additional line)
As you can see, the two pricier tiers (100GB and 150GB) feature unlimited access to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network. All plan tiers, however, have HD video steam as per standard.
Verizon plan pricing: postpaid vs prepaid
Like most carriers, Verizon plan pricing falls into two categories – postpaid and prepaid. With the postpaid plans, you’re going to be signing up for a long-term (24 months) contract and be paying your bills at the end of the month until your term is up. Generally speaking, these plans also entitle you to any number of awesome Verizon deals each month, which will allow you to upgrade or bag a new phone for a cut down rate.
Going prepaid means you’ll generally be paying at the start of each month and won’t be tied down into a lengthy contract. That gives them more flexibility in general, although Verizon does operate a loyalty scheme that reserves the best rates for those who carry on their plan for longer. This is of course a little cheeky as it’s looking to tie people in, offsetting that prepaid flexibility, and it’s also worth noting that Verizon tends to reserve its deals on new phones for postpaid customers only.
Visible wireless plans: FAQ
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What’s Verizon’s coverage like?
Verizon is generally considered to have the best coverage nationwide out of all the major carriers – with most sources putting their overall coverage at about 70% for its 4G LTE network. Things, however, do get a little more complicated when you start to think about the 5G network – which is still in its inception right now at most major carriers. In this regard, Verizon currently only has about 11% coverage nationwide, mostly in the big cities. If you’re looking for coverage in your area specifically, you can see the current up-to-date coverage map right here – including the option to input your local Zip Code.
Does Verizon have 5G on all its plans?
On paper, yes, all Verizon plans do have access to the services 5G network, although it’s worth noting that not all 5G data plans on Verizon offer equal speeds across the board.
Verizon actually offers two tiers of 5G access – a standard “5G” network, which ruins simultaneously with the existing 4G LTE network, and a fancy pants “5G Ultra Wideband” network, which runs on a different band altogether. In a nutshell, the cheaper Verizon plans make use of the standard 5G network while the pricier ones get full access to the Wideband one. As you’d expect, you’ll get blazingly fast speeds on the Wideband network although it’s worth noting that it’s not that widely available outside of the big cities yet.
Why are Verizon plans so expensive?
Cell phone plans via the major carriers in general tend to be a lot pricier than those offered by the smaller prepaid carriers like Visible and Mint Mobile. This is generally explained by the fact the big carriers physically operate the networks that all carriers, both big and small, use to provide service and therefore have to spend more to maintain them. Verizon has particularly pricey plans, however, which are somewhat offset by the fact that they tend to offer the best speeds and perks overall on their plans.
If you’re looking for a more cost-effective option, we recommend checking out our section on Verizon vs the competition just down below.
What’s the best Verizon plan for families?
Generally speaking, the best Verizon plan for families is going to be one of the postpaid unlimited plans, which come with the benefit of not having to worry about limitations, having tons of perks, and also feature discounts for multiple lines added per plan.
The Verizon unlimited postpaid plans also feature a unique ‘mix-and-match’ option that will allow you to add lines under a different tier of plan if you like. Using this, for example, you could have two plans under the basic ‘Start Unlimited’ plan, one under the premium ‘Get More’ plan, and then an additional ‘Just Kids’ plan – which is a unique child-friendly plan only offered in addition to at least one other unlimited data plan.
What’s the best Verizon plan for seniors?
Verizon only operates one plan for Seniors – its 55 Plus plan, which currently starts at $60 for one line and $80 for two lines. It’s actually a very generous plan for Verizon, but currently it’s open to Florida residents only unfortunately. If you’re a senior living outside of Florida, we recommend checking out our alternatives just down below.
Verizon vs the competition
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The best AT&T plans generally offer the hottest competition for Verizon each month by offering a very similar service, and, on the whole ever-so-slightly cheaper prices across the board. Like Verizon, AT&T has an ever-expanding 5G network and a focus on offering speedy unlimited data plans. When it comes to coverage, AT&T is slightly behind on 4G, however, and it also tends to offer more ‘stripped-down’ plans without the sort of perks that Verizon offers – like free streaming service subscriptions for example.
A really, really great low-cost alternative to Verizon is Visible – which is a smaller prepaid carrier that Verizon actually owns and operates as a sub-network. Visible’s claim to fame is their all-inclusive unlimited Visible wireless plan for just $40 a month – which is absolutely amazing value. Unlike Verizon customers on the main network, however, Visible users will be subject to deprioritization and slower speeds when the network is busy, so bear that in mind.
Also worth checking out is this week’s Mint Mobile plans, which is another top choice if you’re looking to save on your bills. With plans starting at just $15 a month, and an unlimited data plan for just $30, Mint is definitely a good option for those on a budget or for seniors in particular. However, this prepaid carrier operates under the T-Mobile network, so some Verizon phones may not be compatible unless they’re specifically unlocked.
