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In years past, it was much more affordable to get a limited data plan rather than an unlimited data plan. Fortunately, unlimited data plans are now far more commonplace and, even more importantly, affordable for seniors. But not all unlimited phone plans are created equal. In this guide, we’ll examine the best unlimited cell phone plans for seniors to help you find the right one.
The Best Unlimited Senior Cell Phone Plans
T-Mobile’s phone plans for seniors — Essentials 55, Go5G 55, and Go4G Plus 55 — all offer unlimited data and excellent value for couples. While the features vary with each plan, they’re all packed with extra perks, like international texting, advanced spam-blocking protection, and mobile hotspot data (just to name a few).
Pro Tip: Not sure if an unlimited plan is the right fit for you? Check out SeniorLiving.org’s guide on the best cell phone plans for seniors.
You can get more benefits if you opt for one of the upper-tier plans (Go5G 55 and Go5G Plus 55), but the Essentials 55 plan provides the best value, at just $27.50 per line if you sign up for two lines. T-Mobile offers discounts for two lines on all of its plans, which makes it one of the best choices for couples. And since the Essentials 55 plan includes unlimited data, 5G access, and no contract, it’s a great choice for couples who want fast, reliable, and affordable service.
If you and your significant other qualify for the T-Mobile Essentials 55 plan, you can get two lines for just $55 per month total. This includes unlimited access to 5G service and a few other enticing perks. However, if you’re signing up for T-Mobile on your own, you’ll pay nearly the same price ($45 per month) for just one line. T-Mobile is a great option for couples who want to bundle their phone plans, but it’s not the most affordable option for individuals. Visit our 2023 T-Mobile review to learn more.
If you live in Florida, you may be eligible for AT&T’s Unlimited 55+ plan. One line starts at $60 per month, but you can get two lines for $80 per month. If you don’t live in Florida, you can still get a basic unlimited plan through AT&T; just keep in mind that the basic plan isn’t tailored to older adults.
With AT&T’s Unlimited 55+ plan, you’ll get unlimited service throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Plus, it comes with free access to the AT&T ActiveArmor app, which helps block spam callers and provides enhanced device security. The best part about signing up for AT&T’s Unlimited 55+ plan is that you can share the benefits with the whole family. Only the account owner needs to be 55 or older, so you can add discounted lines for your spouse, children, and even grandchildren, regardless of their ages. The more lines you add, the more you save. You’ll pay as little as $30 per line per month if you have at least five lines!
AT&T’s Unlimited 55+ plan is a great option if you have a big family and plan to sign up for multiple lines. You can enjoy major discounts on your bill, plus a few additional savings if you’re an AARP member. The primary drawback is that AT&T’s only senior plan is exclusively available to Florida residents. If you live anywhere outside of Florida, you won’t have access to it. Plus, if you want to avoid contracts, you’re out of luck, as the AT&T Unlimited 55+ plan requires you to sign up for at least one year of service.
All of Consumer Cellular’s plans are designed for older adults, including the unlimited plan. At $50 per month, there are no surprises or long-term contracts with this plan. If you sign up for multiple lines, you’ll see huge savings: $65 per month for two lines and $80 per month for three lines. You can stop your service and switch to another provider at any time without paying penalty fees.
Did You Know? There are hundreds of ways to save as an AARP member. Be sure to consult our guide to the best AARP discounts to learn more!
Consumer Cellular’s phone plans really shine for AARP members. If you’re already a member, you can get five percent off your monthly bill. This may not sound like much, but it could save you up to $30 per year, per line. If you’re not an AARP member yet, Consumer Cellular gives you the option to sign up at check out so that you can still qualify for the discount. AARP members also qualify for an extended 45-day no-risk guarantee when signing up. If you decide that Consumer Cellular’s service isn’t right for you, you have a little extra time to cancel your plan and get your money back.
Consumer Cellular is a great no-frills mobile provider for older adults. The company’s website and award-winning customer service make it easy to sign up for a plan using an old or new phone and enjoy high-quality nationwide service. If you need more than one line, you can get substantial savings. And if you’re an AARP member, you can get even better monthly discounts. Aside from its status as an approved AARP provider, Consumer Cellular does little to provide specific features or perks that seniors might want, like medical alert features or international service. If you’re just looking to stay connected, this won’t be a deal breaker, but it’s something to keep in mind. Visit our Consumer Cellular review to learn more about this carrier.
Lively designs its phones and plans specifically for seniors, making it a particularly good option for older adults who don’t want to worry about complex devices or unpredictable monthly costs. The company also offers health and safety features that make it stand out from the competition. Keep in mind that Lively’s phone plans only work with Lively devices, and the company offers just two phones: the Jitterbug Smart3 ($149.99) and the Jitterbug Flip2 ($99.99). If you’re looking for a more robust smartphone or you want more options when shopping for a mobile device, you may find Lively’s offerings a bit limited.
Pro Tip: Looking for a new phone? Be sure to check out SeniorLiving.org’s guide on the best cell phones for seniors!
Lively really shines when it comes to its health and safety features. With the Preferred phone plan ($39.99 per month), you’ll get 24/7 access to urgent response agents and the ability to keep your loved ones updated on your health and safety. The Premium package ($49.99 per month) offers the same features, plus additional ones like an on-call nurse and a care advocate to help create a personalized health plan for you. Lively’s unlimited talk and text plan costs $19.99 per month, and you can add limited or unlimited data to your plan for up to $30 per month.
If safety and simplicity are your primary concerns, Lively may be a great option for you. With tons of add-on health and safety features and phones designed with older adults in mind, there are plenty of reasons to consider Lively. That said, adding all of the health and safety features will increase the cost of your bill substantially. Still, we think the safety features and easy-to-use phones are well worth the cost for seniors. Visit our Lively phone review to learn more.
Mint Mobile’s phone plan for seniors is among the most affordable options on the market. Mint 55+ is available to older adults for just $15 per month. It’s important to note that Mint 55+ only offers unlimited talk and text. It has a 5 GB monthly data limit, and if you go over this limit, you’ll see your speeds throttled. But at just $15 per month, it’s hard to complain about data limits, especially if you don’t use your phone for data-heavy activities like streaming HD movies or making video calls. If you decide you like Mint Mobile but want to enjoy unlimited data, you can still sign up for the standard Mint Unlimited plan for $40 per month.
Not only is the Mint 55+ plan extremely affordable, but it also comes with a lot of great perks. Your plan gives you free calls to Mexico and Canada, a free mobile hot spot, and 5G access at no extra cost. Plus, Mint Mobile has a huge nationwide network and a team of MINTech Advisors who can help answer any questions.
If saving on the cost of mobile service is your primary concern, Mint Mobile is a great choice. You can get unlimited talk and text, plus 5 GB of data, for as little as $15 per month. Or, you can upgrade to unlimited data (with a soft data cap of 40 GB of monthly data) for just $40 per month. Either way, Mint Mobile offers phone plans that are far less expensive than most other major competitors. The primary downside is that, if you do use a lot of data on your phone, you’ll almost certainly experience slower speeds at one point or another. However, if you’re not a heavy data user, this won’t be a problem.
Like some other carriers, Visible doesn’t offer any plans that are specifically made for seniors. However, it does offer affordable plans that have great features, particularly for seniors who like to travel. Currently, Visible offers two unlimited plans: Visible ($30 per month) and Visible+ ($40 per month). Both are competitively priced 5G plans; the former offers the basic features you would expect with most phone plans, while the latter offers extra perks like free calling and texting from the U.S. to more than 30 major countries around the world. With the Visible+ plan, you can also enjoy free talk, text, and data, along with no roaming charges across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
If you find yourself on the road and in need of help, Visible offers 24/7 assistance from a trained customer service agent. Since you can use your device as a free hot spot, you can connect your other devices to stream shows, receive video calls, or just check in with loved ones from virtually anywhere in North America. And if you’re unsure about Visible’s coverage, you can rest easy knowing that it utilizes Verizon’s network.
Visible offers a lot of great perks for seniors who travel around the country or simply want an easy way to get in contact with loved ones living abroad. Plus, with plans as low as $30 per month and no hidden fees, Visible is a great choice for seniors on a fixed budget. If you want to save even more when switching providers, you can bring your own phone at no extra charge. Just keep in mind that, while Visible is a good choice for seniors who like to be on the go, it doesn’t offer much if you want to use your phone outside of the U.S., Canada, or Mexico.
There are several major wireless carriers and dozens of smaller carriers in the U.S., many of which offer multiple plans. However, not all phone plans and providers offer features that are useful to the average older adult. Many unlimited plans are also simply too expensive for seniors on fixed incomes. Therefore, to find the best unlimited cell phone plans for seniors, we evaluated dozens of different options to find the plans with the best features, prices, and discounts for seniors.
Prices for unlimited phone plans can vary substantially for all consumers, including seniors.
Between 2007 and 2014, Americans aged 65 to 74 saw their cellular phone expenditures increase by 102.3 percent, to $675 per year (or $56.25 per month).1 As of 2023, it’s estimated that the average household spends $144 per month on cell phone bills, which indicates that plan rates have only continued to rise across all age ranges.2
However, this doesn’t take into account important factors like senior discounts, multiline discounts, and simplified senior-only plans. Due to these factors, seniors tend to pay substantially less for cell service than other demographics. It’s still difficult to give an exact average for what seniors should be paying for a mobile phone plan in 2023, but based on the plans and providers we’ve reviewed, you can generally expect to pay somewhere between $35 and $55 per month for an individual plan.
Finding the right unlimited phone plan generally requires you to ask questions about yourself, your lifestyle, and your needs. Here are a few important questions to consider before deciding on a phone plan:
If you need additional help shopping for a new phone, be sure to check out our cell phone buyers guide for all the tips and insider tricks!
Yes, Verizon has the Verizon 55+ plan for seniors. It offers unlimited talk, text, and data for as little as $40 per month, per line.
While it varies from one carrier to the next, you can often estimate the cost of two unlimited phone lines by reducing the cost of an individual unlimited plan by 20 percent and then multiplying the result by two. For example, if a plan costs $60 per month, you should reduce it by 20 percent (leaving you with $48) and then multiply that number by two. This would mean you could expect to pay around $96 for two unlimited plans (in this example).
The reality is that most carriers have a soft data cap on unlimited plans, whether they tell you about it or not. This means that once you go over a specific amount of data in a given month, your speeds will be substantially reduced. T-Mobile’s Magenta MAX plan is one of the few exceptions.
If you qualify for the Lifeline program3 and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)4, you may be eligible for a free cell phone plan with unlimited talk and text, as well as free home internet. Since the ACP qualifies you for free home internet, this would give you access to unlimited internet on your phone (via Wi-Fi), which could work as a free replacement for unlimited data.
For over five years, Taylor has been writing, editing, and researching products and services covering topics such as senior care and technology, internet and the digital divide, TV and entertainment, and education. Her work has been cited by publications such as Forbes,… Learn More About Taylor Shuman
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2016, Feb). Expenditures on cellular phone services have increased significantly since 2007.
CNBC. (2023, Jun 15). Cut your cell phone bill up to 50% with these 4 tips.
Federal Communications Commission. (2023, July 11). Lifeline Program for Low-Income Consumers.
Federal Communications Commission. (2023, May 4). Affordable Connectivity Program.
