Choosing the Best Cell Phone Plan For Families can be complicated. Verizon, previously favored for its Play More plan that included the Disney bundle and other perks, has updated its offerings. While they remain a strong contender for best perks, their approach has changed, requiring a closer look to determine if they still offer the best cell phone plan for your family.
Verizon has moved away from automatically bundled services. Instead, they now offer a variety of perks for an additional $10 per month each, giving you the flexibility to select what your family truly needs. This perk system is now available even on their more affordable plan, Unlimited Welcome.
The Unlimited Welcome plan is priced at $65 monthly for a single line or $120 for four lines. This plan includes unlimited talk, text, and data. However, it does not grant access to Verizon’s fastest 5G networks, known as “5G Ultra Wideband,” or include hotspot data. For those features, you’ll need to upgrade to the Unlimited Plus plan, which costs $80 for one line or $180 for four lines.
Crucially, both the Unlimited Welcome and Unlimited Plus plans allow you to add perks at the $10 per month rate. These perks include valuable services such as:
- Disney Bundle: (Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu) – normally $15/month
- Apple One Individual: – normally around $17/month
- Apple Music Family: (shareable with five people) – normally $17/month
- Walmart Plus: (includes Paramount Plus Essential) – normally $13/month
Beyond entertainment, other perks are available, such as:
- 100GB of hotspot data: – normally $45/month
- 2TB of Verizon cloud storage: – normally $15/month
- 3 days of international data (TravelPass): – normally $10/day
A key advantage of Verizon’s new system is the ability to manage these perks with complete flexibility. You can activate or deactivate perks as needed, or choose to forgo them entirely. You can even select multiple perks for a single line, tailoring each family member’s plan to their specific needs.
To determine if Verizon’s current plans are the best cell phone plan for your family, some careful consideration is needed. It’s beneficial to evaluate which of these services your family currently uses or would benefit from. Creating a simple spreadsheet to compare the cost of these services individually versus through Verizon’s perks can be insightful. While the potential savings are significant if you’re already paying for some of these services, it’s also possible that it could be more expensive than your current setup.
Verizon also offers a “mix and match” option for lines within a family plan. This is particularly useful if not every family member requires the fastest 5G connectivity. Some can opt for the Unlimited Welcome plan, while others who need Ultra Wideband can choose Unlimited Plus, optimizing costs without sacrificing necessary features.
AT&T provides a similar “mix and match” option for their unlimited plans, but currently lacks streaming perks. T-Mobile, on the other hand, requires all lines to be on the same plan to access their perks.
For families seeking to save on services like the Disney bundle, Verizon’s plan can be very attractive. For example, a family of four on the Unlimited Welcome plan with the Disney bundle perk would pay $130 per month ($120 for the plan + $10 for the perk), potentially saving money compared to subscribing to these services separately.
Finally, remember to check for additional savings. Verizon offers discounts for teachers, nurses, military personnel, and first responders, which can further reduce the overall cost of your family’s cell phone plan, making it even more likely to be the best cell phone plan for families seeking both value and flexibility.
