Do Any Prepaid US Carriers Offer Truly Unlimited Data? Well, It Depends On How You Define It
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Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
A quick glance at all the major prepaid and postpaid mobile service providers makes it clear that almost everyone offers unlimited data nowadays. To make matters even more confusing for the average customer, these plans can range in price from as little as $25 to as much as $100 or more.
How can there be such a wide price gap if all these plans offer the same thing? In short, they don’t. The truth is that unlimited data means different things to different carriers. With no regulation around the term, providers define it however they want, sometimes stretching it so far that it’s unlimited in name only.
Are there any truly limitless plans? Not really. Even premium postpaid options often include throttling during congestion or streaming speed caps, though higher-tier plans may get better data priority or the option to bypass some limits.
The bottom line: no matter how a plan is advertised, there are always restrictions in the fine print. The term “truly unlimited” varies depending on who you ask. While some users expect no data caps at all, others look for UHD streaming or top-tier prioritization. A few carriers might allow massive usage before intervening, but even then, limits still exist in practice.
To simplify things, I’m going to break unlimited prepaid data plans into four categories:
- High-priority unlimited data: These plans have no hard data caps and offer mid-tier or better postpaid-level priority. While speeds may slow during congestion, you’re still above lower-tier users in the queue.
- Unlimited with limited high-priority data: You’ll get high-priority speeds up to a certain cap (usually 30-60GB), after which you drop to lower-priority access — still unlimited, just slower during busy times.
- Unlimited with no caps but low priority: There’s no hard limit, but these plans have reduced priority compared to postpaid, so speeds may drop in crowded areas. Some users still call these “truly unlimited,” though performance can vary.
- Unlimited with caps: These plans typically throttle speeds after hitting a usage threshold (often 20-60GB). They’re unlimited in name but behave like large data-limited plans.
Major carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile each offer one or more postpaid plans that meet the “truly unlimited” bar above. But can prepaid match that? Let’s explore the best prepaid options in each category.
These prepaid plans are the closest you’ll find to truly unlimited data
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Below are prepaid plans that offer the closest experience to postpaid service, with minimal speed or latency restrictions. While these are typically the most expensive options in the prepaid world, they justify their price with higher network priority, fewer slowdowns, and overall better performance. This makes these plans ideal for those seeking a truly premium prepaid and unlimited experience.
That said, each plan has its pros and cons. All are still subject to deprioritization during network congestion, but you’ll generally be closer to the front of the line compared to lower-tier unlimited plans.
Let’s start with plans that offer truly unlimited data alongside high-priority access:
- Visible Plus — $35/month: Includes truly unlimited high-speed data and unlimited hotspot throttled to speeds of 25GB. There’s also a Plus Pro tier for $10 more a month that adds higher priority streaming data and a few other extras like better international perks.
- AT&T Prepaid Unlimited Max Plus — $65/month: Offers unlimited data at QCI 8 (the same priority used by premium AT&T postpaid users), HD streaming, and 25GB of hotspot data. Upgrade to QCI 7 with the Turbo Upgrade.
- T-Mobile Prepaid Unlimited — $50-$60/month: All three T-Mobile prepaid plans offer high-priority data. The main difference is hotspot: 3G speeds on the base plan, 3GB high-speed on the mid-tier, and 10GB on the top tier. All include HD streaming. There’s also family discounts, which can bring pricing down further per line.
- US Mobile Unlimited Premium (Dark Star) — $44/month (currently $35): Unlimited high-priority data on the Dark Star network, with at least 100GB of hotspot before throttling. One of the best value “truly unlimited” options. There’s also a limited-time promotion that brings pricing down to $35 a month on this tier.
- Total Wireless 5G Unlimited & 5G Plus Unlimited — $50-$60/month (as low as $25/line with five lines): Offers Verizon postpaid-level priority, 15GB of hotspot access, international perks, excellent family discounts, and—on the Plus plan—unlimited hotspot and Disney+ Premium (no ads). Note: Streaming is capped at SD resolution.
- Cricket Wireless Unlimited Plus — $60/month (as low as $32/line with five lines): Includes unlimited high-speed data on AT&T’s network and the same priority as default AT&T mid-tier or higher plans. It also offers Max with Ads, international perks, 15GB of hotspot, and the option to disable HD streaming throttling via customer service. Also includes 150GB of cloud storage.
It’s important to note that AT&T, T-Mobile, and Cricket also require you to pay taxes and fees in addition to the above pricing.
These are the next best, though you have limited priority data
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
One thing you’ll notice is that most plans with unlimited higher priority data use Verizon’s network, though there are a few exceptions. While unlimited priority data is great, these plans offer the next best thing. These plans give you a set amount of high-priority data before deprioritization, but with no hard data caps:
- AT&T Prepaid Unlimited Max — $55/month: 50GB of high-priority data, 25GB of hotspot, and HD streaming.
- Verizon Unlimited Plus — $60/month (or as low as $44/line for five): 50GB high-priority data and 25GB of hotspot, before dropping to deprioritized speeds.
- Straight Talk Unlimited Gold & Platinum — $55-$65/month: Gold includes 30GB of hotspot; Platinum is unlimited. Both offer higher data priority and tend to allow very high usage (multiple TBs) before intervention.
- US Mobile Unlimited Premium (Warp 5G) — $44/month: 100GB of high-priority data, 50GB hotspot, and a free Apple Watch line. Slight differences from the Dark Star version, but just as competitive.
These are your best bets for unlimited data with no cap
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
The options below provide unlimited data with no hard caps on usage, but the tradeoff is lower priority levels, meaning speeds can slow significantly during periods of heavy congestion. However, most of these plans cost well under $40 a month, making them far more affordable compared to many of the higher-priority, truly unlimited data plans.
These plans can be an excellent value if you live in an area with low network congestion or primarily use Wi-Fi during peak hours.
- Mint Mobile Unlimited — $25/month (prepay for one year): Runs on T-Mobile. Previously capped at 40GB, now offers truly unlimited lower-priority data.
- Straight Talk Unlimited Silver — $45/month: Unlimited data with lower priority than Gold/Platinum plans. Cheaper with multi-line or annual payment.
- Total Base 5G Unlimited — $40/month (or $23/line for five): Unlimited Verizon-based data at low priority. Better value in low-congestion areas.
- Visible Basic — $25/month: Unlimited data with no caps, low priority on Verizon’s network. Speeds may slow down during congestion.
- Verizon Prepaid Unlimited – $50/month (or $34/line for five): Includes 5GB of hotspot. Low priority. Honestly, for ~$10 more, the Plus plan is significantly better.
- Cricket Wireless Unlimited — $55/month: Includes unlimited low-priority data. For just $5 more, the Plus version offers more features and higher priority.
- Metro Flex Starter Plus or Flex Unlimited — $40-$70/month: T-Mobile-based and offers three tiers: Starter Plus, Metro Flex Unlimited, and Flex Unlimited Plus. All have unlimited lower-priority data with no caps, and discounts for multi-line setups. There are also family discounts that bring pricing down further.
- US Mobile Unlimited Premium (Light Speed) — $44/month: Same pricing as other US Mobile plans, but runs on a lower-priority network. Unlimited use, but slower speeds.
Are there still any providers that have unlimited data but with caps?
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
If I’d written this a few months ago, there would have been plenty of major carriers fitting into this category. Recently, however, T-Mobile removed data caps from many of its sub-brands like Mint Mobile, and most popular MVNOs on Verizon or AT&T dropped caps long ago. Still, there are notable exceptions:
- Google Fi Wireless Unlimited — $35-65/month: All Google Fi Unlimited plans come with high-priority data from T-Mobile, but there is actually a firm cap that ranges from 30GB to 100GB. It also recently refreshed its plans, making its proposition more competitive than ever.
- Tello Unlimited — $25/month ($15 for first three months): 35GB cap, then severe throttling.
- Xfinity Mobile — $40-$60/month: Typically 30–50GB of data on Verizon’s network before speeds slow to 1Mbps or less. Price varies by plan and bundle.
- Spectrum Mobile — $40-$60/month: Same network as Xfinity, and very similar data policies as well, with data ranging around the 30-50GB mark with slower speeds thereafter.
- Red Pocket Mobile Unlimited Premium / Elite — $40-$50/month: 50GB data caps, 5GB–20GB of hotspot. Cheaper plans offer far less and often misuse the term “unlimited” pretty blatantly.
While smaller providers may also fall into this category, those not listed here are generally less well-known, so always do your research before signing up. No matter what, though, you can expect most capped “unlimited” plans to provide at least 20GB of high-speed data. Just be aware that some carriers stretch this definition: Red Pocket Mobile’s “Unlimited Essentials” and “Unlimited Plus” plans, for example, offer just 1GB and 10GB, respectively. Despite attractive pricing ($10 and $20 per month), labeling these as “unlimited” is misleading for customers.
Don’t settle for just any Unlimited plan
With so many options, picking the right unlimited plan can feel overwhelming. To make things easier, here are the standout prepaid unlimited data plans in three pricing tiers — high, mid, and low. Each offers the best value within its price category based on priority, features, and overall reliability.
- Best all-around plan: Visible Plus is hard to beat with its low pricing and truly unlimited high-speed data — just be aware that it’s a self-serve carrier and all interactions are done online.
- Best carrier-like experience with unlimited data: The Verizon-owned Total offers great family discounts, phone promotions, and a fairly carrier-like service complete with unlimited higher-priority data on select plans. Google Fi is a very close second. If you don’t mind a cap of 30-100GB, it offers better promotions and plenty of other extras that make it a better deal as long as you don’t need more data than this.
- Best budget pick: Mint is the best budget pick, as its unlimited plan starts as low as $25 a month (paid upfront yearly), and yet you get truly unlimited data. Just be aware it is lower priority and will likely see notable deprioritization during congestion.
Of course, there are tons of great options on this list, but the most important thing is to truly do your homework and make sure you know what you are getting with your “unlimited plan”. Also, consider any extra features a plan might have, including any hidden carrier features that we cover in our guide.
