Look up your real data use before you pick a phone plan

The phone bill is bigger than you want it to be, and every cheaper plan comes with a word you have learned not to trust: unlimited, prepaid, no contract. Plans are hard to compare when you cannot tell what you would be buying. Two things you can find today make the choice much easier.

Before you switch, find out how much mobile data you really use in a month and whether you get signal at home and at work, then choose the smallest plan that covers both.

This page suits someone who uses a phone for messages, maps, browsing and some video, and who is on Wi-Fi at home or at work. If you watch video on mobile data for hours every day with no Wi-Fi, read the last section first.

Start with your own number

Your phone keeps a running total of the mobile data it has used, and your carrier’s app or bill usually shows the same by month. Look at your busiest recent month as well as a typical one. One person says anyone with low data needs should match the plan to what they actually use and not buy unlimited data they will not touch.

People disagree about how much data is enough, and the number that settles it is yours. One person says the typical user needs very little and that paying for capacity you never use is poor value; another says large allowances are standard for video and modern use. Some people say a small allowance is enough when Wi-Fi covers home and work and mobile data is only the back-up, and they name coffee shops and hotels as places to use it too.

Many people say that a plan that charges for what you use, or one with small tiers, can cost much less than a flat unlimited plan for a light or moderate user. Some people add that this works especially well with several lines. One person pointed out that a plan where you pay for what you use is a different arrangement from prepaid.

What “unlimited” tends to mean

Many people say that an unlimited plan usually slows your data after a set amount, and that full speed with no limit at all is rare. The arithmetic is simple: if a plan gives 2.5 GB at full speed and you use 3 GB, then 0.5 GB of your use ran at the lower speed. One person pointed out the difference between slowing your data and lowering its priority when the network is busy, and another person says users may see little slowdown in practice.

Read talk, text and data as three separate allowances. One person had to correct a claim that a plan offered unlimited talk when it came with a fixed number of minutes.

In the US, the FCC requires internet providers, mobile plans included, to publish a standard label for each plan, with its price, fees, typical speeds and data allowance. Ask for the label of any plan you are considering. Those are the lines to compare.

Check the signal where you actually are

Many people say that cheaper carriers rent a bigger carrier’s network and do not run their own. So the coverage that matters is that of the network behind the plan, and you can ask which one it is.

Then look up your home and workplace addresses. In the US, the FCC’s National Broadband Map shows each mobile provider’s reported coverage by address. The FCC says it shows coverage outdoors, not indoors, and indoors is where you may spend your day.

One person says plans on a smaller network were fine for light users; another says that network’s coverage was lacking in many areas, which makes it a risk if you need steady signal. What decides it, they said, is the coverage where you live. One person says one large network is strong in cities and weak outside them. One person lost signal in their city on a budget carrier and moved to a more expensive one with better coverage.

What cheaper plans ask of you

One person says prepaid can be very inexpensive when you use a phone you already own, while postpaid has the convenience of no monthly bill reminders, and notes that people differ on which they prefer. Some people note that a plan may need a compatible phone or a particular SIM card. One person says to bring an unlocked phone for the cheapest prepaid rates. Another says to pay off the phone you have before switching so that it can be unlocked. Ask your carrier whether your phone is locked; this page does not cover how to unlock it.

One person says a Wi-Fi-first plan was cheap, but that it can end service for someone who regularly uses a lot of cell service instead of Wi-Fi, and that it required a phone from the provider. One person says some prepaid plans are not shown on a carrier’s main page, that store staff may not offer them, and that customers ended up changing plans at home.

Some people warn that free or very cheap services can make money from your data. One person warns that overage fees can be much higher than a plan’s normal rate, and that some carriers have cut allowances and doubled the per-megabyte price.

If you swap phone minutes for an internet calling app

Some people say a calling app over Wi-Fi or data can replace paid talk minutes, which lets you use a plan with few minutes. One person uses a free internet number for most texting and rarely makes calls, and says it goes to voicemail when the phone is offline. If an app will be your only way to call, read the safety note at the top of this page first.

When someone tells you what a plan does

One person was told one thing by a salesperson in a store and the opposite by customer support, and says to confirm plan changes with customer support directly. One person warns that an agent may say they have noted something on your account without doing it, and says to check details such as a disconnect code yourself.

One person notes that government fees, such as emergency-service taxes, apply to every active line whether or not you use it, so a bill runs above the headline price of the plan. One person says big carriers monitor behaviour such as browsing a competitor’s site and may offer a retention deal. The page on saying cancel covers that conversation.

Who this page is not for

If you stream video on mobile data for hours a day, travel a lot without Wi-Fi, or need your phone as your home internet, a cheap plan may be the wrong tool. Some people say plans like these are designed for light users and that heavy users should stay with a bigger carrier or pay more. Using a phone as a hotspot for home internet is a separate job; the common questions below say why it is left out.

If money is very tight, the US government’s Lifeline program lowers the monthly phone or internet bill for people who qualify; the card on this page has the details.

In the UK, Ofcom says you can switch mobile provider and keep your number by texting PAC to 65075 to get a PAC code, which is valid for 30 days, and that your new provider must then complete the switch within one working day. In Canada and elsewhere, the plans and prices people described are different, and this page does not cover them; your country’s telecoms regulator is the place to ask.