Even two lines on the most expensive mobile-virtual-network-operator (MVNO) plans are less expensive than two lines on the cheapest postpaid plan from a major carrier. And for most people, there’s arguably little to no compromise by going with an MVNO.
With that in mind, Mint Mobile, starting at just $15 per line, is the best cell phone plan for two lines overall among the brands we’ve spent extensive time testing for daily use. In comparison, the cheapest major carrier postpaid plans with two lines average $52 per line a month.
Mint Mobile operates on T-Mobile’s network, so if T-Mobile’s coverage doesn’t work for you, the Visible Plus plan running on Verizon’s network is also an excellent option. For those with strong AT&T coverage, US Mobile’s Unlimited Starter plan on the Dark Star network is an ideal option.
Those looking for the least expensive option will find Tello’s custom plans incredibly affordable, starting as low as $6 a month per line for 1GB of data and 100 minutes of voice calls.
Prepaid major carrier plans, which are less expensive than postpaid plans, aren’t a good option, given their incredibly poor value relative to their feature sets.
Best overall: Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile Plans
Mint Mobile’s plans are prepaid in three-, six-, or twelve-month intervals and offer exceptional long-term value for up to truly unlimited monthly data on T-Mobile’s nationwide network. The MVNO features a new customer promotion that discounts each of its three-month plans at low monthly rates, starting at $15/month.
For a total of $30 a month for two lines, you can sign up for three months or 12 months to lock in that super low rate for 5GB of data. Or if unlimited data is a must, prices go up to a still very attractive $30 per line, with lower prices for smaller data packages in between, too. Better yet, the two of you can opt for different plans. Mint Mobile’s Unlimited plan offers 50GB of premium data on T-Mobile’s LTE and 5G networks. After 50GB, you still get unlimited data on a deprioritized level, which means speeds can be artificially reduced when the network is congested.
That said, we’ve never knowingly experienced data deprioritization on Mint during testing or on other carriers. If we have, deprioritized data speeds seemingly don’t affect typical day-to-day usage.
20GB of monthly mobile hotspot data is included with Mint Mobile’s Unlimited plan, which should be enough for browsing the web and messaging on a laptop. You could even stream video if you’d like, but you’d quickly run out of data. Non-unlimited plans can use their allocated data for hotspot use at no extra charge, too.
Mint Mobile operates on T-Mobile’s network, and data speeds are typically excellent in urban and suburban areas, and its rural coverage is rapidly expanding. The MVNO advertises LTE and 5G data speeds between 79 and 357Mbps, which is comfortably faster than most people need for downloading large apps and music or video streaming.
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Customer support via chat and on the phone, and Mint Mobile’s intuitive app, are unmatched among MVNOs. However, without physical locations, in-person support isn’t possible.
Mint Mobile’s biggest limitation, which won’t be a problem for many, is the lack of separate data plans for connected devices, like cellular versions of smartwatches and tablets.
Best unlimited
Visible Wireless Plans
Visible’s standard plan offers unlimited talk, text, and data (subject to deprioritization) on Verizon’s standard 5G network for $25/month. The Visible Plus and Plus Pro plans guarantee unlimited premium data and include other features and perks for higher monthly rates.
One caveat to consider before you check out Visible Wireless for two plans: you’ll need separate logins for each Visible user in your household, but you can use the same card for both bills. It’s a minor inconvenience compared to just being able to order both at the same time, but the low prices and quality network make it more than worth the setup effort. We should know, it’s something we do for two lines ourselves as paying customers.
Settings like payments, plan features, Global Pass, and password resets are locked to the account holder, but at least Visible doesn’t care if you use the same card for both bills.
For unlimited data power users, there’s no plan we’d recommend more than Visible’s Plus plan for $35 a month per line. The value for infinite data at fast speeds is incredible here. When Visible isn’t running a promotion (which it often is), the annual payment option reduces the Plus plan’s monthly cost to $31.25 a month per line, for a total of $750 a year for two lines.
It includes truly unlimited premium data on Verizon’s LTE, basic 5G, and fastest 5G Ultra Wideband network, with no data caps, where speeds are reduced after a certain amount of data is used. The Visible Plus plan also includes truly unlimited mobile hot spot data at 10 Mbps, which is just about fast enough for streaming 1080p video on a laptop, but not great for video calls. Mint Mobile offers far faster 5G hotspot speeds, but has tighter data caps.
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As a Verizon subsidiary, Visible runs on Verizon’s network, and the Plus plan includes its full coverage. Visible advertises typical data speeds between 11 and 634Mbps.
Visible also offers cellular smartwatch connectivity in the Plus plan if your smartwatch supports it. However, it’s an optional addition that costs $10 a month. If you want smartwatch connectivity, you might as well upgrade to Visible’s Plus Pro plan, which includes smartwatch connectivity and comes out to the same price as the Plus plan with smartwatch connectivity. The Visible Plus Pro plan also includes higher-resolution video streaming (up to 4K), faster mobile hot spot data (15 Mbps), and more international features.
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Another sweet perk for the provider is its Global Pass — a no-fuss travel SIM that lets users easily switch to international use without crazy fees or new accounts. Depending on the plan, this is a free bonus that accrues monthly or can be added on for a low daily cost.
Visible lacks physical retail locations, so, like most MVNOs, support is remote-only. Plus, there’s no phone support for Visible — it’s all online chat and social media channels, which are less extensive than those of other MVNOs.
Best alternative if Mint Mobile’s coverage doesn’t work for you
US Mobile Plans
US Mobile’s plans are incredibly inexpensive, considering the amount of data you get with access to Verizon’s, AT&T’s, and T-Mobile’s full networks, including high-band 5G. Starting at $25/month for 70GB of prioritized data, the Unlimited Starter plan offers the best value of US Mobile’s plans and stands out among comparable plans from MVNOs.
Note: You can add multiple Unlimited data lines to a single bill, but you have to do so after completing the purchase of a single line. There are no discounts for extra lines on Unlimited tiers, but prices and coverage make US Mobile worth a look.
Starting at $25 a month, US Mobile’s Unlimited Starter plan lets you choose between the Dark Star (AT&T) and Warp (Verizon) networks. You get two free network switches via their “Teleportal” feature, with subsequent moves costing just $2.
Both networks share the same core specs: $25 monthly (or $22.50/mo annually), 70GB of high-speed data, and a 20GB mobile hotspot. Once you hit the 70GB cap, speeds are reduced to 1Mbps.
The deciding factor is data priority. Warp (Verizon) offers premium-priority data for faster speeds during peak times, while Dark Star (AT&T) can be deprioritized during congested times. Unless AT&T coverage is significantly better in your area, Warp is the better option.
Also, only the Warp network option supports smartwatch plans, specifically for Apple Watches and Google Pixel Watches. Samsung Galaxy Watch support is much more limited and not guaranteed.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
Even lower prices are available if you don’t mind choosing capped data allowances via US Mobile’s ‘By the Gig’ plans. Actually, prices start at $10 for 2GB, or $9 if you’re taking out two lines, as these capped plans offer discounts for extra lines. However, once you start looking at their capped plans going for 5GB+, you’ll find Mint and Visible offer much better prices.
Like most MVNOs, US Mobile doesn’t have a physical presence, so support is limited to online chat and by phone. Our experience with US Mobile’s customer support has been fully positive.
Best budget: Tello
Tello Mobile Build Your Own Plan
Backed by T-Mobile’s network, Tello’s unique Build Your Own plan allows you to customize your data and voice minutes to your specific needs and offers a low base price of $5/month.
Mint Mobile is very affordable already, and excellent value, but if you need to shave a few extra bucks off, Tello and its custom plans are worth a look. You can customize a plan to include almost exactly the amount of data and voice minutes you need, and it lets you create incredibly affordable plans.
Sarah Saril/Business Insider
What I love about Tello’s no-contract deals is how you can select limited voice minutes instead of unlimited to reduce the plan’s cost. For example, a solid 10GB plan with unlimited voice minutes is $15 a month.
You can even pay as low as $8 a month per line for 2GB of data with 300 minutes, or even $5 a month for 300 voice minutes with no data. We see the tiers offered to new customers change quite often with Tello. Not so long ago, there were options with just 1GB of data and 100 minutes, but as things have changed, those allowances have been increased.
Tello is already very cheap if you don’t need many allowances, so there aren’t any discounts for taking out multiple lines. When ordering, each line can be ordered individually, but they don’t have to be the same, and you can pay for them all with a single payment method.
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Tello uses T-Mobile’s network and advertises speeds between 79-357Mbps on 5G connections and 13-61Mbps on 4G. All Tello data is deprioritized, but again, we’ve never faced any issues with it.
Four main compromises with MVNO versus major carriers
T-Mobile; Verizon
I’ve alluded above to the reduced support options that come with MVNOs. Few MVNO options, if any, have physical retail locations for in-person support, and most support is via phone or online chat.
If you buy a phone from an MVNO, you’re usually paying full price, which is a stark contrast to the huge deals offered by major carriers, where you can get some newly released phones for free or at a big discount. However, major carrier deals usually come with conditions, such as using the phone for 2 or 3 years before getting a new one, depending on the carrier. These major carrier conditions limit when you can buy a new phone, and might not work for everyone.
MVNOs, like those listed above, typically don’t offer multi-line discounts as major carriers do. Still, two MVNO lines at full price are considerably cheaper than two major carrier lines, even with their associated discounts.
Once you get to three or four lines, you can consider major carriers. Depending on the carrier, three- or four-line plans may cost the same or less than MVNO plans, and could even come with a free phone and some nice perks.
MVNOs don’t usually offer perks, like discounts on popular streaming services. Verizon, for example, offers discounts on the Disney+ bundle, the Netflix and Max bundle, Apple One, Apple Music Family, and YouTube Premium. T-Mobile also offers discounts on Apple TV Plus and Netflix.
How we test cell phone plans for two people
We’ve personally tested major carriers and MVNOs to evaluate their network experience and customer support. We also assess the value of each plan offered by major carriers and MVNOs, and compare their data and features.
For two-line plans, specifically, we gauged the value offered by major carriers and MVNOs, and found that MVNOs offer significantly better value with little compromise. Major carrier plans start making more sense from a value standpoint once you have three or more lines, depending on the carrier.
What to look for
The first thing you need to establish is which carrier network offers the best coverage for your area and the places you visit. A plan’s value won’t matter if you can’t use it. We’re ruling out major carriers for this guide, so make sure to check which major carrier network each MVNO option uses.
After that, you only need to decide how much data you need each month, whether it’s unlimited or limited. With MVNOs, you can choose two different plans with varying data allowances to suit each person’s needs. For example, one line can have unlimited data, and the other can have limited data.
Unless you’re signing up for a 12-month plan right off the bat, you’ll often find that you’re able to change your plan around as well if you decide you need more data, or realize you’re not using as much as you thought, and want to move down one to save a few bucks a month.
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