All the basics at an affordable price
T-Mobile Essential 55
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For people who need big data
T-Mobile Go5G Plus 55
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For Florida residents age 55 and older
verizon 55 plus
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For Florida seniors who don’t want Verizon
AT&T Unlimited 55 Plus
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Everyone with a cell phone has to choose which carrier and options to use, but not everyone’s needs are the same, including older friends and family members. There are many things to consider when choosing the best phone plan for seniors.
A good place to start is with the best phone plan page. This page categorizes the best phone plans from major US carriers, small carriers, and other providers. While some plans may look similar, a closer comparison reveals a variety of attractive benefits and terms. All standard 5G plans offer virtually the same speeds as other plans, but speeds and coverage may vary by carrier and location. The features of the plans themselves vary. Some offer more data per month, and some offer additional services such as streaming service subscriptions on top of mobile hotspot data.
Carriers also offer plans that offer discounts to people 55 and older. These options can also be combined with other trades, which can be helpful for those using fixed income. Such plans typically include some or all of the same features as other plans. Below, we have pointed out how these plans differ from standard plans. For the most part, subscribers shouldn’t expect much of a difference in service, but some of these plans are missing some fun perks like bundled streaming services.
What is the best phone plan for seniors?
T-Mobile’s Essentials 55 plan is a discounted version of the carrier’s Essentials plan suitable for customers age 55 and older, making it especially affordable. We prioritize this quality for readers on a budget. Despite this value, the Essentials 55 has 5G connectivity and 50GB of data, which is plenty for a no-frills service without the bells and whistles of more expensive plans.
Best senior phone plans in 2024
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For one or two users who just want to stay connected at reasonable speeds and don’t need a lot of extra features (or don’t want to pay too much), T-Mobile is better suited for seniors than its competitors. We offer significantly cheaper plans. Essentials 55. This plan includes 5G access for $40/month for one line or $55/month for 2 lines when you sign up for automatic payments. You can’t expand to 3 or 4 lines, but it’s the best value for one or two people.
This trade-off is fine-grained, as Essentials 55 customers experience reduced speeds when they use more than 50GB of data per month, or when T-Mobile’s network is congested due to customer extensive activity. suggests that some customers are a lower priority than other customers. Video quality also “usually” streams at 480p, and tethering maxes out at his 3G speeds (he’s 2G speeds in Mexico and Canada).
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T-Mobile also offers discounted versions of many of its regular plans for customers age 55 and older. If you want a little more features, data, and extras like buying a new phone every few years, T-Mobile’s slightly discounted Go5G Plus 55 is worth checking out.
Go5G Plus 55 plans are $70 per month for 1 line and $100 per month for 2 lines (expandable to $150 per month for 3 lines and $200 per month for 4 lines) with automatic payments enabled. With the current discount, this plan costs the same as the standard Go5G Plus plan if you use autopay, but is cheaper than the regular plan if you don’t plan to use autopay. This plan includes the same features as T-Mobile’s standard plan, including up to 4K streaming, 50 GB of 4G LTE hotspot data, and 15 GB of high-speed data (in some regions, only 4G LTE, not 5G speeds). Includes perks. Mexico and Canada. Additionally, Apple TV Plus and Netflix subscriptions are included.
This plan also allows subscribers to upgrade their phones every two years. This is the same headline benefit that the standard His Go5G Plus plan was launched with. The only caveat is that the plan owner will have to pay off her 50% of the existing phone before upgrading, but it’s not that big of an issue for most subscribers. Subscribers will also receive the same discounts on their devices that T-Mobile offers to new customers switching from other carriers.
The Go5G Next 55 plans are more expensive at $80 per month for one line and $120 per month for two lines (expandable to up to four lines), but are identical except for one thing. Subscribers can upgrade their phones with new customer device offers every year. Every two years.
Note that T-Mobile also offers Go5G 55, Magenta 55 Plus, and Magenta Max 55 Plus plans. These plans are cheaper than the plans above, but offer less mobile hotspot data and streaming services, and don’t include two years of phone upgrades. If you want to live without upgrading your phone and want to save a few bucks every month, choose the Magenta Max 55 Plus plan. It costs $65/month for 1 line or $90/month for 2 lines with 40GB of hotspot data per month and offers: 4K streaming video.
Additionally, only customers signing up for these plans must be 55 years of age or older. Those in the additional rows do not have to meet that criteria.
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Mint Mobile’s Mint 55 Plus plan is modest but affordable, starting at $15 per month per line if you sign up 12 months in advance, $20 per month for 6 months, and $25 per month for 3 months. And it’s cheap. New customers can try his network for three months for a monthly fee of $15.
In exchange, the Mint 55 Plus plan only offers 5 GB of data per month, and mobile hotspot usage is drawn from that cap. Mint operates on T-Mobile’s 5G network, offering the same 5G and 4G LTE service and availability as T-Mobile’s native customers. This plan doesn’t offer any bundled extras, such as subscriptions to streaming services, but it does offer on-call technical support for starting your plan, transferring your phone number to the service, and troubleshooting issues. Provides access to MINTech Advisor.
You cannot currently sign up for Mint 55 Plus online. To sign up over the phone, you must call Mint’s hotline at 833-655-1768.
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Verizon offers a discounted plan for people 55 and older, but it comes with a big caveat. That means it’s only available to Florida residents. If you meet this requirement, you can get a discounted plan that is almost similar to the standard Verizon plan.
Verizon offers its 55 Plus Unlimited plan for $62 per month for one line, or $84 for two lines if you sign up for automatic payments. New customers switching to Verizon may find it easier to sign up. If you are already a Verizon customer, you will need to contact customer support to have your plan changed to Unlimited 55. This plan includes 5G Ultra Wideband service with unlimited low-speed (600Kbps) mobile hotspot access, but there are no additional bundled features. Similar to the streaming services that can be added to his traditional Verizon plan.
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Verizon isn’t the only major U.S. carrier with special plans for seniors living in Florida. AT&T has a slightly cheaper Unlimited 55 Plus plan ($60 for 1 line, $80 for 2 lines). The plan includes 5G access and voice and data connectivity in Canada and Mexico. Current AT&T customers should visit the AT&T Store to confirm they qualify for the plan. AT&T offers additional discounts to her AARP members in Florida.
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Your choice of wireless plan and carrier is most important. What suits you or your elderly family member’s needs may be very different from the needs of your friend or neighbor.
Although we prioritize affordability and availability in our list, they may not be the most important factors to you. If not, we recommend checking out our more general guides to plans, such as the best cell phone plans and the best family phone plans.
Aside from the value for older customers, different carriers offer different services. Geographically, AT&T has better coverage in some areas, while other areas work better with Verizon or T-Mobile’s networks. Our recommendations are based on years of research and evaluation of wireless carriers, their services, and performance.
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See if you’re actually saving money. Is it a better deal than your carrier’s standard plans and benefits? Most senior-only plans don’t make much of a difference, so make sure it’s worth pursuing.
Ensure availability: Some plans are restricted to certain states or otherwise, so it’s worth checking the fine print to determine if you’re being arbitrarily locked out of an attractive plan.
Check coverage area. Find out if people around you are happy with their carrier and plan. Online forums, social media, and even asking your neighbors can help you determine if the speed or service you’re signing up for is disappointing. If you’re switching to an advanced plan with your existing carrier, check to see if a competitor offers better service. Here’s a guide to switching carriers.
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