Making a two-line cellphone plan fit into your finances can be tough when major carriers are asking $75 or more per line for their top plans. But you don't need to empty your proverbial piggy bank to give you and your partner (or whoever else you're sharing with) a reliable wireless plan.
I checked half a dozen of the largest providers looking for the best deals. Here are the cheapest two-line family plans I found.
Cheapest two-line family plans
The most affordable two-line family plans are prepaid options from Cricket and Mint Mobile. These are good options if you don't need unlimited data.
Cricket 5 GB Plan
Price: $60 a month ($30 per line)
Includes: Unlimited talk and text, plus up to 5GB of high-speed data each. No mobile hotspot data included.
Details: This is a prepaid plan that you pay monthly. Taxes are already included in the price.
Mint Mobile 5 GB 12 Month Plan
Price: $360 paid annually ($30 a month, or $15 per line)
Includes: Unlimited talk and text, plus up to 40GB of high-speed data each (then unlimited data at a lower speed). Also includes up to 5GB of mobile hotspot data, as well as free calls to Canada and Mexico.
Details: This is a prepaid plan that you pay annually. Taxes and fees are extra. You'll need to activate each Family Plan line separately, then connect them in your Mint Mobile account.
Cheapest two-line unlimited plans
If you regularly hit your data cap, an unlimited plan could be the better option. Note that most "unlimited" plans have caps on high-speed data and will slow your speeds if you use too much.
Mint Mobile Unlimited 12 Month Plan
Price: $740 paid annually ($60 a month, or $30 a line)
Includes: Unlimited talk and text, plus up to 40GB of high-speed data each (then unlimited data at a lower speed). Also includes up to 10GB of mobile hotspot data, as well as free calls to Canada and Mexico.
Details: This is a prepaid plan that you pay annually. Taxes and fees are extra. You'll need to activate each Family Plan line separately, then connect them in your Mint Mobile account.
T-Mobile Essentials Saver
Price: $90 a month ($45 per line)
Includes: Unlimited talk and text, plus up to 50GB of high-speed data each (then unlimited data at a lower speed). Unlimited 3G hotspot data included, but no high-speed mobile hotspot data. Also includes unlimited talk, text, data (up to 128 kbps) in Canada and Mexico.
Details: This is a postpaid plan that you pay monthly, and it requires setting up autopay. Taxes and fees are extra. The plan might not be available for the same price in all locations.
Cricket Unlimited + 15 GB Hotspot
Price: $90 a month ($45 per line)
Includes: Unlimited talk, text, and data, and up to 15GB of mobile hotspot data each. Plan also includes unlimited talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada. Additionally, get a complimentary subscription to Max with ads, as well as 150 GB of cloud storage.
Details: This is a prepaid plan that you pay monthly. Taxes are already included in the price.
How you pay your phone bill matters
Beyond choosing your plan carefully, how you choose to pay for that plan can also impact how much you save. For example, most providers offer discounts for setting up autopay and/or paperless billing.
Additionally, paying with the right rewards credit card can have some big advantages.
1. Rewards
A competitive flat-rate cash back rewards card will earn at least 2% back on purchases, including cellphone bills. But that's not even the best you can do. Some cards offer bonus rewards on cellphone plans, with the best offering 5% back.
It's especially easy to earn big on wireless costs if you own a business, since several great small business credit cards offer this bonus category. However, you can also find a few personal rewards cards that will give bonus rewards on cellphone bills.
2. Cellphone insurance
Another increasingly popular credit card perk is cellphone insurance. Basically, if you pay your cellphone bill with an eligible credit card, you could get reimbursed if your phone is damaged or stolen. Most cellphone insurance perks will have a yearly cap and small deductible to use them, but this could easily be worth hundreds if something happens to your phone.
There are lots of ways to cut down your cellphone bill, from picking the right plan to choosing the right payment method. Staying connected doesn't have to mean breaking the bank.
