Verizon already offers several different phone plans with unlimited data and 5G access, but they are pricey, especially if you only get one or two phone lines. Now there’s a new cheaper tier, called ‘Welcome Unlimited.’
Verizon’s confusing collection of unlimited plans includes ‘5G Start’ for $70 per month for one line, ‘5G Play More’ for $80/mo with more high-speed data and included streaming services, ‘5G Do More’ for $80/mo with some international data and other features (instead of streaming services), and finally ‘5G Get More’ with everything in other plans and more high-speed data. That’s not including the carrier’s various pre-paid plans, one of which is $65 per month for one line with no extra goodies — no tethering, no included Disney+, and so on.
The new Welcome Unlimited plan has “unlimited” talk, text, and data, but no tethering. Most “unlimited” plans have some upper limit, where high-speed data will be downgraded to 2G-level speeds, but Verizon didn’t confirm the exact limit in Welcome Unlimited (if there is one) to How-To Geek.
Pricing for the new plan (with AutoPay enabled) is $65 per month for one line, $55/mo per line for two lines, $40/mo/line for three lines, $30/mo/line with four lines, and $25/mo/line for more than five lines. As with most phone plans, the more lines you get — whether they be family members, friends, or just spare phones — the less you pay per line.
So, with all of Verizon’s existing 5G plans, does this new one make any sense? Well, it’s $5 less per month (per line) than 5G Start, which was the cheapest post-paid option from Verizon until now. However, 5G Start includes 5GB of hotspot data each month and six-month trials for various services (Disney+, Apple Music, etc.), while the new Welcome Unlimited option doesn’t include any of that. If you don’t plan on tethering, Welcome Unlimited might be a great option, but anyone else should probably stick to 5G Start or another plan.
There are also other carriers vying for your hard-earned dollars with their own budget unlimited plans. Verizon’s “digital” carrier, Visible, offers unlimited data and tethering for $40/mo on a single line. T-Mobile’s unlimited plans start at $60/mo for one line, and AT&T-owned Cricket has unlimited data starting at $55/mo with one line.
