Verizon offers a variety of feature-packed unlimited data plans so you can ditch worrying about data caps each billing cycle. But all that choice can itself feel overwhelming when determining which plan type actually fits your needs and budget best.
As a telecommunications analyst, I‘ve explored Verizon‘s different unlimited data plan offerings in depth. My aim here is to provide straightforward recommendations based on usage habits – saving you the headache of deciphering all the fine print yourself.
Below you‘ll find a comprehensive overview highlighting the critical differences between Verizon‘s main unlimited smartphone plans regarding dataPrioritization and throttling policies, perks, pricing at multiple line counts, performance metrics like streaming resolution and typical speeds, and more.
My goal is to synthesize the essentials into clear guidance: how do you determine which flavor of unlimited data makes the most sense for your household?
First, let‘s briefly recap the mainstream unlimited plan options…
Verizon‘s Unlimited Plan Lineup
Verizon currently offers five key unlimited plans:
- Verizon Welcome Unlimited
- Verizon Plus Unlimited
- Verizon Go Unlimited
- Verizon Beyond Unlimited
- Verizon Above Unlimited
While all five provide unlimited high-speed data, calls and texts, they differ quite a bit regarding video quality, premium data amounts before throttling, mobile hotspot data allotments, and extra perks.
The high-level differences can be summarized as:
| Plan | Video Quality | Premium Data | Mobile Hotspot | Price Per Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome Unlimited | 480p | None | None | $25/line |
| Plus Unlimited | 480p | 50GB | 30GB | $30/line |
| Go Unlimited (business) | 480p | None | Unlimited* | $40/line |
| Beyond Unlimited | 720p HD | 22GB | 15GB | $50/line |
| Above Unlimited | 720p HD | 75GB | 20GB | $60/line |
*Throttled after 25GB of usage
With this wide range of options with differing amounts of full-speed data, video quality, and hotspot usage allotments, deciding what exactly makes the most sense can feel daunting.
To simplify things, let‘s explore some key questions to narrow down what unlimited plan aligns best with your usage needs and budget.
Do You Need Top Video Streaming Quality?
When choosing an unlimited data cell phone plan, one of the biggest considerations is what resolution of video streaming you need.
Streaming high-definition 720p video consumes much more monthly data than standard definition 480p. So first consider your actual usage habits here along with your devices‘ displays.
- For smartphone-focused users, 720p HD may be overkill given the compact screen sizes.welcome or Plus Unlimited‘s 480p cap may be reasonable to conserve data for other tasks.
- For families streaming lots of shows and movies on tablets or laptops, however, moving up to Beyond or Above Unlimited‘s 720p video will better match those larger screens and usage habits.
Below is a breakdown of how streaming video resolution compares across Verizon‘s unlimited plans:
| Plan | Video Streaming Resolution |
|---|---|
| Welcome Unlimited | 480p SD |
| Plus Unlimited | 480p SD |
| Go Unlimited | 480p SD |
| Beyond Unlimited | 720p HD |
| Above Unlimited | 720p HD |
Only the two priciest options provide 720p high def streaming. For context, 480p translates to DVD quality, 720p to basic HD, and 1080p to full high definition.
Unless you have a burning desire for everyone in the family to watch shows and movies in 720p HD on tablets and laptops everywhere out of your home WiFi network, I typically recommend Welcome or Plus Unlimited for most households to conserve monthly data.
But intensive media streamers will appreciate Above Unlimited‘s generous 75GB priority data allotment and 720p streaming support.
How Much Monthly Data Do You Really Use?
Back in the days of capped data plans with overage fees, we all had to meticulously track our data usage to avoid costly overages. Family members streaming concerts in HD could single-handedly blow through limits!
The arrival of unlimited data options changed the game, letting you ignore caps and focus on actual usage needs. Still, different unlimited data plan types prioritize certain amounts of full-speed data per month before potential throttling kicks in.
So a key step in choosing the best unlimited deal lies in better understanding both your current data usage habits and projected needs as media usage continues growing over time for most households.
Here is an overview of throttling thresholds and priority data amounts across Verizon‘s main unlimited lineup:
| Plan | Premium Data Before Throttling |
|---|---|
| Welcome Unlimited | None |
| Plus Unlimited | 50GB |
| Go Unlimited | None |
| Beyond Unlimited | 22GB |
| Above Unlimited | 75GB |
For Welcome Unlimited, throttling based on network congestion can kick in at any time with no guaranteed full-speed data allotment. Plus Unlimited provides 50GB before reductions, while Beyond Unlimited offers 22GB. Above Unlimited caters to power users with 75GB priority data per month.
To determine what tier reasonably fits your household‘s data needs, first check your monthly data usage over the past 6 months. On iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular; on Android check the data meter in settings or your carrier‘s app.
Here are data usage estimates across common user types:
| User Type | Average Monthly Usage | Good Plan Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Light User (Email, social media, web browsing only | < 2GB | Welcome Unlimited |
| Moderate User (light streaming 1-2 hours daily) | 5 – 15GB | Plus Unlimited |
| Heavy User (streams often, plays mobile games) | 15 – 50GB | Beyond or Above Unlimited |
| Extreme User (4K video streaming, large file downloads, mobile hotspot) | 75GB+ | Above Unlimited |
As you can see, Welcome Unlimited fits lighter data diets focusing just on emails, social media and light web use rather than heavy streaming. Plus Unlimited covers the average user streaming shows or movies for a couple hours daily.
For anything beyond moderate usage, especially constant HD video streaming, mobile gaming, or large app downloads, Beyond or Above Unlimited better match needs with 20-75+GB priority data before any throttling may occur.
Projecting Future Data Needs
It‘s also helpful to consider how your data needs may grow in the coming years. Video streaming continues to become more data intensive with 4K streaming gaining popularity. Add in emerging technologies like VR, AR, and cloud gaming coming down the pipeline.
I always recommend buffering a little extra high-speed data limit now if affordable to "future proof" your unlimited plan choice for a few years rather than risking needing to upgrade again soon.
Below is a table projecting usage growth across user types over the next 2-3 years:
| User Type | 2025 Projected Monthly Usage | Recommended Plan Today |
|---|---|---|
| Light User | 3 – 5GB | Welcome Unlimited |
| Moderate User | 10 – 25GB | Beyond or Above Unlimited |
| Heavy User | 25 – 75GB+ | Above Unlimited |
| Extreme User | 100GB+ | Above Unlimited |
Seeing these projections, moderate users today should consider Beyond or Above Unlimited now to support their near-term growth rather than needing to upgrade again in a year or two.
Do You Need Mobile Hotspot Support?
Most Verizon unlimited plans also allow using your phone‘s data connection to create a mini hotspot bridge accessing data from another device like a tablet, laptop or second smartphone. Video streaming, downloads and more are supported.
However, mobile hotspot data amounts before throttling vary quite a bit:
| Plan | Monthly Mobile Hotspot Data |
|---|---|
| Welcome Unlimited | None |
| Plus Unlimited | 30GB |
| Go Unlimited | Unlimited* |
| Beyond Unlimited | 15GB |
| Above Unlimited | 20GB |
*Throttled after 25GB of usage
For moderate hotspot needs, Plus Unlimited‘s 30GB full-speed allotment usually avoids limitation. Beyond Unlimited matches that reasonably for folks using laptops out and about to complete work. Even Above Unlimited only bumps up to 20GB rather than unlimited high-speed tethering due to potential network congestion.
But users constantly depending on their phone as a primary internet hotspot would appreciate moving to Go Unlimited‘s unthrottled (but slower) unlimited hotspot support.
When combined with projections around 5G and WiFi 6 boosting hotspot performance greatly in coming years, the 30GB threshold suits most users adequately today. Unless you broadcast a household‘s internet from your phone daily, current allotments should suffice.
Comparing Performance: Priority Levels & Typical Speeds
Digging deeper technically, Verizon also prioritizes network usage across unlimited plans via QoS (Quality of Service) tiering and subscriber priority levels. When connected to the same overloaded cell tower, those tiers impact who sees faster speeds. It gets quite complex!
Here is a simplified overview of how Verizon ranks usage priority across their unlimited plans in congested scenarios:
| Plan | Subscriber Priority Level | Real-World Speed Impact? |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome Unlimited | Lowest | Potential throttling anytime with congestion |
| Plus Unlimited | Middle | Congestion throttling unlikely with 50GB data used |
| Go Unlimited | Middle | Video throttled, data rarely affected |
| Beyond Unlimited | Higher | Rare throttling with 22GB data used |
| Above Unlimited | Highest | Virtually no speed impact from congestion |
In practice during network congestion, Welcome Unlimited lines get deprioritized first leading lowest speeds. Above Unlimited users meanwhile maintain Verizon‘s full speeds thanks to top network priority.
The next table provides an overview of typical download speeds you can expect on each unlimited plan in congested and uncongested scenarios:
| Plan | Uncongested LTE Download Speed | Congested Tower Download Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome | 25-50Mbps | 5-10Mbps |
| Plus | 25-50Mbps | 10-25Mbps |
| Go | 25-50Mbps | 10-25Mbps |
| Beyond | 25-50Mbps | 15-30Mbps |
| Above | 25-50Mbps+ | 20-50Mbps |
So in real-world usage, most unlimited plans deliver Verizon‘s full LTE speeds when towers remain uncongested. But when connected to an overloaded tower, usage priority determines who sees faster downloads or streaming capacity.
For moderate users on Welcome or Plus Unlimited, a congested tower might mean videos take longer to start loading. But emails and web browsing remain usable with 5-10Mbps speeds. Power users on Beyond or Above Unlimited maintain higher relative speeds even when congested.
It takes quite extreme congestion for any unlimited plan speeds to crawl below usability thresholds nowadays. But know priority levels impact experiences especially for streaming latency.
Weighing Multi-Line Pricing Factors
Adding extra lines to any of Verizon‘s unlimited plans stays straightforward with each additional line costing the same monthly price. You don‘t encounter situations where line #3 or #5 oddly costs more.
But it still helps to map out total costs for multi-line scenarios.
Below are total monthly charges for Verizon unlimited plans at 1 line, 2 lines, 3 lines and 4 lines. This factors no extra perks or device payment plans – just service charges.
| Plan | 1 Line | 2 Lines | 3 Lines | 4 Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome Unlimited | $25 | $50 | $75 | $100 |
| Plus Unlimited | $30 | $60 | $90 | $120 |
| Go Unlimited | $40 | $80 | $120 | $160 |
| Beyond Unlimited | $50 | $100 | $150 | $200 |
| Above Unlimited | $60 | $120 | $180 | $240 |
A few interesting notes:
- Welcome and Plus Unlimited stay under $100 combined even for 3 lines – excellent for budget-focused shoppers.
- Go Unlimited oddly costs more than Plus Unlimited for the exact same features. Go becomes more cost effective at 5+ business lines.
- Beyond Unlimited hits the $100/month mark at just 2 lines.
For families willing to balance data needs with costs, Welcome and Plus Unlimited bring reasonable affordability even at multiple lines. But heavy users will pay the premium prices of Beyond and Above Unlimited in exchange for extra streaming quality and monthly full-speed data.
If trying to support 3 teenagers constantly streaming HD video, paying Above Unlimited‘s $180 monthly rate brings peace of mind avoiding throttling and overages. Light user families can rely on Welcome Unlimited‘s generous talk and text inclusion with data as a secondary priority to control costs.
Recommendations: Best Unlimited Plan Fit By User Type
Hopefully mapping out all the core differences across Verizon‘s unlimited options helps narrow down what plan type best aligns with your household‘s needs…
To summarize, here are my toprecommendations on which unlimited plan fits best for common user types:
Light Users
Typical Usage: Minimal video streaming, social media, email, web browsing
Best Verizon Plan Fit
- Welcome Unlimited – Provides all you need at fantastic affordability
Moderate Users
Typical Usage: 1-3 hours video streaming daily, social media, gaming
Best Verizon Plan Fit
- Plus Unlimited – Adds premium data for under $30/month
Heavy Users
Typical Usage: Heavy daily video streaming, downloads, mobile gaming
Best Verizon Plan Fit
- Beyond Unlimited – Bumps up video resolution and premium data cap over Plus Unlimited for reasonable monthly step-up
Extreme Users
Typical Usage: Constant HD/4K video streaming, large app downloads, mobile hotspotting
Best Verizon Plan Fit
- Above Unlimited – Delivers truly unlimited speeds thanks to 75GB full-speed data provisioning before any throttling may occur
Businesses
Typical Usage: Reliable unlimited data across entire teams
Best Verizon Plan Fit
- Go Unlimited – Designed for 5-20 lines of business usage across phones, tablets and laptops
Final Thoughts
I hope this comprehensive guide gives you clarity in choosing an unlimited data plan tailored exactly for your needs. Mapping out differences in full-speed data amounts, video resolution, hotspot access, multi-line pricing and performance prioritization makes for informed comparison shopping.
If still weighing options between tiers, I always recommend considering both your current usage and likely growth over the next 2-3 years. Paying marginally more monthly now for extra priority data or hotspot allotments avoids needing to upgrade plans again soon.
And with Verizon enabling mixing and matching features via their subscription add-ons, you can always try a lower base unlimited plan first and complement with extras like Disney+ as needed month-to-month.
Bottom line – think about your unique usage habits first, then map to the unlimited tier offering just enough extra data and streaming quality without overspending monthly. Enjoy streaming, downloading and hotspotting without worrying about surprise data overages again!
Let me know if any other questions come up around choosing the ideal Verizon unlimited plan for your situation!
