Best Verizon Cell Phone Plans: How They Work and Which Ones to Choose

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Verizon is the country's largest wireless carrier—and it's also one of the most complex to shop. That's because the carrier now offers two distinct plan structures: the new Verizon Simplicity plan, which puts every line on the same flat-rate plan, and the myPlan lineup, which lets you mix and match Unlimited Welcome, Unlimited Plus, and Unlimited Ultimate while adding optional perks to individual lines.

Neither approach is inherently better. The right choice depends on how many lines you have, how much premium data and hotspot access you need, whether you travel internationally, and whether you prefer the flexibility of myPlan or the straightforward pricing of Verizon Simplicity.

This guide breaks down both options, explains the differences, and recommends the best Verizon plans for different types of users. By the end, you'll know whether Verizon Simplicity or myPlan is the better fit—and what you can expect to pay.

How Verizon Plans Work

Before we get into picks, it helps to understand the two structures Verizon is currently selling.

The Simplicity Plan: Verizon's New Customizable Option

Verizon is fundamentally changing the way it presents its cell phone plan options with the new Simplicity.

Simplicity allows you to sign up for a very affordable base plan—$30/month per line—and add on features that make sense to you. The plan comes with 5G Ultra Wideband access (more on what that means in a moment), a 10 GB mobile hotspot, satellite texting, Verizon Dollars rewards, and international roaming built in. You can choose from a menu of perks (similar to myPlan) to add on, like streaming bundles, extra hotspot data, and international perks.

The catch: if you want Simplicity, every line on your account moves to Simplicity together. You can't mix Simplicity with any myPlan tier on the same account.

myPlan: Three Tiers, Mix-and-Match Flexibility

The myPlan lineup — Unlimited Welcome, Unlimited Plus, and Unlimited Ultimate — is Verizon's existing structure. Per-line pricing drops as you add lines, so families get a meaningful discount at three or four lines. Each line on a myPlan account can be on a different tier, which is useful if, say, you want Plus for yourself but Welcome for a kid who mostly just texts.

What sets myPlan apart is the optional perks system. For $10–$15/month per perk, you can add streaming subscriptions (Disney+, Netflix & Max, Apple One, YouTube Premium), extra hotspot data, Walmart+ membership, and more — and each line can choose its own perks independently.

The Key Difference at a Glance

• Simplicity: Flat rate, no flexibility, 5G UW included, limited hotspot, all-or-nothing for the account
• myPlan: Tiered pricing, mix-and-match by line, optional perks, more hotspot at higher tiers

What Is 5G UW?

You'll see "5G Ultra Wideband" (5G UW) mentioned throughout this guide. Here's what it means in plain language.

Verizon runs three types of 5G. Low-band 5G ("Nationwide 5G") covers a huge geographic area but isn't dramatically faster than 4G LTE. Mid-band 5G (C-band) is significantly faster and covers most major cities. High-band 5G (mmWave) is the fastest but has very limited range — mostly dense urban areas and venues. Verizon brands its C-band and mmWave coverage together as 5G Ultra Wideband (5G UW). When a plan includes 5G UW, you get access to those faster mid- and high-band speeds when you're in a covered area.

Unlimited Welcome does not include 5G UW — even if you have a 5G UW-capable phone. You'll get low-band 5G only. Every other plan in this guide includes 5G UW access.

Best Build-Your-Own Verizon Plan

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Best Overall Verizon Plan

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Best Verizon Family Plan

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Best Affordable Verizon Plan

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What About Verizon Prepaid Plans?

While we’ve focused on Verizon’s postpaid offerings so far, it’s important to note that the carrier sells prepaid plans as well.  

These consist of three options: the $60/month Unlimited Plus, the $50/month Unlimited, and the $35/month 15GB. All three of the prepaid plans include access to Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband coverage, talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada, and unlimited texting to over 200 countries. If you’re interested in switching to Verizon, want to avoid a credit check, and are more comfortable paying for your cell phone service ahead of time each month, these plan options are worth considering. 

If you’re seeking Verizon coverage and are willing to venture further afield, there are a handful of prepaid carriers that offer discount plans aboard the Verizon network. One such carrier is Cox Mobile—check out our Cox Mobile vs. Verizon article for a comparison. 

Why Choose Verizon?

There are a number of reasons to consider going with Verizon over the likes of AT&T and T-Mobile—not to mention the variety of prepaid carriers out there—and we’ve outlined a few below. 

Verizon Coverage

Verizon’s powerful 4G and 5G networks effectively blanket the United States, so no matter where you are, you’re likely to enjoy excellent mobile service. Plus, going with Verizon over a subcarrier like Cox Mobile that rents space on the Verizon network means you’ll get priority delivery of this coverage. 

Verizon boasts the broadest 4G LTE in the country, besting the likes of AT&T and T-Mobile. The carrier’s 5G network, on the other hand, is slightly less built out—but that’s quickly changing. Verizon is aggressively expanding its 5G footprint, so we can expect its already fast Ultra Wideband coverage to increase in reach over the coming months and years. 

Verizon Mix-and-Match Options

Verizon was the first major carrier to allow customers to choose individual plans for each line—i.e. “mix-and-match.” Verizon recently took this concept a step further, allowing each customer on a multiline plan to choose his or own set of perks as part of the myPlan system. This is something no other major carrier—or smaller carrier for that matter—offers. 

Verizon myPlan Perks

While some may bemoan the fact that Verizon has broken out perks that used to be included with unlimited plans and made new customers pay extra for them via myPlan. From international data privileges to streaming subscriptions to hotspot data, myPlan allows Verizon customers to customize their plans with exactly what they need.

The Bottom Line

As one of the country’s three major mobile providers (along with AT&T and T-Mobile), Verizon offers a tidy selection of wireless plans that come backed by powerful national 4G and 5G coverage. 

Our favorite overall Verizon plan is Unlimited Plus at $80/month for one line, since it delivers most of what you’d typically want from a Verizon plan. Our favorite Verizon family plan is Unlimited Ultimate, which costs $55/month for four lines. Lastly, we think the best affordable option from Verizon is the $65/month (for a single line) Unlimited Welcome. It’s hard to go wrong with any of these plans, especially when you can customize them with perks via Verizon’s myPlan program. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest unlimited plan for Verizon?

The cheapest unlimited plan from Verizon is the Welcome Unlimited plan, which costs $30 per line per month for four lines with Auto Pay.

What is the average Verizon cell phone bill?

The average monthly Verizon bill typically ranges around $80 to $120 for individual users, depending on the chosen plan and features. Verizon’s unlimited plans generally start at about $80 per month.

Does Verizon have a plan discount for seniors?

Verizon offers a senior-specific discount plan called the "55+ Unlimited" plan, available only to residents of Florida. This plan costs around $42 per line per month when adding two lines, providing unlimited talk, text, and data along with 4G data and hotspot usage.