As a telecommunications analyst who has studied Verizon‘s offerings for over a decade, I‘ve seen their unlimited plans evolve dramatically to keep pace with America‘s voracious data appetites. What started in 2017 with a lone option has expanded into different plans tailored to usage needs.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll compare Verizon‘s latest unlimited plan options in 2023 so you can determine which one best fits your household. You‘ll get insider tips from my years of expertise tracking Verizon‘s strategies and innovations in the hyper-competitive wireless market.
Let‘s dive in!
A Brief History of Innovation in Verizon Unlimited
Verizon launched their first unlimited data option in February 2017 after years of solely offering metered plans. This inaugural plan was very limited, restricting video to 720p and lacking any mobile hotspot functionality.
However, Verizon Unlimited has seen continual improvements over time:
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Late 2017 – Welcome Unlimited introduced as more affordable base option. Go Unlimited added more premium data and perks.
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2018 – Introduction of business-focused Beyond Unlimited plan with 50% more premium data than Go Unlimited.
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2019 – First integrated 5G access and launch of highest tier Above Unlimited plan with more hotspot data, priority access and 75GB before throttling.
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2022 – Recent upgrades doubling premium data for Go,Beyond,Above plans showcasing Verizon‘s innovation and responding to competition.
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This innovation often directly responds to pressure from T-Mobile and AT&T. But it benefits us as consumers through faster speeds, higher allowances, and more integrated services over time.
Now let‘s do a full run down of Verizon‘s current unlimited plan options as they stand at the start of 2023.
Comparing Verizon‘s Unlimited Plan Options Side-by-Side
Verizon strategically offers unlimited plans spanning the spectrum so they can appeal to casual smartphone users and data-heavy households alike. Here they all are at a glance:
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- Monthly price
- Monthly premium data before throttling
- Video streaming quality
- Mobile hotspot data amounts
- Accessibility to 5G networks
- Bundled perks
This makes it easy to visualize the core differences across Welcome, Go, Beyond and Above Unlimited plans.
You can see how the Welcome Unlimited plan is positioned clearly as an entry-level option. It offers unlimited talk, text and LTE data but video streams at 480p quality and lacks any mobile hotspot functionality. Plus speeds are deprioritized from the start.
Whereas the Beyond and Above Unlimited plans cater more to power users with copious high-speed premium data, rapid 5G access where available, 15-20GB of hotspot data, and HD streaming.
But naturally you pay more for these enhanced capabilities and network priority.
Best Verizon Unlimited Plan By User Type
Next let‘s explore which plan fits best depending on your usage habits and priorities as a consumer.
The Welcome Unlimited plan works well for those with very light usage who don‘t stream much video and stick primarily to social media, web browsing, email and messaging. It‘s an affordable way to get on Verizon‘s reliable network.
However, the lack of any mobile hotspot allowance and video throttling makes this insufficient for moderate to higher data subscribers.
Stepping up to the Go Unlimited plan unlocks faster peak data speeds up to 5-12Mbps, HD streaming access and WiFi hotspot functionality for when you‘re away from a router.
It‘s a solid bang-for-buck option suited for individuals or families focused primarily on spending less per month. Just know you have a bit less premium data before throttling may kick in during congested periods.
In my opinion, Beyond Unlimited delivers the best overall value for most households. The 30GB increase over Go Unlimited for premium data keeps things humming even for families of 4 or 5 who stream, game and use data heavily month-to-month.
Plus it has similar extras like a generous 15GB of hotspot data and access to Verizon‘s rapidly expanding mid-band 5G networks for faster downloads and uploads on compatible devices. Unlimited calling to Mexico and Canada is another nice perk.
Finally the Above Unlimited plan allows you to maximize Verizon‘s network capacities with a whopping 75GB of monthly premium data per line. That‘s enough bandwidth for even the most data hungry power families before throttling may occur.
Video can also stream at up to 1080p quality over cellular on capable devices. This works well for travel vloggers uploading lots of HD footage on the move for example.
But most consumers don‘t need Above Unlimited‘s overkill data capacities which is why it costs a hefty $60 per month. Though if you absolutely despise any sort of data restrictions then it delivers an unthrottled experience.
Adding Lines and Perks to Verizon Unlimited Plans
A key benefit of Verizon‘s unlimited plans is the flexibility to tack on additional lines and services at reasonable rates.
All plans allow you to add extra lines at the same per person cost. So if you started with a single line on Go Unlimited at $40/month, adding your spouse and 2 kids would only be another $120 ($40 per extra line).
That‘s an affordable way to cover the whole family. Competitor plans often have a lower rate for the first line but charge more for each additional line.
Verizon also brilliantly allows mixing and matching extra services like streaming subscriptions, connected device plans, international talk options and more.
For example, mixing in the Disney+ bundle for just $6.99 a month extra with an unlimited plan saves 25% over the regular Disney+ price.
Basically you can finely tune a plan to your family‘s needs based on data usage patterns, desired video quality, number of devices, and extra services you regularly pay for anyway outside your wireless plan.
Bundling everything together can yield meaningful monthly savings compared to paying individually. Plus it simplifies getting just one bill through Verizon.
Understanding Key Features and Limitations of Verizon‘s Unlimited Plans
I always recommend reading the fine print when choosing any unlimited data plan. Ask questions like:
- Is video streaming quality restricted?
- Is there a monthly premium data cap before throttling kicks in?
- Does it include mobile hotspot functionality?
- Will I get access to 5G data speeds?
The Welcome Unlimited plan has the most glaring limitations especially compared to Verizon‘s higher tier options:
- Video streaming quality maxes out at 480p standard definition
- No mobile hotspot data allowance
- Always subject to data deprioritization during network congestion
- Lacks access to Verizon‘s mid and high-band 5G networks
Verizon intentionally hampered aspects of this entry-level plan so it doesn‘t cannibalize subscribers who would otherwise pay more monthly for fewer restrictions on faster speed networks.
But again for just $25 monthly for an individual user, you still get unlimited standard def streaming and 4G LTE data coverage leveraging Verizon‘s reliable nationwide network.
Just recognize the Welcome Unlimited restrictions highlighted above that might frustrate moderate to heavy data users.
The other core thing to know across ALL Verizon unlimited plans is that they may throttle data speeds after passing a certain premium data threshold during congestion on the network.
On Beyond Unlimited this threshold is 30GB monthly whereas Above Unlimited offers 75GB monthly before this network management may kick in. Both represent extremely high allowances unlikely to impact most people month to month.
But it is still technically possible if you‘re on a crowded cell tower to experience slower data – usually in populous urban areas. Just know every unlimited plan from every carrier has some sort of "unlimited*" asterisks attached.
How to Choose the Best Verizon Unlimited Plan
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- How much monthly data do you use per line?
- How much do you value mobile hotspot access?
- What video quality is important on your smartphone/tablet?
- What‘s your budget per month for cell phone service?
- Will you use 5G networks where available?
With families, be sure to tally up data usage across all lines to determine best fit. A household of 5 may very well need to step up to Beyond or Above Unlimited to get a sufficient premium data allowance shared across all members.
But a family with kids who just message friends and play some games might do fine on Go Unlimited to save money.
I always recommend building out your unlimited plan based on the most data hungry lines first. Sometimes it makes sense to have 1-2 heavy users on Beyond Unlimited while kids or grandparents reside on a Welcome or Go Unlimited lines to optimize spending.
Verizon no longer enables mixing plans this way but you can always create separate family accounts and link them to manage billing while getting the right tiers per user. That takes more work but can help certain families avoid overspending!
Be realistic about what you need today AND what you might need 12 months from now too when selecting your unlimited tier. Data usage tends to creep up over time as 5G networks expand and new apps/services roll out.
Hopefully this guide gives you confidence picking your perfect flavor of Verizon Unlimited plan that balances your data requirements with household budget!
I‘m happy to clarify any other questions around Verizon‘s offerings in the comments below.
