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Data effective 01/29/24. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Best Spectrum Mobile plans
Feb 20, 2024 | Share
Spectrum Mobile keeps your choices simple: Pay by the gigabyte or sign up for unlimited data. The former is easy on your budget and ideal if you use very little mobile data. Go with unlimited data if you stream lots of music and video when you’re not on Wi-Fi.
The best thing about these plans is you can switch back and forth at any time without penalty. So, if you start with the By the Gig plan but use more data than expected, you can manually upgrade to an unlimited plan using the My Spectrum app.
Check out our top picks:
Best for budgets
Pay only for the data you use, and you can upgrade to an unlimited plan at any time.
Best for data
Use unlimited data longer and get perks like 720p streaming.
Data effective 01/29/24. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Spectrum Mobile pros and cons
Here are a handful of callouts you need to know before signing up with Spectrum Mobile:
Pros
- 4G LTE and 5G connectivity
- No contracts
- Taxes and regulatory fees included (excludes device sales tax)
- Unlimited talk and text
- Mobile hotspot support
- Wi-Fi Calling
- Out-of-home access point use
Cons
- $20 one-time activation per line
- Auto Pay requirement
- Spectrum Internet requirement upon activation
- $10 charge when Spectrum Internet isn’t maintained
- New line requirement for tablets (voice and text not included)
- $10 Smartwatch Access fee on any plan
- Video resolution restrictions
- Speed throttling
Spectrum Mobile plans
| Plan | Data | Price | Shop online |
|---|---|---|---|
| By the Gig | 1GB | $14.00/GB per mo.* | View Plan |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | $29.99/mo.† | View Plan |
| Unlimited Plus | Unlimited | $39.99/mo.† | View Plan |
Data effective 01/29/24. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* $14 advanced monthly charge for each line of service. Each line gets one gigabyte (GB) of data that can be shared among all By the Gig lines on the same account. If all By the Gig lines on the account collectively exceed the initial 1 GB allocated to each line, an additional GB of shared data is automatically added to the account and you’ll pay an additional $14.00 per GB, whether you use the entire gigabyte or not. After 5GB per line, you will experience reduced speeds for the rest of the bill cycle.
† Offer valid for new customers adding lines or for current mobile customers adding Unlimited lines to existing service. Unlimited: Reduced speeds after 30GB of usage per line. Unlimited Plus: Reduced speeds after 50GB of usage per line. Visit spectrum.com/mobile/plans for details.
You can switch between any plan at any time. Downgrading to the By the Gig plan takes effect on your next bill, while upgrading from By the Gig to Unlimited or Unlimited Plus takes effect immediately and applies to your current bill. So if you realize you don’t need as much data, you can’t switch back to By the Gig until your next billing cycle.
By the Gig
- Video resolution limit: 480p
- Speed throttling (per line): 256Kbps down/up after 5GB
- Hotspot speed throttling (all lines): 256Kbps down/up after 5GB
The By the Gig plan starts at $14 per month, which gives you 1GB of data at the beginning of your billing cycle. If you use more than that—even by a few megabytes—you’ll be charged for another 1GB on your next bill. Still, that’s a steal if you’re looking for inexpensive cell service.
All lines on your By the Gig plan share a pool of data. So if there are four people on your plan who all go 0.1GB over your initial 1GB limit, your account will be charged another 1GB of shared data instead of 1GB for each line. This pool makes it easy to keep track of how much data you’ve all used.
Unlimited
- Video resolution limit: 480p
- Speed throttling (per line): 1Mbps/512Kbps down/up after 30GB
- Hotspot speed throttling (all lines): 600Kbps down/up after 5GB
Like most other “unlimited” data plans, Spectrum Mobile’s Unlimited plan does actually have a limit. It throttles your data speeds after you use 30GB in a billing cycle. So, while you can technically use data after that, your speeds are super slow.
As shown on the list, this plan has a lower hotspot data threshold than Unlimited Plus. It also doesn’t include free roaming in Mexico and Canada. Video streams at a lower resolution than the Unlimited Plus plan too.
Unlimited Plus
- Video resolution limit: 720p
- Speed throttling (per line): 1Mbps/512Kbps down/up after 50GB
- Hotspot speed throttling (all lines): 600Kbps down/up after 10GB
As the list shows, Unlimited Plus doesn’t throttle your speeds until you use 50GB in a month. Hotspot speed throttling also increases to 10GB versus 5GB with the Unlimited Plan. This version includes free roaming in Mexico and Canada and 720p video streaming.
Spectrum Mobile tech
From Spectrum WiFi access points to the latest flagship smartphones, Spectrum Mobile has all the tech you’d expect from a wireless provider.
Devices
Spectrum Mobile offers the latest smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches that are compatible with Verizon’s network. You can pay the full price for each device at checkout, or pay over time for 36 months.
Be sure to check Spectrum Mobile’s deals page for the latest discounts, such as the Google Pixel 7 starting at $8.33 per month (for 36 months) and the iPhone 14 Pro starting at $24.99 per month (for 36 months)
Networks
Spectrum Mobile relies on Verizon Wireless to offer 4G LTE and 5G connectivity. Verizon provides a map detailing where it broadcasts 5G Ultra Wideband, 5G, and 4G LTE connectivity across the nation.
Spectrum Mobile also relies on its local access points to provide internet access when customers are off their home network. These access points reside in public spaces and in neighborhoods where Spectrum Internet gateways have the Spectrum Mobile access point feature enabled.
Mobile apps
- My Spectrum (App Store, Google Play)
With the My Spectrum app, you can monitor your data usage, manage the video quality settings, limit background data usage, change plans, connect to Spectrum WiFi, and more.
Access points and hotspots
Smartphones and cellular-capable tablets download a profile to automatically connect them to the nearest Spectrum WiFi access point (a.k.a. hotspot) when they’re off the home network. This feature actually applies to any Spectrum customer, although it’s optional for Spectrum Internet customers. Using Spectrum’s out-of-home WiFi not only minimizes your cellular data usage but also reduces congestion on Verizon’s network. Consult Spectrum’s map to see where it offers out-of-home WiFi.
Meanwhile, customers with smartphones capable of sharing their connection can do so at no extra charge. All data used through the device’s hotspot feature counts towards the customer’s monthly allotment. Speeds are throttled after a specific amount of data is used each month.
Our verdict
Overall, Spectrum Mobile combines the best of both worlds: the wired speeds and reliability of Spectrum Internet and the 5G connectivity of Verizon Wireless. And while we’ll always suggest bundling Verizon’s fiber internet and mobile, Spectrum Mobile is a decent alternative if you can’t get Verizon’s fiber.
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