Use this cheat sheet from BestPhonePlans.net to select which features you want and which features you
need in a cell phone plan.
Make a check if a feature is something you want or if it’s something you need.
Then, head to www.bestphoneplans.net/compare-plans to filter cell phone plans that meet your criteria.
Want
Need
Feature
Explanation
Premium Data
Premium Data (also called “priority data”) refers to having
an allotment of data that has a higher priority on the
network.
This means that in crowded areas, like sports games,
concerts, events, airports, etc., your data speeds will be
slightly faster than someone who does NOT have priority
data (also called being “deprioritized”).
Read more here.
Data Speeds
Data speeds refer to how fast the maximum speeds are for
a cell phone plan.
Most plans have full-speed data, meaning they don’t limit
the speeds in any way.
However, some carriers, like H2O Wireless, do have plans
that limit speeds. H2O’s plans have a max speed of
8Mbps.
Video Streaming Quality
Video streaming quality refers to the typical resolution at
which you can stream video with no buffer. Carriers limit
video streaming quality by capping the data speeds for
video content. Here are examples:
●
●
●
●
Unlimited 2G Data
480p: 1.5Mbps
720p: 2.5Mbps
1080p: 4Mbps
4K: 25+ Mbps
Get unlimited data at reduced speeds when you go over
your high-speed allotment.
For example, if you sign up for Mint Mobile’s $15 plan with
4GB of data, you’ll get 4GB at full speed and then
unlimited data at 2G speeds (128Kbps).
Carrier that do not offer unlimited 2G data will simply shut
your data off when you hit your limit.
Please note: Unlimited 2G data does NOT mean you are
connecting to the 2G network. Instead, it is an artificial
speed cap put in place on your plan regardless of what
connection type you have (2G, 3G, 4G, LTE, 5G).
Hotspot
Share your cellular data connection with your tablet,
computer, and other devices with the hotspot feature.
MMS
MMS (Multi-Media Messaging) is the ability to send and
receive picture and group messages.
Visual Voicemail
See your voicemails in a visual interface.
Wi-Fi Calling
Make calls anywhere you have a Wi-Fi connection, even if
you don’t have cell reception.
VoLTE
VoLTE (Voice Over LTE) is the ability of your phone to use
the LTE network to route audio calls instead of legacy
voice networks. This improves audio quality on calls.
Almost all plans support this feature.
5G
Get access to the new 5G networks.
eSIM
eSIM, which stands for “embedded SIM,” lets you activate
your plan on the embedded SIM card in newer phones.
The benefit to activating with eSIM is it means you can
have a second SIM card in the physical SIM slot of your
phone for quickly switching between two different networks
or phone numbers.
Domestic Roaming
Lets you connect to partner networks in areas where your
primary network doesn’t have coverage.
For example, T-Mobile doesn’t have coverage in Vermont,
so T-Mobile customers will roam on the AT&T network in
that area.
Learn more about domestic roaming here.
International Roaming
Gives you coverage when you travel abroad.
Learn more here.
Stateside International
Calling
Lets you make calls from the United States to international
countries and destinations.
When you’ve checked which features you need and which features you want, scan
this QR code or head to www.bestphoneplans.net/compare-plans to filter cell phone
plans that meet your needs.