Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint unlimited plans compared [telecom]

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There are more than a dozen unlimited data plans offered by the four major US carriers. We compare them all to help you navigate the fine print and save your patience.

BY Patrick Holland

Editors' note: This article was originally published on Feb. 13, 2017. Since that time, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon all announced multiple changes to their unlimited data plans. The information below reflects the prices and features of unlimited plans as of Aug. 9, 2018.

Data limits, prioritization and throttling

The unlimited plans from the big four carriers all come with unlimited talk, texting and data -- oh, if only things were that straightforward. But there's a catch -- when you hit a certain data limit, your 4G LTE data speeds can be slowed temporarily or for the remainder of the billing cycle. Some carriers like Verizon send your data needs to the back of the line. Here's how each carrier handles prioritization and throttling when you cross your data limit: