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Smartphone data plans that allow tethering

Intro

This page provides a directory of mobile Internet data plans that that:

  1. Are available within the US. In the US, you can either purchase service directly from one of the major network operators, or through an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) that resells service.
  2. Explicitly allow smartphones to provide tethering to other devices
  3. Appear, from my limited scrutiny, to be legit.

If you prefer to tether to a dedicated device, then head over to the data plan directory for mobile hotspots, routers, and other dedicated devices.

If you’re not sure what type of device you’d like to use, then the Pick a Data Plan page provides an overview of your options.

I don’t endorse any of these providers and was not paid for these listings. Do your due diligence before signing up for any data plan.

Verizon smartphone plans

Company Plan Name Tethering Limit Throttled Price
Ting 1 Custom No No $6/month + $10/GB
Visible Single-line 1 tethered device at a time 5Mbps $40/month
US Mobile Unlimited All Ludicrous + Hotspot 10GB/month No $50/month
Verizon Do More Unlimited No 600Kbps after 15GB $90/month
Verizon Get More Unlimited No 600Kbps after 30GB $100/month
  1. Ting also works on the T-Mobile and Sprint networks.

AT&T smartphone plans

Company Plan Name Tethering Limit Throttled Price
AT&T Mobile Share Plus 3GB 3GB/month 1.5Mbps $50/month
Cricket Unlimited + Mobile Hotspot 15GB/month Yes 1 $60/month
AT&T Mobile Share Plus 9GB 9GB/month 1.5Mbps $60/month
AT&T Unlimited Extra No 128Kbps after 15GB $75/month
AT&T Unlimited Elite No 128Kbps after 30GB $85/month
  1. Cricket’s throttling policies are a moving target. At the time of this writing, they’re throttling to 8Mbps for the first 2GB, after which they throttle to 128Kbps.

T-Mobile smartphone plans

T-Mobile has a free trial option that’s worth mentioning. If you sign up for T-Mobile Test Drive, then they’ll send you a free hotspot, and provide up to 30GB of free service for 1-month. That’s a nice no-risk way to give them a try.

Company Plan Name Tethering Limit Throttled Price
Google Fi 1 Flexible for 1 No No $20/month + $10/GB 2
Mint Mobile 3GB 4G LTE 3GB/month No $25/month
T-Mobile Essentials No 3G only 3 $30/month
Mint Mobile 8GB 4G LTE 8GB/month No $35/month
T-Mobile Megneta No 3G only 3 after 3GB $40/month
Mint Mobile 12GB 4G LTE 12GB/month No $45/month
T-Mobile Megneta Plus No Throttled to 3G 3 after 20GB/month $50/month
Google Fi 1 Unlimited for 1 No Throttled to 256Kbps after 22GB/month $70/month
  1. Google Fi also works on the Sprint network. I use Fi for my backup home Internet connection.
  2. The first 6GB each month are billed at $10/GB. Then there’s no billing or throttling until you reach 15GB. At the 15GB mark, you can either not pay, and get your usage throttled, or resume paying $10/GB for unlimited data. Realistically, if you’re going to use more than 5GB/month, you’re probably better off with Fi’s Unlimited plan.
  3. You can expect this to be slower than 4G in areas with 4G service, but how much slower isn’t clear. It looks like T-Mobile might throttle 3G connections to 512Kbps.

Sprint smartphone plans

Google Fi, which is listed under the T-Mobile plans, also works on Sprint’s network. It was omitted from the chart below to avoid duplication.

Company Plan Name Tethering Limit Throttled Price
Tello Economy No 64Kbps after 1GB $10/month
Republic Wireless Custom No No $15/month + $5/GB 1
Tello Smart No 64Kbps after 4GB $20/month
Tello Custom No 64Kbps after 8GB $29/month
Tello Custom No 64Kbps after 25GB $39/month
Sprint Unlimited Plus 6GB/month No $40/month
Sprint Unlimited Plus 50GB/month No $70/month
Sprint Unlimited Premium 100GB/month No $80/month
  1. You may only purchase up to 15GB/month.

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