Best Cell Phone Plans for Older People

As mentioned above, this deal is for Floridians 55 and older. To verify that you’re eligible for the plan, you need to go to an AT&T store and show a valid Florida ID.

For those who qualify, the price is $60 per month for one line or $80 per month for two lines. Taxes and fees are extra, and autopay and paperless billing are required. 

The plan gives you unlimited talk, text, and data with 5G access where available in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada; unlimited texting to over 200 countries is included as well. But hot-spot data, for using your phone’s internet connection on your computer or tablet, isn’t provided.

For comparison, AT&T’s Unlimited Starter Plan, which has the same features plus 3 gigabytes of hot-spot data per line, costs $65 per month for one line or $120 per month for two lines. The 55+ plan saves you $5 a month for one line or $40 for two.

For those outside of Florida, AT&T offers a discount to AARP members. The deal includes 15 percent off select accessories, as well as waived fees on eligible activations and upgrades. The discount reduces the monthly price of AT&T’s Unlimited Premium Plan by $10 per line. For one line, you pay $75. For two lines, it’s $130 per month.

That’s more expensive than the Unlimited 55+ Plan, but it includes 50 gigabytes of hot-spot data per month and all the high-speed data you need.

T-Mobile’s most affordable plan, Essentials 55+, costs $40 a month for one line and $55 a month for two. You get unlimited talk, text, and data, but the high-speed data is capped at 50GB per month. Without the discount for older people, the monthly price is $60 for one line and $90 for two.

Taxes and fees aren’t included in that pricing, and, as with all of T-Mobile’s plans, refusing to use autopay will cost you an extra $5 per month. There’s no way to enroll online or in person. You have to call 877-563-1086.

If you need more than two lines, want more high-speed data, or plan on using your phone’s hot-spot feature, the Magenta 55+ or Magenta Max 55+ plans are a better fit. Here’s how they break down:

Magenta 55+: $50 a month for one line, $70 for two, $105 for three, and $140 for four. The plan pricing includes taxes and fees, 100GB of premium data, Netflix (access for one screen at a time), and 5GB of mobile hot-spot coverage. Savings compared with plans without the 55+ discount are about $15 to $20. 

Magenta Max 55+: $65 for one line, $90 for two, $135 for three, and $180 for four. The Max plan pricing includes taxes and fees, unlimited premium data, Netflix (two screens), and 40GB of hotspot data. Savings compared to plans without the 55+ discount are $20 to $50.

Note that for four or more lines, T-Mobile’s standard Magenta Max plan costs less than the Max 55+ plan. That’s because the company offers a free third line, making Magenta Max without the discount for older people $170 for four lines compared with the Max 55+ plan’s $180 for four lines.

Like AT&T, Verizon’s discounts for people 55 and older are limited to those in the Sunshine State—or at least those who have a Florida billing address.

If that’s you, Verizon will give you unlimited talk, text, and 4G data for $60 a month for one line or $80 per month for two lines. Taxes and fees are extra, and autopay and paperless billing are required.

The plan includes unlimited hot-spot data, though the speed is capped at 600 kbps (3G, which isn’t ideal for group video chats), and video streams at DVD quality.

If you want 5G access and perks like premium network access, higher-speed tethering, and HD streaming, you’ll need to look at Verizon’s 5G More plans, which start at $80 per month for one line or $140 per month for two lines. There’s no 55-and-older discount for those.

Smaller cell phone providers offer discounts for seniors, too.

Mint’s 55+ plan costs just $15 a month per line. Taxes and fees are extra. And you need to prepay for three months of service. After that, you can renew for 3, 6, and 12 months at a time. 

The plan includes unlimited talk, text, and 4G data, plus 4GB of 5G data per month, mobile hot-spot data (subject to your high-speed data allotment), and free calls to Mexico and Canada. The service uses T-Mobile’s wireless network infrastructure.

Consumer Cellular offers a 5 percent discount on monthly service to AARP members.

Lively, which provides older adults with easy-to-use smartphones and flip phones that serve as personal safety devices, has two options: a $15-a-month plan that includes 300 minutes of talk, plus text messages priced at 10 cents each and a $20-a-month unlimited talk and text plan. Data packages start at $2.50 per month for 100MB.

The company’s Health and Safety packages, starting at $25 per month, provide 24/7 urgent care response, connections to doctors and nurses who answer questions and fulfill prescription requests, and an app to update loved ones in case of emergencies. Customers who choose one of the packages get a discount of up to $20 per month on plan minutes and texts. Lively runs on Verizon’s network.