Best Smartphone Data Plans for Streaming Lots of Movies and Music

We frequently compare cell phone plan rates from different carriers to help light to moderately heavy data users find the best deal. But what if you’re a binge watcher, someone who won’t blink until you get through at least one season of "The Americans" in a single sitting? That kind of content coming over the transom can wipe out a typical data allowance in no time.

For instance, casually listening to music from Spotify at the best-quality setting (320 kilobits per second) will burn through 1GB of data in about 8 hours, and just 1 hour of high-definition video streamed from Netflix can consume up to 3GB of data. Netflix, Spotify, and other apps have settings to reduce bit-rate speeds that can lower data consumption to, say, 1GB per movie. But the quality will be noticeably worse. And heavy users will still blow through a lot of data in a relatively short time.

You probably already know you can stretch your data allowance by streaming content (and performing other data-intensive tasks such as internet gaming) over a WiFi network whenever possible. But WiFi is probably not an option during a long commute to work on public transportation or when you want to keep the kids occupied during a road trip.

It's a no-brainer to make sure you're logged on to WiFi when you're at home, but there are legitimate reasons to avoid some WiFi connections. Logging onto public WiFi hotspots can compromise your privacy or, even worse, open you up to man-in-the-middle attacks on your phone from hackers posing as legitimate hotspots.

The good news: You can still buy an unlimited data plan for your phone, perhaps for as little as $60 per month. Some providers throw in free tethering so that your computers and tablets can tap into your 4G data connection by using your phone as a 4G hot spot.

The bad news: Even so-called unlimited data plans have their limits. (They're in the fine print.) For instance, almost all unlimited data plans will bump you down from normal 4G service to ultraslow 2G speeds once you cross a certain monthly usage threshold, often 20-something gigabytes. Providers use terms like "abuse" to describe the customer behavior that precedes this action and "deprioritize" to describe the quality of your snail-like connection. But regardless of whether your carrier defines you as an abuser or binger, you'll have to make do with an unbearably slow phone until your 4G service is restored at the beginning of the next billing cycle.

Some cell providers, led by T-Mobile, are sweetening their data deals by allowing customers to stream from Netflix, Pandora, and dozens of other prime-content sources without having that usage count against their monthly data threshold. And if AT&T's plan to acquire Time Warner is approved, AT&T cell customers can expect much of the same.

Many consumer advocates, including Consumer Reports, believe that such zero-rating data plans might violate the spirit of net neutrality, even if they save consumers money in the short term.

To help you shop for a new plan—or at least find out whether you should do so—we’ve assessed the binge-friendly offerings from several of the leading cell providers. Some have several options that can save you a few bucks if you’re willing, for example, to live with a data cap of 15GB or 16GB or give up HD-quality video and ultra-responsive internet gaming.