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Sprint Unlimited Plan Review: What to Know Before You Switch

Sprint Unlimited Plan Review: What to Know Before You Switch

March 29, 2024 by Giving Assistant Editorial Team

We’ve done the research for you, and the results are in: Unlimited data doesn’t have to break the bank. If you’re serious about saving money, consider Sprint Unlimited. Among major wireless carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, this plan has historically offered the best price.

Plus, when you shop Sprint through Giving Assistant, you can earn up to $80 cash back to keep or share with any nonprofit! 

What is the Sprint Unlimited Plan?

The Sprint Unlimited Plan offers customers unlimited high-speed data, talk and text nationwide for their mobile devices. There are 4 Unlimited Plans to choose from: Kickstart, Basic, Plus and Premium.

Are There Any Sprint Deals Right Now?

Note: This deal is now expired, but please check for Sprint promo codes and specials for the latest Sprint deals. At Sprint you can bring your phone into Sprint (called Bring-Your-Own-Device, or BYOD) and get an unlimited plan for just $35/month, plus get a free $300 prepaid Mastercard.

Good-to-Know Info: There are 3 things you’ll need to do to qualify for the $300 prepaid Mastercard.

  1. Bring in your own phone number (also called “porting in” a number.) In other words, you can’t change your current mobile phone number; you will have to keep the phone number you have now, with your current servicer, and bring it with you into your new Sprint account)
  2. Bring your own phone (BYOD) or pay full-price for a new phone from Sprint.
  3. Get your new Sprint account set up online (not in-store). Once you’re finished, the Mastercard will ship in about 90 days. (This is typical with rewards and rebates like this, to help ensure people won’t exchange or return a product.)

How Much Does a Sprint Unlimited Plan Cost?

As of April 1, 2020, the cheapest plan is Kickstart, at $35 per month for 1 line, or $70 per month for 2. Their Basic plan is $60 per month for 1 line. Unlimited Plus is $70 per month for 1 line, and Unlimited Premium is $80 per month for 1 line.

All prices are valid for new accounts only, for one year, and most will require you to opt-in for autopay, where your bill will be automatically drafted from your account each month.

For pricing plan information, check out this chart:

Sprint Unlimited Plans
Kickstart Basic Plus Premium
1 Line $35 $60 $70 $80
2 Lines $70 $100 $120 $140
3 Lines $105 $100 $130 $160
4 Lines $140 $100 $140 $180
5 Lines $175 $100 $150 $200

How Many Sprint Unlimited Plans Are There?

Four. Choose from Unlimited Kickstart, Basic, Plus, and Premium plans.

What’s the Difference between Sprint’s Unlimited Plans?

The biggest differences are going to be between price, video quality, mobile hot spot capabilities (speed, data), as well as what streaming services (like Hulu or Tidal Music) come with the plan.

The biggest similarities are that most of these perks and prices are for new customers only, and most of the prices are based on you signing up for autopay, meaning your monthly bill would be automatically withdrawn from your bank account each month.

Lastly, only the Premium plan allows for Unlimited Data in while roaming in Canada and Mexico.

What is the Sprint Kickstart Plan?

The Kickstart plan is Sprint’s cheapest unlimited plan, starting at $35/month. Compared to the other plans, there is no annual contract (so you aren’t locked into a commitment.) Until April 9, 2020, new customers can get a $300 prepaid Mastercard for signing up! (To get the card, you have to bring your own number and bring your own phone or pay full-price for a new one from Sprint. The card ships 90 days after sign up is complete.)

More key differences compared to the other Unlimited Plans:

  • Starts at $35/month for 1 line
  • No mobile hot spot
  • Limitations on talk, text, and data while roaming in a country outside the U.S.; for example, depending on the country you’re roaming in, you may have free 2G data or no unlimited data at all.
  • You cannot lease a device: You must bring your own or pay full-price for a new one from Sprint
  • Does not come with any of the streaming services other plans offer (like Hulu)
  • Only SD (standard definition, 480p) video streaming

Recommended For: Frugal minimalists who want to keep it simple.

Savings Secret! You can get 4 lines on the Unlimited Plus plan for the same price as 4 Kickstart lines, but with more perks (like a 50 GB LTE Mobile Hotspot, Hulu, and the option to lease a new phone.)

What is the Sprint Basic Plan?

The Basic plan is the second-cheapest unlimited plan, starting at $60/month. Compared to Kickstart (the cheapest plan), this plan requires an annual contract, but will allow you to lease a new phone from Sprint.

Other differences:

  • Starts at $60/month for 1 line
  • Bring your own phone or lease a new phone from Sprint (don’t have to pay full-price up front for new phone like with Kickstart)
  • Comes with HULU video streaming service.
  • DVD-quality SD video streaming (480p)
  • 5GB of 4G LTE data while roaming in Canada and Mexico (data charges kick in after 5GB)

Recommended For: When you don’t want something as “bare-bones” as Kickstart, but still want something affordable.

What is the Sprint Unlimited Plus Plan?

The Unlimited Plus plan is one tier up from Basic, and starts at $70/month. Compared to Basic, the Unlimited Plus plan provides better, faster video quality, Tidal music, and a faster hot spot for just $10 more per month for one line.

Key features of this plan:

  • Starts at $70/month for 1 line
  • 50 GB LTE mobile hotspot
  • HD video streaming (1080p)
  • 10GB of 4G LTE data while roaming in Canada and Mexico (data charges kick in after 10GB)
  • Free Hulu and Tidal music service

Recommended For: Streaming-service lovers who still want to (or need to) save.

What is the Sprint Unlimited Premium Plan?

The Unlimited Premium plan, Sprint’s top-tier plan, starts at $80/month. It gives you everything that excites you about Basic and Premium, but adds Amazon Prime, Lookout Premium, and boost speeds…all for just $10 more per month than Unlimited Plus.

Key features of this plan:

  • Starts at $80/month for 1 line
  • 100 GB LTE mobile hotspot
  • Full HD video streaming
  • Unlimited 4G LTE data while roaming in 200 international destinations (no data limits)
  • Amazon Prime, Hulu, Tidal, and Lookout Premium Plus

Recommended for: People who want the fastest speeds, limitless data, the best on-the-go entertainment—and the freedom to roam.

How Does Sprint Unlimited Compare to Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T’s Unlimited Plans?

Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T all offer no-contract, unlimited data plans with varying levels of service and monthly costs that include the following pros and cons:

Sprint vs. Verizon

sprint vs verizon

Sprint Pros

  • Sprint is consistently less expensive
  • Sprint’s Kickstart is 1/2 the price of Verizon’s similar service
  • Verizon’s cheapest unlimited plan is $70/month—only $10 less than Sprint’s top-tier Unlimited Premium plan!
  • Sprint offers at least 50 GB of data before speeds reduce (100 GB with the Premium plan)—satisfying your need for speed longer than Verizon’s Get More Unlimited plan.

Verizon Pros

  • Verizon has more coverage (you’ll find lots more spotty areas for Sprint across the U.S.)
  • Verizon is faster on average and more widely available
  • There are no perks with Sprint’s most basic unlimited plan; Verizon offers free Disney+.
  • Nearly all of Verizon’s unlimited plans include free access to their 5G network.

Sprint vs. T-Mobile

sprint vs t-mobile

Sprint Pros

  • Sprint’s cheapest plan is $25 less than T-Mobile’s cheapest
  • Sprint has no upfront charges; new T-Mobile customers pay $30 in upfront charges.
  • Sprint Unlimited Plus offers 2x the amount of 4G LTE data (10GB vs. 5GB) when traveling in Mexico and Canada.
  • Hulu comes with 3 of Sprint’s 4 Unlimited plans, and you only need to have 1 line. T-Mobile offers Netflix, but only on 2 of their plans, and you have to have at least 2+ lines.

T-Mobile Pros

  • Although both lack decent rural coverage, Sprint still has a smaller network than T-Mobile.
  • Sprint offers global roaming for text and data in over 200 countries, yet T-Mobile has twice the data speed abroad in 210+ countries and destinations.
  • Higher-tier T-Mobile plans offer free, complimentary in-flight texting and unlimited Wi-Fi access on Gogo-enabled flights; Sprint does not provide in-flight perks.
  • Sprint’s Kickstart plan is no-frills; T-Mobile Essentials offers T-Mobile Tuesday perks.

Sprint vs. AT&T

sprint vs att

Sprint Pros

  • Sprint’s cheapest plan is $30 less than AT&T’s cheapest plan.
  • Mobile hotspots: Sprint’s 100 GB LTE (followed by unlimited data at 3G speeds) beats AT&T’s 30 GB mobile hotspot per line.
  • Sprint’s top-tier Unlimited Premium plan comes with Amazon Prime, Tidal, Lookout Premium Plus, and Hulu; AT&T top-tier plan, Unlimited Elite, only includes HBO.
  • At time of writing, Sprint has a better special offer for new customers signing up for their cheapest unlimited plan (Kickstart)—a $300 prepaid Mastercard. AT&T’s also got a special offer right now, but it’s just to waive the activation fee.

AT&T Pros

  • AT&T plans have the fastest data download speeds.
  • AT&T’s cheapest plan has faster unlimited video streaming at 1.5 Mbps, compared to Sprint’s average speeds of up to 500 Kbps with the Kickstart plan.
  • For movie-lovers, AT&T is the only carrier to offer the premium cable channel HBO as a perk; Sprint’s Hulu subscription also gives access to movies, but unlike HBO, many movies on Hulu will still have commercials.

Summary

Based on these comparisons, Sprint Unlimited is best for people who are on a budget and want to pay the lowest price per month for an unlimited data plan.

How Fast is the Cheapest Sprint Unlimited Plan?

Their cheapest unlimited plan, Kickstarter, is a 4G LTE data plan that features:

  • Video streams up to 480p (no HD)
  • Music streams up to 500 Kbps
  • Game streams up to 2 Mbps

Why Sign Up for Sprint Unlimited?

Among all the major U.S. mobile carriers (Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T), Sprint’s 4 unlimited plans are the lowest-cost options for staying in touch with family and friends, and keeping up on the latest in entertainment, without limits or worries of overage charges.

How to Save on Sprint Unlimited

1. Opt-in for Autopay, and Bring Your Own Device

Autopay saves $5 off per line, per month, on any Sprint Unlimited plan for phones. It is also required to receive additional savings on unlimited data plans for iPads and tablets ($15/month with autopay), smartwatches ($10/month), and required to receive the special $300 prepaid Mastercard offer (which expires April 9, 2020) on new Kickstart accounts.

Also, try to BYOD instead of leasing a new phone. When you lease a new phone, that adds an additional monthly charge to your bill. If instead, you can pay full-price, up front, for a new phone from Sprint, or bring a phone you own outright, you won’t have that extra monthly charge.

2. Ask about Sprint Perks

Sprint Perks is a program that provides exclusive savings and special offers to employees, university students, and organization members, such as:

  • Those who work in education, healthcare, the government, and the U.S. Armed Forces, or who own a small business. Learn more to see which jobs qualify for Sprint Perks.
  • Members of AAA, the Walgreens Balance Rewards program, the American Airlines AAdvantage program, or some credit unions.

3. Sprint Coupons and Promo Codes

Giving Assistant members not only earn cash back at Sprint (that they can share with any nonprofit), they also get access to the best Sprint promo codes. (Our browser extension makes it even easier and faster for members to save and earn cash back at Sprint.)

4. Earn Up to $80 Cash Back at Sprint

Shop Sprint.com through your Giving Assistant account. If you sign up for a new Sprint account and purchase a phone, you’ll earn $80 cash back per line. (You’ll earn $25 per line if you bring your own phone and phone number.)

Good-to-Know Info: If you’re ordering more than one line, don’t purchase all the lines in one single order. Break them up, and order one line at a time. That way you’ll actually get the cash back per line. (Otherwise, if you order all the lines at once, you will only get cash back for one of those lines. Cash back amounts are subject to change.)

How to Support Nonprofits With Your Sprint Purchase

Excited to earn cash back at Sprint? Before clicking “checkout,” Giving Assistant members should make sure they have a nonprofit selected. Then, choose how much you want to donate to your nonprofit: You can give anywhere from 1% to 100% of your earnings.

Learn more about how your online purchases can benefit your favorite nonprofits today.