Verizon announced a new shared family plan today, and AT&T recently started throttling more unlimited users. If you're still clinging to your unlimited data plan, here's what you need to know about where it's going—and how you can keep it for as long as possible.


What "Unlimited" Really Means for Each Carrier

So everyone's in an uproar, but what exactly is happening to unlimited data? It depends on what carrier you're using. Here is the current state of unlimited data for each of the major US carriers:


AT&T customers can no longer sign up for an unlimited data plan , but if you had one before they went kaput, you've been "grandfathered" in, so you still have it. It isn't really unlimited, though—in fact, to call it unlimited is ridiculous. The plan throttles your data after 3GB of use (or 5GB if you're on a 4G phone). You won't get hit with any overages after your limit, but your phone will pretty much become near unusable in terms of web browsing, streaming video, and other data-centric tasks.

Verizon doesn't offer unlimited plans anymore only if you meet these criteria new family share plan

T-Mobile users can still buy unlimited data plans

Sprint is the only carrier left with true unlimited data

In short: AT&T and Verizon customers can no longer buy plans, but existing unlimited users have been grandfathered into crappy unlimited plans for now. T-Mobile users old and new can buy into similar throttled plans, while Sprint has true unlimited data available to all smartphone users. Photo by PedroCancion.

How to Deal with a Limited Data Plan


A lot of people are enraged at the death of unlimited data, but before you go rustling up pitchforks and torches, take a look at your past few statements and see how much data you've used. You might be surprised to find that you're not only using less data than you thought, but that your unlimited plan is actually costing you money. The vast majority of users don't need anything close to an unlimited plan, and would be more than fine with one of the limited plans.


If you do find yourself stuck with a limited plan, though, and you don't want to reach your data caps, there are a few things you can do to avoid stress. First of all, make sure you use Wi-Fi as often as possible. You'd be surprised how many Wi-Fi hotspots there are out there, and chances are you spend a lot of time at friends houses or other locations in which you can easily get free, secure Wi-Fi. Secondly, use one of our favorite data trackers for Android or iOS to stay on top of your data with minimal fuss, and get notifications when you're getting close to your cap.


How to Keep Your Unlimited Data Plan


If you currently have an unlimited plan and you're hell bent on keeping it, here's what you need to know for each carrier:

Verizon's unlimited data starts going away June 28, 2012. After that date, you can keep unlimited data as long as you buy your phones at unsubsidized prices, which are usually a few hundred dollars more than the "upgrade" price you get every two years. Also, get a 4G phone if you want to avoid throttling in high-usage areas.

AT&T's unlimited plans are safe, for now. Just don't change your plan and you'll get to keep your throttled unlimited plan, though be on the lookout for any changes AT&T might make in the future. When in doubt, call customer service before you buy any new phones or make any changes to your plan.

T-Mobile and Sprint users are, as previously stated, still able to buy unlimited plans, so you're safe for now.


Of course, this all assumes you're already on an unlimited plan and you want to keep it despite the throttling most carriers are doing. If you want true unlimited data, you're unfortunately out of luck unless you want to go with Sprint. There may be other exceptions depending on your specific contract or plan, but as of right now, this is the general state of things.

How have you dealt with the demise of unlimited data? Did you keep your grandfathered plan, or switch to a limited plan? Share your experiences, thoughts, and tips for dealing with limited data in the comments below.


Title image remixed from Iwona Grodzka .