The best cell phone plans for seniors in 2025

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Our team has spent a tremendous amount of time testing and researching phone service providers for our buying guides to the best cell phone plans and the best cheap cell phone plans. But for this guide, we've selected the top phone plans for seniors that include extra considerations.

Two of the most important features in determining our top pick were helpful elements like senior discounts and physical store availability for in-person support. In that sense, T-Mobile's Essentials Choice 55 is the best cell phone plan for seniors overall.

For more basic use like unlimited calling and texting, basic web browsing, and email, Tello Mobile's Economy plan offers simple options at an incredibly low monthly price. Lively's Basic plan is also worth considering for a relatively affordable, basic option with additional support tailored extensively for older adults, including low-tech phones.

Our top picks for the best cell phone plans for seniors

Best overall: T-Mobile Essentials Choice 55 - See at T-Mobile

Best budget: Tello Mobile Economy - See at Tello Mobile

Best for senior-centric features: Lively Basic - See at Lively

Best overall

T-Mobile's Essentials Choice 55 plan for $45/month (or $60/month for two lines) comes with unlimited talk and text and 50GB of fast data. 50GB of data is more than most people need, especially if they use WiFi at home for internet. It's ideal for seniors who regularly use data for browsing the web, making video calls, sending and receiving photos, streaming video and music, and anything else that requires data.

For its price and value, T-Mobile's Essentials Choice 55 plan is a solid proposition. It's the top budget pick in our best cell phone plans guide, except it includes a senior discount for those ages 55 and older.

We picked T-Mobile over less expensive options that offer similar connectivity and data, like Mint Mobile, because T-Mobile has widespread physical locations that can provide in-person support in addition to getting support online or on the phone.

T-Mobile also offers data plans for smartwatches, which may be a necessary addition. Many smartwatches have fall and accident detection that automatically alerts emergency services and assigned contacts. Those with dedicated data plans can send those alerts if your phone isn't nearby.

T-Mobile's coverage works best in urban and suburban areas. However, it has historically limited coverage in rural areas. You can make sure T-Mobile has the coverage you need by checking its coverage map and asking friends, family, or neighbors in the area or on social networks like Facebook and Nextdoor.

Best budget

The most affordable plan we recommend is Tello's Economy plan, which includes unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of fast data for $10/month. It's an excellent deal for the basics, and it contains enough data for light web browsing, emails, maps, store apps, and so on — basically, almost anything except social media and video and music streaming.

Tello has 5GB, 10GB, and unlimited data plans for those who need more internet connectivity. If they don't use any data at all, Tello's Build Your Own Plan lets you build a plan with, on the lowest end, unlimited text, 100 minutes of talk, and no data for just $5/month.

At the moment, Tello only supports smartwatch plans for Samsung smartwatches, which won't be helpful if you have an Apple Watch. Still, you can use an Apple Watch that's connected to a phone on a Tello plan.

As we note in our Tello Mobile review, Tello runs on T-Mobile's network, so it has the same coverage, though at deprioritized speeds. It has a solid app and access to customer support over the phone, but it lacks physical locations.

Best for senior-centric features

At $15/month, Lively's Basic plan offers unlimited talk, text, and customer support catered to senior customers, which is more helpful and effective than the standard one-size-fits-all customer support from traditional carriers. Seniors can even ask Lively's customer support questions about their phone, request Lyft rides, and ask to find a phone number.

The Lively Basic plan comes with 1GB of data as standard, but you can add more. 5GB is an additional $5/month, 10GB is an additional $15/month, and unlimited data is an additional $30/month.

Lively runs on Verizon's network, which has the most comprehensive coverage for urban and rural areas.

Lively is only available with two phones: the Jitterbug Smart4 smartphone and the Jitterbug Flip2 flip phone. These basic phones are designed with seniors in mind, with less clutter and easy access to relevant features and functions. They can be ideal for those with limited tech experience. However, if a senior prefers to use one of the best phones or any more commonly available phone, Lively won't be a viable option.

Lively is part of Best Buy's Health branch, which means you can sign up for Lively service, buy the phones, and get set up at a Best Buy location.

Lively doesn't feature a smartwatch plan, but it offers mobile medical help with its pocketable Mobile2 device and a separate plan. It can be critical to alert and communicate with emergency services and contacts when a Lively phone isn't nearby.

Lively also offers health and medical services on its more expensive plans, including its Nurse On-Call feature, where seniors can access a nurse or doctor for medical advice, prescriptions, and prescription refills. It also has an Urgent Response feature to help with emergencies, and when you pair it with Lively's Mobile2 device (for additional monthly costs), it can automatically detect falls. Relevant contacts can be alerted with Lively Link when Urgent Response is used, and they can monitor the phone's battery status, location, and activities.

How we test cell phone plans for seniors

We test cell phone plans broadly and for seniors specifically with a mix of general day-to-day use, like making calls, sending messages, and using apps with varying data needs, whether it's web browsing or streaming video. We also conduct data speed tests in various locations that include different networks, like 4G and 5G, as well as varying signal strengths.

We assess a carrier's wireless performance and consider their plan offerings relative to value for specific use cases, such as seniors who may not frequently use data or smart technology.

We've tested every major carrier and many MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) like Mint Mobile and Tello, but we haven't tested them all. Still, we can make confident and definitive assessments of MVNOs based on their features, plans, and value, as their wireless performance is similar, if not identical, to that of their parent network.

What to look for in a cell phone plan for seniors

Seniors looking for a phone plan need to make the same considerations as anyone else, including coverage areas, how much data they need, and whether their budget supports a chosen plan.

Though seniors may be well served by a standard phone plan, many carriers offer plans specifically dedicated to older adults. These plans can be mostly identical to regular plans, with the bonus of including a senior discount.

As with any other age group, some seniors aren't as tech-savvy as others. If that's the case, look for a carrier with a customer service team trained to help those who aren't comfortable with phones and carriers (which we list above).

We're currently testing for a dedicated guide to the best phones for seniors, including low-tech phones that may best serve many older adults. However, we would note that any of the best iPhones and best Android phones include accessibility features like text enlargement and shortcuts that make these high-tech smartphones more convenient and easier for seniors.

Carriers with physical store locations are also a key factor to consider, as some people may find in-person support more helpful than working through an issue over the phone.

Smartwatch data plans could be another important consideration. For example, an internet-connected smartwatch could alert emergency services in case of a fall or accident if the person doesn't have their phone.