Are Cell Phone Plans' Streaming Perks Worth It?

Major carriers usually offer free streaming services for customers on mid- and top-tier plans. But is the streaming perk included in your phone plan worth it? Whether these perks are worth the pricey plan depends on your streaming habits and cell phone plan necessities. Keep in mind that most subscription services included in carrier plans aren’t ad-free and work with only two devices, usually retailing between $7.99–$11.99/month per platform.

Phone plans with streaming perks and entertainment extras are worth it for users who:

• Already subscribe to multiple streaming services
or
• Need a plan with lots of premium data and a high hotspot allowance.

On the other hand, an average user is better off pairing a cheap plan from a smaller carrier, like Mint or Visible, with separate streaming subscriptions.

We looked at each carrier's offerings and did a little math to figure out just how much value these free services actually bring to the plans.

Compare streaming perks among major carriers

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Compare streaming perks included in the Big Three’s top-tier plans or consider cheaper alternatives from smaller MVNOs on the same networks:

This assumes that you would want perks like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and Apple TV with or without your cell phone plan. If you don’t already want these perks, free streaming services in your mobile plan are automatically not worth it.

T-Mobile streaming perks

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T-Mobile’s Experience More and Experience Beyond plans are the best plans for free perks on the market. Customers on T-Mobile's Experience plans get free subscriptions to Netflix and Apple TV+. 

T-Mobile’s top-tier Experience Beyond plan also includes a free Hulu subscription to boot. Just keep in mind that all T-Mobile streaming subscriptions aren’t ad-free, so you’ll have to put-up with commercials while you watch your favorite series.

Experience More

With T-Mobile's $85/month Experience More plan, you get unlimited premium data at 5G/4G LTE speeds, 60GB of high-speed hotspot data, and 5GB of international data you can use in over 215 countries. 

On top of its impressive plan features, Experience More includes free Netflix with Ads and Apple TV+ subscriptions. Standard Netflix with Ads costs $8.99/month, and a monthly subscription to Apple TV+ is $12.99, adding up to a total of $21.98/month. 

With T-Mobile’s Experience plans, these perks are completely free. That means you ultimately save $20.98/month, lowering the true value of Experience More down to $64.02/month.

Experience Beyond

T-Mobile's premium Experience Beyond plan is a bit more expensive at $100/month, but it does include improved streaming perks. You get three streaming subscriptions included in your monthly plan: Standard Netflix with Ads, Apple TV+, and Hulu with Ads. 

With Netflix valued at $8.99/month, a subscription to Apple TV+ for $12.99/month, and a subscription to Hulu adding another $11.99/month, Experience Beyond’s streaming perks total $33.97/month, bringing the true value of the plan itself down to $66.03. 

You get impressive perks as well as unlimited premium 5G/4G LTE data, 250GB of high-speed hotspot data, and 15GB of international data in 215+ countries with Experience Beyond.

Verizon streaming perks

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Instead of including free streaming perks in your plan, Verizon offers discounted services you can add to your unlimited plan for only $10/month. Among the many myPlan Verizon perks you can choose from—including 100GB hotspot data or TravelPass Days—are several subscription bundles:

• The Disney Bundle includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select, totaling $36.97 in value. Verizon customers save a total of $26.97/month since this add-on costs $10/month. That’s a total of $323.64/year in savings with the Disney Bundle.
• If you prefer Netflix, opt for the $10/month Netflix & HBO Max bundle. Valued at a total of $18.98/month when purchased separately, this bundle can save you $8.98/month. But be forewarned, this bundle includes basic subscriptions with ads for both streaming platforms. Verizon customers who opt for this bundle can save $107.76/year.
• Music lovers can save $6.99/month with the Apple Family Music with the $10/month Verizon add-on. While Apple Family Music is priced at $16.99/month, Verizon’s discounted perk allows you to stream your favorite playlists on up to 10 devices at a time.

Depending on how many Verizon add-on perks you choose, your monthly bill will vary. A single-line of Unlimited Plus without any perks costs $65/month. However, when you add both the Disney Bundle and Apple Family Music perk, an additional $20/month is tacked onto your standard bill, totaling $85/month.

Unlimited Welcome

The Unlimited Welcome plan is Verizon's base postpaid unlimited plan. At $65/month (with autopay), it includes unlimited premium data on Verizon's 5G network, as well as unlimited talk and text. 

Streaming perks form a part of the many $10/month add-ons available for this plan. You can decide against adding any perks and pay $65/month for a single line, or you can choose as many perks as you would like at $10/month each. 

Unlimited Plus

The $80/month Unlimited Plus plan is Verizon's mid-tier unlimited plan. It includes unlimited premium data on Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, and  30GB of high-speed mobile hotspot data. 

Like the Unlimited Welcome plan, all your perks are customizable and cost $10/month each. If you want to add the Disney Bundle and Apple Music Family perks to your plan, your total cost for a single line would be $100/month.

Unlimited Ultimate

Verizon's premium unlimited plan is Unlimited Ultimate. At $90/month, it includes unlimited premium data on Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, as well as 200GB of high-speed hotspot data—unlimited at slower speeds once you reach that (large) limit.

Add Verizon streaming perks, which are customizable and cost $10/month each. Add the Netflix and HBO Max perk and the Disney Bundle to your single-line plan for a total cost of $110/month.

AT&T streaming perks

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AT&T’s offers competitive unlimited plans, but they don’t include any noteworthy streaming perks. AT&T used to include a free subscription to HBO Max with its Premium 2.0 plan, but the AT&T HBO Max subscription has since been discontinued. 

In fact, only AT&T’s $90/month Premium 2.0 and $70/month Extra 2.0 plans offer customers any perks at all. Even so, 6 months of NVIDIA isn’t reason enough to choose an expensive premium plan.

Are streaming perks actually a good deal?

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Streaming perks are a good deal if you already pay for streaming services separately, and frequently use them in your lifestyle. Streaming services do add value to your cell phone plan, but that value could easily mean nothing to you if you don't actually use them. 

All in all, you probably shouldn't opt for a pricier plan solely because it includes a free streaming service. However, if you're comparing plans with similar data features, factoring in the free perks could help you make your final decision.

If you want a plan with streaming perks, consider a plan with either T-Mobile or Verizon.

• If you can’t get enough of Netflix's original movies and series, you should sign-up on either of T-Mobile’s Experience plans. While Experience More includes Netflix and Apple TV+, you get a third subscription to Hulu with T-Mobile’s premium Experience Beyond plan.
• If you value more flexibility in your phone plan budget, opt for Verizon’s $10/month perk selection since it can be added on any unlimited postpaid plan. Choose to add a Disney Bundle, Netflix and HBO Max combination, or Apple Family Music for $10/month each (or $30/month for all three).

Pay less for your phone plan and purchase streaming separately

You don’t need to pay for an expensive phone plan to enjoy streaming services. Pick a cheaper plan with an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) and subscribe to your favorite streaming platform separately to save big on your phone bill. MVNOs are budget-friendly carriers that operate on the Big Three’s infrastructure, bridging your top-notch coverage at a cheaper price.

• Save big on your monthly mobile bill with Visible’s $25/month base plan, then use those savings to subscribe to your preferred streaming services. As a Verizon MVNO, you get unlimited data on Verizon’s 5G and 4G networks, and unlimited mobile hotspot at 5Mbps speeds. That’s unlimited data for a fraction of the cost for a top-tier plan from the Big Three.

• Pay less than $50/month when you choose Mint Mobile’s Unlimited plan and pay for a basic streaming service separately. As a T-Mobile MVNO, Mint Mobile’s $40/month Unlimited plan includes unlimited premium data at 5G/4G LTE speeds, and 10GB of hotspot data. Since most basic streaming service subscriptions cost $11.99/month or less, you pay less than $50/month for phone and streaming services together.

• Combine US Mobile’s Unlimited Premium plan with a separate Standard Netflix with Ads subscription for $51.99/month. As our top choice from smaller carriers on AT&T’s network, US Mobile’s AT&T-based service (coined Darkstar) delivers some of the highest data allowances available from an AT&T MVNO—for only $44/month. Subscribe to your favorite streaming service separately for a cheaper monthly phone bill than you’d get with a major carrier.

Streaming perks: FAQs

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What carriers offer free Netflix?

T-Mobile offers free Netflix with its Experience plans. Choose Experience More for free subscriptions to Netflix and Apple TV+, or Experience Beyond for free Netflix, Apple TV+, and Hulu. It's important to note that these basic subscriptions aren't ad-free.

Is Netflix on Us actually free?

Yes, "Netflix on Us" is actually free. T-Mobile includes free Netflix with its Experience More and Experience Beyond plans, priced $7.99/month if you were to subscribe separately.

Which carrier offers the best streaming perks?

The carrier that offers the best cell phone plans with streaming services depends on your personal preference.

• T-Mobile includes free Netflix and Apple TV+ with both of its Experience plans, and Experience Beyond is the only phone plan with Hulu included.
• Verizon allows customers to choose streaming perks at $10/month each, including a Disney Bundle, Netflix and Max combination, or Apple Family Music account.

Who gives HBO Max for free?

AT&T used to include a free subscription to Max (formerly HBO Max), but has discontinued the perk. Cricket however, an AT&T MVNO, still offers a free subscription in its $60/month Unlimited + 15GB Mobile Hotspot plan.