The best cell phone plans for seniors
High-speed data and unlimited minutes are now standard order for most聽. But these plans are not ideal for everyone.
Nearly 80% of adults ages 65 and older own cell phones, and nearly聽30% own smartphones,聽聽Although聽many senior smartphone owners use their cell phones much like younger adults 鈥� keeping up with news and posting to social media 鈥� the majority聽of these people聽want to avoid the extra hassle, money and confusion of bloated, data-centric plans.
Many carriers have done away with 鈥渟enior plans,鈥� but there are still a handful of cell phone plans designed with seniors in mind. These plans are typically prepaid and have fewer minutes and frills than standard plans. That means you can stay connected without committing a large chunk of your monthly income.
Before picking a cell phone plan, consider how you鈥檒l use your phone. Want to text and talk with your children? Then you鈥檒l want a plan with enough minutes and messages to keep you connected. Want to keep up with your friends and grandkids via Facebook? Look for a plan that includes a few gigabytes of data, minus the extra fees. Simply want a phone for emergencies? A simple plan with minimal minutes will give you and your family peace of mind.
We looked at plans offered by the four major carriers 鈥斅�, T-Mobile,聽听补苍诲听鈥� as well as some smaller prepaid carriers to find the best cell phone plans for seniors. The plans highlighted are all prepaid, so in most cases you will need to pay full price for a phone. If you are on Medicaid, Food Stamps/SNAP, Supplemental聽Security Income (SSI) or other government programs, you may qualify for subsidized plans various cell phone companies offer through the聽.
Best pay-as-you-go聽cell phone plan for seniors: T-Mobile
- Monthly price:聽$3
- 惭颈苍耻迟别蝉/迟别虫迟蝉:听Includes 30 minutes or texts. Additional talk and text are 10 cents聽per minute/message
- Data:聽Not included
- Phone prices:聽Start at around $60, but you can bring your own device, if it鈥檚 compatible.
- Activation fee:聽$20 鈥淪IM Starter Kit鈥� fee
WHY WE LIKE IT:
This plan is as basic as it gets. It鈥檚 also as cheap as it gets. For just $3 per month, you聽can use any combination of 30 minutes or 30 text messages. And,聽, you don鈥檛 need to fork over precious cash for a new cell phone. This plan is perfect for people who don鈥檛聽really want a cell phone, but want the peace of mind that comes with knowing they can reach family or a medical professional in an emergency.
Best cell phone plan for mobile-savvy seniors:
T-Mobile Basic Monthly Plan
- Monthly price:听$30
- Minutes:听100
- Texts:听鲍苍濒颈尘颈迟别诲
- Data:聽5GB high-speed data, unlimited 2G data
- Phone prices:聽Start around $40
- Activation fee:聽$20 鈥淪IM Starter Kit鈥� fee
WHY WE LIKE IT:
If you were tech-savvy at age 64, chances are good that you鈥檒l still be tech-savvy when you hit age 65. So there鈥檚 no need to turn in your iPhone when you officially become a senior. You may, however, want to re-evaluate your cell phone plan to ensure you鈥檙e not wasting precious retirement savings on a bloated plan. This prepaid T-Mobile plan聽is one of the best data deals you鈥檒l find, if you can make do with 100聽minutes. This plan is only available on phones purchased via T-Mobile鈥檚 website or at participating Wal-Mart locations.
Best emergency cell phone plan for seniors:
GreatCall WeTalk 200
- Monthly price:听$14.99
- Minutes:听200
- Texts:聽Not included
- Data:聽Not included
- Phone price:听$99
- Activation fee:听$35
Why we like it:
It鈥檚 affordable. It鈥檚 simple. And, unlike other plans, it鈥檚 designed with seniors in mind. The Jitterbug, GreatCall鈥檚 signature phone, features big buttons, a loud speaker and a bright screen with large display text. GreatCall didn鈥檛 stop with the phone, though. The prepaid carrier allows customers to add on health services, such as weekly or daily wellness calls; a personal operator to help you make phone calls or add appointments to your calendar; and 5Star Urgent Response, which connects you to a 911 operator at the push of a button.
This article聽updated May 27, 2016. It originally published Jan. 25, 2016.
Kelsey Sheehy is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email:ksheehy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter:聽.
This article first appeared at .
