Sprint’s new $20 ‘unlimited’ plan is really just 1GB of data

‘Unlimited’ data plans haven’t actually been unlimited for a while… But Sprint’s new $20 per month plan is really stretching the meaning of the term ‘unlimited.’

What ‘unlimited’ really means…

Sprint announced the new $20 plan this week — with the promise of ‘no data overages.’ But after customers use more than 1 GB of data in a month, their connection speed will go from 4G LTE to 2G.

It’s not a bad deal if all you’re looking to do is call, text and check your email. But don’t forget, the $20 unlimited data charge is just for the data. The unlimited calling and texting is another $20 — making the cost of the plan a total of $40 per month.

Read more: Save by leasing your cell phone

Sprint’s new plan compared to other 1 GB plans

While the ‘unlimited’ part is a big confusing to consumers, Sprint’s new plan is still cheaper than T-Mobile’s 1 GB plan — which is a total of $50 per month.

The Consumerist points out that it’s not necessarily the cost that’s concerning — it’s the way Sprint is selling the plan as an ‘unlimited’ one, which typically attracts people who are going to use a lot of data. And this plan is obviously not the best choice for those people. Sprint does offer a $70/month data plan that is much more ‘unlimited’ than 1 GB.

‘There’s a huge difference between a plan intended for people who only take their smartphones out a couple times a week and one that claims to offer relatively unfettered access to data (up to 23 GB of it at least). They should not both be labeled ‘unlimited.”

Here’s a comparison of plans from The Consumerist: