Does Unlimited Data Reset Every Month? Understand Data Throttling & Deprioritization
What To Know
- The reset timing for a data plan depends on the provider and the specific plan. For most U.S. carriers, the data plan resets at the start of a new billing cycle, which might not necessarily align with the calendar month.
- Many ‘unlimited’ data plans are not truly unlimited in terms of high-speed data. They often have data caps after which the internet speed is either deprioritized (slowed down temporarily when the network is congested) or throttled (permanently slowed down for the remainder of the billing cycle).
In this article, I’ll unravel the truth behind ‘unlimited’ data plans and explain the intricacies of data caps, deprioritization, and throttling.
It’s time to shine a light on what these terms really mean for your internet experience.
Ready to uncover some internet truths? Let’s get started.
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Does an Unlimited Data Plan Reset Every Month?
Whether or not your data plan resets is entirely dependent on which data plan you have.
Some data plans, including “unlimited” ones, have data caps. While your internet may not cut out completely once the data limit is reached, you can expect the network connection to become noticeably slower or throttled, making it difficult to stream videos or download heavy files.
However, some providers offer premium data plans that are truly unlimited and do not have a data cap, making a reset unnecessary.
When discussing data caps, it’s important to understand the two different types of caps providers may set.
1. Data Deprioritization
This data cap assigns the user a set “priority data” allowance. As long as the user has not expended this allowance, they will have access to high-speed data that is completely uninterrupted and will not be prone to lagging.
Once this allowance has been consumed, your provider may decrease your internet speed when the network is overworked and there are many other users trying to access it. However, this slow internet speed is only temporary and your Wi-Fi should return to its normal speed once the network becomes less congested.
When your data plan resets, you will have access to priority data once again.
If this is confusing, think of priority data as the fast lane on a highway. When your data runs out and traffic increases, you may have to temporarily drive in the slow lane until the traffic clears or your plan renews.
2. Data Throttling
If your plan has a set data allowance, you may experience “data throttling” once it’s been consumed. Like data deprioritization, data throttling will cause your internet speed to decrease dramatically. In some cases, it may slow so much that it makes performing simple tasks, like launching your email, extremely difficult.
However, unlike data deprioritization, this change to your internet speed is not temporary. So, you can expect to have slow-speed internet until your data plan resets.
Data Deprioritization vs. Data Throttling
Now that you understand what data deprioritization and data throttling are, let’s explore their key differences.
Since providers only deprioritize your data when the network is experiencing excess traffic, data prioritization is not guaranteed. Additionally, it is temporary since your speed will instantly become faster once the network clears.
However, if your provider implements data throttling, it is guaranteed that your network speed will decrease once your data allowance has been consumed. The data will continue to throttle until your plan renews, regardless of the network’s traffic.
This is all to say that a provider sets their own definition, and with that terms and conditions, for their “unlimited plans.” Some of these unlimited plans may be truly unlimited, and give you uninterrupted access to high-speed internet, regardless of your data consumption.
However, many “unlimited” plans will give their users unlimited access to low-speed internet but set a data cap on high-speed network access.
But, how can they do this given that they label their plans as “unlimited?” Legally, cellular unlimited data plans must ensure that the users have unlimited internet access, though it does not specify the internet speed. So, even if your network is extremely slow, you can still technically connect to it, making it “unlimited.”
Popular Carriers and Their Data Plans
Let’s go over a few popular carriers’ data plans, what they entail, and what their “unlimited” plans entail.
Verizon (US)
Unlimited Cellular/Hotspot Plans:
Check out Verizon’s complete list of unlimited cellular plans.
Please note that these plans will reset at the start of the new billing cycle, which will not necessarily be at the start of the month. To see when your Verizon billing cycle renews, log into your Verizon account and open Bill overview.
| Plan | Cellular data | Hotspot |
| 5G Get More | – No data deprioritization – No data throttling – No reset |
– “High-speed” data throttled after 50GB monthly allowance consumed – Monthly reset |
| 5G Play More | – Deprioritized after 50GB data allowance consumed – No data throttling – Monthly reset |
– “High-speed” data throttled after 25GB data allowance – Monthly reset |
| 5G Do More | – Deprioritized after 50GB data allowance consumed – No data throttling – Monthly reset |
– “High-speed” data throttled after 25GB data allowance – Monthly reset |
| 5G Start | – Unlimited but no priority data – Always at risk of data being deprioritized – No data throttling |
– “High-speed” data throttled after 5GB data allowance – Monthly reset |
Unlimited Home Internet Plans:
Head to Verizon’s official website or refer to the table below for a list of their home internet plans.
These plans are 100% unlimited, meaning your internet speed will not falter, regardless of your data consumption. Since there’s no cap, the plan does not need to reset. The only time you should experience any interruptions is if you fail to pay your internet bill.
| Plan | Data cap | Reset |
| Verizon Fios (Fiber) | Unlimited Data (No cap) | No reset |
| Verizon 4G/LTE Home | Unlimited Data (No cap) | No reset |
| Verizon 5G Home | Unlimited Data (No cap) | No reset |
| Verizon DSL | Unlimited Data (No cap) | No reset |
AT&T (US)
Unlimited Cellular/Hotspot Plans:
Check out the table below for a list of AT&T’s unlimited cellular plans. Please note that, like Verizon, their premium plan includes uncapped cellular data, but limits the amount of high-speed internet that can be used on your phone’s hotspot.
AT&T’s billing cycle renews on the same day every month. To find out when your AT&T billing cycle will renew, launch the myAT&T app or head to the AT&T website. Enter your login information and go to Bill.
| Plan | Cellular data | Hotspot |
| AT&T Unlimited Premium℠ Plan | – No data deprioritization – No data throttling – No reset |
– “High-speed” data throttled after 50GB monthly allowance consumed – Monthly reset |
| AT&T Unlimited Extra® Plan | – Deprioritized after 50GB data allowance consumed – No data throttling – Monthly reset |
– “High-speed” data throttled after 15GB monthly allowance consumed – Monthly reset |
| AT&T Unlimited Starter® Plan | – Unlimited but no priority data – Always at risk of being deprioritized – No data throttling |
– “High-speed” data throttled after 3GB monthly allowance consumed – Monthly reset |
Unlimited Home Internet Plans:
AT&T’s unlimited home internet plans include two “100 & above” plans. This label indicates that the plans are completely unlimited, with no data caps, and consequently, no monthly reset.
| Plan | Data cap | Reset |
| IPBB Internet 100 & Above | No cap | No reset |
| AT&T Fiber Internet 100 & Above | No cap | No reset |
Sprint (US)
Unlimited Cellular/Hotspot Plans:
These plans will renew at the beginning of your billing cycle, which is typically every 30 days. You can find the exact dates you’re being billed for and know when your billing cycle will reset by referring to the Account Charges section on your Sprint bill (see example bill here).
You can view your billing cycle information by going to the Sprint website, then selecting My Account, followed by View bill.
| Plan | Cellular data | Hotspot |
| Sprint MAX | – No data deprioritization – No data throttling – No reset |
– “High-speed” data throttled after 40GB data allowance consumed – Monthly reset |
| Sprint One | – Deprioritized after 100GB data allowance consumed – No data throttling – Monthly reset |
– “High-speed” data throttled after 5GB data allowance consumed – Monthly reset |
| Sprint Essentials | – Deprioritized after 50GB data allowance consumed – No data throttling – Monthly reset |
– No “high-speed” data allowance
– Still “Unlimited” but always throttled at 3G (slower) speed only |
Unlimited Home Internet Plans:
As of the release of this article, Sprint does not offer any unlimited home internet plans. So, if you’re in the market for an unlimited Wi-Fi plan, you will have to purchase it from another provider.
T-Mobile (US)
Unlimited Cellular/Hotspot Plans:
Here are T-Mobile’s unlimited cellular plans. This provider’s billing cycle begins on the day your phone/SIM/router was shipped and ends 30 days thereafter.
You can find your exact billing cycle renewal date by heading to your T-Mobile bill summary page.
| Plan | Cellular data | Hotspot |
| Magenta MAX | – No data deprioritization – No data throttling – No reset |
– “High-speed” data throttled after 40GB data allowance consumed – Monthly reset |
| Magenta | – Deprioritized after 100GB data allowance consumed – No data throttling – Monthly reset |
– “High-speed” Data throttled after 5GB data allowance. – Monthly reset |
| Essentials | – Deprioritized after 50GB data allowance consumed – No data throttling – Monthly reset |
– No “high-speed” data allowance – Still “Unlimited” but always throttled at 3G (slower) speed only |
Unlimited Home Internet Plans:
As of now, T-Mobile only offers one unlimited data plan, 5G Home Internet, which features totally uncapped data and has no monthly reset.
| Plan | Data cap | Reset |
| 5G Home Internet | No cap | No reset |
Metro by T-Mobile (MetroPCS) (US)
Unlimited Cellular/Hotspot Plans:
Metro by T-Mobile’s cellular/hotspot plans are unique in that they put tight restrictions on the user’s hotspot data allowance, with their cheapest plan not including hotspot data at all. This means that you will be unable to enable the hotspot function on your phone with this plan.
While the other plans do have a hotspot data allowance, users can expect their hotspot to be completely disabled once the data cap has been reached.
As is the case of all of the other carriers on this list, these plans will reset at the start of the next billing cycle, which renews every 30 days.
Unlimited Home Internet Plans:
| Plan | Cellular data | Hotspot |
| $40/mo. Prepaid Unlimited Plan | – Deprioritized after 35GB data allowance consumed
– No data throttling – Monthly reset |
No hotspot data at all |
| $50/mo. Prepaid Unlimited Plan | – Deprioritized after 35GB data allowance consumed
– No data throttling – Monthly reset |
5GB limited hotspot data
*After 5GB, you can’t access hotspot data anymore* |
| $60/mo. Prepaid Unlimited Plan | – Deprioritized after 35GB data allowance consumed
– No data throttling – Monthly reset |
20GB limited hotspot data
*After 20GB, you can’t access hotspot data anymore* |
Unlimited Home Internet Plans:
Metro by T-Mobile currently offers 5G Home Internet as their only unlimited home internet plan. This plan is truly “unlimited” since there is absolutely no data cap, and does not use data deprioritization or data throttling. So, you can expect uninterrupted high-speed internet 24/7.
Since there is no data cap, this plan does not reset.
| Plan | Data cap | Reset |
| 5G Home Internet | No cap | No reset |
Xfinity (US)
You can view your Xfinity billing cycle by going to the official Xfinity website. As always, you can expect your data plan to reset at the start of the billing cycle, given that your bill had been paid.
Xfinity does not implement data prioritization once the user’s data allowance has been reached. Instead, they always throttle both cellular and hotspot data when you’ve consumed your set allowance.
| Plan | Cellular data | Hotspot |
| Unlimited Premium | – Data throttled after 50GB data allowance consumed – Monthly reset |
– “High-speed” Data throttled after 15GB data allowance. – Monthly reset |
| Unlimited Plus | – Data throttled after 30GB data allowance consumed – Monthly reset |
– “High-speed” Data throttled after 5GB data allowance. – Monthly reset |
| Unlimited Intro | – Data throttled after 20GB data allowance consumed – Monthly reset |
– No “high-speed” data allowance consumed – Still “Unlimited” but always throttled at 600kbps (Slower) speed only |
Unlimited Home Internet Plans:
True to their name, all of Xfinity’s unlimited home internet plans are data cap-free. So, you can rest easy knowing that your Xfinity Wi-Fi will never deprioritize or throttle.
U.S. Cellular (US)
Unlimited Cellular/Hotspot Plan:
Consult the table below to see U.S. Cellular’s unlimited plans, which reset at the end of each month, rather than the start of your billing cycle.
U.S. Cellular will deprioritize your data once you’ve reach the first data cap, and then throttle it once you’ve reached the second. If your plan does include a hotspot, it will be completely disabled once your allowance has been consumed.
| Plan | Cellular data | Hotspot |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited Data – Even Better 2.0 | – Deprioritized after 50GB data allowance consumed – Data throttled after 100GB data allowance consumed – Monthly reset |
30GB limited hotspot data
*After 30GB, you can’t access hotspot data anymore* |
| Unlimited Data – Every Day 2.0 | – Deprioritized after 25GB data allowance consumed – Data throttled after 100GB data allowance consumed – Monthly reset |
15GB limited Hotspot data
*After 15GB, you can’t access hotspot data anymore* |
| Unlimited Data – Basic | – Unlimited but no priority data
– Always at risk of being deprioritized |
No hotspot data at all |
Unlimited Home Internet Plans:
You can check out all of U.S. Cellular’s home internet plans, limited and unlimited alike, on their official website.
Their Unlimited Everywhere plan is the only home internet plan on this list with a data cap.
| Plan | Data cap | Reset |
| Unlimited Everywhere | Data throttled after 300GB | Monthly reset |
| Unlimited Even Better | No cap | No reset |
Vodafone (UK)
Unlimited Cellular/Hotspot Plan:
Since the UK has different guidelines for “unlimited” plans, Vodafone’s unlimited cellular data plans do not have a data cap. This means that your network will never be deprioritized or throttled.
However, you do have a data cap of 25GB when roaming, which resets monthly.
These same guidelines apply to your hotspot as well, since it uses your phone’s cellular data. So, with unlimited plans within the UK, you also won’t have a data cap on your hotspot.
This means that your cellular and hotspot plan also won’t reset.
| Plan | Cellular data | Hotspot |
| All “Unlimited” Plans | – No data deprioritization – No data throttling – No reset |
– No data deprioritization – No data throttling – No reset |
Unlimited Home Internet Plans:
Per the UK’s definition of “unlimited,” none of Vodafone’s unlimited internet plans have data caps, meaning that they also do not reset monthly.
| Plan | Data cap | Reset |
| All “Unlimited” Plans | No cap | No reset |
O2 (UK)
Unlimited Cellular/Hotspot Plans:
Following the UK’s definition of “unlimited,” both O2’s cellular and hotspot data is uncapped and does not have deprioritization or throttling restrictions.
| Plan | Cellular data | Hotspot |
| All “Unlimited” Plans | – No data deprioritization – No data throttling – No reset |
– No data deprioritization – No data throttling – No reset |
Unlimited Home Internet Plans:
O2 does not currently offer any home internet plans.
Three (UK)
Unlimited Cellular/Hotspot Plans:
Any cellular plans labeled “unlimited” by Three will have no data caps, and consequently, will not deprioritize, throttle, or renew.
Since hotspots use your mobile data, they will also be entirely unlimited.
| Plan | Cellular data | Hotspot |
| All “Unlimited” Plans | – No data deprioritization – No data throttling – No reset |
– No data deprioritization – No data throttling – No reset |
Unlimited Home Internet Plans:
Three currently only offers 4G or 5G Unlimited Home Broadband, which will not feature any data caps or be deprioritized/throttled in any way.
| Plan | Data cap | Reset |
| 4G/5G Home broadband | No cap | No reset |
Wrapping Things Up
Almost all carriers boast “unlimited” data plans that can sound like they offer completely uncapped data. However, this is often untrue.
Due to the U.S.’s legal definition of “unlimited cellular,” American providers are free to restrict users’ data consumption, even if they have paid for an “unlimited” plan. Once you have used your data allowance, your cellular data may be deprioritized or throttled. Your hotspot may also be throttled or cut off completely.
However, UK carriers must adhere to different guidelines. Consequently, every “unlimited” plan they offer, be it cellular or Wi-Fi, will be entirely true to its name, with absolutely no data caps.
If your plan does have a data cap, you can expect it to be reset when your billing cycle restarts or, as is the case for U.S. Cellular, at the end of the month.
Were you as shocked as we were to find out what “unlimited” data plans actually entail?
Let us know in the comments below!
Yesenia Achlim is a technical copywriter and editor with a focus on AV equipment. She aims to break down complicated topics and make technology accessible, no matter your technical expertise. When she’s not teaching you how to replace a projector lamp, you can find her reading and baking.