What is a family plan for cell phones?

A family plan for cell phones is a service plan for multiple phones at a reduced rate compared to having individual plans for each line. Depending on the carrier, family plans offer different perks, such as shared and roll over data, minutes and text messages.

Family plan pricing is generally based on the number of lines that are active on the plan. The most common family plan pricing scheme exponentially reduces the cost of each line added up to a set number of lines. Family plans from some carriers have a specific minimum number of lines required to be eligible for family plan pricing, while others begin offering family plan discounts at just two lines of service.