A cellular plan for Apple Watch is super handy. We’ll discuss what each Apple Watch cellular plan costs, plus give answers to your top Apple Watch cellular plan questions. We’ve already gone over the best iPhone plans for you, now here’s how much an Apple Watch cellular plan for the Series 4, 5, 6, 7, and SE will cost you on the available plans.
Related: New Apple Watch Series 6: Blood Oxygen Level Monitoring, Watches for Family Members, More
Jump To:
- How Much Does the Apple Watch Series 7 Cost?
- How Much Does the Apple Watch SE Cost?
- Cost of Apple Watch Cellular Plans
- Family Setup
- Apple Watch Cellular FAQs
How Much Does the Apple Watch Series 7 Cost?
The cellular model of the Apple Watch Series 7 starts at $399 for the model with just GPS. The version with GPS and cellular starts at $499.
Like the Series 6, the Apple Watch Series 7 has a cellular model that allows you to place calls, check email, and stream music without your iPhone. You will, of course, still have to own an iPhone and pay for an iPhone cellular plan. But owning the cellular Apple Watch means you’ll also need to add the cost of an Apple Watch data plan to your current bill.
How Much Does the Apple Watch SE Cost?
The cellular model of the Apple Watch SE starts at $279 for the model with just GPS. The version with GPS and cellular starts at $329.
How Much Does an Apple Watch Cellular Plan Cost?
After you make the purchase, you’ll want to know your carrier cost. When trying to decide which is the best Apple watch data plan for you, you’ll want to know all your options.
So really, how much does cellular cost on Apple Watches? Well, it appears the currently supported cellular carriers for the Apple Watch are very nearly a united front on the price: at least $10 a month to add your wearable.
The one exception is U.S. Cellular, which offers a discount for the first three months before charging the regular $10/month. Why U.S. Cellular can afford to undercut the competition when everyone else is offering a fixed price, I don’t know, but it’s a sweet deal for U.S. Cellular customers. As long as $120 a year is worth it for you and your budget, it’s incredible to have an Apple Watch that can go iPhone free.
Does an Apple Watch Cellular have to have a plan, or can you use it without getting data? We’ll go into more detail on how this works later in the article, but it’s technically possible to use an Apple Watch Cellular+GPS model without actually harnessing its cellular power.
AT&T Apple Watch Plan
AT&T used to have quite a labyrinth of a website that made it hard to find the pricing info for an Apple Watch cellular plan, it’s now quite simple: it’s $10/month to add to any unlimited plan. If you don’t already have a plan, it would cost the same as a phone line. Prepaid plans do not support Apple Watches.
Appalachian Apple Watch Plan
It only costs $10 a month to add a cellular Apple Watch to your Mix-and-Match, Unlimited, or Appalachian Advantage iPhone plans.
Bluegrass Cellular Connected Device Option
Bluegrass Cellular (now part of Verizon) charges $10/month for an Apple watch to be added to your plan.
Carolina West Wireless Apple Watch Plan
While the Carolina West website doesn’t appear to have this information visible, I chatted with a representative online who informed me adding an Apple Watch data plan is $10/month with every plan.
C Spire Apple Watch Cellular
C Spire is right upfront about how much it will cost to add an Apple Watch to your data plan; the first three months of service are free, $10 a month thereafter. C Spire also offers a useful summary of how the cellular service on an Apple Watch works and how to set it up.
T-Mobile Apple Watch Plan
It costs $10 per month to add your Apple Watch cellular option to the Magenta, Magenta Max, or Essentials plans. A one-time $20 activation fee may apply.
U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular has made a change from its original offer of adding an Apple Watch to your plan for free, and has fallen in line with the $10 per month club, available with any plan, except prepaid plans.
Verizon Apple Watch Plan
Verizon has a simple structure of $10 per month for your Apple Watch with any Unlimited plan.
Xfinity Wireless
Xfinity now offers Apple Watch plans at $10 per month.
Family Setup
A new thing to consider when trying to decide the best Apple watch data plan for you and your family is Apple’s new Family Setup. Starting with WatchOS 7 users can pair other users’ Apple Watches to with their iPhone in what Apple is calling Family Setup. This means members of a household or family can have their own Apple Watches while connecting to one iPhone, and therefore one cellular plan. Besides a great way to save on monthly costs, this also allows parents to monitor their child’s Apple Watch use and even location, offering new ways to keep children safe in a world of increased technology. The carriers with Family Setup support are:
- AT&T
- C Spire
- Sprint, now part of T-Mobile
- T-Mobile
- US Cellular
- Verizon Wireless
Apple Watch Cellular FAQs
1. Can You Still Text on an Apple Watch without Cellular Service?
Yes, but only if your iPhone is connected and within range, and has service. Without a cellular plan of its own, your Apple Watch is essentially just a wearable extension of your iPhone, and only has service through it.
2. What’s the Difference between Apple Watch GPS & Apple Watch GPS+Cellular?
The main difference between an Apple Watch with cellular versus an Apple Watch without a cellular plan is that one with cellular can perform call, text, and data functions without a connected iPhone nearby. This is because the cellular service for Apple Watch GPS+Cellular allows it to act independently from your iPhone for those services, like a mini wearable iPhone. An Apple Watch with GPS only relies on your iPhone and sometimes an internet connection for these functions.
3. Can You Use an Apple Watch Cellular without a Cellular Plan?
Apple Watches that are cellular-equipped don’t have to have to utilize a cellular plan—they still have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities, so they can use the data and cell service from your iPhone. If you don’t intend to use cellular with your Apple Watch, though, it makes sense to go with the cheaper version and purchase an Apple Watch GPS instead of a more expensive version that comes equipped for cellular.
4. What Can My Apple Watch Do without My iPhone?
Apple has a great resource to explain the things you can and can’t do on your Apple Watch without a cellular connection, Wi-Fi, or your iPhone paired. Without your iPhone nearby, functionality will be quite limited unless you have an Apple Watch with a cellular plan.
Pro Tip: Your Apple Watch will have its own phone number for billing purposes. Learn how to find your Apple Watch phone number here.
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